HighJump rolls out addition to warehouse management system to help companies intelligently build cartons, pallets, trailers, ocean containers
Eden Prairie, MN — April 30, 2004 — Supply chain execution specialist HighJump Software has rolled out a new solution designed to help companies optimally build cartons, pallets, trailers and ocean containers as part of distribution processes, with the goals of reducing operating and transportation costs, decreasing product damage and simplifying the process of building customer-specific cartons and pallets.
A 3M company, HighJump released its new Container Advantage solution as a component of its warehouse management system, Warehouse Advantage.
As HighJump sees it, the need to intelligently build containers has never been greater for most companies. Order profile changes have created more split-case and full-case shipments, requiring greater precision in carton and pallet builds. Increased emphasis on "the perfect order" is driving many companies to focus on reduction of product damage in shipping, which often occurs from poorly built pallets and trailers. And increasing numbers of companies, especially retailers, are requiring vendors to follow specific rules for building cartons and pallets, and in some cases, ship store-ready or even aisle-ready pallets.
HighJump said that Container Advantage provides a set of capabilities intended to empower companies to meet these and other operating challenges involved in container planning.
The solution provider is targeting Container Advantage at companies faced with such challenges as heavy split-case picking requirements, automation/sortation systems that impose pallet-building constraints, meeting retailer requirements for cartonization or store/aisle-ready pallets, cartons that differ significantly in weight (which can cause damage if not stacked intelligently on the pallet) and challenging trailer-building requirements
Key features of the solution include a rules-based engine that enables users to define specific processing rules by type of container, stock-keeping unit (SKU), customer and so on; 3-D, graphical views of optimal container builds to help operators execute recommended container plans; and full support within HighJump's warehouse management solution to help ensure that optimal container builds are fully integrated into order picking and trailer loading processes.
The solution has a Web-enabled architecture intended to ease deployment, and it offers multiple open integration points to enable linkages with other distribution systems as required, such as parcel manifesting.
Container Advantage is currently being used by HighJump customers such as Fingerhut, Verizon and GSA.
