WHERENET
WIRELESS LOCATING SYSTEM OPTIMIZES YARD OPERATIONS FOR INNOVATIVE GROCERY DISTRIBUTOR
WhereNet
Wireless System and Yard Management Application Provide New Revenue Opportunities
and Significant Savings for ES3
SANTA
CLARA, Calif.- July 17, 2002 - WhereNet Corp., the worldwide leader of wireless
location and communications solutions for managing mobile resources, today announced
that grocery distributor ES3 has adopted WhereNet's second-generation wireless
real-time locating system (RTLS) technology to reduce costs and increase new revenue
opportunities. WhereNet is helping ES3 automate its distribution center in York,
Penn., enabling "just-in-time" delivery. WhereNet is providing ES3 with
wireless, real-time applications for locating, tracking, and managing hundreds
of assets at ES3's state-of-the-art distribution center.
"By leveraging
the WhereNet wireless system, together with our other systems, we are able to
move product more efficiently than ever before - whether it's a truck load of
dog food or a pallet of soup - achieving cost reductions," said Geoff Davis,
executive vice president of ES3. "Through WhereNet's yard management software
and wireless location applications, we can optimize every yard move we make from
the moment a trailer enters our distribution center."
"Enterprises
seeking supply chain performance improvements should look to supply chain visibility
as one key enabling capability for new business processes. These technologies
and business processes can improve supply chain throughput and operations efficiencies,
giving enterprises in wholesale grocery distribution and other verticals a competitive
edge," said Jeff Woods, senior analyst for Gartner. "Emerging wireless
location technologies are enabling grocery distributors to optimize their operations
by having constant connectivity to all of their trailers - eliminating the black
holes that currently exist in many distribution centers. While manufacturers and
stores will benefit from quicker deliveries, the ultimate winners will be consumers,
who will enjoy fresher food on store shelves - and perhaps even lower prices."
By
reducing movement in the distribution center and enabling ES3 to know where its
trailers are in real time, the WhereNet solution plays a key role for retail grocers
seeking a unique competitive advantage with a completely automated supply chain
that presents new revenue opportunities and significantly reduces costs.
Tagged
for Success - WhereNet Enables Rapid Turnaround Time
WhereNet's solution
offers ES3 the next generation of wireless resource management tools for planning,
scheduling, and optimizing its yard resources. Based on wireless radio frequency
WhereTags and a local infrastructure of wireless WhereLAN™ locating access
points, the WhereNet system provides real-time location and status information
for every trailer at the ES3 distribution center. For inbound shipments, ES3 personnel
temporarily attach a WhereTag to every trailer upon entering the distribution
center. Through association of the WhereTag with the contents of the load, the
trailer is automatically recognized as "full" or "empty."
This status information is then communicated through WhereNet's Web-enabled yard
management system (YMS).
Because of the delivery time promised to retailers,
trailers need to be tightly scheduled so that there is no time wasted moving the
right trailer to the right dock door at the right time. In conjunction with WhereNet's
YMS software, 802.11b technology is leveraged to communicate trailer move requests
to "switchers" (drivers who move trailers around the yard) via ruggedized
mobile devices mounted inside each switch tractor. Switchers are able to select
and work requests, display the exact locations of requested trailers on a map,
and perform trailer inspections through WhereNet software that runs through a
browser on the mobile devices. When a new trailer move is required, the WhereNet
system not only displays the location of the specific trailer to be moved, but
also the location of the switcher who is closest to that particular trailer. This
constant connectivity to and real-time visibility of mobile assets dramatically
reduces search and switch time for ES3, amounting to daily savings, increased
yard throughput, and improved customer satisfaction.
"WhereNet is
pleased to expand our footprint in the grocery and retail distribution market.
We are helping ES3 to realize its vision to transform the grocery distribution
lifecycle and shave days off of the delivery process," said Dan Doles, president
and CEO for WhereNet Corp. "Companies such as ES3 are immediately realizing
the benefits of our wireless applications that provide constant connectivity between
mobile assets and the mobile workers and information systems that manage those
assets. The ES3 deployment builds on WhereNet's success with Associated Food Stores,
a company that realized complete ROI on its WhereNet investment in less than 9
months."
About
ES3
ES3 has redesigned the consumer packaged goods supply chain from the
ground up by fundamentally changing the way that products move from manufacturer
to market. ES3 provides the industry with the scale, technology and expertise
necessary to realize savings from a collaborative, just-in-time distribution solution.
ES3's state-of-the-art facility in York will deliver multi-manufacturer consolidated
orders to customers throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions within 24
hours by utilizing electronic information exchange (EDI, XML, or direct machine-to-machine
communications) and automation. Manufacturers and their customers have real-time
visibility to inventory and are able to monitor shipments from end-to-end through
ES3's Web-based reporting and proprietary supply chain systems. For more information
on the company, visit ES3's Web site at www.ES3.com.
About WhereNet Corp.
WhereNet is the first company to deliver
a single wireless location and communication infrastructure that reliably and
cost-effectively manages valuable mobile resources. Based on patented technology
resulting from a collective 100+ years of development, WhereNet's real time solutions
have reduced inventory, lowered operating costs, and improved operations, delivering
a complete return on investment within 12 months for some the world's leading
companies, including Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Co. and Meijer. WhereNet's strategic
partners include Fortune 500 bellwethers General Electric, Unisys, Symbol, and
FMC. The company has received the Henry Ford Technology Award; been named a Top
100 company by Frontline Solutions, Inbound Logistics, and UPSIDE magazines; and
been recognized as a wireless innovator and industry leader by Forrester Research,
Computerworld ROI, Plant Engineering, Start, and Supply Chain Systems magazines.
Headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with offices throughout the United States
and Europe, WhereNet is funded by Crosspoint Venture Partners, Foundation Capital,
Bay Partners, Crescendo Ventures, Ford Motor Co., and Sun Microsystems. For more
information, visit the WhereNet Web site at www.wherenet.com,
or call 408-845-8500 (in the U.S.) or + 32 15 28 48 00 (in Europe).
###
WhereNet
is a registered trademark and WhereLAN is a trademark of WhereNet Corp. All other
brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of
their respective owners.
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