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Apps for last mile logistics

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Apple’s iOS Growth in Microsoft Shops

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Intermedia, a hosted Exchange provider, released their April 2011 device activation numbers.  Intermedia hosts 320,000 premium Exchange email accounts.  According to their post, new device activations were:

Total breakdown of ActiveSync-based smartphone’s activated on Intermedia’s service:

  • 61 percent on iPhone
  • 22 percent on “Other” (primarily Windows, followed by Symbian and Palm)
  • 17 percent on Android

The key takeaway for BizSpeed as mobile developers is the close to 80% domination of iPhone and Android. Since this was ActiveSync activations, it does not include Blackberry; however, we have not seen strong demand for our proof of delivery and inspection apps on Blackberry devices.  The primary BB users are government, and that has been a tough nut to crack in terms of helping them drive efficiencies.   Private companies have been much more aggressive in streamlining field operations.

We’ve continued to get strong interest in our Android Asset Tracking application.  That interest, combined with the fact that Android and iOS each have over 300,000 new device activations per month, has led us to accelerate our push to get our proof of delivery, inspections and handheld data collection applications running on iOS and Android.

Integrating RFID into Nursery Management

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The BizSpeed website now has a dedicated section on integrating barcode and RFID data collection into wholesale nursery management systems. We outline how RFID is integrated into Knox Nursery’s Grower’s Own system (GO) and how we can implement RFID modules in existing ERP/nursery management systems.

RFID is integral to nursery management at Grower’s Own because tracking production and inventory with barcodes is difficult – barcodes get covered with dirt, water and leaves, barcodes can be too far away to provide a clean line of site and alignment of barcodes is required on conveyors for shipping.

We are particularly excited to announce that we will be releasing a portable RFID inventory locator. This is a rolling cart with a battery to power a fixed Motorola XR400 RFID reader, a boom mounted Motorola antenna and a touch screen computer to see/record inventory location. The system will allow growers to roll the cart down an isle and have the reader capture all RFID tags (on trays) and their location. The output can be sent back to any inventory system so customers will know exactly where inventory is located.

Inventory location tracking is particularly difficult in a greenhouse because growing trays get moved during production and young plants look alike – so pickers have a very difficult and manual effort to find and confirm pick ticket items.

The complete GO system includes:

Core modules:

  • Sales Order Entry
  • Production, Seed, & Materials Planning
  • Production Management
  • Purchasing
  • Inventory
  • Shipping

Task sub-modules:

  • GO Weigh Seed Management (Scale Based Inventory)
  • GO SeedSow Production Line Interface (Controls production line)
  • GO Label Print & Apply Labeling & RFID Encoding (Production Labels & RFID Encoding)
  • GO Ship Packing Station, Featuring real-time FedEx Label Printing  (Validates shipment using RFID and prints FedEx label)
  • GO Mass Data Collect Portal (Allows scanning of full beds in seconds)

The GO Mobile Computer modules are (Using Symbol/Motorola devices such as MC9090 RFID) :

  • Mobile Disposals (Dump, Used Rework, Used for Transplant, and Resow)
  • Mobile Growing Starts
  • Mobile Container Revivals
  • Mobile Verification

Coming soon:

  • Trading Partner Business to Business data exchange via XML documents.  PO’s, Advanced Shipment Notification (ASN), Inventory Availability.
  • Inventory Location Tracking via RFID — Know where your inventory is located for picking purposes.  To be developed as a stand-alone application with an interface module to most other existing inventory systems.

Florida Citrus Nursery Deploys Wireless Inventory

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Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery in Frostproof, FL is now using a wireless inventory control system from BizSpeed.  Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery is the largest citrus nursery in Florida. The owner of the nursery, Phillip Rucks, needed a way to track thousands of citrus trees that are growing at any given time.  Phillip found the solution he needed during the summer of 2008 when he deployed BizSpeed’s “goRoam Mobile Inventory” system to manage greenhouse inventory.  The system uses Symbol-Motorola MC9090 Symbol MC9090 handheld computers that have wireless and barcode capability, along with a Motorola wireless network.  These mobile computers have the rugged ability to withstand a greenhouse environment.

The challenge Phillip Rucks faced was there were thousands of tree varieties, ages, and grades growing at the same time, located over several acres.  Phillip Rucks has to track each tree’s growth and status as Work In Process (WIP) inventory for delivery on specific dates to customers.  The head grower, Cliff Gaddis, was keeping track of inventory and locations with paper & clipboard, spending many hours per week determining inventory counts, status, inventory location and production forecasts.  If a tree was moved, it was extremely difficult to track down its location and status.

Working with Eric Claiborne of BizSpeed, Phil configured BizSpeed’s goRoam mobile and server software for his greenhouse inventory.  Configured for the Greenhouse, the goRoam software allows an inventory clerk to barcode scan and update inventory data anywhere in the greenhouse.  Updates are real-time with a direct wireless connection to a central server, and inventory is updated as soon any activity occurs.

Rucks’ citrus trees are grown on 3200 movable benches, with each bench holding up to 311 trees.  For a given table, the clerk uses the mobile computer to enter tree variety (liners or budded trees), grade of the trees,  quantity on bench, associated customer, root date, bud/graft date, estimated finish date, notes, and the bench location.  The shipping screens support scanning benches as they are placed into a truck, which automatically records products shipped to the customer by barcode and prints a Shipping Ticket.  Each bench has a unique barcode label and each row in the Greenhouse has a unique barcode label that identifies the range and row for that bench.  At any time, reports can be run that will show inventory locations, varieties, grades, customers, quantities, etc.

All reports are stored on a local server and can be run from the goRoam.Mobilehub site which runs in a web-browser.  Because the software runs from a web-browser, all work and reports can be done from any PC either inside the building or outside the building if the server is made available to the Internet.  Items, customers and reports can be updated in goRoam at any time.

As a result of the goRoam system, Rucks has the ability to accurately “see a picture” of inventory at any time, from anywhere.  This makes it is easier to immediately book new sales, complete inventory valuation reports and manage inventory.  And, the head grower can now focus on growing trees and managing his crew without being concerned about inventories.

Mobile Greenhouse Menu – Click to Enlarge:
pc_capture31		 Mobile Edit Bench Screen – Click to Enlarge:
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Browser Inventory Location Screen 
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Inspections-003		 Browser Inventory Transaction Screen 
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Browser Inventory Edit Screen 

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To find out more about BizSpeed and goRoam, please visit www.bizspeed.com

About BizSpeed:

BizSpeed is an enterprise software and services company focused on extending business applications to mobile, wireless and web users.  BizSpeed solutions provide and collect information at the point of need, which helps clients achieve a “faster business”.  BizSpeed provides complete mobile solutions for pickup and delivery, inventory tracking, field sales, field service, asset management and inspections.  BizSpeed mobile solutions support barcode and RFID, and are certified on Symbol, Motorola and Intermec hardware.

sales @ bizspeed.com

About Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery, Inc.:

Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery is the largest citrus nursery in Florida. Rucks has a state-of-the-art 5 acre greenhouse that was one of the first to conform to current state agriculture guidelines See Article -TheLedger.com , including full decontamination entrance/exit, stock tracking, rolling/pneumatic benches and wireless inventory.  Rucks provides containerized trees, budwood, liners and seed.  For more information, contact Phillip Rucks at 863-635-1948.

PR Contact:
Doug Hollowell
dhollowell @ bizspeed.com

866.270.0541

Bizspeed