As the world of warehousing, e-commerce and fulfilment continues to grow – from the likes of the US giants to the familiar doorstep deliveries such as Ocado – more of the UK workforce are involved than ever.
These large distribution sites can be overlooked due to their locations, and their 24/7/365 packing and distribution services are taken for granted by 87% of us who buy goods online.
As the sector grows, and with increased media focus and scrutiny, what are some of the issues?
Only about 13% of the entire construction industry is made up of women.
No, that’s not a statistic from the 1950s.
Surprisingly, that’s from 2020.
In total, there are between 2 and 3 million people in the UK employed in the construction industry and is still continuing to grow, being valued at its highest level on record at approximately £99,266 million in 2016.
This outdated view of the construction industry is pretty surprising, considering it is growing at a phenomenal rate. The industry is in high demand, both in the residential and commercial sector. Technology and construction software in the 21st century are transforming the industry, but are they being held back by the lack of female representation?
- Topic:
- Construction
Since Britain woke up to the news in June 2016 confirming the exit from the EU, the implications on business have remained unclear.
Uncertainty of the effects of Brexit in the construction industry have not just been around the regulations and standards, but also the reliance on the market for the import and export of materials, the current skills shortage and funding.
In this article we discuss the possible effects Brexit will have on the construction industry and the businesses within this sector.
- Topic:
- Construction
In short, both MRP and ERP systems are pieces of software that help you to run your business better based on historical information, forecasting algorithms and your chosen business priorities. The key difference is the scope; MRP has a much narrower, manufacturing-centric focus than ERP, which provides business-wide benefits as well as supply chain management. To give you a better understanding of the components of each, and to help you to decide which one might be right for your company, we’ve set out some of the detail below.
Find out more about MRP and ERP, through a series of articles looking at the differences between these tools and which system is right for you and your business.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
If your business operates in manufacturing or production, you are likely to have heard of ERP or MRP. Similar in both name and concept, the range of options available can make it difficult to work through the differences and understand which one might work best for you.
In short, both MRP and ERP systems are pieces of software that help you to run your business better based on historical information, forecasting algorithms and your chosen business priorities. The key difference is the scope; MRP has a much narrower, manufacturing-centric focus than ERP, which provides business-wide benefits as well as supply chain management. To give you a better understanding of the components of each, and to help you to decide which one might be right for your company, we’ve set out some of the detail below.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
All you need to know about ERP and MRP before you make a critical business decision. Find out what is ERP and MRP and what they do, as well as what the key differences are between the two and which is right for your business.
When looking to invest in software it is important to ensure that the software can do what you need it to do today whilst taking into consideration that it will need to do what you require tomorrow. Future proof your business with the right tool for the job.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system is a piece of software that unifies all the information you require to run your business and provides you and your teams with the processing tools to operate at an optimum level in all areas. All departments are integrated into the one system, and therefore a customer’s journey through your company is completely transparent, providing you with real-time costs and status updates to run your business effectively, as well as providing customers with automated, real-time updates.
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
The history of lean may stretch back more than a century, but it’s as relevant today (and will be tomorrow) as it was when first conceived.
Rather than replacing lean, digital technologies are helping to identify previously unattainable efficiency opportunities and augmenting employees’ efforts to unlock unparalleled levels of productivity and innovation. Here’s what your organisation needs to know.
- Topic:
- Manufacturing
How implementing a WMS helps wholesalers and 3PLs overcome the most common warehouse problem.
I speak daily to businesses with warehouses ranging from 8,000sq ft to 70,000sq ft, and they are almost all worried about the same thing: visibility. Lack of visibility is most often caused by continuing to use paper-based systems when warehousing is quickly becoming more and more electronic.
Read our article on "The minefield of Warehouse Management Systems
- Topic:
- Supply Chain
Supply chains have long been a crucial part of almost any business’s processes. Ensuring that you have the right materials and items to complete your work is more than a question of effective sourcing: it’s also about forward planning and adequate data-sharing. It can be disastrous if things go wrong.
There have been plenty of technological developments in the supply chain management field, such as modelling software designed to locate where efficiencies can take place. However, emerging cloud technology has an increasingly essential role to play in developing optimised and efficient supply chains.
- Topic:
- Hosting (IT)
