Driving A Green Supply Chain
With oil prices surging to record highs in excess of $100 a barrel, shippers and logistics service providers are increasingly focused on driving transportation efficiency. i2 Technologies, Inc., the supply chain results company, works together with customers around the globe to achieve exceptional service levels and manage ever-expanding logistics networks while also reducing costs. Industry-leading companies such as Anheuser-Busch, JCPenney, Penske Logistics, PepsiCo, Ryder, Samsung, and others focus on optimizing logistics operations to mitigate fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions.
i2 solutions for inventory, transportation and logistics optimization enable companies to bring an integrated environment to these business functions. Utilizing collaboration both within the four walls of an organization as well as with suppliers, carriers and customers, businesses are empowered with the visibility necessary for enhanced decision-making capabilities. Using i2 solutions, companies can run what-if scenarios for multi-shipper transportation capacity collaboration to mitigate the impact of fuel price increases. Also, leveraging the i2 FreightMatrix software-as-a-service offering, companies can operationally plan and execute on opportunities, leveraging the economies of density within their own networks as well as across other shippers' networks. Optimized transportation management enables companies to reduce the overall carbon footprint while gaining control and visibility related to global freight flows.
"Our global customer base is focused on reducing logistics operating costs while maintaining high service levels and reducing carbon emissions," said i2 Vice President of Global Logistics Razat Gaurav. "Leveraging advanced inventory and transportation optimization capabilities allows companies to achieve these goals, measure quantifiable impact and take ongoing corrective action to sustain a cost, service and environmentally efficient supply chain."
i2 solutions help companies take advantage of shipment consolidation, backhauling, continuous moves, three-dimensional load configuration for containerization of pallets, trailers or containers, and dynamically determine the most cost-efficient routes. i2 solutions can also enable companies rationalize dedicated and private fleets to determine the most optimal mode strategy, taking into account all fixed and variable costs. Additionally, companies can reduce mileage and eliminate unproductive miles as well as optimize strategies for enhanced equipment utilization and determine alternative vehicle usage. Companies can also benefit from transportation-constrained inventory plans, enabling businesses to determine real-time cost and capacity before making inventory allocation decisions.
"It's necessary for the industry to use available technology to reduce the impact of trucking on the environment. The transportation of goods is responsible for 68 percent of carbon emissions in the United States," said Patriarch Partners Director of Logistics and Project Management Brittain Ladd. "Renewable fuels and other energy-efficient strategies are a start, but running a more efficient transportation and logistics network can take green initiatives to the next level."
i2's global logistics solutions support processes for carrier rate negotiations, transportation network modeling, shipment order management, load planning, automated tendering, intelligent monitoring, and freight financial settlement. The solution suite is also designed to enable companies to optimize their global physical network, and intelligently balance inventory and transportation tradeoffs. For more information on how i2 solutions can optimize transportation and distribution networks, and decrease fuel costs, register for i2 Planet 2008 in Phoenix. i2 customers such as Penske, Ryder, Costco, Gap and others will discuss how they successfully leverage these solutions for transportation network optimization. For more information please visit www.planet.i2.com.
About i2
Throughout its 20-year history of innovation and value delivery, i2 has dedicated itself to building successful customer partnerships. As a full-service supply chain company, i2 is uniquely positioned to help its clients achieve world-class business results through a combination of consulting, technology, and managed services. i2 solutions are pervasive in a wide cross section of industries; 20 of the AMR Research Top 25 Global Supply Chains belong to i2 customers. Learn more at www.i2.com.
SOURCE: i2 Technologies, Inc.