BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - December 9, 2008) - People and space are critical to warehouse
productivity; using both efficiently is the catalyst to survival. The
recent uncertainty in the global economy has not deterred executives from
preparing for their next move in order to leverage their Warehouse
Management System (WMS) investment to drive improvement. According to the
latest warehouse report from Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (
NYSE:
HHS),
the Best-in-Class are setting their sites on being prepared for the next
upturn. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5376.
An analysis of over 200 respondents to a recent Aberdeen research survey
found that Best-in-Class companies are more than twice as likely as Laggard
companies to be utilizing a commercial WMS to drive warehouse operations.
The Best-in-Class have set the bar very high for the Average and Laggards
when it comes to performance. With 98% of their order lines being filled
complete, 98.2% of all orders being picked accurately and a 3%
year-over-year reduction in labor costs, the rest of the respondents have a
gap to make up in order to remain competitive. In particular, Average and
Laggard companies have seen a year-over-year increase (2% and 4%
respectively) in labor costs compared to Best-in-Class.
In the latest report, "Distribution Center Strategies for Today's Economy:
Managing Growth Without Adding Labor or Space," Aberdeen outlines some of
the key process and technology changes that are providing leading
warehouses with the flexibility and agility necessary to ride the rough
seas of today's economy and be in a position to drive revenue without
sacrificing operating margin. Having visibility to real-time operations is
a critical component to maintaining velocity and efficiency in the
warehouse. Today's Best-in-Class not only leverage commercial WMS
solutions to drive processes, but are twice as likely than Laggard
companies to utilize daily or weekly performance measures and three times
as likely to use event management in order to create better workforce
productivity, driving down labor costs.
"Today's economic uncertainties have baffled executives across the globe,
especially when it comes to managing the warehouse," said Brad Wyland, Sr.
Research Analyst, Aberdeen. "Despite the uncertainty, the Best-in-Class
continue to invest dollars and time in order to streamline operations and
sustain profitability; knowing that the rebound will happen quickly and
being prepared and agile will be the difference to getting ahead of the
competition."
A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the
following underwriters: HighJump Software and Manhattan Associates. To
obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit:
http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?cid=5376.
For additional access to complimentary Supply Chain Management Research,
please visit:
http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-supply-chain-management
About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company
Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market
intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more
than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely
positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating
demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment
analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets,
corporations turn to Aberdeen™ for insights that drive decisions.
As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in
context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's
analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of
Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement -
Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role
Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit
Aberdeen
http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more
about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to
http://www.harte-hanks.com.
© 2008 Aberdeen Group, Inc., a Harte-Hanks Company
451 D Street, Suite 710
Boston, Massachusetts 02210-1928
Telephone: (617) 854-5200
Fax: (617) 723-7897
www.aberdeen.com
Contact Information: Media Contact:
Brad Wyland
Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
(617) 854-5322
Brad.wyland@aberdeen.com