Hitting the Trifecta has never been easier..

For those who are not familiar with horse racing the trifecta is a bet in which you must predict which horses will finish first, second, and third in exact order. It's typically a long shot but when you do hit it the odds make it very worthwhile. 

For today hitting the trifecta might be about hitting three winning technologies that can help your company outperform it's competitors and hit that seemingly impossible bet, "The Trifecta". 

Even though cloud-based solutions, social media and mobile technologies are now the norm among many Supply chain members,  there are still a number of risk-averse companies that are lagging behind. Tech advances that once seemed risky are now becoming trusted, mainstream capabilities that can help companies transform their business and improve their bottom line.

One proof point for the shift in attitude: 
A recent INTTRA survey shows that nearly half of the shippers and ocean carriers now characterize the need to invest in technology as “very urgent.”
Their technology roadmaps now include new tools based on open standards and interfaces, which can help them collaborate across enterprise systems to engage in faster, more efficient ways of conducting business and improving customer satisfaction. As companies that are engaged in the supply chain make their tech decisions, it's become clear that the time to adopt new technology is now. 

Here are three key technology trends you need to look at now:

1. Mobility Will Disrupt Office-Based Systems
According to industry analysts at Gartner, mobile tablet sales are expected to hit $320 million by the end of 2015—outstripping personal computer (PC) sales. What’s more, our always connected population is armed with 2.4 billion mobile phones. Employees relying on these devices at home are now insisting on the same convenient tools in the workplace for real-time information access.

Asia is leading the way in making a mobility-enabled supply chain a reality, with tablets as the workplace tool of choice. Expect more companies in global shipping to follow suit, and invest in mobile devices, applications, and system capabilities like alerts and analytics that are better suited to their business needs. Once freed from desktop constraints, employees will be able to work more flexibly and manage all aspects of their workday more effectively from any location. Make your warehouse part of the solution using our MDS-WMS System  or update your website to allow customers and salesman access to dedicated content while away from the office. Remote Access is just a click away. 

2. Data Analytics and Predictive Insights Will Drive Better Contingency Planning

Information is power and that’s especially true in the supply chain. Rather than simply reacting as circumstances unfold, reliable information gives both shippers and carriers the ability to predict and plan for optimal results, regardless of the barriers they encounter. More companies can benefit from real-time and machine-generated data collected by high-tech sensors, processed with predictive analytics and shared over open technology platforms. Historical trend analyses and current status information will become a powerful resource for tracking, responding and forecasting future impacts to a shipment—from potential weather events to labor strikes that may cause costly supply chain disruptions. Expect the industry to become quicker and nimbler as technology enables companies to use the data they collect to make better-informed decisions and contingency plans. Winners in this space will be able to anticipate change, while those on the losing end will continue to be reactive.
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Technology today, particularly big data and analytics, are changing roles throughout the enterprise, whether it's the CIO constantly faced with decisions about technology, or supply chain members that can make the sales team aware of any data related issues. Analytics are now part of the day to day operations. 

3. Cloud-Based Solutions Will Enable Faster, Easier Integration of New Tools

Using industry-standard connectors and open application protocol interfaces (APIs), integration becomes far simpler and cost effective. Rather than complicated, months-long rollouts, companies can easily transform their critical business functions by incorporating powerful plug-and-play capabilities—including scheduling, booking tools and e-invoicing—all hosted online. 
With this far more efficient approach, they won’t need to adopt large platforms using more horsepower than required.
Expect this trend to push the supply chain into a new  era in the  the post-enterprise resource planning (ERP) era, with fewer companies relying on all-encompassing suites of on-site ERP business management software.
Open, cloud-based software capabilities will displace costly and complex, premises-based solutions, and simplify the way companies build and add new applications. Integration partners will allow you to build the best of breed solution while maintaining a 360 degree view of your business.  The MDS-SasS- ASP (Application Service Provider)  is the perfect extensible platform to allow you to integrate your technology solutions under a single umbrella.


When planning your investments, it’s critical to consider these technologies as part of your game plan. Those who lag behind could risk losing their competitive advantage, along with the measurable benefits that mobility innovations, predictive insights, and industry-standard tools and processes can deliver to a company’s customers and bottom line.

For more information on TSH or MDS call The Systems House, Inc. at 1-800- MDS-5556. Or send a message to sales@tshinc.com

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