Month: March 2016

Ask Capacity: How Has the Fulfillment Business Changed Over the Years?

supply chain technology

March 31, 2016

We’ve been at this for a long time. With more than 15 years in the fulfillment business and decades of collective experience in and around the supply chain, it’s fair to say we’ve seen our share of changes.

Capacity was founded in 1999, so we can claim to have operated in something of a pre-digital era — or, at least, a time when Wi-Fi wasn’t the first thing people asked about when they walked in the door!

We are often asked what kind of changes we’ve seen over the years and thought answering this would be an appropriate way to end our month exploring the ongoing evolution of order fulfillment.  Continue reading Ask Capacity: How Has the Fulfillment Business Changed Over the Years?

Fulfillment Technology: How Sophisticated Should Your Tech Get?

barcode-hologram

March 24, 2016

If you’re anyone other than Amazon, it might feel like you’re constantly behind the curve of advances in fulfillment technology. Whether it’s robots and drones or Big Data and cloud computing, the rapid evolution of supply chain tech makes it tough to keep up with your reading on the subject, let alone actually taking action that could benefit your business.

Thankfully, not every headline has to mean a new headache for your fulfillment team. Continue reading Fulfillment Technology: How Sophisticated Should Your Tech Get?

Ask Capacity: How Do I Manage Short Term Seasonality Without Long Term Storage Contracts?

peak season chart

March 17, 2016

We often get asked about the best ways to manage short term seasonality, when the reality of order fulfillment means planning cargo movements and efficient inventory management throughout the year.

Keeping product in storage costs money, as do long term storage contracts. No-one wants to keep more stock on hand than is required in the immediate future, but the implications of running out of an item in high demand can be just as damaging in terms of lost sales. Continue reading Ask Capacity: How Do I Manage Short Term Seasonality Without Long Term Storage Contracts?

10 Changes Set to Shape Order Fulfillment in the Next 10 Years

the future of fulfillment changes

March 10, 2016

With more than 15 years under our belts in the order fulfillment business and decades of collective experience, it feels like there’s very little the Capacity team has not done or seen. Fulfillment changes on a regular basis and requires frequent reviews to stay on course.

We’ve moved from the early days of the Internet to a world where connectivity and data transfer defines our industry, while keeping real-world service and customer satisfaction at the top of our agenda throughout.

That doesn’t mean we can rest on our laurels, however. It always pays to stay on top of any evolving supply chain, whether to drive improvements, reduce costs, or anticipate potential issues on the road ahead. Continue reading 10 Changes Set to Shape Order Fulfillment in the Next 10 Years

Order Fulfillment in Review: February 2016

e-commerce website

March 5, 2016

If you work in or around our industry, February felt like a month dominated by e-commerce fulfillment news.

From the analysis of the 2015 holiday season and the huge role played by online sales to the big brand retailers grappling with their online strategies for the future, last month made it clear that delivering in the digital age is about more than having every product imaginable under one vast roof.

Continue reading Order Fulfillment in Review: February 2016