Brett Wilkerson, Author at MSM Solutions

What to Expect in 2022 – The State of the Global Supply Chain

It’s no secret that the current supply chain is broken, and we already know what’s to blame. The COVID-19 pandemic created disruptions in the global supply chain beginning in early 2021 that continue to linger despite multiple vaccines and fewer daily cases. To understand where we are and what we can do to cope with this enormous problem, we need to understand how we got here and the challenges we continue to face. Manufacturing Delays In the world’s biggest manufacturing hubs like...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Automotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, IoT, Manufacturing, PortalTrack

Logistic Challenges in the Medical Supply Industry

While COVID-19 had a major impact on global logistics, challenges in the medical product supply chain were already present before the pandemic made things worse. Now with fuel costs rising, overseas shipping delays and labor shortages throughout every industry, managing your medical product supply chain has become more difficult than ever, especially in the face of these major challenges: Patient-Centric Supply Chains Resilience Requirement for Medical Supplies Decentralized Medical Equipment Vaccination Campaign Logistics To understand these challenges and the best...

By Brett WilkersonDistribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, RFID

Three Challenges Plaguing Today’s Retail Industry

The U.S. retail industry has seen unprecedented growth in the last two years, fueled by a pandemic that forced consumers to embrace online shopping and then return to brick-and-mortar stores once a vaccine was available. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 2020 saw a huge increase in sales versus the previous two years: 2018 - $3.635 trillion in total sales ($520 billion in eCommerce)2019 - $3.780 trillion in total sales ($598 billion in eCommerce)2020 - $4.040 trillion in total sales...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Blog Posts, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

Facing the Top Challenges in Manufacturing with MSM Solutions

Like most industries, manufacturing in the U.S. experienced an unprecedented downturn in 2020. Years of sluggish growth hit the pandemic head-on resulting in a perfect storm that dropped the industry’s market size to $5.3T - its lowest in more than a decade. However, despite the letdown, U.S. manufacturing has shown its resilience, bouncing back with an expected market growth rate of 10.8% in 2021. To ensure this expectation becomes reality, organizations in the manufacturing industry need to address the most...

By Brett WilkersonAutomotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Manufacturing

How I-T-C-M Spells ‘Security’ for Inventory Management

Inventory management can be a tricky operation especially since there are two types of security you need to consider. First, there’s the peace-of-mind knowing that your inventory is where it should be and being moved on time and in accurate quantities. Between the factory, warehouse, distribution center and retail/customer premise, its easy to lose track of what you have. Second, there’s the knowledge that your assets are protected from criminals. Without the proper safeguards in place, bad actors can easily take...

By Brett WilkersonAutomotive Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, Manufacturing, Omnichannel, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

Get Control of Your Retail Inventory Management with EPC

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past year and a half, it’s that e-commerce has become an integral part of every day life. Despite the introduction of multiple vaccines and the opening of businesses across the country, online sales in the U.S. have continued to surge. In fact, e-commerce sales in Q1 of 2021 topped $199 billion, a 39% increase from the year before. For the average consumer, this means they’ve adopted the convenience of online shopping. However,...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Distribution and Logistics, Omnichannel, PortalTrack, Retail, RFID

4 Goals for Optimizing Chain of Custody Procedures

MSM serves labs of varying size and type, all with one common thread: optimizing the chain of custody process. Laboratory operations require high-volume throughput with pinpoint accuracy. This is particularly important when you consider a medical lab, for example, where one mistake could mean life or death for the patient. The Chain of Custody (CoC) ProcessChain of custody is a common procedure that ensures that a specimen, sample or item being produced is properly identified at the start of the...

By Brett WilkersonBarcode, Blog Posts, Healthcare Solutions, Lab Samples, Manufacturing, Mobile Printing, PortalTrack, RFID, Zebra Mobile Computers, Zebra Mobile Printersbarcode, chain of custody, Inventory Management, lab operations, mobile computer, RFID, scanner, Zebra

A Zebra Study: Mobile Solutions in Manufacturing

A well-functioning supply chain is essential for any manufacturing business, and that requires a well-connected warehouse operation that offers visibility into materials, supplies, and products at all times. The integration of mobile computers and rugged tablets are one of the best ways to transform warehouse operations to help manufacturers keep pace with the challenges of today’s on-demand economy. We’re not the only ones advocating for mobile devices as a way to transform manufacturing operations. Zebra recently released a study of...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Automotive Solutions, Barcode, Manufacturing, Mobile Printing, Zebra Mobile Computers, Zebra Mobile Printersbarcode, Inventory Management, mobile computers, mobile workforce, rugged tablets, Zebra

Using Mobile Devices to Improve Inventory Management

Whether you’re tracking parts as they make their way to the assembly line, managing the flow of products through a retail back room, or monitoring the usage of essential supplies in a hospital, your operation’s efficiency is determined largely by your ability to ensure that everything your workflows need is in the right place at the right time. In fact, effective inventory management is essential for any business that moves materials through a supply chain or distributes and tracks...

By Brett WilkersonApparel Solutions, Barcode, Distribution and Logistics, Healthcare Solutions, Lab Samples, Manufacturing, Mobile Printing, Omnichannel, Retail, Zebra Mobile Computers, Zebra Mobile Printersbarcode, Inventory Management, mobile computers, Zebra

RFID Software Solutions for Logistics – What You Need to Know

The global logistics industry was an estimated $8 trillion a year industry back in January 2020 and that was before the pandemic changed how we acquire our goods and services. Demand for shipping, storage and delivery escalated wildly as we ordered groceries online and shopped e-com stores looking for the latest stay-at-home fashions. Online sales jumped 32% in Q2 of 2020 alone. In fact, demand for logistics services rose so sharply, warehouse employment is now at its highest level ever recorded with 1.25 million workers in the U.S. ...

By Brett WilkersonDistribution and Logistics, RFID