Category Archives: Advertisement

EyeForTransport Supply Chain Security Report

 

With the recent news about the terrorist plot against trans-atlantic airliners once again reminding us of the fragility of our supply chains – I thought it was timely to let you know that you can receive an up-to-date benchmarking report about the latest trends in supply chain and cargo security – Over 300 industry executives were polled on their views on this topic, and you can read the results of the survey by downloading the report now from EyeForTransport.

This report has been written in conjunction with the 5th Cargo Security Forum which is taking place in Washington DC on September 6-7 at the Washington Hilton Embassy Hotel — see the conference website for full details of the event.

Dave Thomas
eyefortransport

EPEAT: Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool

EPEAT, short for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, designed to identify high-performance, environmentally friendly computer equipment through an online, searchable database, goes live today.

As per a recent press release, “The database lists products that meet the tough new green computer standard for desktop computers, laptops, and monitors. EPEAT is as easy-to-use evaluation tool that allows the comparison and selection of electronic products based on environmental attributes, in addition to cost and performance considerations. EPEAT-registered products meet minimum performance standards in areas such as energy efficiency, toxicity reduction and material selection.”

In addition, “EPEAT is already referenced in $32.25 billion worth of computer contracts, including contracts issued by the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of San Jose, California.”

As you are well aware, I am a big fan of going and staying green, so I applaud the construction of a publicly available resource such as this.

More information is available on the website, and, according to the press release I received, if you still have questions, you can contact Kiren Gopal.

And the (technology) brain-drain is finally official …

Today Emptoris (acquired by IBM, sunset in 2017) finally announces what we’ve all known for a long time (see David’s post on e-Sourcing Forum back in February), that it has acquired MindFlow Technologies, a leader in inbound supply chain planning and sourcing optimization.  I’m going to refrain from commenting at this time*, but say that I’m pleased that a North American company acquired MindFlow, because in today’s economy, brain-drain is a global phenomenon and I personally think that the last thing you want is your country’s best and brightest packing up and moving halfway around the globe after a merger or acquisition!

The press release should be up on their site by the time you read this, so you can check it out at your leisure.  They are also announcing a new service offering, Overdrive, to help companies drive adoption and accelerate the business impact of Emptoris solutions.  The offering includes assessment tools, adoption workshops, analytical reporting, and access to a knowledge sharing user community with benchmarking metrics.  I’m sure my fellow blogger Jason Busch over at SpendMatters will have a few gems to offer on this last topic, as it’s part of his vision for next generation on-demand spend management solutions#, so I’d keep a close eye on his blog to see what he has to say.

Personally, I think Overdrive is a step in the right direction for Emptoris.  They’ve done a great job acquiring companies with leading solutions in various areas of sourcing, and recently produced an integrated solution through SAP NetWeaver, but technology is only part of the solution.  Knowing how to apply it for maximum benefit is the other half.  I’m interested to see what happens next.

* However I did comment on Jason Busch’s take, Old News Keeps Flowing#, which I recommend you check out.  (CombineNet, acquired by Jaggaer in 2013, has even chimed in!)

# Link no longer available.  All posts pre-2012 disappeared with the site revamp in June 2023.