February - Modern Materials Handling

modern INFORMATION MANAGEMENTBEYOND YARDMANAGEMENTYard management solutions not only track trailers in the yard, theyare also being used to improve processes and complement othersupply chain software systems.By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at LargeWhen it comes to manufacturing, distributionand transportation, continuousimprovement is the name of the game.Companies implement warehouse management(WMS), manufacturing execution (MES), and transportationmanagement (TMS) systems to controlinventory costs, get more from their workforce, andreduce transportation costs.Once those systems are in place, where will thenext round of savings and improvement come from?One application gaining traction is yard managementsystems (YMS). This solution tracks the movementand location of trailers from the time a truck arrivesat the gate to drop off a load until that trailer is processedand ready to leave the facility.But beyond just tracking trailers, a YMS acts as alink between the transportation and warehouse managementsystems. “Before a trailer even shows up, ayard management system will have an advance shipnotification (ASN) that it’s on the way,” says SteveRaymond, vice president of product marketing foryard management at WhereNet, a Zebra Technologiescompany (408-845-8500, www.wherenet.com). “Onceit’s checked in at the gate, not only does the yard crewknow it’s there, but the WMS also knows the trailer isthere.”In fact, at its best, a yard management system isan inventory management system with the ability toimprove processes. “When you can track assets liketrailers and containers of inventory in real time, youryard management system becomes more than just ayard management system,” adds Bob Kenney, directormmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / FEBRUARY 2009 31