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With an Internet connection and Internet Explorer, you can find and view information about anything on the web. Just click the topics below to get started.
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The Co-operative Movement
Jun 09, 2008
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Difficult times call for interesting ideas - and the cooperative idea is one that has had varying levels of success.
Co Op Movement May 2008.pdf
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InMotion Global successfully completes 2008 Florida Hurricane Exercise
Jun 09, 2008
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Saint Petersburg, FL: InMotion Global, Inc. announced today its successful completion of the 2008 Florida Statewide Emergency Response Hurricane Exercise which concluded last week.
“As one of the newest members of Florida’s State Emergency Response Team, it was an amazing experience overall and very rewarding to apply our technology and teamwork in a ‘live’ simulation of this magnitude” said Mike Olson, Client Relations Manager for InMotion Global. “We’re grateful to be on this team and proud to be part of a project whose sole vision is to quickly provide relief to our citizens in the aftermath of a disaster.”
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) conducted the week-long exercise as part of its annual preparations for the 2008 Hurricane season, which officially started on June 1, 2008. FDEM State Director, Craig Fugate, used the statewide exercise to test the full capabilities of the enhanced logistics program. The exercise also tested the new State Emergency Resource Management Network (SERMN), which now includes the InMotion Global Transportation Management System (TMS) and its companion web portal LoadLink.
IMG Completes 2008 Florida Hurricane Exercise.pdf
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InMotion Global awarded logistics contract with the Florida Division of Emergency Management
May 15, 2008
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Saint Petersburg, FL: InMotion Global, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a logistics contract with the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). As part of the contract, the InMotion Global Transportation Management System and its companion web portal LoadLink will be integrated as the key logistical components of FDEM’s State Emergency Resource Management Network (SERMN), which is used to manage the state’s relief response efforts for major disasters.
Mike Olson, Client Relations Manager for InMotion Global said, “We are thrilled that FDEM has selected InMotion Global to provide the logistical components for such a visionary and vital project. Considering how highly respected FDEM is in the emergency response community, we feel especially honored to be included in its mission to quickly provide relief to our citizens in the aftermath of a disaster.”
Initially created in 2007, SERMN combines the capabilities of multiple software and hardware solutions into one integrated catastrophic Event Planning and Response system. In the wake of a large-scale disaster, SERMN can provide “Total Asset Visibility” to the FDEM decision-makers who are coordinating the relief response effort, allowing them to see, in real-time, the location and status of various resources they are directing. SERMN capabilities include resource acquisition, searching for resources locally and statewide, satellite tracking and resource geo-coding, ground, air and sea-lift transportation management, warehousing, bar-coding, shipping and receiving.
InMotion Global awarded FDEM Contract.pdf
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Distribution Cost
May 13, 2008
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Shred one of Your Biggest Expenses Overnight
Distribution Costs.pdf
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Hines Cover Story
May 05, 2008
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Hines Horticulture one of the largest growers in the world turns to InMotion Global for a transportation solution.
HinesCoverStory.pdf
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Software as a Service for Shippers
Feb 18, 2008
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The next time you’re in the market for some new software, you may encounter some new vocabulary as well, like “SaaS” (pronounced like sass). Software as a Service (SaaS) is a blanket term for any type of software that you don’t purchase to own, but instead only pay for what you use:
“Software as a service (SaaS) is a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over the Internet. Customers do not pay for owning the software itself but rather for using it.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_as_a_Service)
What does this mean to you? In plain English it means that you can use the power of the internet to access a wide range of features to make your life easier and your business smarter while only paying a fee for the amount you actually use. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for, say, a “customer relationship management" system, you can log into Salesforce.com and be online within minutes, paying for your employees to utilize the software on a daily, monthly, or transactional basis.
The top business applications today bring information from many different sources into one location so that users can get a glimpse of their data and how it relates to the business as a whole. These applications can take information from accounting, human resources, production, and sales and paint pictures that describe how the business is doing and what you can do to help it grow. They can also use other resources, such as stock information, news, and weather to enhance the already vibrant information overview until it becomes a method of managing every nuance of every aspect of their company.
Because it is built for and maintained on the internet, a Software as a Service offering can tie into these many sources of information on the fly. You might be able to pull up a map of where your product is going, or perhaps the weather at the destination. You might want to access third-party applications that help drive your supply chain by integrating your order & production applications with your SaaS transportation management system.
A shipper’s needs are manifest along the supply chain. They have important production matters that require their time and attention, but they also must manage their customers’ expectations and provide their products along fixed schedules. If you are a nursery growing flowers for a large retailer, you need to worry about your cuttings, their size, age, and health, before you worry about getting them planted. You then need to get them harvested and prepped before you get them to the warehouse. Once there, you need to make sure you have provided a means to get these plants to their myriad locations in a timely fashion. In today’s Vendor Managed Inventory world, there is the additional step of merchandising their goods to the customer.
Software as a Service is an excellent choice for such a cyclical business. Instead of paying up front for an application that you use predominantly over the course of a few months and then much less during the off-season, you can use software that will scale smoothly along with your needs. One of the features of SaaS is that it is 100% scaleable behind the scenes, meaning that no matter what your needs are, or how they fluctuate, you can count on your software to handle your changes with aplomb.
By providing the software over the internet, a SaaS application is therefore able to erase IT headaches so that you can focus on your core business. By managing the critical database and application infrastructure, the IT staff, the Support staff, the hosting and bandwidth, a SaaS provider allows you to pay one low cost without having to worry about this overhead yourself. And by maintaining control of the application they can provide additional hardware or software upgrades quickly and on a regular schedule without any downtime that an installed application might necessitate.
In the end, the cost of “renting” software is a new concept that has many attractive features. Besides “renting” the use of the software, you are also renting IT and support employees, hardware, access to a wide range of third party information and cyclical surge capacity. The costs of all this information and overhead can easily be made manageable via a Software as a Service application, and the ability to pay for only what you use can be an attractive benefit to a company that has either a cyclical business model or the need to “try before you buy”.
Next time you are shopping for new software, make sure you show off your industry savvy by asking, "Do you offer this in a SaaS model?"
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Routing, And Optimization Software -- You NEED It !!!
Mar 12, 2007
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If there is one area of transportation that you can get the most from technology, it is reducing the number of miles your deliveries are routed and maximizing how full your trucks are.
There is a reason the “C” in “PC” stands for “computing”. Computers are designed, by their very definition, to take in data and to analyze it according to rules set by the operator or program. For example, let’s take a simple route that goes from point A to point B (one pickup and one delivery). Any reasonable person may think that with this simple scenario they can be as efficient as a computer in calculating the route. This may or may not be correct (and you would probably have to resort to using PC mapping software to get your results in the end – I mean, who routes with a map and a pencil anymore).
The bottom line is that even between 2 points on a map there are literally millions of route permutations regarding the route that could be taken. Most simple mapping software bought in a store can do a routing based on the shortest miles, scenic miles (great for vacation traveling), or avoid toll roads (to save money) etc. However, these simple mapping systems have one major flaw – they only do one trip or journey at a time and are designed for car travel. Therefore, they do not allow you to input data about your orders (their size, shape or constraints etc). You need to calculate that yourself – a recipe for disaster. And if you have, for example, 50 deliveries to make, forget about even getting close to being efficient if you do this calculation on your own. The number of possible routes and trucks needed are so large that it is not uncommon for you to be 20% less efficient that even the simplest routing and optimization system. Take this from a guy who sees this every day of the year…a well honed routing and optimization program will save you up to 20% (or more) in miles traveled, trucks needed, and money spent. It is that simple and easy to prove (e-mail me at thigham@interstate-transport.com for a real world sample from a medium sized grower...all names protected, of course).
So, you believe me. Now what? How do you make sure (and know) that every time you process your deliveries that you are not giving away thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars due to simple inefficiency. Inefficiency that is easy to eradicate.
Fortunately, there are several solutions available to you. But, first, the “government warning” (well, not really a “government warning” but more of a “get ready to get your check book out warning”). Routing and optimization software is not cheap. You don’t go down to your local “Computer Universe” store and pick up a shrink wrapped box for $29.95. In fact, you won’t even find the software on sale there. The software you need is available for the bargain basement price of – are you sitting down - $10,000 or more. It is not unusual to spend $20,000 or more by the time you have a few user licenses, all the bells and whistles you need, and the hardware to run it on. Moreover, you can expect an annual license fee (for updates, fixes, and technical support etc) of 10% to 20% of the initial price. So, it is a major investment. On top of this, you will likely need an actual mapping system (such as PC Miler from ALK Technologies or Microsoft MapPoint) to interface to. This will add $2,000 or more to the total acquisition cost if you do not already have one of these products in your office.
You will also need someone to actually use the software at your company. Now, while they are generally easy to use, it is not as simple to use as Microsoft Word or your chosen e-mail program. These are powerful and full featured systems designed to allow the user to play with a whole host of variables in order to massage the results that best fit your needs. In fact, a reasonably intelligent user will be able to squeeze an extra 5% efficiency from the system by just using it correctly. So plan on making sure you have someone in the office identified that will take the time to understand the software and how it should be used. Yes, this could add cost. However, I am sure the savings will more than offset the costs in a matter of weeks or months.
The next question to ask is if routing and optimization software is right for you. While this is hard to answer, I think it is not a question of if it is right for you but rather a question of how long will it take to see a return on your investment. For example, if you send out 3,000 trucks a year your return will be almost immediate and you will start “making money” right away. If you send out 100 trucks a year you will see benefit – but it could take years. Also, if you find your deliveries are very predictable – going to the same places weekly, and you are confident you are running things efficiently, you may not need to invest in this type of software. But, if in doubt, you can contact a vendor (see below) and ask. Most are happy to look at your information and tell you whether their system is right for you (again, e-mail me at thigham@interstate-transport.com for a real world sample from a “medium” sized grower to get an idea about what can be saved. You might be surprised at the savings possible).
There are several vendors out there that can help. MicroAnalytics (www.bestroutes.com) is used by 2,400 customers worldwide, and, according to Dan Buttarazzi, it is the most used routing software in the world. Their own calculations show savings of over $16,000 per year for a user with only 10 trucks per week and saving only 50 miles per day. Essentially this means your investment is paid for in year one and then the money saved stays in your bank account. Your return will be faster if you run more trucks per week or your mileage savings are larger. In fact, MicroAnalytics has found several of their grower clients, including Metrolina Greenhouses and Stacy’s Greenhouses, saving $30,000 to $40,000 per year of use!
Another solution is Direct Route from Appian Logistics (www.appianlogistics.com). This company just celebrated 20 years in business and provides a system that integrates to GPS tracking systems. They also have several variations of the system to solve solutions unique to certain growers. While more expensive than other systems, it is a good choice for “mega growers” or growers with many multiple locations or very complex delivery needs.
There are other vendors that can also help. Try a quick Google search on “Truck Routing Software” and you will hit the top providers in the first few pages or results.
Most growers will benefit from routing and optimization software. In fact – I will go as far as saying you need it. Unless you have the simplest of operations you will see results the first time you use it – and that is money in your pocket.
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Using Distribution Technology To Save Money (and to make your life easier)
Mar 08, 2007
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Using the right technology for your transportation and distribution function will almost certainly save you 5% to 10% off your expenses in a matter of days. Transportation is often referred to as “logistics”. Computers are great at logistics” – people are not. I have yet to see (ever) a human being do a better job at routing and optimizing customer orders for shipping better than a computer. The reason is simple, computers are designed to quickly run through millions upon millions of permutations in order to arrive at the most efficient result. People simply cannot process this data like a software program can.
Any large company you can name would grind to a screeching halt without effective transportation and distribution software. These programs are commonly known as a Transportation Management System” or “TMS” for short. As your nursery grows in size, and you find you are shipping to multiple states for multiple clients, you will quickly realize that growing your product is not the major limiting factor – getting it to the client is! This is especially true in “shipping season” (for most of us – the Spring).
Moreover, in today’s competitive landscape, and to complicate matters, you may even bring in brokered material to fill out your orders, or contract grow material at other nurseries. And, for those that use racks to ship on, you need an efficient and effective way to know where your racks are and to get them back to your dock as quickly as possible.
An effective TMS can handle these needs with aplomb. Some growers using an inventory and sales software system may already have a “mini” transportation module built into their software. But these systems are almost exclusively designed for growers shipping short distances on their own trucks – and the functionality is limited because it was an “add on” to the inventory and sales system. However, for most small to medium sized growers these “add on” modules may suffice. The easiest part is all you need to do is contact your software vendor to ask if they have a module that fits your needs.
At some point, however, as you grow as a company, you may need to look at a comprehensive and dedicated transportation system that will unify your entire shipping function – whether your material is shipped on your own trucks, common carrier, via transportation broker, or even rail transport. Moreover, you need to be able to organize all the necessary paperwork to make the shipping function run smoothly.
For growers with an existing technology framework this can seem a little daunting. All of a sudden you need to figure out how the system will work together and to change your internal processes accordingly. But this is exactly what sets apart the larger growers from small growers – the willingness to go through painful change for the greater good.
Starting The Journey
Many growers’ first transportation system is simply a spreadsheet and some mapping software. I still see this even as growers get to $10m in sales or more…quite amazing when you consider many growers spend 30% or more of their total variable expenses on transportation and distribution. So, you would think that an obvious place to install technology would be in this area.
So, where do you start? Well, there are hundreds of software options to handle the transportation function. Some will cost as little as $500 and others well over $1,000,000. Generally speaking, you “get what you pay for” and there are many considerations to be made. While many growers don’t have dedicated IT staff to analyze all the options and manage a complex installation procedure, you can rest easy because there are readily available solutions that are more “plug and play” than “pay and pray”.
One option is the new ASP.NET solution from Microsoft. The only full featured TMS system designed and built for growers runs on this Microsoft platform and is called InMotion Global© (www.inmotionglobal.com) and requires nothing more than an
Internet connection to use it. If you can surf the web you can access the system. The pricing can’t be beat…free of all upfront costs and a “pay-per-load” fee of $17. It supports an unlimited number of offices and users for no extra charges and
connects you to a 24 hour freight management center for those last minute needs (and your customers can track and trace their shipments over the Internet). InMotion Global© is used by some of the largest growers in the country.
Mitigating Problems
At Interstate, we have found that 90% or more of potential shipping problems can be eradicated by having the correct paperwork. Technology is also good at this “business process” function – allowing you to flow smoothly from order to truck with minimal fuss. When problems do occur (they will) a good technology solution will “fix” the problem before it becomes an “issue”.
The funny thing about our business is that “if we can just get through the spring” we seem to think we can avoid spending the money and enduring the pain of installing a transportation technology solution. But, ironically, if we had the technology solution in the first place, our spring shipping season would be more profitable and a lot easier to bear.
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Interstate Transport Spins off Software Company
Dec 06, 2006
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Press Release Source: Interstate Transport
Interstate Transport Spins off Growing Software Company,
InMotion Global, Inc.
Interstate’s Patent Pending Technology Sees High Demand. New Jobs Expected.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Saint Petersburg, FL: Interstate Transport, Inc., a leading US freight management and logistics company, today announced it was formally spinning off its patent pending logistics software technology to better meet the high demand for InMotion Global©. The new company will be named InMotion Global, Inc., sharing its corporate name with its flagship Transportation Management System (TMS) software, InMotion Global©.
InMotion Global© has a patent pending with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to protect the unique features and functionality of the software. The InMotion Global TMS software is initially being aimed at shippers and third party logistics providers who need to reduce the frictional cost and provide increased efficiency moving truckloads of product from point A to point B. InMotion Global© is already moving tens of thousands of loads across the United States at a high rate of efficiency due to its highly unique and protected software code.
InMotion Global© has been so successful at routing, managing and tracking commodities that it has been written to also meet the demands of governmental disaster management response agencies who need to quickly respond to a disaster to provide food, water, medical supplies and other commodities within a tight delivery window. Initial governmental interest has been promising – with the State of Florida expected to meet executives of both Interstate Transport and InMotion Global, Inc. in January. Moreover, David Paulison, Director of FEMA, has been provided with initial evaluation material to solve a problem identified as a high priority for the agency - tracking supplies that are in transit after a disaster strikes.
InMotion Global© has so far been rolled out on a defined basis in the difficult seasonal crop market. The seasonal crop market is one of the most difficult to master for logistics firms because it sees high surges in demand for trucks in a matter of hours, it involves up to 30 pickups or deliveries per load, and it uses a highly fractured driver and carrier pool. Success in the seasonal crop business meant other industries and commodity types would prove straightforward.
Tim Higham, CEO of Interstate said, “It made sense to spin off InMotion Global© because demand rises for a product or service you must have the dedicated and focused staff ready to meet the challenges of our customers. We have been amazed at the response from every shipper or third party logistics provider who has seen the system during our live as demonstrations. Not only have all the responses been positive, but we have the signed
contracts in hand to affirm our endeavors.”
InMotion Global© uses the latest .NET technology framework from Microsoft. Many experts refer to this technology as “Web 2.0” to indicate its generational advancements over typical Internet delivered (World Wide Web) software. Over the last 2 years Interstate spent over $1.3 million writing the software code to achieve spectacular results, such as:
InMotion Global© can be deployed and ready to use in just a few minutes whether for one user at one site or 1,000 users at 100 sites.
Every shipment can be tracked and traced over the Internet irrespective of the number or type of user, and irrespective of their own proprietary internal technologies.
Using “web services” InMotion Global© uses the latest in mapping and satellite imagery for delivery directions and tracking loads.
InMotion Global© can be deployed as an application solution provider (ASP) solution or as a dedicated premise solution at the users site.
InMotion Global© is also unique in its pricing strategy. It is provided free of all upfront costs to any user or customer. Charges are levied on a small “per load” moved basis. Additional
charges apply for customization and personal training services.
“We have recognized over the years that one of the biggest barriers to the success of any product or service is its price. So, we decided to take price completely out of the decision equation. That means our customers have nothing to lose and everything to gain from using InMotion Global© to manage their transportation and logistics function. It is that simple. We are truly that confident in InMotion Global© “, Higham said.
To find out more go to www.interstate-transport.com or call toll free 800-990-8283.
ABOUT INTERSTATE TRANSPORT: Interstate is one of the fastest growing logistics providers in the United States. Based in Saint Petersburg, FL, Interstate provides logistics services and complete logistics outsourcing solutions, including free transportation management software (InMotion Global©) to customers across the United States. Interstate’s Freight Management Center (FMC) and Disaster Freight Management Center (DFMC) provide capacity and Internet load tracking for every shipment as needed, free
transportation management (TMS) software, routing and load optimization, Internet load tendering, guaranteed appointment making, and complete efficiency reporting. Every aspect
of Interstate’s offerings can be managed via the Internet or telephone.
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Interstate Provides Free Load Optimization and Routing Service for Customers
May 31, 2006
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Interstate Provides Free Load Optimization and Routing Service for Customers
Service saves customers millions of dollars by efficiently optimizing, loading, and routing.
Saint Petersburg, FL: Interstate Transport, Inc., the leading freight management and logistics company, today announced it would provide free load optimization and routing services for its customers. Clients have already been successfully using this free service on a trial basis for several months – saving them up to 14% on their overall transportation costs (up to $140,000 in bottom line savings for each $1,000,000 in transportation costs). The free service is available immediately to both existing and new customers.
In addition to this free service, Interstate is allowing both existing and new clients to submit historical load information for free optimization and load analysis. Interstate’s powerful computer systems will analyze the most efficient loading and routing of past loads and provide an analysis of savings compared to actual past transportation costs. Recent analysis for customers show up to 14% in total savings if loads are loaded and routed in the
most efficient manner.
Tim Higham, CEO of Interstate, said, “This service is an extension of what we already do for our clients. Customers were asking us to help with larger segments of their business and we used our powerful software systems to analyze the data. In almost every case we have been able to help our customers save significant amounts of money. We decided to provide this valuable service free of charge as a goodwill gesture.”
Interstate can provide the results of each load optimization and routing in as little as 15 minutes, delivered via fax, e-mail, or their protected website. Moreover, a 10 year historical analysis can be provided in less than one business day after the information is received by their dedicated analysts. Interested parties should contact Tim Higham at 800-966-6183 ext.
1323.
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Select the attachment below for a brief history of Interstate Transport.
Mar 06, 2005
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A company that transport plants around the country fits easity in an unexpected St. Pete, FL location.
St. Pete Times.pdf
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