When you’re shipping thousands of pairs of military boots each month, as combat footwear supplier Wellco does, shipping errors can get expensive; to quote a famous senator, “Pretty soon you’re talking about real money!” So when Wellco made the commitment to RFID, they jumped in with both feet.
Each and every pair of boots Wellco makes for the Air Force gets an RFID tag, while cloud-based software tracks the order. RFID scanners identify and verify the contents of shipping cartons, and further down the line, additional RFID tags identify the cartons assembled on pallets, adding another layer of order verification. In this story in “RFID Journal,” Senior Network Administrator David Mason reports greater fulfillment efficiency and a considerable reduction in expensive order errors. Wellco’s ingenious use of RFID has them marching all the way to the bank.
All business managers look for overhead efficiencies, and legal practice managers are no exception. They’re reducing their real estate costs by thoughtfully combining new technologies with modern design styles and innovative space planning. Liam La Guerre, writing in the Commercial Observer, relates how several New York City law firms have successfully scaled back their office space footprints without creating a work-environment downside.
Among the space-efficient techniques La Guerre cites are:
- The wide-open floor design of newer buildings. The lack of columns permits complete use of all the area on a floor, so firms can accommodate more staff in less overall space.
- Flexible space utilization and furnishings. Common areas such as conference rooms and reception areas are used for a variety of purposes, and flexible furnishings are removed or rearranged easily to fit the immediate use.
- Tech-savvy millenials. The new generation of lawyers needs less tech support and fewer assistants, reducing staffing needs and their space requirements.
- Digital technology. Law libraries and legal documents are moving into the digital realm, and support functions like accounting are moving off-site into less-expensive quarters, thanks to digital connectivity.
Law firms will always have certain fixed needs for offices and closed doors to preserve client confidentiality, but with these new spatial efficiencies, some firms are already discovering they can downsize without any downside.
Photo © .shock – Fotolia
At National Office Systems we’re always emphasizing the importance of flexibility and modularity in business storage and furnishings, with an eye to the future as well as present needs. As a business leader, you are constantly looking forward, and many managers have learned that proactive “future-proofing” is central to a company’s longevity. Peter Madden, writing in Green Biz, offers four ways to future-proof your business.
- Examine the trends that are already in place. A good example is the rapid growth of online shopping, a trend which began some years ago and is only getting bigger. Retailers should ask themselves if this is a good time to build brick-and-mortar stores. Maybe yes, maybe no.
- Develop scenarios of what might come to pass, taking into account pre-existing trends. For example, if major shippers shift to deliveries by drones, how will that affect the logistics industry? The petroleum industry? The automotive industry? Can you position your company to benefit?
- Look for emerging technologies. Anything that is going to be important in the next decade or two is already beginning to sprout. Remember – personal computers were dismissed as a fad 30 years ago.
- Direct the future yourself. Shape your company’s future and “make your own luck.”
By scanning the horizon ahead, you can lead your enterprise into the future without fear.
Photo © Bratovanov – Fotolia
NOS sponsors an in house golf tournament annually. The three divisions of National Office Systems(NOS), AIS Installations and Professional Service Solutions (PSS) enjoyed the 7th Annual Ryderless Cup at the Laytonsville Golf Club Course. With a shamble format and a large winning purse of $180 to look forward to it is was a competitive and fun day!
Recent Comments