Flexible Logistics

Many service or industrial operations work as follows. Items in production are handled by a process and then passed on to the next location and process. Each process operates to a schedule and to a performance target. There is a target for how long an item must stay in any place and also when it must go on to a new working place. An example can be a logistics chain which has processes starting from ordering of pick-up of mail from the client, vehicle scheduling, mail item transportation, sorting, etc. through to delivery to the client. The item may be handled by a number of independent organisations through its life-cycle: in international mail movements 8 or more organisations can be involved. Worktrace captures information about the item movement through the logistics chain of these organisations and utilises the information for: pre-advise and pre-planning functions for downstream locations, confirmation of receipt to upstream locations, quality control of each segment of the logistics chain, information routing to all interested parties, integration with back-office systems and alerting operators to potential service failures. Worktrace is therefore a generic technology. Its application to the Postal Market makes it an extremely comprehensive international mail system and EDI Gateway to the international value added network, GXS. It includes the production of item identification (standard Bar-code labels), international Postal messages for (PREDESv2, RESDES, PRECON, RESCON, CARDIT, RESDIT, EMSEVT). Worktrace is based on Internet-based technology: only a browser is needed on client workstations which removes headaches of client installation and maintenance. It is modular, flexible and state-of-the-art using Java, XML, XSL-T, Oracle.