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The problem

The client required advice in a number of areas:

• IT test strategy and methodology advice
• Vendor recommendations for supporting software
• Risk management advice
• Help to support a mixture of complex software and bespoke tests
• Advice on which aspects to outsource or keep in-house

The solution

Juniper Innovations provided advice and recommendations based on:

• Vendor and product knowledge
• Industry experience
• Proven methodology

The benefits

The client received:

• Methodology advice
• Test strategy and plans
• Risk management advice that could be applied now and in the future
• Vendor, product and service level recommendations
• Delivery support leading in-house and third party teams

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If Juniper Innovations can help your company profit from IT please contact us.

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The problem

The client required advice in a number of key areas:

• Business and systems analysis to design operational systems
• Vendor recommendations
• Management of in-house and out sourced software development
• Immediate problem solving and fixes for IT related problems
• Advice on system design, delivery and testing

The solution

Juniper Innovations provided advice and recommendations based on:

• Vendor and product knowledge
• Industry experience
• Proven methodology

The benefits

The client received:

• Software and website designs
• Immediate fixes to a number of problems that slowed down and frustrated both IT and operational teams
• Methodology advice to support an agile delivery environment
• Risk management advice that could be applied now and in the future
• Vendor and due diligence recommendations

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If Juniper Innovations can help your company profit from IT please contact us.

If you’d like more free innovation ideas, technology reviews and discussions read our newsletter>>

The problem

The client required advice in a number of key areas:

• IT delivery methodology recommendations to support the multiple site solution delivery
• Vendor recommendations and products to improve operational work force control and customer service
• Improved IT service levels across the organisation
• Vendor selection and implementation for commercial off the shelf products
• Management of bespoke software solutions
• Advice on which aspects of IT to outsource or keep in-house

The solution

Juniper Innovations provided advice and recommendations based on:

• Vendor and product knowledge
• Industry experience
• Proven methodology

The benefits

The client received:

• IT platform advice to support their own business and improve customer service levels
• Methodology recommendations for vendor selection and delivery
• Risk management advice that could be applied now and in the future
• Business case support to improve return on investment
• Project management and communication

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If Juniper Innovations can help your company profit from IT please contact us.

If you’d like more free innovation ideas, technology reviews and discussions read our newsletter>>

The problem

The client required advice in a number of key areas:

• An IT strategy to support a number of UK sites
• Vendor recommendations for work force & inventory control software and supporting hardware
• Ho to improve IT service levels across the organisation
• How to integrate with existing and future business processes
• Integration with other business systems
• Advice on which aspects of IT to outsource or keep in-house

The solution

Juniper Innovations provided advice and recommendations based on:

• Vendor and product knowledge
• Industry experience
• Proven methodology

The benefits

The client received:

• Strategy advice to support the business over the next few years
• IT platform recommendations to support their business
• Vendor, product and service level recommendations
• Risk management advice that could be applied now and in the future
• Bench marked implementation and delivery plans

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If Juniper Innovations can help your company profit from IT please contact us.

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Having been a member of GS1′s Supervisory Board since 2007, the NHS Supply Chain has recently signed up to the GS1 UK Data Pool in order to synchronise data for 620,000 products with its suppliers.

GS1 is an independent, not for profit, global supply chain data standards and solutions organisation.  It facilitates a common data set allowing an NHS partnership to drive the adoption and use of coding standards, to improve patient safety in the NHS in line with the Department of Health’s recommendations.

In addition, by standardising codes, the NHS aim to reduce the purchasing of duplicate items and incidences of paying different prices for the same item across the organisation.

So will the strategy work and be implemented as per the NHS plan, of having all NHS trusts using the system by the end of 2012?  There are a number of elements to consider.

Defining a common code

There are a variety of reasons why a local hospital may choose a local or preferred supplier, over another hospital.  Local price including delivery, preferential lead times, service quality, managing repairs and so on. With that in mind will the NHS be able to compare one set of vendor’s products with another i.e. the problem is that surgical instruments supplied by different vendors have different codes? It’s like comparing Coca Cola 1 litre bottles with Pepsi Cola 1 litre bottles.  Yet as far as the NHS is concerned a surgical instrument is a surgical instrument.  So there is a need to train, educate, understand and interpret the data and understand supplier performance at a very detailed level both during the initial project master data set-up stages and on-going. The NHS is very aware of this complexity and require GS1 support for putting in place unique identifiable codes.  Getting it right however is the key to the project’s success. Those in doubt need to ask why it has taken 3-4 years since joining Gs1 to announce the project.

SME supplier adoption

Will all the small/medium enterprises supplying the NHS conform to GS1 standards, and if so how quickly?  Having a barcode is not the same thing as working to GS1 however this is an important NHS issue to improve patient safety and reduce costs.  Failure to comply will hit the NHS’ bottom line and patient safety targets.

The NHS will require suppliers to conform to a global standard, in the way Tesco, Asda and major retailers also require.  The SME will need to make the change so they can communicate their requirements (requisitions, orders, delivery notes, invoices) in a common language and they can expect their items to be identified in a standard format.  The question is, can they set up the standards and label the products for existing and new items in the next 18 months to meet NHS targets?

What level is the NHS talking about?

GS1 implies tracking will be at product level and not individual item level.  GS1 however enables the same identification numbers to be carried in bar codes and RFID tags and the two carriers to co-exist, allowing a migration from one to the other over a period of time.  If the NHS want RFID however, this sounds like a phased project approach over a longer period.

The NHS though see a number of advantages of using RFID:

• Identification and tracking of medical records or laboratory samples
• Tracking of assets e.g. beds, or returnable assets e.g. gas cylinders

At the current time however the NHS has only limited trials of RFID technology e.g. Patient Identification which was one of the early adopter projects.  So expect GS1 to be adopted however RFID to be a slower process.

The NHS has planned, discussed and tested GS1 for 3-4 years.  We have no doubt the project will get up and running however given the work to date, expect it to be an expensive, complex and time consuming project with an aggressive implementation date.  Let’s await the report on the next milestone!

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Imagine putting food on your plate and having your computer tell you whether it is out of date, or contains unsuitable ingredients for you.  Or imagine your fridge creating your shopping list when food gets low or when a product goes bad.  Or even popping food in your oven for it to automatically start the appropriate cooking process.  Well “nutrismart” an invention by London student Hannes Harms, may turn these ideas into a practical reality.  Whilst at the same time, help create supply chain tracking improvements within the food industry.

The idea behind nutrismart is embedding printable edible RFID tags into food.  An RFID reader in the nutrismart plate links to your computer and tells you information about what you are about to eat.

Giving you information such as:

• Shelf life / out of date details
• Audit history of the food e.g. for fish and meat
• Nutritional information such as calories and fat
• Whether the food is fit to eat
• Ingredients that you might be allergic to or give you an allergic reaction

The immediate suggestion is this application can be used for health and diet.  Having RFID embedded in food however also has obvious benefits in the supply chain, from helping to create audit information to improving stock accuracy and logistics productivity.

Whilst the safety concerns of pushing RFID technology down our throats has not been discussed by Harms, the concept is itself is not new.  For one thing, it can bring real benefits to the supply chain.

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Principle drivers

The benefits of using this type of equipment isn’t just about reducing mileage.  It is about cutting down on energy costs.  This also applies to a wider range of vehicles than HGVs, vans, cars, police and emergency services vehicles that largely use and are typically associated with GPS tracking.  The Wall Street Journal cites excavators, dump trucks, bulldozers and other construction and mining equipment. This extension of vehicle use is due to rising costs, however is also because company management want to understand and control more of their business. When tracking technology is deployed and new data is collected, it can be a sudden awakening for managers to understand exactly what is going on their organisation.

What examples of reducing fuel and energy have been found?

The article gives a number of cases that we also concur with, having found similar in the UK:

• Fuel wastage through vehicle idling – one example being 48% of the time the vehicle is in use
• Machinery operating outside assigned areas (and as we’ve found outside working hours)
• Burning fuel by driving at excessive speeds
• Running the heating and air conditioning when the vehicle is not in use e.g. during breaks or to heat up cabs first thing in the morning
• Understanding when vehicles aren’t being used so they can be redeployed
• Using large and expensive machines for minor tasks such as clearing small debris

What can you save?

One case quotes $50,000 to $100,000 a year saving on idle time alone.  Although individual cases will vary between companies depending on the type of work, number of vehicles, driver usage etc.

There are some hidden benefits too:

• Accurate delivery data
• On-site reporting times
• Driver timesheet and working hours information
• I/O information such as scoop and bucket, mower blade or hydraulic usage
• Reminding and re-training drivers to operate safely
• Theft protection using GPS
• Locating nearest assets and vehicles to jobs
• Reviewing data to understand working patterns and operational equipment usage i.e. to help become more productive

The use of tracking devices and GPS hardware and software is seen by some as little more than surveillance.  This however belittles the benefits that GPS tracking can bring.  Doesn’t this make sense for your organisation?

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China’s coastal waters and inland waterways (graded above 4) have been covered by an Automatic Identification System (AIS).  This is according to the Maritime Safety Administration of China.

Ships are equipped with AIS devices that link up to a shore based network.  This enables the AIS to identify position, course and speed.  The benefit is to move from traditional to “smart” navigation, with 134,000 ships having AIS by July 2012.

The aims of AIS are to improve safety, security, protection and navigation.  So for example, ships not equipped with AIS can be stopped from entering rivers and ports and requested to change their courses.

Information can also be shared using AIS.  The AIS data exchange service provided via the Internet will have a capacity for storage of AIS data for statistical purposes.

Whilst not stated on their website, it is conceivable the Internet of Things could also be used to help track cargo with this data being shared.  This could potentially give location, ship, date/time, cargo and navigation data to help manage supply chain activities.  Wouldn’t this be useful?

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What do you need?

Google Wallet will support both Citi & MasterCard plus a Google Prepaid Card, which apparently you’ll be able to fund with almost any payment card.

To use Google Wallet however you need 3 other things:

• Google Wallet app on your (Android only) mobile phone
• A phone that is NFC ready i.e. this can be an NFC phone or a non-NFC phone that has a Google sticker, enabling mobile payments to be made via the Cloud
• Stores that accept Google Wallet.  In the U.S. this includes American Eagle, Subway and Macy’s

Some of the major benefits of Google Wallet include:

• Consumers can make store payments without credit cards and cash
• Vendors can entice consumers to purchase using coupons i.e. the coupon is automatically applied when consumers make a purchase
• Consumer’s phones can help manage budgets e.g. with spending and budget status reminders at point of purchase

So what does the future hold?

Currently, only Android phones can use Google Wallet.  If you compare this to Google maps which at one time was also platform restrictive, popularity drove Google to make the service more widely available and this could also be the case with Google Wallet.

Of course vendor take up is another issue as they require NFC readers.  Platform and phone independent devices however will encourage vendor participation.

So what is holding back a roll out?

Fraud risk – Malicious entrepreneurs could intercept data, mimic phones ID’s, produce false phones, or think up a number of other creative ways to take advantage of Google Wallet.  Unless banks can underwrite or insure the funds to protect against fraud, in a cost-effective manner for merchants,  then it is unlikely that retailers will switch to the technology any time soon.

Privacy – will Google be sharing data?  Is this an issue to slow down or stop adoption?  If Google are not expected to benefit from transaction payment sharing, where will they generate revenue?

Banks – as in Orange’s link up with Barclaycard in the UK will there be similar provider restrictions with Google?

..And the controversy?

Google is being pursued by eBay and its online payment unit PayPal which said Google and two executives stole its trade secrets for turning smartphones into digital wallets.

Let’s see what happens.  For certain, we’ve been blogging about NFC for months seeing it is a technology that is growing in popularity by plenty of businesses wanting to take advantage of it.

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