In my line of work, I often talk with software vendors and users. Usually, I end up learning something new, and this week was no exception.
The other day at the Tompkins’ Emergency Technology Center (ETC), I was talking to Dick Lipari from Royal 4 Systems, and we were discussing the relevance of Royal 4 Systems’ WMS flow lot control functionality to the food industry. The awe-factor of this functionality is complete traceability – high supply chain visibility – from first touch to end delivery.
During our discussion, Dick made the comment that 20 bills concerning the integrity of the food supply chain are currently before Congress. I must admit I don’t subscribe to Congressional Quarterly, but I believe Dick, because last year’s Salmonella and E. coli outbreaks are still fresh in my mind.
At the same time, I’m remembering how many of us were on edge a few years ago waiting for California’s serialized ePedigree requirements to hit pharmaceutical distributors like a ton of bricks. But the initial buzz has fizzled as California relented and pushed back its deadline partially due to the compliance costs that state agencies and facilities would have to bear.
However, with food products, it’s different. Food contamination stories make great press. Given our 24/7 multi-source news coverage culture, every outbreak results in a call for government action. There may be a backlash against big government, but when the safety of the products in our pantries and refrigerators are in question, we demand that the government take action.
And our demand for government to act isn’t limited to the food chain. I was reminded of that fact when I received a DC Velocity e-advertisement from the Homeland Security Administration admonishing distribution operations not to let their chemicals be "their next weapon." DC Velocity also recently ran an article on this topic.
So as we move toward the future, government regulations concerning control and visibility within supply chains are only going to increase, and distribution network operations will have to comply with these regulations. Many of these operations have systems inadequate to the task, and these requirements will hit them like a ton of bricks.
It’s time to start preparing for the future of your supply chain. So what are you doing in the meantime besides checking the lot numbers of the peanut butter and salsa in your kitchen? How important is visibility to you, even without government intervention? Don’t you want to know where your food has been?
-- Tom
Other Resources:
Tompkins’ Emerging Technology Center (ETC) focuses on integration and testing, technology evaluation, employee training, and emerging product demonstrations. At the ETC, companies have the opportunity to evaluate fully-operational material handling and system technology solutions without risk or financial investment.
For more information, visit: http://www.tompkinsinc.com/integration/EmergingTechCtr.asp
Photo credit: Masahiro Ihara
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Tags: emerging technology center, regulations