SBWire

Estate planning is vital for ensuring that upon death, the people nearest and dearest will be provided for. In the LGBTQ community, there can still be considerable acrimony between individuals and family members. As laws change, it's important to stay on top of changing state laws that can have significant estate and tax implications. For more, go to: https://kushnerlegal.com/estate-planning-for-the-lgbtq-community/

Vega Systems Inc. has announced that their Redundancy Management Framework (RMF) software has begun operations at a prominent airport in the Middle East. The airport surveillance software plugin for Milestone XProtect will enhance the effectiveness of video security and surveillance projects. Typically, without the software system, video surveillance down-times at critical infrastructure locations have the potential to create serious security loopholes. However, Vega Systems' RMF reduces live video disruption to milliseconds during server failure episodes while simultaneously providing uninterrupted access to archived footage. This, along with other beneficial features, mitigates the impact of server failures on security overall.

Ultriva, Inc., provider of cloud-based supply chain execution software, announced the addition of a successful industrial company specializing in oil field electrical construction and maintenance, to their growing list of customers. The manufacturer specializing in industrial electrical supplies serving the oil and gas industries selected Ultriva as their technology provider and partner for enterprise-wide Supply Chain Management software initiative.

Fisil LLC, a software development company, added Lync 2013 video calling to its Lync Linux software client for Microsoft Lync. Its client is available for download at the Fisil LLC website.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that CleanBayArea, excess and obsolete inventory write-offs are chronic supply chain problems costing businesses billions of dollars each year. Lean Six Sigma methods have been shown to be very effective in finding and eliminating root causes, and thus preventing arbitrary year-end reductions in inventory investment.

The Official Benks Technology USA is proud to announce that they have just released their impact proof, market leading, multi-layered glass screen protectors to the US market. Introducing a world debut for the worlds thinnest mobile phone screen protector for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They will be the first of many dynamic, state-of-the-art digital accessories that they intend to launch. Their aim is to continue to establish themselves as a market leader within the industry, renowned for providing extremely well-designed products at near-impossible prices.

A B2B Overseas Expansion Platform that was recently launched creates a comprehensive resource system for its members that can benefit from it to a great extent.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that James Covert featured in the New York Post, Smith & Wesson warned that sales and profits for the current quarter will sorely miss its earlier forecasts as demand for firearms plummets following last year's boom. Smith & Wesson's rifle sales dropped by more than 50 percent in the most recent quarter, fueling an overall sales decline of 22 percent, the company said. Handgun sales were down 15 percent. Last year, demand surged following the late-2012 shootings in Sandy Hook, which spurred panic buying from gun enthusiasts fearing tightened regulations by the Obama administration. In response, manufacturers led by Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger made big bets on 2014 business that never panned out. CEO James Debney said the company is scrambling to slash inventory as the gun market returns to "a more normalized environment."

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that Dan Gilmore, Editor-in-Chief of Supply Chain Digest, discussed the inventory-to-sales ratio, as tracked by the US government. It measures on-hand inventory levels against one month's worth of sales. Other than the wild gyration in 2008-09 associated with the great recession, inventory levels have been flat for a decade, even gently rising in the past few years. There is a general bias in the last few years towards top line revenue growth, relatedly SKU proliferation and new product introductions, and longer offshore supply chains. But more provocatively, many companies may have simply hit an inventory wall within the context of their current supply chain designs. The imperative to map and model a company's supply chain took on extra urgency after the events of 2012 - earthquake and tsunami in Japan and massive flooding in Thailand, which caused huge supply chain disruptions.

ToLocal has unveiled its consumer electronics global expansion platform that can be of help to businesses who are looking to make their presence felt in today's competitive market.

Ultriva, Inc., provider of cloud-based supply chain execution software, announced the addition of a successful energy and aerospace manufacturer to their growing list of customers. The global manufacturer specializing in highly engineered, complex and severe environment products selected Ultriva as their technology provider and partner for their enterprise-wide Supply Chain Management software initiative.

Ultriva, the leader in collaborative supply chain solutions, presented a webinar about consumption-based replenishment. It is common to see orders fulfilled in multiple shipments. This is a serious issue on the supply side which forces similar behavior on the customer side. Ultriva manages lot sizes and ties lead time to those lot sizes. This eliminates the common MRP problem of fixed lead time but varying lot sizes.

Forecast Errors newsletter examined what can be learned from the collision of the supply chain and retail. Supply Chain Planning and Retail Planning organizations have operated independently of each other, to the detriment of both. The separation of the two planning organizations has given rise to isolation without collaboration. Retailers are excellent at planning and executing against a short horizon. Supply Chain managers see the short and long-term operations of the company – what is around the corner, how suppliers, and partners are performing, where challenges and opportunities may develop. The Retail Planning team on the other hand, sits at the frontline of sales, experiencing day-to-day shifts in demand, accumulating massive amounts of point-of-sale data, and spotting trends of what is hot and what is not.

The Forecast Errors newsletter reported research conducted by MDM on the adoption and use of analytics by wholesale distribution companies revealed the wholesale distribution industry is transitioning to a more data-driven mindset, but there are widely different views on what that means. Many distributors say they do not have the right analytic tools, technologies, and talent needed to stay competitive in quickly shifting markets. Survey respondents are generally satisfied with analytics centered on operational efficiencies and financial reporting, but less satisfied with deployment of more strategic tools focused on profitability, sales, marketing and service development. These analytics are being addressed in 2015.

San Jose, California-based moving service Fairprice Movers has pledged to donate a truck and the services of its staff to help the Max Cure Foundation, a charity which raises money to help the families of children who are battling cancer.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that Chuck Fuerst shared the need for track and trace capabilities in industries such as food and beverage, manufacturing or automotive industries is obvious; the threat of contamination or recalls impacts public safety, and the responses to those events are highly regulated.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that John Wiegand of TerraTrike, a firm which designs and markets recumbent tricycles. The company doubled its sales since 2012, generating between $5 million and $6 million in 2014, which is expected to be a record year for the company. To mitigate supply-side pressures, TerraTrike opened a warehouse near its production facility to better be able to meet customer demand. Kentwood-based TerraTrike learned all too well the pitfalls a business can face when its sales projections fell short of anticipating the actual demand from consumers for its products. CEO Mike Kessenich share that growth spurt brought on new problems for the company with capacity and supply chain issues that have effectively inhibited how fast it can grow.

There are certain situations in which you want to shoot photos, label and geotag them, and upload to a secure server as quickly as possible. Phil Smith of Sunnyvale, Calif., has the answer.

Ultriva, the leader in collaborative supply chain solutions, invited Chad Smith, a Supply Chain expert and co-founder of the Demand Driven Institute to present a webinar with Ultriva about consumption-based replenishment. The description of the webinar is in the company blog.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported transport and logistics pipeline are often overlooked. It is the vital link between costs and intercontinental shipping performance. The Aberdeen Group polled 142 shippers to explore the key events that industry leaders monitor for international shipments. The events industry leaders view as essential, how leaders move from raw data to intelligence, and the link between improved supply chain visibility and reduced costs prove vital in the elimination of forecast errors among global manufacturing enterprises.

Not much has changed with Supply Chain Management in the last two decades. MRP and ERP forecasts still rule the roost. Narayan Laksham, founder and CEO of Ultriva shared in a recent company blog, "When Supply Chain initiatives are undertaken, they usually involve improving the forecast. However, MRP and ERP systems are data intensive and require timely and stable sales."

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that few sales and operations planning modules offer more exception-based planning, enabling organizations to focus on the product areas where they can realize the greatest return and eliminate forecasting errors. There are idiosyncrasies that require industry-specific functionality to plan and execute supply chain strategies faster and more effectively for achieving business growth. Visualization of complex business data at a glance, would allow users can quickly read, predict and react to information, make faster, more proactive business decisions, and achieve strategic objectives that maximize profit. "Business intelligence is a tool set that continues to evolve from backwards looking to predictive and proactive," said Steve Banker, service director for supply chain management at ARC Advisory Group. "The greater the visibility into the supply chain, the easier it is for a company to make course corrections toward business success."

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that manufacturing forecast errors impact buyers and planners most because of the current inability to directly link Supply Chain Planning with Execution Management to optimize orders, inventory, and transportation on a daily basis. This was an elusive goal, yet as the benefits of Closed-Loop Operational Management is understood, the capability tightly-couples planning systems to execution systems and turns optimized plans directly into action. Buyers and planners have a way to work with operations cooperatively.

Forecast Errors newsletter reported that the promise of reducing costs for the goods and services purchased and increasing employee productivity has elevated the sourcing and procurement technology market to more than $1.4 billion in annual sales. Yet two decades after the introduction of these technologies, many companies are still not getting the results anticipated. Forecasting errors are the trigger of these broken promises.

The Forecasting Errors newsletter reported that The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation released a report which, looks at current data-related issues and innovations and the ways in which they will shape the future of data-driven innovation and the economy. The report, "The Future of Data-Driven Innovation," included contributions from some of the top minds in business, technology, and economics and presents actions that can be taken to maximize the value of tomorrow's digital data.

The Forecast Errors newsletter reported accurate data regarding suppliers, costs, risks, and other important criteria, is absolutely crucial as a first step in understanding where to focus sourcing efforts. Developing a sourcing roadmap that generates the greatest results requires additional analysis of organizational goals, market conditions, and spending patterns. Correcting forecasting errors requires implementation of best practices for collecting and classifying spend and supplier data for effective spend analysis, how to use this analysis to build a long term sourcing strategy and sourcing roadmap, and how to identify an organization's data that can be most helpful in making sourcing decisions.

Fisil LLC, a software development company, added a Gentoo build to its Lync Linux software clients for Microsoft Lync. The clients are available for download at the Fisil LLC website.