This week we have a winner who is embracing technological advances to benefit warehouse operations and increase productivity. This week's loser had a massive recall — and worse yet, it's re-recalling the vehicles that were allegedly "repaired" the first time.
Winner
This week's winner is Exel, the supply chain division of German parcel delivery giant DHL, because they are planning to test connected eyewear in two warehouses later this year.
A trial earlier this year that took place in a Dutch warehouse found the connected eyewear helped reduce packing times by 25 percent, therefore saving time and increasing productivity.
Google Glass, though originally marketed as more of a fun new tech-toy, is going to prove its functionality in the warehouses by telling workers where to find products, having the ability to read barcodes, and training and acclimating temporary employees during peak shipping seasons, in addition to various other benefits. Exel officials also believe it will prove to be helpful to e-retailers who deal with handfuls of products and millions of options.
Too often it seems people are afraid of new technology or stick to "the way it's always been done" rather than seeking the benefits it could offer. For embracing those potential benefits, Exel wins.
Loser
This week's loser added 181,000 cars in the U.S. and Canada to a recall for malfunctioning headlights.
General Motors Co. will have to repair thousands of these headlights for a second time, because the replacement part for the original recall can fail, according to GM spokesman Alan Adler.
The problem is in a headlight module which may overheat and melt in high temperatures under the hood, causing low-beams and daytime running lights to fail. This covers the 2005 Buick LaCrosse and the 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix in the U.S. and the 2005 Buick Allure in Canada.
As a temporary fix, dealers will replace the module with an existing part, but there is not currently a permanent repair developed.
This latest batch of recalls adds to the mess the company has faced in the past two years, as recall counts have skyrocketed. In calendar year 2014, the company recalled nearly 27 million vehicles in the U.S. alone.
Read More: http://www.impomag.com/articles/2015/03/are-you-gm-recall-waiting-happen
Having a huge recall is already not great for GM, but the fact that this is the second time for the same issue means this was a tough failure on their part, and for that, GM is this week's loser.