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Whether “roomers or Zoomers,” Lightspeed offers “crystal clear sound”

Fourth grade special education teacher Jaimee Rothenberg says the Lightspeed classroom instructional audio system was an important tool before the COVID-19 pandemic, helping students with auditory issues who may have otherwise needed preferential seating, and helping all students hear lessons more clearly.

Coding for Kids: 24 Free Websites that Teach Programming

Coding for kids is the new literacy. It covers various aspects of a kid’s learning, logic building, systematic thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and creativity. You...

Jisc digital experience 2020

The UK's HE and FE not-for-profit organisation for digital services – Jisc – has revealed the findings of its latest comprehensive...

New Tips for Offering an Early Backer Discount on Kickstarter

Thinking about offering early backer discount pledge levels for your next Kickstarter campaign? This podcast episode will tell you everything you need to...

Lessons from 10 Years of Independent Comic Publishing with Inverse Press’ Kevin James LaPorte

Tyler chats with talks to Inverse Press’ Kevin LaPorte about his lessons learned from Ten Years of Independent Comics Publishing, as he celebrates...

There is No “Fast Following” in Today’s Technology

There have been a lot of supply chain learnings as a result of the COVID-19 environment and there is nothing more important than the lesson of technology.  Technology has separated the haves and have nots in just about every industry.  Those companies which have been able to adapt are thriving even in this stressful time.  Those who did not have the core technology available, or have been unwilling to invest in the technology, have suffered and many have filed bankruptcy. 

As if to prove this case, look at a 4  industries and you will see they have come down to duopolies or maybe three to 5 companies which own the industry.  Think of this:

  1. Home Improvement - Two huge players in Home Depot and Lowes
  2. General Store Retail - Target and Walmart
  3. E-Commerce - Amazon and Wayfair
  4. Pure Technology - Apple, Google (Alphabet), Facebook (Advertising). 
You can go on with this but the point I am making is the companies which invested in technology early have thrived and are so far ahead of most of their competitors it is very likely those competitors cannot catch up.  Technology does a few things for these companies:
  1. It makes them infinitely scalable.  Meaning they can scale to huge sizes and add little to no cost to the company.  Their cost per unit decreases dramatically as they grow.  
  2. It allows them to be incredibly flexible and resilient.  Think of Walmart and their now infamous scale with pick up grocery business.  Walmart e-commerce business is up 97% YoY.  This would not even be possible without the underlying technology already in place. There are very few companies in the world which could handle a 97% increase YoY and have any reasonable chance of still functioning.  
  3. It makes the customer experience far better because the technology allows you to customize the experience to the person.  You don't need to "group" people but rather, through the technology, you can customize the experience.  Someone wants to come into the store, you have a solution for that.  Someone wants curbside pickup, you have a solution for that. Someone wants it brought to their home, you have a solution for that.  Someone wants the products delivered to the trunk of their car (specific models allow Amazon to open the trunk of your car and put product in it), you have a solution for that.  
  4. Because the technology is cloud based and built on the cloud it allows for the ability to grow dramatically very quickly.  Think about this:  In December of 2019, Zoom hosted 10 million daily meeting calls.  By April, they were up to 300 million per day.  
Virtually all of this are supply chain solutions which have made these companies leaders in their industry.  So, what lessons have we learned?
  1. Technology allows companies to become dominant in their industry. 
  2. Technology allows scale
  3. Technology allows companies to be resilient in the face of adversity;  It actually allows those companies to thrive. 
And finally, there is no "fast following".  Walmart, because of its resources, has been able to catch up to Amazon but this is a rare example - in fact it may be the only example.  Those who get behind, will be behind forever and, ultimately, will be left behind.

Rise of the robot

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South African EdTech firm Odin Education has launched an e-learning device preloaded with educational content, enabling students to...

The Final Three Feet is Really Really Important (As We Are Re-Learning)

Back in April 2, 2013 I wrote a blog post entitled, "Is the 'Final Three Feet' The Most Important Logistics Leg" and it was created after I saw so many empty shelves at a Wal-Mart and I saw how they were restocking in an almost haphazard and unplanned way.  Of course anyone in retail knows an empty shelf facing translates into a lost sale.  It is very simple.  Keep the shelves stocked.

A simple idea but not quite as simple in practice.  You still see empty shelves in the day, you see aisles blocked because people are restocking during peak shopping times and you see trash (Broken down boxes) etc. cluttering the store.  All of these are signs the store has put no planning into how to stock shelves.
Store Shelves Being Stocked
During Prime Shopping Time
  
Now with the COVID-19 issues we are finding stores are relearning these lessons all over again.  It took weeks for stores to figure out how to adjust hours to ensure shelves were stocked.  What difference does it make that you are open 24 hours if by the 8th hour of being open your shelves are bare?  Too much time was lost in this and they should have read my posting.  The final three feet needs to be engineered just like the final mile and just like the DC to Store network

I will say one of the most sophisticated processes I have seen is at Home Depot.  At Home Depot, carts are built at the RDC (Large cross dock) which tell the store exactly what aisle and location on the planograph those products go. Yes, it takes more at the RDC but it makes stocking shelves in the store much simpler.  This ensures a few things:
  1. The store associates can help customers and not stock shelves.
  2. The cart is there, shelves are stocked and it is gone.  Out of the way of the customers. 
  3. Minimizes complex training on the store floor.
The basic theory is push the work and the complexity back to the DC so the store is able to sell.  Which, after all, is what it is there for.  

How Hamburg Regained Control of its Energy Utility

Taking The Power Back: How Hamburg Regained Control Of Its Energy Utility By Anselm Sprandel, Director-General for Energy and Climate, Ministry of Environment and...

French Air Force deputy talks strategy, Brexit and future fighter jets

PARIS — As deputy chief of staff for plans and programs with the French Air Force, Maj. Gen. Frédéric Parisot is the go-to person...

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