Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/763062
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • November-December 2016 13 see the transitioning of the role of a workforce, but not necessarily a down-size in the work force. Another example: paper currency. Don't have $5 but have your smartphone? You can buy that! Joe DeMarco, Director of Communications and Business Development, LINC Systems A1: A "favorite" for me would be none of the 'old' technologies. My goal is to move our company into the most modern technology for efficiency while meeting the needs of our customer base. Yet it seems that fax machines are still a part of their world. Although we still have people using the paper calendar, for the most part, we have "modernized" our business. A2: All of the current technology - lap top computer, smartphone, paperless fax machine, electronic billing/invoicing, business software – are crucial to our business. As a supplier we ship to 22 states and have over 70 field sales / service people. All these tools are a crucial part of our communication. A3: We use the Microsoft Surface with our field sales / service people. It allows touch screen parts and service call entry. Logging the tools they work on and the parts they service with, allow us to understand the true cost to serve. A4: RFID: we own thousands of nailers that are placed at customers across 22 states. We repair and service them. RFID for tracking and recording is a technology that we can benefit from, and still in need of some advances. We currently track with scanners and log the parts placed in tools. Dean Roderick, Managing Director, RodPak A1: The fax machine is a staff favorite, mainly because its key purpose is to receive the list of daily food specials from our local take-out store. Personally I love our electronic printing whiteboard (Panasonic) from the 1990's. Unfortunately, both are about to become redundant as thermal printing paper is difficult to source. A2: In a quick survey of our staff, the smartphone is the clear favorite. A3: We have become very dependent upon a range of apps: banking and finance apps to track spending; weather apps for the operations staff to assist planning; airline and flight radar apps to assist in making travel more efficient for management and sales personnel. A4: In the short term, there is no doubt that robotics and automation will be further developed in our operations. Improved use of portable electronic devices for operational and logistics purposes is imminent. With a longer view, continuous implementation of automation to eliminate manual handling and to enhance quality control. It is probable that some form of driverless vehicle/s will be used to reduce the costs associated with stock movements. The Pallet Design System™ (PDS) will be at the heart of business operations in ten years' time, having been developed into a fully integrated unit load design system. Technical sales personnel will work with clients to reduce total unit packaging costs through smart design. Finance staff will have seamless integration with accounts systems to improve cost control. Manufacturing will only produce to customer approved designs, typically uploaded directly from PDS to the pallet machines. Carolyn Beach, Vice President, Westside Pallet, Inc. A1: We still use our fax machine although we are scanning and emailing more frequently. I use my paper rolodex quite often. We also have a 2" binder with a daily calendar to pencil in our delivery schedule. It's how we all communicate with what is going out every day. iStockphoto.com/windjunkie