Computer choice has doubled for transport bosses
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• Transport managers today have a choice of over 500 different distribution computer packages — almost twice the number that was available two years ago.
According to the Institute of Logistics and Distribution Management (ILDM), transport managers are faced with a total of 227 suppliers in this field.
The ILDM says there are indications that this breadth of choice is beginning to change, however, as a few major suppliers begin to dominate various market sectors.
Fastest growth has occurred in computer packages to control strategic distribution planning, with the number of packages available increasing by 94% this year.
ILDM identifies IBM and DEC as the major suppliers of computer hardware to the distribution industry. More than 90% of distribution software packages for mainframe computers are designed to operate on either IBM or DEC machines, while 51% of programs for mini-computers are designed for either IBM or DEC machines (up from 41% last year).
Management consultancy Arthur Andersen, which researched the report for ILDM, predicts that the next generation of distribution computer systems, needed to replace existing commercial packages, will therefore have to be highly sophisticated.