Marty Resnick

This post is written by our friends at e2open. E2open is the connected supply chain software platform that enables the world’s largest companies to transform the way they make, move, and sell goods and services. Moving as one.™ Learn More: www.e2open.com.   Parcel used to be the lightweight cousin of freight: important, but not something that kept supply chain leaders up at night. Those days are long gone. Today, parcel volumes rival truckload execution in complexity, visibility requirements, and cost impact. For many enterprises, parcel management software now determines whether omnichannel promises are kept—or quietly broken—one late delivery at a time. The problem isn’t parcel itself, but where it lives. When parcel operates in a separate system from your transportation management system (TMS), costs creep up, execution gets messy, and performance suffers. Integrating parcel directly into TMS workflows turns shipping from a necessary evil into a strategic advantage.   Parcel management: from warehouse detail to board-level problem Parcel complexity exploded as e-commerce, ship-from-store, and direct-to-consumer models took center stage. More carriers, more service levels, more delivery promises—and far more returns—turned parcel shipping into a daily operational chess match. That complexity has consequences. Parcel spend now shows up on executive radar.…

At MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, Scott Luton caught up with Mike Harris, VP of OMRS at Ocado Intelligent Automation, to explore how robotics, software, and evolving customer expectations are reshaping modern warehouse operations. While robots may grab the spotlight, Harris makes it clear: the real value lies beneath the surface, as in the intelligence that powers them.   Rising Expectations and the Cost-to-Serve Challenge Warehouse operators are under increasing pressure from both ends of the supply chain. Costs continue to climb, while customer expectations are rising just as quickly. “Cost to serve is continuing to increase and customers expect things faster and completely accurate” Harris explains. This dynamic creates a constant balancing act. Organizations must improve speed and accuracy while controlling costs, a challenge that requires more than incremental improvements. It demands smarter, more adaptive systems.   Flexibility and Long-Term Thinking Take Center Stage In today’s volatile environment, Harris sees a clear shift in how companies approach automation investments. “We’re finding that customers are looking to invest in technologies and partners that they want to stay with for a while,” he notes. Rather than chasing one-off solutions, organizations are prioritizing long-term partnerships and scalable platforms that can evolve with their…