If you are a Mincron User and plan to attend the “INsight 2010” user conference, you won’t want to miss this presentation.

Vincent Taravella, Director of Business Development for Varsity Logistics will be discussing the ballooning cost of shipping and transportation, as customer demand increases and carrier options and complexity continue to evolve.

Mr. Taravella will present the benefits of optimally planning and executing a TMS (Transportation Management System) and how the extent of process performance improvement greatly depends on ERP integration.

As part of a special limited time promotion, Varsity Logistics will be offering a free 90-day trial version of our latest module to be released, ShipView Plus.

Simply upgrade to 2.7 of Varsity Logistics ShipSoft module, and you will receive a free 90-day trial of Varsity’s powerful analytics module, ShipView Plus.

ShipView Plus provides your shipping and logistics managers with a set of pre-defined ready-to-run reports, and spreadsheets to help them better negotiate terms with carriers, identify hidden costs and performance problems, and revamp transportation management strategies.

New features of the latest Varsity Logistics’ Shipsoft, 2.7 include updates to carrier compliance, enhanced Zip Code management, and bill of lading enhancements.

The upgrade to 2.7 will include a free 90-day trial of ShipView Plus, which, powered by NGS, is built over data captured by both the ShipSoft Parcel and ShipSoft Freight applications.

This offer is available to all existing 2.7 users as well a new 2.7 users.We encourage you to call now to order your upgrade and free trial of ShipView Plus.

This special promotion is only available now, so arrange for a time when you can view a short presentation of ShipView Plus, and discuss the benefits of upgrading to the latest release of Varsity Logistics ShipSoft module, 2.7.
You will instantly see the how ShipView Plus can help you save money and improve decision making.

Call Diane Pham at (650) 392-7907, or e-mail her at dpham (at) varsitynet (dot) com to order your upgrade to release 2.7, and take advantage of the ShipView Plus promotion.

All presentations and training materials are provided by Varsity Logistics via FTP. Varsity encourages participants to prepare questions in advance to get the most from their training sessions. To register please contact Diane Pham at dpham@varsitynet.com or 650-392-7907

All Times below stated as Eastern Time and meetings will be hosted via WebEx.

Monday, March 1, 2010

All 1:00 – 1:10 p.m. Introductions/Agenda Review (Presenters: Tom Reber & Roberto Ansaloni)

All 1:10 – 2:00 p.m. Product Demonstration (Presenters: Charlie Hawkins and Mike Parrilli)

All 2:00 – 2:30 p.m. ShipView Plus (Presenters: Charlie Hawkins, Mike Parrilli, NGSI, and Jim Niemeyer)

The first part of this session will consist of a presentation of the module and a demonstration of the product’s features.

The second part of this session will be an overview of the installation steps and technology involved in the development and implementation of the product.

All 2:30 – 3:00 p.m. Customer Support and Implementation (Presenter: Laura Heindel, Tom Reber and Roberto Ansaloni)

This session will explain how Varsity handles technical support calls including how calls are logged into Varsity’s automated system, escalation criteria, change requests, reporting bugs, and custom modification issues.  There will also be a brief discussion of how Varsity incorporates changes and fixes into product enhancement files.

Tech 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.  ShipSoft Technical Overview (Presenter: Mike Reilly) - This session addresses technical aspects and development approach Varsity took to ShipSoft.

Presentation reviews current enhancements to the base product, data flows, rate shopping interface, and processing results flow back and forth through ShipSoft and the interface.

Tech 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Break Out Q & A Session (Tom Reber, Roberto Ansaloni, Mike Reilly)

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tech 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. Interfaces and Using the P-List Break (Presenter: Roberto Anasaloni) - This session will include a detailed discussion of the interface and how it can be adapted to meet customer needs. Discussions can center on points in the fulfillment process when the interface can be called, calculations that can be performed within the interface, and how the various P-List fields can be adjusted, re-mapped, or changed to modify the interface.

Tech 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. International Shipping (Presenter: Roberto Ansaloni) - This session covers the international shipping process including the interface data requirements, document set-up, INCO Terms and Freight Forwarder shipments.

Tech 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Break Out Q & A Session (Tom Reber, Roberto Ansaloni)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tech 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Control File Set-up (Presenter: Mike Reilly) - This session will review the ShipSoft system setup requirements and options available.

Tech 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. ShipTalk Transmission Review (Presenter: Mike Reilly) - This session will focus on the Varsity Carrier Compliance Kits (CCKs) and their manifest upload features.  Attendees will learn how to set up the transmission itself, ensure the manifest records are correctly built and formatted, and troubleshoot the process as the upload is performed.

Tech 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Break Out Q & A Session (Tom Reber, Roberto Ansaloni, Mike Reilly)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tech 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ShipPack Technical Overview (Presenter: Roberto Ansaloni) - This session will cover the features of Varsity’s Pick/Pack Module including item-level detail, bar code labeling, ASN creation, Shipment, order reconciliation, and parcel nesting.

Tech 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Varsity GUI Overview (Presenter: Jim Niemeyer) - In this session, attendees will see a demonstration of the Varsity GUI product and an overview of the underlying technology, IBM products used, and GUI install requirements.

Tech 3:30 – 4:00 p.m. Using Alternate Billing Options (Presenter: Roberto Ansaloni) - In this session, attendees will learn how to set up alternate billing shipments such as 2nd and 3rd party, COD, and Consignee billing.

Tech 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Break Out Q & A Session (Tom Reber, Roberto Ansaloni, Jim Niemeyer)

Friday, March 5, 2010

All 1:00 – 1:45 p.m. Non Rated & Rated Carriers (Presenter: Jim Reveal) - In this session, attendees will learn how to create, configure, and maintain new carriers in ShipSoft.  Other areas covered include creating Bills of Lading, labels, and PRO number assignment.

User 1:45 – 2:45 p.m. ShipSoft-Freight Technical Overview (Presenter: Jim Reveal) - This session will explore the Varsity multi-modal rating engine and shipping solution for freight shippers who ship within North America – specifically outbound shipping process for LTL and TL shipments.

User 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. ShipSelect Technical Overview (Presenter: Jim Reveal) - This session evaluates different options within ShipSelect including user-defined weighted criteria such as cost, preference, transit time, past http://www.varsitynet.com/blog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=488&message=7performance, mode selection, and service type.

Tech 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. Break Out Q & A Session (Tom Reber, Roberto Ansaloni, Jim Reveal)

Registration information can be obtained by contacting Diane Pham at dpham@varsitynet.com or 650-392-7907.

Thousands of packages are sent every day.

With Varsity’s help, each make their way.

And each order is safe on Santa’s sleigh.

Little girls everywhere will squeal with delight,

Squeezing their Hello Kitty gifts with all their might.

Surfer studs rejoice to open presents from Billabong.

So thankful for their new boards, they’ll break into song.

With new Roland instruments, musicians will join in.

And soccer moms can relax - their patience won’t run thin,

They’ll have the children busy with new Kwik Goal sports.

And the home will be filled with presents of all sorts.

So relax and put on your warm and cozy Wigwam socks.

Because Varsity always makes sure your holiday rocks!

We’re proud of the small part we play in getting gifts to their destination. We help to cost-effectively ship all types of items, on time for the holiday season - to the retailer, or directly to the gift receipent.

Maybe a few of these goodies will find their way to you this year. Santa, are you listening?

Wishing all of our customers a happy, healthy, and profitable holiday season.

Varsity serves virtually all distribution and manufacturing industries in the United States and Canada. Varsity’s software is used to ship all types of products via parcel, truck or rail carriers, to destinations around the world.

Because our software runs on the iSeries, it is robust enough to support virtually any shipping volume, through any number of distribution centers. Some of our customers’ ship 100 parcels a day, others over 100,000.

From order management to carrier invoice auditing, Varsity’s software reduces freight expense, increases customer satisfaction, and streamlines shipping processes.

We offer automation for all shipping processes. Here’s a nice breakdown of what’s available.

These 20 reasons are from Craig Johnson, Product Manager for IBM i, for the Power Systems platform.

He lists 20 benefits of using IBM i 6.1. Learn how you’ll experience better performance and reduced IT costs.

Even better perhaps, IBM i is now shipped on DVD media. Read the entire list of benefits here, “Top 10–strike that!–Top 20 Reasons to Deploy IBM i 6.1″, by Craig Johnson.

You can also watch a webcast that discusses the reasons to move to IBM 6.1.

Ignore parcel carrier’s compliance guidelines and both your service and shipping expense will suffer. Just because your carrier delivers your package, doesn’t mean the deliver went as well as it could have. There are three main areas of carrier compliance that affect how well your carrier can service you and your customers. These include carrier labeling, carrier PLD, and carrier services.

1. Carrier Labeling

If your label is not fully compliant it can affect the efficiency of handling your shipment, the service your customer receives, and your cost for service. If  information on the label such as required wording, bar codes or routing codes are not compliant it, your package will require additional handling by your carrier.

Additional handling involves updating data so your package can be sent through carrier automation. This may cause a delay in processing and also a delay in the delivery of your package. Non-compliant labels are not only costly to the carrier, they also restrict the level of efficiency in delivering your packages. In the end it costs you money as you will not be able to get the “best deal” from your carrier.

Don’t think for a minute you can get the “ best deal” when you are not giving your carrier the “ best information”  that is needed to handle your packages at the highest level of efficiency and the lowest cost of handling.

2. Carrier PLD (Package Level Detail)

Carrier PLD or, package level detail, is the daily manifest information you transmit to your carrier. Parcel carriers use this information for planning how best to deliver your package. 

It is first used at the carrier hub to alert them that they will be receiving your package. If your PLD transmissions are not received on time, or are not complete, this can affect how efficiently your package is handled in the hub. Incomplete PLD transmissions can also adversely affect the delivery of your package.

The information you transmit is also used for billing purposes. If the information that is sent is not correct or complete, or doesn’t match up with the physical characteristic of the package when it is viewed in the hub, a billing correction will be made and your billing will not match your manifest records.

3. Carrier Services

The ability to use new carrier capabilities can help you reduce cost and increase service to your customers. Many shippers are not aware of all the service enhancements a carrier offers.

Each year the carriers introduce new service levels, special services and contract services. Carriers continually enhance their services to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Keeping up with the constant stream of innovations can be a challenge, For example, have you heard about Paperless Invoicing, Quantum View Notification or the New Electronic Returns Service? Do you know what operating at the highest level of FedEx Server will get you?

If these services are not familar to you, it may be time for you to review the complete offering of your carriers to help improve service to your customers and help you reduce cost. Better service, less cost. It’s worth a phone call or two.

There is still a lot of buzz surrounding IBM i platform, and Chris Maxcer’s  article,  ”Maxed Out: IBM Says Commitment to i Clients ‘Solid and Unchanged” from News on i, made quite an impression on us.

We thought we would share some excerpts with you and hope to hear your feedback as well.  In Maxcer’s article, Ross Mauri, General Manager of IBM Power Systems, discusses the next big release of IBM i with enthusiasm.

He says,  ”Our IBM i clients not only run on the industry’s fastest processors, but can also look forward with confidence as we prepare to deliver POWER 7 processor-based systems in 2010.”  Mauri also addresses that all of IBMi sales today are on the new POWER 6 platform.

We’re excited to hear about the new POWER 7 processor.  It’s also good to hear Mauri promise, “making substantial investments in the future of i as an important, strategic element in the IBM product portfolio.”

Read Mauri’s open letter to IBM i customers. Or read more from Chris Maxcer’s article and learn what the new main elements are in the new release of IBM i.

Everyone is aware that parcel carrier complexity has translated into more choices and frequently higher costs. Mitch Felts, of The Distribution Management Group Inc. , discusses how paying additional attention to many details in carrier contracts can save money in his article, “Sweat the Small Stuff”.

While reading this, one should also be aware that it is also necessary as to be able to know the details of your shipping over time, to see how your actual shipping patterns drive your contract-determined costs.

Remember that Varsity has two cost-effective solutions: TransData and ShipView Plus. Both are designed to provide precise knowledge of shipping patterns and details, at your finger tips.

Learn more about Varsity Transportation Analytics.

Varsity Logistics is pleased to invite customers to its next free technical training class November 16th - 20th.  These classes are offered on-line, so no travel is required

Register soon!  Space is limited.

Our new WebEx training classes have several benefits for new and experienced Varsity users. The most obvious one is that virtual training is much more economical than in person, eliminating travel costs.  You can also pick and choose the sessions you want to attend, or switch attendees for different sessions.

Over the four days, we’ll present 20 hours of training, covering basic and advanced material. Online flexibility is perfect for training new staff, and for brushing up the skills of more experienced users.

Sessions will be lead by Roberto Ansaloni and Tom Reber, our Directors of Professional Services, and several members of our Professional Services Team.

Attendees will learn how to get the most out of their Varsity investment:

- The ShipSoft Technical Review will deepen your understanding of product functionality and provide you with the tools to track your investment.

- The Implementation and Customer Support Overview explores the technical support process so you can get help and updates in the most timely way.

- The Control File Setup session provides a hands-on demonstration of the requirements and options available in file setup so you can best implement this at your own location(s)

- The Installing PTF Files session provides you with knowledge regarding implementation, troubleshooting, and Varsity’s product scheduling.

Below is the agenda. If you are interested in attending find more details and register via our website and you will be sent a confirmation with log on information.  To ensure training quality, participation will be limited.All presentations and training materials are provided by Varsity Logistics. Varsity encourages participants to prepare questions in advance to get the most from their training sessions.

Monday, November 16, 2009

• Product Demonstration
• ShipView Plus
• Customer Support and Implementation 
• ShipSoft Technical Overview
• Break Out Q & A Session

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

• Interfaces and Using the P-List Break
• International Shipping
• Break Out Q & A Session

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

• Control File Set-up
• ShipTalk Transmission Review
• Break Out Q & A Session

Thursday, November 19, 2009

• ShipPack Technical Overview
• Varsity GUI Overview
• Using Alternate Billing Options

We always leave plenty of time to answer your questions. No matter how easy, hard, or obscure — we’ll get you an answer.

Please register soon, as the number of attendees will be limited for quality purposes.

If you have any questions, please contact Diane Pham at dpham@varsitynet.com (650-392-7907).