I recently met with one of our large 3PL customers from China. Among other things, we discussed the product roadmap and importance of a localized application. This reminded me of a trip I made to Taiwan which clearly demonstrated that localization considerations go far beyond just supply chain software solutions.
In the streets of Taiwan there are hundreds of scooters. On any given corner there could be literally tens of scooters waiting for a green light. This adds another level of complexity to driving a car in the streets of Taiwan since even a slight shift in direction could send a scooter flying, causing serious injuries as a result. Many car manufacturers have localized cars to have sensors on the four corners of the car. If a scooter is close to the sensor, the driver is alerted to their presence even if the driver cannot see the scooter. While this does not eliminate accidents, it greatly reduces them.
Correctly localizing supply chain logistics software can also eliminate accidents in your operations and help keep costs low. When the topic of localization is brought up, we generally think outside the United States, but even in the United States it is commonplace to have a multi-lingual workforce where upwards of five languages are spoken. Workers who can operate in their native language are much less likely to make errors and generally have higher productivity because they don’t constantly have their own internal translator processing every prompt. HighJump Software WMS Management solution has been translated and localized for over 10 languages including simplified Chinese and Japanese. On your next software project, don’t underestimate the importance of localization.
Image via Flickr user The Kozy Shack
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