Material Handling Management articles from April 2006

Material Handling Management archives from April 2006

People skills: how does your facility's human resource performance measure up?(human resource management)
April 1, 2006... The hiring, firing, coaching, motivating and development of employees is every manager's and every supervisor's number one job. How well they manage their people has a direct and unequivocal impact on their team's success. Last fall, in...

Barilla America to build new pasta plant, distribution center in Avon, N.Y.(New York)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Pasta manufacturer Barilla America, Inc. (Bannockburn, Ill.) and Jacobson Warehouse Company, Inc. (Des Moines), a logistics services company, plan to build a new pasta-making and distribution facility in Avon, N.Y. When complete, the...

On the Job.(Industry News)
April 1, 2006... "I know it reduces our need for safety stock, but it sure is creepy." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Britain's Boots Group to build $122-million automated warehouse, eliminate 2,250 jobs.(Industry News)
April 1, 2006... Boots Group PLC (Nottingham, U.K.) announced a major investment in its Boots The Chemists chain as it reinvests a significant portion of proceeds from the $3.3 billion sale of its healthcare division. The investment will include the automation...

DC move hurts profits for Big 5 Sporting Goods.(Industry News)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The fourth quarter results of Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp. (El Segundo, Calif.) were negatively impacted by $4.5 million in unexpected costs attributed to the company's transition to its new distribution center in Riverside, Calif. As reported in...

Winn-Dixie to consolidate distribution operations in Southern Florida.(Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. (Jacksonville, Fla.) will consolidate distribution operations in Southern Florida by selling its distribution center in Pompano Beach and moving the work to a facility in Miami. The transfer of operations is expected to...

China to be #1 manufacturing exporter in 2006.(markets)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In a report from the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI (Arlington, Va.), Ernest H. Preeg, Ph.D., a researcher for the executive development organization, reports that the U.S. and China had roughly equal levels of exports in 2005. This year China...

Long-horned beetle intercepted in Florida.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... On March 1 agriculture specialists from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discovered a long-horned beetle, Rhytidodera bowringii, in a container of granite counter tops from China. The live beetle was captured and sent to the USDA...

Federated to close historic warehouse in Washington, D.C.(Federated Department Stores Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Federated Department Stores, Inc. (Cincinnati) plans to close its New York Avenue distribution center in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2007 as part of an ongoing process to improve efficiency and reduce duplication in its nationwide...

Element 21 Golf Company sets up new distribution center.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Element 21 Golf Company (Toronto) has set up a new customer service center, assembly, warehousing, and shipping and receiving facility. E21 holds the exclusive right to manufacture golf products using proprietary E21 alloys, which are 55%...

Lowe's to build flatbed distribution center in Colorado.(Lowe's Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Lowe's Companies, Inc. (Mooresville, N.C.), the $43-billion home improvement retailer, announced plans to build a new flatbed distribution center in Henderson, Colo. The company will retrofit an existing 200,000 sq.-ft. facility, spending $10...

Industrial truck safety standards now available online.
April 1, 2006... The Industrial Truck Standards Development Foundation (ITSDF) has launched a new website (www.itsdf.org) that offers easy access to the B56 Series Industrial Truck standards. "The implementation of the website gives everyone an opportunity to...

U.S. Postal volume not declining.(recent performance)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Speaking to more than 6,500 mailers and advertisers at the National Postal Forum in Orlando in early April, Postmaster General John E. Potter forecasted a transformed U.S. Postal Service that will continue to see growth in direct mail volume....

Lubriquip's Thomas Easterhouse elected president of CEMA.
April 1, 2006... Thomas Easterhouse, global product manager, Lubriquip, Inc. (Madison, Wis.) was elected president of the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA, Naples, Fla.) at the organization's 73rd Annual Meeting in Marco Island, Florida. ...

CompTIA RFID skill certification now available.(Computing Technology Industry Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A RFID-skill certification is now available from The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). CompTIA RFID+T is a professional certification of skills in radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. The certification was...

Manufacturing productivity outperforms other sectors.(economy)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy significantly outperformed both the business and non-farm business sectors of the economy in 2005's final quarter, according to revised U.S. Labor Department data released on Mar. 7. Productivity...

Reno warehouse damaged by dust devil.
April 1, 2006... In early April a dust devil blew off portions of the roof of the Machabee Office Furniture warehouse in Reno and caused flooding by breaking fire sprinkler lines, reported the Channel 4 KRNV television station. Four employees and two customers...

Abu Ghraib to become warehouse.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Within months the notorious Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq will close and the U.S. military will transfer the 4,500 prisoners held there to Camp Cropper, which currently houses former dictator Saddam Hussein. "There will be no detainees in Abu...

SSA Global acquires Provia Software.(SSA Global Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... SSA Global Technologies, Inc. (Chicago), a global provider of enterprise solutions, acquired Provia Software, Inc., a provider of order-to-delivery supply chain execution (SCE) solutions. The acquisition of Provia reportedly provides SSA Global...

HK Systems adds new facility.(capacity)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... HK Systems, Inc. (Milwaukee), a manufacturer of automated material handling and supply chain software, announced the groundbreaking of a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Salt Lake City. The facility will provide HK Systems with...

PosiCharge wins automotive awards.(2006 Automotive News, Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence Awards)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... PosiCharge, an AeroVironment, Inc. business (Monrovia, Calif.), won two awards at the 2006 Automotive News PACE (Premier Automotive Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence) Awards. Automotive News recognized PosiCharge in the Manufacturing...

Yale and I.D. Systems promote wireless fleet management.(Vendor News)
April 1, 2006... I.D. Systems, Inc. (Hackensack, N.J.) and Yale Materials Handling Corp. (Greenville, N.C.) a unit of NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc. (Portland, Ore.) announced a joint promotion of I.D. Systems' Wireless Asset Net vehicle management...

Brambles to sell Interlake.(Brambles USA Inc. sell Interlake to United Fixtures Holdings)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Sydney-based Brambles plans to sell Interlake (Naperville, Ill.) to United Fixtures Holdings for $48 million in cash plus the assumption of the company's pension liability. United Fixtures Holdings is a division of Wynnchurch Capital Ltd. (Lake...

Hodge and Frick Gallagher product lines become Durham.(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Durham Mfg. Co. (Durham, Conn.) has announced that all products formerly marketed under the Hodge and Frick Gallagher names will now be marketed under the Durham brand. Hodge, a manufacturer of non-powered material equipment was acquired by...

Rapid Rack achieves no lost time injuries in 2005.(Rapid Rack Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Rapid Rack Industries, Inc. (City of Industry, Calif.), a manufacturer of shelving rack, announced that it experienced no lost time injuries last year. "Safety is a top priority at Rapid Rack due to our involvement in such an intensive labor...

Eklund to retire from NACCO, Brogan to become president and CEO.(Vendor News)
April 1, 2006... NACCO Materials Handling Group (Portland, Ore.) announced that Reginald R. Eklund, president and CEO, will retire on June 30, 2006. Under Eklund's leadership, NMHG has grown to be one of the world's leading lift truck producers with $2.4...

CHEP USA sells its reusable plastic container business to IFCO.(Reusable Container Company LLC)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Reusable Container Company LLC (Tampa, Fla.), a subsidiary of IFCO Systems (Houston), has purchased certain assets of CHEP USA's (Orlando, Fla.) Reusable Plastic Container (RPC) business. Details were not disclosed. "This acquisition...

Fortune magazine names Sealed Air Company to most admired list.(America's Most Admired Companies)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Fortune magazine named Sealed Air Corp. (Saddle Brook, N.J.) No. 1 in the Packaging, Containers industry on its 24th annual list of America's Most Admired Companies. In addition to receiving the highest overall ranking, Sealed Air scored...

Intermec considering closure of Swedish design centers.(Intermec Technologies Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Intermec, Inc. (Everett, Wash.) reports that it is assessing possible closure of its design centers in Goteborg and Lund, Sweden. If closed, the activities assigned to Goteborg and Lund would be reassigned to other parts of the corporation or...

SI Systems launches DC Diagnostics Consulting Group.(Vendor News)
April 1, 2006... SI Systems (Easton, Pa.) formed DC Diagnostics, a team of specialists to help distribution centers identify and remedy operational inefficiencies. The group is comprised of experts in high-speed automation who will reportedly utilize SI's...

Interpool to sell container operating lease assets.(Vendor News)
April 1, 2006... Interpool, Inc. (Princeton, N.J.) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Interpool Containers Limited (ICL), has entered into an agreement to sell a substantial majority of its operating lease portfolio of standard dry marine cargo...

Following Ben Franklin's lead.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I totally agree with you [Re: Manufacturing Management: What Would Ben Say? March 2006, page 55]. Back in the 1980s everyone was saying the exact same thing about Japan. Then their over-managed economy went into a decade-long deflationary...

No time to lose.(Light Lifting)(Editorial)
April 1, 2006... Several years ago the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) launched an interesting study. I know, interesting and statistics in the same sentence, who am I kidding? But hear me out. The American Time Use Survey collects data on what people do, and...

Reusable containers still make cents.
April 1, 2006... An interesting story from BusinessWire crossed my desk in March. In a speech before the Transpacific Maritime Conference, Chang Kuo-Cheng, vice group chairman of Evergreen Marine Corp. (Taiwan), urged the international transportation industry...

And that procedure document is where ...?
April 1, 2006... Sadly enough, this is a true story.... Several years ago, I was asked to review the bar code labeling program of a company in healthcare. The company had been printing Code 39 product bar codes for years but was considering changing everything...

Cash flow: material handling equipment financing strategies: buyers have choices to make when financing material handling equipment purchases.(Equipment Purchasing)
April 1, 2006... In an old Jack Benny routine, an armed robber confronts Jack (known for his tightwad tendencies) and challenges: "Your money or your life!" Jack remains silent. "Well?" persists the anxious robber. "Just a minute. I'm thinking!" responds Jack....

Power up! Fast charging lift truck batteries boosts safety and productivity.(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... Fast charging is quickly becoming the preferred method for recharging electric lift truck batteries in heavy-use applications. The technology saves time, reduces accidents, and frees space in warehouses and factories. The current market for the...

Shipping oddball stuff: wrapping mixed loads is an everyday job for True Value.(Transport Packaging)
April 1, 2006... When a palletload includes everything--including the kitchen sink--you have to make sure the load is wrapped right. If not, be prepared for calls from retail store locations and a lot of other unhappy people. Few things can cause more...

People first: at Southeast Industrial Equipment success starts with taking care of people, employees and customers alike.
April 1, 2006... Any conversation with CEO Steve Thorne about what has made Southeast Industrial Equipment (Charlotte) a success story starts with his people. Far from a management platitude, Thorne's assessment is a sincere philosophy that has a deep impact on...

Wireless: real-time part tracking and replenishment: in a fast-paced auto assembly plant, knowing what's where can be a challenge.
April 1, 2006... The more flexible manufacturing processes become, the more complex is the flow of material to the manufacturing assembly lines. No manufacturing process is more complex than automobile manufacturing and feeding the limited-space assembly lines...

Assembly line a cut above: in-floor towline conveyor supports lean manufacturing, cuts lawnmower assembly time in half.(Factory Floor)
April 1, 2006... "When we investigated our alternatives [for a new production line] we decided the three most important evaluation factors would be safety, quality and productivity," says John Orth, plant manager for Ferris Industries, Munnsville, N.Y. The...

CDW: fastest in the business: technology improves CDW's order processing and customer service.(New Facility)
April 1, 2006... Information technology product distributor CDW Corp. (Vernon Hills, Ill.) had a problem. Most of its customers were in California and its only distribution center (DC) was near Chicago. Transporting heavy computers, monitors and printers...

Labor-saving sortation.(Product Focus)
April 1, 2006... Flat tray sorters enable children's clothing retailer, Gymboree Corp., to sort directly to totes and shipping boxes. Childrens' clothier, Gymboree Corp. (Dixon, Calif.) has a rapidly growing direct-to-consumer business. To keep up with its...

High throughput tilt-trays.
April 1, 2006... The new Beumer-Tray sorter gives increased throughput, and features low noise, low maintenance and low overall lifecycle costs. The state-of-the-art sorter has a contact-less power supply to initiate tilting. From packaged food to DVDs and...

Next-level sortation.(Product Focus)
April 1, 2006... The ProSort 400 heavy-duty sliding shoe sorter is designed for high-speed applications where product diverting needs to be both positive and gentle. Products are transported on anodized aluminum slats where, at a predetermined location, divert...

Gantry sorter.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... The robotic gantry sorter can handle large quantities of SKUs cost-effectively. The gantry performs both picking and replenishment functions, allowing for true "hands-free" order fulfillment. Featuring a flexible design, it can be ex- panded...

Modular shoe sorter.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... The Whispersort slat-type shoe sorter features a modular design. Assembled of individual pre-engineered sections using precision aluminum extrusions, the length can be changed by adding or deleting sections to a maximum length of 700 ft. Divert...

Subsystem controls.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... Sort-IT PC-based control system controls all conveyor subsystems and the product that flows through them. Sort-IT is the foundation software for SeayCo Integrators' automation systems and can be configured as a standalone system or integrated...

Conveyor controller requires no programming.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... The new ZoneLink UBT controller controls conveyor functions without a PLC. The controller can easily be configured for either merge, divert or transfer mode through a serial port and is simply plugged into the line where needed. For...

Scalable, flexible sortation.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... The LP Pack put-to-light application is well suited for retail cross-docking operations. System users have recoded pack rates of 600-plus units packed per user per hour. A cable-free light module design gives the system scalability and...

Linear direct-drive servo technology.(Product News)
April 1, 2006... The patented, new linear transfer vehicle (LTV) is an accurate high-speed transfer system that uses the latest advances in linear direct-drive servo motor technology. This technology is scalable and modular, easily adapted to any design...