Material Handling Management articles from August 2003

Material Handling Management archives from August 2003

Life of the party: stun people when you talk shop.(everybody's touched by material handling management in one way or another )(Editorial)
August 1, 2003... It's been years since I've seen most of these people. What will I talk about? Do you ask yourself this question when facing a landmark social event? I just survived my 25th class reunion at good old Case Western Reserve University. This is...

Propane gains Respect.(California Air Resources Board removes controversial restriction outlawing internal combustion powered lift trucks)
August 1, 2003... The announcement that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) would outlaw the use of internal combustion engine powered lift trucks of 8,000 pounds capacity and below stirred a variety of efforts by the Propane Vehicle Council and the...

Reverse online auction survey.(growing use of reverse online auctions for the purchase of material handling systems)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... In late March, the B2B Research Center conducted an online survey to gauge opinion on the growing use of reverse online auctions for the purchase of material handling systems, equipment and supplies. The survey sought to understand the...

Warehouse space, productivity tool.(software to evaluate automation in the warehouse)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... The Carousel and Vertical Lift Module Group of the Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems Product Section of the Material Handling Industry of America announced the availability of a new computer-based tool to evaluate automation in the warehouse....

Automated Materials Handling Association is the new name of the former ASRS/AGVS Users Group.(Association Name Change)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Automated Materials Handling Association is the new name of the former ASRS/AGVS Users Group. For a brief time it will show a small subtitle of the former name. The association's new business manager is John Collins. Sam Powell is now...

Wal-Mart takes RFID lead.(Walmart deploys radio frequency identification technology throughout its global supply chain)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Speaking at Retail Systems 2003 in Chicago, Wal-Mart's senior vice president/CIO of the Information Systems Division, Linda Dillman, outlined steps toward wider deployment of RFID technology throughout its global supply chain. Wal-Mart...

Clarification of TCM business relationship.(TCM clarifies the difference between its forklift trucks and others manufactured in China)
August 1, 2003... The following information was received from TCM regarding the manufacture of its lift trucks. "During the past few years, forklift trucks built in mainland China have been distributed in the U.S. under a number of trademarks, including King...

Alvey, an FKI Logistex Company.(FKI Logistex companies make appointments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Alvey, an FKI Logistex Company, has announced the appointments of Tony DiNello as director of Midwest regional operations and Jeff Cortez as operations manager, Midwest region. FKI Logistex Real Time Solutions, an FKI Logistex member company,...

Versa.(Versa Conveyors of London, Ohio)
August 1, 2003... Jim McDonald joins Versa as senior vice president of sales.

Liberty Carton Company, a division of Liberty Diversified Industries (LDI).(appointment of Steve Helmsetter as general manager)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Liberty Carton Company, a division of Liberty Diversified Industries (LDI), announced that Steve Helmstetter has been named general manager for the Minneapolis metro area. He is heading up the Golden Valley and Brooklyn Park facilities.

Motion Industries Inc.(Motion Industries appoints Ellen Holladay as senior vp of information technology)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Motion Industries Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Company, has named Ellen Holladay senior vice president information technology and director of operational excellence.

Psion Teklogix.(mobile computing solutions company)
August 1, 2003... Psion Teklogix has appointed Anne Sauve to the position of director of global marketing communications.

Boston Rack and Wire.(appoints Scott Gilmour as vp of sales and marketing)
August 1, 2003... Boston Rack and Wire announced that Scott W. Gilmour has joined the company as vice president of sales and marketing.

RedPrairie Corporation.(Managers Making News)
August 1, 2003... RedPrairie Corporation has aligned its organizational structure to provide enhanced cross-functional support for driving customers results. Susan Rider, customer development leader, will lead sales, marketing, strategic accounts and channels &...

Orbis.(Managers Making News)
August 1, 2003... At Orbis, Robert Reynolds has been named director of material logistics, and Bill Ash as corporate controller.

Cattron Group Inc. has been acquired by senior management.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Cattron Group Inc. has been acquired by senior management. Founder and chairman Jim Cattron resigned as chairman and sold his interest in the company to senior management and Weatherly Private Capital LLC.

Printronix Inc. announced a technology alliance with NiceWare International LLC, a leading supplier of printing software for automatic identification and data collection.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Printronix Inc. announced a technology alliance with NiceWare International LLC, a leading supplier of printing software for automatic identification and data collection. This is the first in a series of software alliances to promote...

Wireless technology.(examines the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) by retailers and manufacturers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... A survey conducted by RFID Journal and Allied Business Intelligence, examined the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) by retailers and manufacturers. Six out of 10 end users surveyed said that radio frequency identification or RFID...

Material handling shifts into growth mode.(should move steadily along with improvement of seven to eight percent by year end. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Material handling equipment manufacturing (MHEM) is shifting into a growth mode. On a quarter-to-quarter basis, compared to the same period one year before, MHEM is growing at a rate of more than eight percent. And it continues to move steadily...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2003... Hi, Tom: Actually, when I opened the June MHM issue, I thought you guys had perfected the reader-personalized editorial with the "Dear Art." [An Open Letter to an Old Friend, June 2003, p. 3.] After reading through, I couldn't agree...

Amazon.com launches new services subsidiary.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Amazon.com will offer its own Web commerce platform as a turnkey service to other retailers according to NewsFlash, an on-line news service of the Delphi Group (www.delphigroup.com). The new program involves creation of a new services division...

Supply chain's effect on performance.(APICS and Protiviti Inc. announced their alliance )(Company Profile)
August 1, 2003... APICS, The Educational Society for Resource Management, and Protiviti Inc., a risk consulting and internal audit firm, announced an alliance to bring supply chain risk-management thought leadership to the business community. To mark the launch...

Handling rugged environments.(The Cutting Edge)
August 1, 2003... Proximity sensors composed of Victrex Peek polymer and stainless steel have the ruggedness and reliability needed in hygienic environments such as food and pharmaceutical. The sensors provide feedback on the specific positions of valves and...

Keep it thin.(The Cutting Edge)(client terminals from Phoenix Contact Inc. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Thin client terminals, for harsh industrial environment, are embedded PCs without any rotating media, which increases their immunity against mechanical vibration or shock. They feature rugged cast aluminum housings in IP54/65 protection, color...

Lift truck bumpers.(The Cutting Edge)
August 1, 2003... The Fork-Kushion is a polyurethane bumper that takes the "dings" out of carrying a load on your lift truck. The crush-resistant, micro-cellular pads provide protection from damage such as denting or impact. The pads are mounted to the upright...

Education will quench flames.(Transport Packaing)
August 1, 2003... In the end, the objects of this exercise are to create better plastic pallets and informed consumers. It is not, however, going to be and easy. The controversy surrounding the potential (alleged?) fire hazard generated by plastic pallets will...

Calendar.(Calendar)
August 1, 2003... August 18-19 SCOR Workshop. Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Minneapolis. Sponsored by the Supply Chain Council. Contact Ben Hoffman at (412) 781-4101 ext 109. August 20 Distribution Technology Seminar. Providence, Rhode Island. Sponsored by...

When open is closed.(Controls & Systems, supply chain management)
August 1, 2003... What would happen to your supply chain if you had to develop the controls, systems, software and communication protocols that interconnect your systems to those of your partners? If there were no "open," i.e., non-proprietary software and...

Working with the right partner: in spite of its name, the supply chain is not linear. It's a tightly woven web of inter- and intra-relationships in which everyone has to give a little to get something. And the something in this case is the customer.
August 1, 2003... While everyone's definition of partnership differs slightly, a salient question is why enter into a partnership in the first place? The best answer to that question is, by entering a partnership you gain insight and awareness of the entire...

Keep projects alive: as long as your business is alive, project management should never end. Success comes with constant measurement and adjustment.(Automation Part 4)
August 1, 2003... This is the fourth and final part of our automation series, however when it comes to automation, nothing is ever final. Whether you divide a project into steps, stages or phases, it is cyclical, and you eventually come back to step one. That's...

Get out of the lift truck business: lift truck fleet management services are all about reducing costs and helping you focus attention not on lift trucks, but rather on your own business.(Fleet Management)
August 1, 2003... Whether you operate a small fleet of lift trucks, just one truck or a fleet that spans many facilities, smart lift truck fleet management can save you money and refocus your energies on core activities. "Customers simply don't have the time...

Spotlight on new software.
August 1, 2003... The following vendors have these new packages and software modules for sale: Manhattan Associates offers PkMS WMS software, but in December it bought Logistic.com, a transportation management software firm. Now offered is bid procurement,...

RFID: is this the year?(Automatic Data Collection)
August 1, 2003... In a word: no. But 2003 will be remembered as the year that RFID got a major kick in the...um...implementation. In case you haven't already heard, Wal-Mart has announced that it will require its top 100 suppliers to start using...

What some dogs do.(Manufacturing Management)
August 1, 2003... Like a dog chasing its tail, some manufacturing companies seem to be constantly sniffing out the happy feeding grounds of cheap labor and low compliance costs. At least that's the way it looks as the general media report that more and more...

Ergonomics gets a boost.(Compliance)
August 1, 2003... Making the workplace safer for the employee through ergonomics has never been more popular. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has several new and ongoing projects. Consider: Ergonomics Guidelines for Nursing Homes......

Demand increases for conveyor belt drives in airport security.(Market trends: lessons learned from the airport)
August 1, 2003... Belt drives and rollers have been used in the airport industry for more than 20 years. Today, demand for the technology is steadily rising as airport security becomes more crucial. According to Interroll Corp., a manufacturer of AC-powered...

RFID in airport baggage handling.(Market trends: lessons learned from the airport)(radio frequency identification system)
August 1, 2003... Crisplant, a vendor of airport material handling solutions, has chosen Escort Memory Systems' (a Datalogic Group Company) complete radio frequency identification system for tracking luggage in several airport applications. Soren...

Fast data communication.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The Ethernet TCP/IP Programmable Fieldbus Controller 750-841 features 100 Mbps Ethernet, IEC-61131-3 and open architecture software interfaces and protocols. It comes with a 32-bit RISC processor, 512 kB program memory, 128 kB data memeory and...

Rugged and sturdy.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... Steel Hinge Belt Conveyor serves the stamping, forging, fastener and forming industries. This all-metal conveyor is available in four flow patterns (S, P, L and Z) with belt widths to 60 in. in 2-in. increments. Options include choice of belt...

Gateway or PLC.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The Controller-E is a high-speed AS-i master and PLC integrated into one housing. It provides detailed diagnostics on its integrated backlit LCD display and features 1 MB of total memory with 128k words for program memory. It operates in two...

Automatic fifo storage for pallets.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The Model SK3400 pallet flow storage system is useful for storing palletloads of perishable and time-sensitive products. This flow storage rack better utilizes storage space, allowing for fewer aisles and fewer lift trucks, reducing labor and...

Transfer conveyors.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... Conveyors with adjustable length, multiple-arm transfer takes parts from varying die positions when placed within a press die area or through a window. The arm transfers symmetric and non-symmetric blanks or stampings. The unit is available...

Processing collateral.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... System prints and applies a four-color label to collateral materials such as file folders. Documents within the file are barcoded, identifying the contents. An open folder is then placed in a product fixture with the barcode visible for...

Lift irregular loads easily.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The VT160 Vacuum Tube Lifter with Flexi-Head pad attachment has two heads with flexible seals that can each articulate 45 degrees to handle irregular shaped loads. It can keep loads level at all times. Plus, it eliminates the need for heavy...

Presence sensing.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The ELF photoelectric sensor is available in three versions: reflex retro-reflective, background suppression and energetic. The background suppression has a detection range to 50 mm, the energetic diffuse to 100 mm. The background suppression...

Stackable conveyors.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... This design concept allows the transport of up to eight conveyors in one load. The multi-functional units can perform as transfer, stacking or low-profile conveying systems. The conveyor components are located inside the conveyor frame. Three...

Modular drawers maximize space.(Case History)
August 1, 2003... When Schmersal LLC, a distributor of industrial safety products and switches, prepared to move to a new warehouse, the company decided to switch from industrial shelving to a modular drawer storage system. This was part of a plan to streamline...

Quiter, easier-to-steer lift truck.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The Model S40-65 XM Series lift truck is available in seven capacities ranging from 4,000 to 6,500 lb. The SpaceSaver SM Series engine features an elastomeric mounting system that compensates for varying load levels to lessen both noise and...

See clearly.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... The FK compact fork positioners allow for the use of standard forks of a lift Truck. Visibility is enhanced by the sloped shape of the upper cross member. The driver's view is not disturbed when picking up pallets at ground level. Fork carriers...

Maneuverable stacker truck.(Product News)
August 1, 2003... Model SM15/20 walk behind stacker for low volume distribution is for light-duty applications that require power lift but not power drive. It is available with either a single mast for 62-in. lift or a telescoping mast for lifts to 130 in. The...

Turning Scheduling into a dream.(Case History)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2003... Previously, inventory at Robitech Inc. was tracked by a spreadsheet, and ordering was a manual process, creating a nightmare for the operations manager. Parts came in from many vendors. Many of those parts were needed for a number of systems,...