Material Handling Management articles from August 2008

Material Handling Management archives from August 2008

Relieving pharmaceutical inventory pain: pharmaceuticals are expensive to manufacture and challenging to store and distribute properly.(Automation)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Distribution managers want neither too much nor too little when it comes to managing the inventory of pharmaceuticals. Margins on drug products can be razor thin. Plus, distributors must comply with numerous state...

Material handling: economy's bright spot.(Automation)
August 1, 2008... In the past five years, many industries in the U.S. have been negatively impacted by a softening economy, increased costs and overseas competition. Alternately, the material handling and logistics industry is one of the largest and...

How data energizes battery power: as the cost of lift truck batteries escalates, material handling managers are turning to information to protect their investment.(Cover story)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Clear signs usually indicate when a lift truck is about to go down. Fluid leaks, power problems and noisy brakes are among the clues that tell managers it's time to service the vehicle. With the batteries that power...

How many consultants ...(Data Intelligence)
August 1, 2008... Does it take to change a light bulb? Depends... A.) What's your budget? B.) Well, first, we really need to assess whether it was the right kind of light to begin with, whether it was needed, or whether it should be placed in a...

Getting bugs to buzz off: because insects find avocados so tasty, bug protection at the dock door is critical for an avocado packing plant.(Facility Operations)
August 1, 2008... When a company does one thing, it has to do it well. In the case of avocado packer West Pak Avocado, keeping the facility clean and the food product safe is paramount. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As Robert Salaski, field manager for West...

How to survive in a tough economy.(Facility Operations)(Conference notes)
August 1, 2008... At JDA Software Group Inc.'s 18th annual Focus 2008 conference, experts from industry leading retailers, wholesaler-distributors and manufacturers joined JDA Software's Wayne Usie, senior vice president, retail, and David Johnston, senior vice...

Energy, raw material costs drive prices.(Facility Operations News)
August 1, 2008... AKRON, Ohio -- Myers Industries Inc. announced another series of price increases across its business segments to mitigate the unprecedented rise in raw material and energy costs. This latest round of price increases took effect last month. ...

Three companies lease half million square feet.(Facility Operations News)
August 1, 2008... DALLAS -- ProLogis, an owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, announced that it has leased a total of 500,000 square feet to three customers in the greater Dallas metropolitan area. SpeedFC, a Texas-based outsourced...

Grainger offers hurricane preparedness guide.(Facility Operations News)
August 1, 2008... LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Grainger, a distributor of facilities maintenance supplies, has created a 12-page Hurricane Preparedness Guide and launched a dedicated Web site, at www.grainger.com/hurricane, to help businesses and institutions prepare in...

Green goes online: a new online tool calculates the carbon emissions released by every shipment.(Green Way)
August 1, 2008... Companies serious about going green are looking beyond the four walls of their facilities and outside at the larger supply chain. Cost is no longer the only factor that distribution and manufacturing managers consider when selecting a method...

Redefining just in time: when is enough inventory enough--or too much? That's the challenge in these days of rising fuel costs, labor shortages and depressing economic conditions in general.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For years, we've been reading about and living with just-in-time inventory. It was all neat and tidy: the right amount of stuff in the right place at the precise moment it's required. While JIT is still a good idea,...

Gregg St. John's 12 tips for reducing inventory.(SPECIAL FEATURE)
August 1, 2008... 1. Reduce Demand Variability Demand can be managed by working with customers on their ordering patterns to understand their demand drivers as well as their planning and ordering processes. Only make promises based on the capability of your...

Lift truck streamlines production: Crown Equipment Corp. took a page from warehousing and distribution when it revamped its manufacturing process.(Powered Vehicles)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As both a supplier and end user of material handling equipment, Crown Equipment Corp. (New Bremen, Ohio) has no shortage of options for reducing costs and increasing efficiencies at its facilities. The lift truck...

Moving mountains.(Powered Vehicles)
August 1, 2008... CXT Precast Concrete Products in Spokane, Wash., produces prefabricated concrete restroom, shower and concession facilities and delivers them to contractors and government agencies. During the manufacturing process, heavy buildings and...

Three causes of lift truck accidents.(Powered Vehicles)
August 1, 2008... According to U.S. Lasers Inc. (Hazlehurst, Ga.), approximately 260 lift truck accidents occur each day, and one fatality happens every third day. The company adds that 90% of all lift truck accidents are caused by the following three...

Cat lift trucks signs deal with Ceva Logistics.(Powered Vehicles News)
August 1, 2008... ALMERE, Netherlands -- Cat Lift Trucks has signed an agreement to supply several of Ceva Logistics' 1,000 worldwide locations with material handling equipment. Ceva Logistics is a global 3PL that currently operates a fleet of more than 5,000...

Power-filled business deal.(Powered Vehicles News)
August 1, 2008... LATHAM, N.Y. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Plug Power Inc., a provider of energy solutions, and Ballard Power Systems, a provider of clean energy fuel-cell products, announced that the two companies have extended their existing supply...

Xerox to deploy wireless fleet monitoring system.(Powered Vehicles News)
August 1, 2008... HAKENSACK, N.J. -- Xerox Corp. has selected a wireless industrial vehicle monitoring system from I.D. Systems Inc. called PowerKeyPLUS to manage the lift truck fleet at its Ohio distribution center. The wireless system will provide Xerox...

Clark Material Handling honored with safety award.(Powered Vehicles News)
August 1, 2008... LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Clark Material Handling Co. announced that its Louisville aftermarket parts distribution center has received the Governor's Safety and Health award. This is the third year in a row that the lift truck manufacturer has earned...

China lift truck expert to attend ITA meeting.(Powered Vehicles News)
August 1, 2008... WASHINGTON -- Lu Daming, president of the Beijing Material Handling Research Institute (China Industrial Truck Association) will join lift truck industry leaders at the 17th annual Presidents' Forum, which will be held as part of the 2008...

Picture-perfect dunnage: new inflatable void-fill packaging system solves packaging problems for a popular home-item distributor.(Transport Packaging)(Company overview)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fetco Home Decor, Randolph, Mass., designs, sources, warehouses and distributes tabletop picture frames, decorative wall pieces and photo albums. The company, originally established in 1974, supplies a number of...

Why pay twice for what you own?(Transport Packaging)
August 1, 2008... Reusable packaging systems will become the preferred packaging solution across U.S. supply chains in all industries. Globally, we're behind our supply chain partners in Europe, where reusable systems are standard for virtually all...

Sustainability from before the cradle to beyond the grave: the challenge of sustainability is that there are so many pieces to puzzle.(Transport Packaging)
August 1, 2008... Someday, somewhere, someone will do the final analysis and end the debate between which is better--paper or plastic. Doing a true life-cycle analysis will have to take us back, before the age of tree-eating dinosaurs and before they were both...

The fuel-cell decision.(Voices of Industry)
August 1, 2008... Hydrogen lift truck refueling is fast, compact and opportunistic. It is doubtful that many researchers or new technology experts in the past would have guessed that these competitive advantages would drive the commercialization of fuel-cell...

Material handling, logistics: keys to success.(Witt's End)
August 1, 2008... There's a treasure buried in America. Worth countless billions, so the story goes. A group of material handling and logistics professionals in Columbus, Ohio, think they've the key--two keys really--to unlock the treasure chest. Of course,...

Tedious tasks go virtual.(Workforce)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Material handling managers have a lot on their plate these days. As a result, it can be difficult to deal with basic human-resources tasks such as putting together employee work schedules and juggling requests for...

Five secrets to a productive workforce.(Workforce)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Speaker and author Laura Harris usually tailors her advice to small-business owners. However, the following tips for making the most of the labor force can apply to a warehouse, distribution facility or manufacturing plant of any size. Her new...

Packaging jobs online.(Workforce)(Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute )(Career Center Web site )(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) has launched a Career Center Web site at http://careers.packexpo.com. Packaging professionals can search resumes online for qualified applicants and enter job descriptions by signing up...

Five steps to career success.(Workforce)
August 1, 2008... Ensuring personal success and career growth in a declining economy can be challenging. Manufacturing jobs, in particular, are becoming more complex as more companies focus on productivity and efficiency. The Association for Operations...

Research report: incentive pay works.(Workforce)
August 1, 2008... In April 2006, the ARC Advisory Group (Boston) sent e-mail surveys to more than 3,000 supply chain and warehousing professionals to find out if and how they were using incentive programs in the warehouse. More than 200 responded. More than...

Finally, some good news.(World of Difference)(Editorial)
August 1, 2008... If you're like me, you're sick of hearing about skyrocketing fuel prices, an economy worsening by the day and a disastrous labor shortage on the way. I want to offer you a silver lining. Of all businesses, those involved in material...