Material Handling Management articles from December 2006

Material Handling Management archives from December 2006

Conveyors lower barriers to entry on the slopes.(Light Lifting)(Column)
December 1, 2006... Seen through the coldly practical eyes of a material handling professional, skiing is the ultimate exercise in futility. Everyone who rides up the lifts eventually ends up right back where they started, repeating the cycle over and over again...

Wal-Mart's packaging demands should start internally.(Transport Packaging)
December 1, 2006... Wal-Mart wants more for less. Not news. Packaging engineers do more with less. Not news. Now, Wal-Mart wants packagers to use less to do more so that more becomes less and wants to pay less for that more. Hmmm. The Challenge, the promise and...

The ownership clause.(Andel on Lift Trucks)
December 1, 2006... Depending on when you read this, Santa Claus is either planning or has already made his deliveries. The naughty are either doing some last minute repentance or they're looking for fun things to do with their coal. The nice? They're either...

2011: a look back.(Data Intelligence)
December 1, 2006... Yes, today, RFID is considered "boring." Yet it was only five years ago, back in 2006, that RFID was just beginning to make its first real inroads into general use. Today, we barely notice where RFID is actively (and passively) being used. So,...

More efficient, faster, better! Material Handling Management's 2006 Industry Leadership Awards: MHM recognizes six of the material handling industry's pacesetters.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)
December 1, 2006... In a head-to-head race, whether it's thoroughbred horses, cycling or the 5,000 meter, someone always sets the pace. If it's a fast pace at the start everyone has to decide if they want to try to keep up with the leaders or settle for finishing...

Meeting uniform needs at maximum speed: at Superior Uniform continual investments in automation and information technology speed order fulfillment.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards )(overview of Superior Uniform Group Inc.)(Company overview)
December 1, 2006... Uniforms are a source of pride for any team, whether that team is playing football or stocking shelves in a retail superstore. Paradoxically, on the corporate side anyway, making sure new hires have uniforms is often an afterthought. In that...

Bell makes material flow: small carton manufacturer combines a lean manufacturing strategy with automated production lines.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)(Company overview)
December 1, 2006... Bell Inc. (www.bell-inc.com) is a small, family-owned maker of folding cartons located in Sioux Falls, S.D. Though the company is relatively small, it has big ideas when it comes to growth. Its strategic plan, as fleshed out by Mark Graham,...

Polishing links in the chain: a bike maker's investment in new software and automation put it on a path to aggressive growth and operational efficiencies.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)
December 1, 2006... What's the best way to reinvent a technology that is more than 200 years old? In the bicycle trade it's with newer technology. And that's what Quality Bicycle Products (QBP, Bloomington, Minn., www.qbp.com) is doing throughout its distribution...

Logistics service provider aims to please: relationship with electric motor maker, epitomizes Evans Distribution Systems' customer-focused approach.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)(Company overview)
December 1, 2006... In 2004 managers at Johnson Electric, a Hong Kong-based manufacturer of electric motors, were frustrated by delays and inconsistent travel times of cargo shipped from China to its distribution center in Detroit and other Midwest locations....

Customer service begins with employees: Access Business Systems takes care of its employees, so its employees take care of business.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)
December 1, 2006... Great customer service makes Amway's direct selling business model enormously successful. Access Business Group (ABG, www. amway.com) makes sure the right products are received by Amway's three million independent distributors on time and in...

Improving efficiency reduces production time: Ford's Michigan Truck Plant successfully implemented lean processes powered by a wireless network.(MHM Industry Leadership Awards)
December 1, 2006... How do you introduce wireless technology and sophisticated material handling systems into a company with an 80-year old manufacturing process? Zone by zone and line by line. This is exactly how the Ford Michigan Truck Plant (MTP) did it at its...

Have no fear: buying used material handling equipment need not be scary if you follow some simple advice.(Purchasing)
December 1, 2006... "The best place to start looking for used equipment is with a reputable distributor," says Dave Griffith, president and CEO of the Modern Group (Bristol, Penn., www.moderngroup. com), a major East Coast material handling equipment distributor....

Pssst! Wanna buy a used robot, mister?(Purchasing)(usage of robots)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... If the task at hand is dull, dirty and dangerous, perhaps a robot is the answer. And while the cost of a new robot is in the tens of thousands of dollars, a used machine can often be purchased for a fraction of that cost. According to the...

Make informed decisions.(Purchasing)(www.edadata.com)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... If you're looking for information on used lift trucks and who is buying what, one of the better sources in this country is Equipment Data Associates (EDA, Charlotte, N.C. www.edadata.com). For years it has been gathering data from all 50 states...

Step-by-step implementation: a detailed plan and teamwork drive successful software implementations: there is no reason that implementing new software should be a daunting task. A detailed roadmap, teamwork and a few best practices make installations smooth and efficient.(Information Technology)
December 1, 2006... Many software implementations fail because companies think vendors are going to lead the project. "That is not going to happen," says John Sidell, principal and co-founder of ESYNC, a Toledo-based systems integrator (www.esync.com). In reality,...

One-piece flow: moving products through manufacturing, at a rate the customer dictates, makes cents for Lincoln Electric: an overriding principle of cellular manufacturing is to arrange production workstations and equipment in a sequence that creates a smooth flow of material. While it seems like basic material handling, proving the worth of cellular manufacturing has been a long time coming.(Manufacturing)
December 1, 2006... Cellular manufacturing requires physical and mental shifts in how to create a specific process. Rather than produce multiple parts before sending them on to the next machine in the assembly process--economies of scale--the goal is to move...

RFID shows promise and gaps.(Industry News)(radio frequency identification)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Cardinal Health Inc. (Dublin, Ohio, www.cardinal.com), an $81-billion provider of products and services supporting the health-care industry, released the results of an end-to-end test of RFID technology in the pharmaceutical supply chain. The...

New Defense Secretary has ties to the Material Handling industry.(Industry News)
December 1, 2006... The new U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whose appointment was confirmed by the Senate in early December, holds up to $250,000 in stock and serves on the board of NACCO Industries (www.nacco.com), the Cleveland-based parent of NACCO...

Dick's Sporting Goods expands DC in Indiana.(Industry News)(distribution center )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (Pittsburgh, www.dickssportinggoods.com) has expanded its Midwest regional distribution center in Plainfield, Ind., a facility acquired in its purchase of former rival Galyan's Trading Co. The facility was expanded...

Baldor to acquire Rockwell's Power Systems business.(Industry News)(Baldor Electric Co.)(Rockwell Automation Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Baldor Electric Co. (Fort Smith, Ark., www.baldor.com) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Reliance Electric Co. (Greenville, S.C., www.reliance.com) and certain of its affiliated companies (the "Power Systems business") of...

Robot sales fall.(Industry News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... New orders received by North American-based robotics companies were down 36% through the first nine months of 2006, although non-automotive orders were down just 3%, according to industry statistics released by Robotic Industries Association...

Federated consolidates Midwest distribution network.(Industry News)(Federated Department Stores Inc.)
December 1, 2006... Federated Department Stores, Inc. (Cincinnati, www.fds.com) will close three Midwest distribution centers in early 2007 to reduce duplication, increase efficiency and streamline operations. Acquired in 2005 as part of The May Department Stores...

Former IBM PC business struggling to fix supply chain.(Industry News)(International Business Machines Corp.)
December 1, 2006... In a recent report to analysts in Hong Kong, William Amelio, the CEO of Chinese PC-manufacturer Lenovo, pointed to extensive supply chain problems as its main barrier to better performance in its second quarter. The revelation is surprising for...

Study claims that warehouse management systems are under-utilized.(Industry News)(Survey)
December 1, 2006... A recent study of 100 retail and related companies that participate in the Supply Chain Consortium (Raleigh, N.C.) found that many of the organizations under use their warehouse management systems (WMS) and do not make the best upgrade and...

Better tracking, less filling.(Industry News)(partnerships)(Safmarine)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... A new project will track cargo container shipments of Heineken beer from Europe to the United States using satellite and cellular technology. The hope is for faster deliveries and reduced costs for international trade through paperless...

Cold-chain study aims to save perishables.(Industry News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Deloitte Consulting LLP (New York, www.deloitte.com) and the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas (UA, Fayetteville, Ark., itrc.uark.edu) are working together to monitor and control conditions in the distribution chain for...

Wal-Mart faces familiar fight on entry into Indian market.(Industry News)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc. forms joint venture with Bharti Enterprises )
December 1, 2006... During the recent Indian Economic Summit, Wal-Mart and Bharti Enterprises (New Dehli, www.bharti.com), India's top private phone company, announced plans to jointly open several hundred stores across the country. Per the agreement, Bharti would...

Alcoa employees improve health, control costs.(Industry News)
December 1, 2006... A Yale University (New Haven, Conn.) study published in the November/ December issue of Health Affairs journal shows how Alcoa (Pittsburgh, Pa.) encouraged employees' use of preventive care services to control health care costs. Titled...

IKEA chooses Tacoma.(IKEA International A/S to build a new distribution center)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA (www.ikea.com) will build an 834,000 sq.-ft. distribution center at the Port of Tacoma. The new Northwestern DC will serve IKEA stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Utah, Oregon and Washington as well as...

Warehouse explosion kills 3 workers in Milwaukee.
December 1, 2006... On Dec. 6 an explosion that might have started in a large propane tank flattened a warehouse operated by Falk Corp. (falk.rexnord.com) near downtown Milwaukee, killing three people and injuring 46 others. The blast flipped cars and hurled...

Volkswagen sells then leases back parts warehouses.
December 1, 2006... Volkswagen of America Inc. sold three parts distribution centers in Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; Dallas/Fort Worth and Toronto, to a Chicago real estate company and will lease them back from the buyer under a long-term agreement. Terms were not...

U.S. paperboard box and container market stagnates at $42 billion.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Increasing energy costs, natural disasters and rising imports from China are just a few of the factors flattening the U.S. paperboard box and container market supply, according to Paperboard Boxes/Containers in the U.S., a market research...

ASRS stores four-cylinder engines.(Vendor News)
December 1, 2006... The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance, a joint venture of DaimlerChrysler, Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors, located in Dundee, Mich. (GEMA, www.gemaengine.com), has gone live with a new automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) from...

Merged Chicago Material Handling distributors renamed "Equipment Depot".(Vendor News)
December 1, 2006... Following the merger between Chicago-based Material Handling Services, Inc., and Illinois Material Handling in July, the company has changed its name to Equipment Depot (www.eqdepotil.com). "Our new name, Equipment Depot, solidifies our...

Bushman acquires Avon Engineering.(Vendor News)(Bushman Equipment Inc.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bushman Equipment (www.bushman.com), a manufacturer of heavy-duty material-handling equipment based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., acquired Avon Engineering (Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, www.avonengineering.com). Avon competed with Bushman in...

Doosan pumps $320 million into new lift truck factory in Korea.(Vendor News)(Doosan Infracore)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Doosan Infracore (Inchon, South Korea) announced plans to invest $320 million in a new lift truck plant on a 1.12 million square-meter site in Gunsan. Start up is scheduled for 2009. The municipal and provincial governments will reportedly...

Toyota introduces 8-Series lift truck.(Vendor News)(Toyota Material Handling USA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Toyota Material Handling USA (TMHU, Irvine, Calif.) recently unveiled its 8-Series lift trucks. The 3,000 and 6,500 lb. internal combustion cushion and pneumatic tire models, which exceed 2007 federal EPA emission standards, will begin shipping...

JLG opens expanded parts DC.(Vendor News)(JLG Industries Inc. opens distribution center)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The new Orrville, Ohio parts distribution center for JLG Industries, Inc. (McConnellsburg, Pa.), was opened as part of a major manufacturing realignment. The distribution center consolidates parts from three facilities into a central...

Global material handling equipment demand to hit $117 billion.(Vendor News)
December 1, 2006... World material handling product demand is projected to expand 4.5% per year through 2010 to $117 billion, according to a new study by The Freedonia Group (Cleveland, www.freedoniagroup.com). Developing countries of the world will provide...

Siemens puts safety on silver screen.(Vendor News)
December 1, 2006... Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. (Alpharetta, Ga., www2.sea.siemens.com) has released a new movie, "SAFETY: Uncover the Competitive Advantage." The company plans to hold safety events in movie theaters in 45 U.S. cities beginning in January....

Lockheed Martin combines supply chain technology businesses.(Vendor News)
December 1, 2006... Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Md., www.lockheedmartin.com) formed The Savi Group to align its government in-transit visibility, cargo security and asset management efforts, with it's real-time, RFID-based data collection capabilities. The Savi...

Sterling Commerce acquires Comergent Technologies.(Vendor News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Sterling Commerce (Dublin, Ohio, www.sterlingcommerce.com), a subsidiary of AT&T Inc., will acquire Comergent Technologies, Inc. (Redwood City, Calif., www.comergent.com), a developer of eBusiness software, for approximately $155 million in...

Jungheinrich signs private label battery deal.(Vendor News)(contract between Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp. and Exide Technologies)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp. (Richmond, Va., www.jungheinrich-us.com) signed an agreement with the GNB Industrial Power division of Exide Technologies (Lombard, Ill., www.gnb.com) to be the primary supplier of batteries for Jungheinrich lift...

Chicago to Host ProMat 2007.(Product News: Read about more new products online at www.mhmonline.com/Products)
December 1, 2006... ProMat 2007, January 8-11, 2007, McCormick Place South, Chicago, is sponsored by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA, Charlotte, N.C.). The trade show brings together tens of thousands of material handling and logistics buyers from...

Flexible lift trucks.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... Pantograph Reach vehicles provide a safe, flexible, and reliable alternative to manned lift truck traffic. The trucks, equipped with a hydraulic lift, can handle loads to 4,000 lbs. The pantograph forks can extend 24 in. and place loads 12 ft....

Carousel and VLM totes maximize density.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... A new line of cost-effective totes are designed to work with all sizes and styles of carousels and vertical lift modules (VLMs). More than 200 standard sizes are available to maximize the cube of virtually all the bins, carriers, trays and pans...

Vertical reciprocating conveyors.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... Vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs) are economical, efficient and feature counterweighted lift mechanisms to reduce horsepower and power requirements. A new shaft-mounted drive reduces maintenance requirements without a loss in horsepower....

Natural voice order picking.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The EASYpick Voice order fulfillment system frees workers from paper pick lists and terminal screens, providing clear and concise voice commands via a wireless network. Combining a sleek, wearable computer with a state-of-the-art voice...

Tools for deploying voice systems.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... VoiceLogistics Pro is a new suite of tools for designing, developing and deploying voice-driven logistics solutions. It enables companies to quickly create and deploy voice systems without programming. The software mitigates costs associated...

Modular workstation and conveyor.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The 8000 Modular Workstation System with conveyor solutions is ergonomically designed and offers unlimited flexibility to accommodate changing needs. Units can be assembled and reconfigured quickly. The workstation is available with a supplied...

AGV carts and loaders.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... New line of Smart Warehouse products includes the SmartLoader, a 24/7 trailer loading and warehousing automatic-guided vehicle (AGV), and the SmartCart, an automatic-guided cart (AGC). Both carts were designed to help companies automate their...

Low-cost dimensioning and weighing system.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The ExpressCube countertop dimensioning and weighing system accurately measures the length, width, height and weight of cuboidal (rectangle or square) objects. The system's design and technology provides a robust dimensioning device suited to...

Fast narrow-belt sorter.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The Turbo Sortation System narrow-belt sortation system sorts 150 cartons per minute (cpm). New control technology allows the sorter to provide throughput that previously required sliding shoe sorters. Controls and other technology that make up...

Robotic shipping sorter.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... OrderFetch shipping sorter uses mobile robots to transport completed orders from any operator to any shipping dock door. It employs a few dozen mobile robotic drive units to route order containers to operator stations where items are picked and...

Stair-climbing dolly.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... TRACK-O, a motorized stair climbing and all-terrain dolly with a load bearing capacity of 1,500 lbs. on the ground and 1,100 lbs. on stairs, is UL and ETL certified and fully OSHA compliant. Because it is operated by remote control (including...

Conveyor for freezer applications.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The Transporter 2007 single-piece conveyor is designed for automated storage and retrieval systems freezer applications (down to -20[degrees] F) in which pallet loads are transported from the mainline conveyor and presented to the stacker crane...

Collapsible bulk container for liquid loads.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... Citadel-v collapsible bulk container has an integral valve port and molded-in sump area for controlled, efficient and sanitary discharge. Hinged cover of high-impact HDPE latches securely in place over the recessed valve port for an additional...

High-frequency RFID tabletop printer/encoder.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The R110Xi high-frequency RFID tabletop printer/encoder, is suitable for high-volume and on-demand smart label printing and RFID tag encoding. The improved unit offers greater data storage and available memory, flexibility to read in proximity...

More efficient pick-to-light.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... The redesigned Pick-Max2 pick-to-light system offers a pick face display that reduces operator-picking motions. The devices combine status indicators to make the pick process more efficient by combining the task complete button and the...

Power face diverter.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... New power face diverter diverts product without the use of a belt conveyor. Instead, it uses a double-chain technology that controls the curved power face diverter arm. The diverter's shape and mounting footprint allow it to be easily installed...

Modular label printer-applicator.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... A new label printer-applicator with optional RFID encoding combines modular design with high-speed, high-quality label printing, application and optional RFID encoding. The unit offers a selection of pressure-sensitive label application...

Laser scanner, dimensioner.(ProMat Products)
December 1, 2006... AXIOM-X omni-directional laser bar code scanner can read high-density bar codes without the need for complex focusing steps. Its decode software has been improved to reduce the number of no reads. It has a scan rate of 1,120 scans/second. The...