Material Handling Management articles from January 2007

Material Handling Management archives from January 2007

The search for a higher power: hydrogen fuel cells are moving from prototypes to realworld applications, and material handling is at the heart of the action.(Light Lifting)
January 1, 2007... As technological and engineering breakthroughs go, very few new developments embody as much hope to as many people as hydrogen-powered fuel cells. The ultimate promise as this technology creeps closer and closer to economic viability is freedom...

Transport packaging gets a bad wrap.(Transport Packaging)
January 1, 2007... All that creative design work, fancy material handling and innovative information technology doesn't amount to much if the product is damaged before it gets to the customer. People who deal with transport packaging on a daily basis know this....

Battle testing fuel cells: the army is putting a hybrid lift truck through its paces. Civilian service may lie ahead.(ePower Synergies)
January 1, 2007... "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."--Donald Rumsfeld, former U.S. Secretary of Defense. Bash Rummy all you want, but his statement is fact. I'll throw in another precept the...

A fresh look at RFID temp sensors: for those concerned with the transportation climate of perishables, pharmaceuticals, or humidity-sensitive materials, new RFID tags may have something to offer.(Data Intelligence)
January 1, 2007... Listen Closely.... No, those aren't the voices in the head of the person sitting next to you thinking too loudly, they're your products telling you about their day. To hear what they're saying don't get out the aluminum foil hat; get out your...

Hydrogen power: from fantasy to reality.(Fuel Cells: manufacturers are racing to introduce fuel-cell-powered lift trucks. Is the technology ready for prime time?)(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... Fuel cell technology is like the proverbial wheel. It keeps getting reinvented. Innovators have been trying to tap hydrogen as a viable energy source since the early 1900s, but competing technologies and its own limitations have always stalled...

On-board computers: lift data management burdens.(Inventory Management: You can't manage what you don't measure. Managing information is what computers do best.)
January 1, 2007... Devices mounted to lift trucks to help manage inventory have been around 20-plus years and have only improved with age. Computers on-board lift trucks to measure the activity of the vehicle, however, are a relatively new phenomena that offer...

5 ways to save energy costs today.(Facility Management: Energy is easy to burn and difficult to save. Here are five energy-saving ideas for material handling operations.)
January 1, 2007... Whether in the form of light, heat, or raw motive power, energy's invisible ubiquity makes it tough to manage. Ignore it, however, and such costs will eventually catch the attention of any company's CFO. This article focuses on several...

Hats off to wireless.(Red-Line Solutions, Inc.)
January 1, 2007... Dorfman Pacific, a full-line headwear and handbag company known for its responsiveness to its customers, had a problem. Its manual, paper-based warehouse processes were responsible for costs of a quarter of a million dollars per year in...

Just what the customer ordered: Lewmar Marine uses software to meet customer order requirements.(Supplier Systems)(Lewmar Marine Ltd.)
January 1, 2007... Meeting order compliance rules can be difficult for manufacturers or distributors that have to cope with many different requirements for many different customers. One way to comply with such customer requirements is to use a third-party service...

Digital imaging Bar Code Reader.
January 1, 2007... The Code Reader 1200 (CR1200) with MegaPixel CMOS digital imaging is reportedly priced to compete with traditional laser scanners while providing omni-directional reading of all linear and two-dimensional symbologies. Device has a user-friendly...

Automatic box opener.
January 1, 2007... Automated box opening technology (ABOT) improves efficiency in packaging operations and reduces labor and injuries. The ABOT-DUO is an inline pass-through programmable automatic box opener. It features two in-feeds on a single machine for...

Modular conveyor workstations.
January 1, 2007... The ergonomically designed Arlink 8000 modular workstation offers flexibility to accommodate future needs. Units are suitable for assembly, inspection, testing, rework, packaging and material transfer applications. The workstations can be...

Horizontal carousel for footwear and apparel.
January 1, 2007... Cost-saving horizontal carousel is designed specifically for the footwear and apparel industries with large bins for bulkier, lighter goods. The cost of the carousel system is reportedly close to the cost of static solutions, including shelving...

Heavy-duty conveyor rollers for baggage handling.(Product News)
January 1, 2007... Heavy-duty conveyor roller was been designed for the airport baggage handling industry. The 1450 conveyor roller is designed to handle the constant loads and jostling of an airport baggage conveyor. Quiet and durable, the conveyor roller is...

Real-time distribution software.
January 1, 2007... The latest release of RDS (real-time distribution software) from Numina features enhancements designed to improve order fulfillment operations by incorporating a variety of picking validation methods. Visual tools have been added to improve...

Oil-free rotary screw air compressor.
January 1, 2007... The DSP oil-free rotary screw air compressor features PTFE-free coatings to ensure high-quality air is provided to end users. Stainless steel rotors are on both the first- and second-stage rotors. Patented hi-precooler provides efficient...

Online load building software.
January 1, 2007... A network version of AutoVLB (vehicle load building) software is now available for mid-size companies that do as few as 8,000 full truckloads annually. The application service provider (ASP) version of AutoVLB saves money by designing shipments...

Low-cost solution to manual lifting and stacking.
January 1, 2007... The No-Lift Semi-Automatic Palletizer is designed to reduce worker fatigue and eliminate potential injury from lifting and stacking boxes onto shipping pallets. The palletizer is suitable for low-volume packaging and handling operations. Boxes...

Pneumatic positioner.
January 1, 2007... The Vacustat-COAX vacuum pump with an integrated air saving function can be used for material handling of sheet metal, glass and plastic parts. The unit uses suction cups with vacuum power directly at the point of use for efficient, secure...

Rugged lift truck computer.
January 1, 2007... A new series of rugged computers for lift trucks and fixed-mount applications, are available with 10.4- and 12.1-in. screens. They offer an array of processor options, from a 600-MHz Celeron to a 1.4-GHz Pentium M. The computers can operate...

Complex case distribution.
January 1, 2007... The Case-A-Matic Storage and Sequencing System enables companies to maximize multi-SKU order fulfillment, customize high-speed case sequencing, reduce transportation costs and improve direct store delivery practices. The newly designed storage...

Linerless Label Guide Rollers.
January 1, 2007... Custom Linerless Label Guide Rollers used in automated labeling, printing systems, packaging systems and handheld printing systems are available custom molded in a range of configurations, sizes and quantities. The rollers have crepe configured...

Avon to restructure U.S. distribution operations.(Avon Products, Inc.)
January 1, 2007... Avon Products, Inc. (New York, www.avoncompany.com) recently released some details on how it will restructure its U.S. distribution operations. Part of a multi-year turnaround plan, the initiative includes building a new state-of-the-art...

Wal-Mart tests fuel-cell pallet trucks.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Cellex Power Products, Inc. (Vancouver, B.C., www.cellexpower.com) recently completed tests of hydrogen fuel cell-powered pallet trucks at two Wal-Mart distribution centers in Ohio. The zero-emission vehicles reportedly met and exceeded uptime,...

MHM welcomes new advisory board members.(Industry News)(Company overview)
January 1, 2007... Todd Noethen is vice president of distribution support services for Big Lots, Inc., a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual revenues exceeding $4 billion. As the nation's largest broadline closeout retailer, Big Lots offers consumers a...

Subaru leases facility in Indianapolis.(Industry News)
January 1, 2007... Subaru of America, Inc. (www.subaru.com) leased 282,000 sq. ft. of distribution space in suburban Indianapolis from Prologis (Denver, www.prologis.com). The recently built facility, which totals 501,000 sq. ft, is located along Interstate 65 in...

Lowe's to build new flatbed DC in Calif.(Industry News)(Lowe's Companies, Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Lowe's Companies, Inc. (Mooresville, N.C., www.lowes.com), the home improvement retailer, plans to build a new flatbed distribution center in the Port of Stockton, Calif. The company will retrofit two existing 120,000 sq.-ft. buildings,...

ODIN technologies awarded patent for RFID accuracy optimization.(ODIN technologies)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... ODIN technologies (Dulles, Va., www.ODINtechnologies.com) was awarded a broad patent relating to the use of software and equipment to improve RFID accuracy and visibility. Patent number 7,132,948 was granted in early November and covers a...

Newegg selects Dematic for automated distribution.(Dematic Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Newegg, an online seller of computer hardware and software headquartered in City of Industry, Calif. (www.newegg.com), selected Dematic Corp. (Grand Rapids, Mich., www.dematic.us) to provide an automated material handling system for its new...

Toyota introduces fuel cell lift truck.(Vendor News)(Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU, www.toyotaforklift.com) displayed a prototype fuel cell lift truck at ProMat 2007 in Chicago. The prototype was developed by Toyota Industries Corporation in cooperation with Toyota Motor...

Staples to deploy Kiva Mobile fulfillment system in Denver.(Staples Inc. )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Staples Inc. (www.staples.com) will install a unique mobile robotic fulfillment system from Kiva Systems (Woburn, Mass., www.kivasystems.com) at its new Denver facility. Headquartered in Framingham, Mass., in 2006 Staples installed Kiva...

Jungheinrich names top dealers.(Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp.)(Golden GabelStapler)(J. M. Equipment Co., Inc.)(New England Industrial Trucks)(Montacargas y Manejo de Materiales S.A.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Jungheinrich Lift Truck Corp. (Richmond, Va., www.jungheinrich-us.com) recently recognized its top three North American dealers for 2006. Using sales volume as its primary selection criteria, John Sneddon, president of Jungheinrich Lift Truck,...

Zebra acquires WhereNet for $126 million.(Zebra Technologies Corporation)(WhereNet Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Zebra Technologies Corporation (Vernon Hills, Ill., www.zebra.com) agreed to acquire all of the shares of WhereNet Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif., www.wherenet.com), a provider of active RFID-based wireless solutions to track and ACQUISITIONS...

Snyder Industries acquires Tank Divisions from Clawson Container Co.(Snyder Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Snyder Industries (Lincoln, Neb., www.snydernet.com), a manufacturer of polyethylene tanks and containers for the storage, transportation and processing of bulk materials, acquired the Asset Tank divisions of Clawson Container Company...

RedPrairie acquires StorePerform.(ACQUISITIONS)(StorePerform Technologies, Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... RedPrairie Corp. (Milwaukee, Wis., www.redprairie.com) acquired StorePerform Technologies, Inc. (Denver, www.storeperform.com), a provider of store execution management software. StorePerform will become part of RedPrairie's Retail Productivity...

Hydrogenics and LiftOne team up.(PARTNERSHIPS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Hydrogenics Corp. (Mississauga, Ont., www.hydrogenics.com) entered into distribution agreement with LiftOne (www.LiftOne.net), A material handling dealer with facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Under the agreement,...

I.D. Systems and C&D Technologies offer wireless battery management.(I.D. Systems Inc.)(C and D Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... I.D. Systems, Inc. (Hackensack, N.J., www.id-systems.com) , a provider of wireless technology, and C&D Technologies, Inc. (Blue Bell, Pa., www.cdtechno.com), a producer of electrical power storage and conversion systems, entered into a...

Paragon and Voxware form alliance.(Paragon Technologies, Inc.)(Voxware Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Paragon Technologies, Inc. (Easton, Pa., www.ptgamex.com), a supplier of material handling systems, signed a value-added reseller agreement with Voxware, Inc. (Lawrenceville, N.J., www.voxware.com), a supplier of voice-driven logistics...