Material Handling Management articles from March 2007

Material Handling Management archives from March 2007

Save the Whales.(Transport Packaging)
March 1, 2007... One of my cherished possessions, tucked away in a dresser drawer at home, is a T-shirt from half a lifetime ago. It's a simple caricature of a whale. The dialog balloon above its head reads, "Save the Humans." The message then, as now, was...

No Britneys allowed: lift trucks can do things never before possible. Are you and your operators equally capable?(Andel on Lift Trucks)
March 1, 2007... In last month's column, I wrote that in a few years industrial truck customers would be approaching purchases differently, more like buying a solution than just some steel, hydraulics and electronics. Correction: those solution buyers are out...

Imaging vs. laser: the truth about bar code readers.(Data Intelligence)
March 1, 2007... Despite all the focus on RFID as the new cure-all for supply chain ills, there seem to be a stubborn few (well, the majority of companies, actually) who still rely on reading bar codes. But news about advances in bar code reading somehow...

On waste and Washington.(Light Lifting)(Editorial)
March 1, 2007... Although the "lean" movement began on the factory floor, today the process-improvement philosophy and tools have made significant inroads into warehouse and distribution operations. After all, what good is a world-class factory if you have the...

It takes two to tango: how to make 3PLs dance to your tune.(Outsourcing)
March 1, 2007... Third-party logistics is a complicated dance in which no one wants to get their toes stepped on, and everyone wants to go home happy. Getting to the dance, however, is more than just answering the door when someone knocks. Here are some tips on...

Lean & Six Sigma traps to avoid.(Lean Material Handling)
March 1, 2007... Lean and Six Sigma initiatives carry a lot of baggage thanks to unrealistic expectations and some bad experiences. By avoiding a few of the traps, material handling managers can get better results out of these process improvement programs. ...

Washington watch: the power shift in Washington means a new set of priorities. Now's the time to do what you can to make sure legislators' agenda matches up with yours.(Regulatory Update)
March 1, 2007... So the Democrats have regained a majority in the House and Senate. Some characterize this as divided government. Others call it a reinstatement of checks and balances. Whatever you call it, industry must be vigilant about how the new power...

Q&A with OSHA.(Regulatory Update)
March 1, 2007... MHM asked an OSHA spokesperson for an update on the health and safety regulator's priorities for the coming year. What's the link between industrial safety issues and some of the big items on the Administration's agenda, such as healthcare?...

Pep boys revs up its distribution: the focus of any slotting program is to reduce employee travel time and increase productivity. How that is accomplished will vary widely.(Slotting)
March 1, 2007... The automotive parts aftermarket business is strewn with potholes. As Pep Boys' (Philadelphia, www.pepboys.com) distribution network extended to 593 retail stores and 6,000 service bays in 36 states and Puerto Rico, it found the road getting...

Speaking up: Awana Clubs uses voice picking to reduce errors and speed returns and replenishment.(Voice Technology)
March 1, 2007... Order errors were having a direct impact on Awana Clubs International's bottom-line performance. Its error rate averaged 9% and climbed as high 40% during its busy season providing youth and children's ministry programs and materials to more...

High lifts in cold storage: higher lift height increases storage space for Preferred Freezer Services.(Product Focus)(chief executive officer John Galiher)
March 1, 2007... New methods and ways of working have always been an area of interest for John Galiher, president and CEO of Preferred Freezer Services, a Jersey City, N.J.-based refrigerated warehouse company. It operates 17 facilities across the United States...

Safer counterbalance truck.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... The new SC 4500 Series sit-down counterbalance lift truck includes Access 123 technology that monitors and controls all systems on the truck to ensure performance and reliability. The Intrinsic Stability System helps keep the SC 4500 in a safe...

Grip & zip packaging tape.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... A new patented carton sealing system incorporates a tear strip, the BP E-Z Pull Tab, directly onto the packaging tape as the tape is dispensed. The system eliminates the need for razor blades or box cutters, reducing product damage and...

Pick-to-light cart.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... Sturdy, easy to handle pick-to-light cart combines batch-picking efficiencies with pick-to-light simplicity and speed for picking slower moving product. Workers can fill multiple orders at a time with a single pass through a pick zone. The...

Safety vest harness.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... Vest Harness keeps workers safe where the danger of falls and other accidents are present. Made for fall arrest and work positioning, the FP700/3D nylon harness is combined with a lightweight mesh traffic vest for high visibility. North...

Powered roller drive.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... Interroll Corp., www.interroll.us

Heavy-duty folding gate.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... Heavy-duty folding gates offer a cost effective method to secure warehouse dock doors or areas that need to be temporarily secured from unwanted foot traffic. Constructed from galvanized steel, the gates are designed to withstand harsh...

Security storage units.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... Full-size and mini security storage and transport units securely hold valuable materials and items. Heavy-gauge open-wire construction allows for easy viewing of contents for security and inventory control checks. Full-size security units are...

Flexible label printer.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... The new FoxJet Marksman Pro Vx inkjet printer uses integrated valve print heads with a nine valve pattern that allow for 1/2-to 7/8-in. tall characters. The print heads are available in porous and non-porous models for a range of substrates...

User-friendly WMS.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... The Knighted warehouse management system (WMS) reportedly increases inventory accuracy, improves order fulfillment and streamlines receiving/shipping to facilitate cross-docking and expedite back-ordered product. The user-riendly system...

VNA lift truck laser bumpers.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... The Aisle Alert System for very narrow aisle (VNA) vehicles is comprised of non-contact, safety-rated laser bumpers and an evaluation unit. Mounted on the vehicle, the sensors use laser technology to help protect pedestrians. The technology has...

Easy-to-operate palletizer control system.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2007... A new controls package makes Columbia's line of floor-level and high-level palletizers easier to operate. The controls package comes standard with an Allen Bradley Compact Logix PLC, a PanelView Plus 600 color touch screen and product manager...

Nike locates new footwear DC in Memphis.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... Nike, Inc. (Beaverton, Ore., www.nike.com) has acquired 125 acres in Memphis, Tenn., where it plans to build a one million sq.-ft. footwear distribution center. Projected cost savings for Nike and its retail customers will reportedly exceed 200...

Supervalu consolidates four DCs into one.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... Supervalu (Minneapolis) will merge its Easton, Pa., Harrisburg, Pa., and Perryman, Md., operations into its 1.4 million sq.-ft. facility in Lancaster, Pa. In conjunction with the consolidation, the grocery retailer and distributor plans to...

On the job.(Industry News)(Cartoon)
March 1, 2007... Appearances up, headcount down. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Hershey to outsource some manufacturing, eliminate 1,500 jobs.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... The Hershey Company (Hershey, Pa.) has launched a comprehensive, three-year supply chain transformation project that will reduce its production lines by more than one-third, outsource manufacturing of low value-added items, and construct a...

Barnes & Noble to close Internet DC in Memphis.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... Consolidated fiscal year sales for bookseller Barnes & Noble, Inc. (New York, www.barnesandnobleinc.com) totaled $5.3 billion for the period ended February 3, 2007. Excluding the impact of an extra week in its 2006 fiscal year, annual retail...

Toyota to produce SUVs in Mississippi.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... Toyota Motor Corp. (www.Toyota.com) has chosen a 1,700-acre site in Blue Springs, Miss., to build its eighth North American vehicle assembly plant. The new factory, to be located outside of Tupelo, will build 150,000 of Toyota's Highlander...

US Oncology launches drug tracking system.(Industry News)
March 1, 2007... US Oncology, Inc. (Houston, www.usoncology.com), one of the nation's largest cancer treatment and research networks, has implemented an electronic pedigree data management program within its oncology drug distribution network. Every drug...

Brightpoint acquisition creates global wireless distributor.
March 1, 2007... Brightpoint, Inc. (Plainfield, Ind., www.brightpoint.com) has announced plans to purchase the outstanding shares of Dangaard Telecom A/S, one of Europe's largest distributors of mobile phones and accessories, as part of an almost all-stock deal...

United Dairy Farmers expands DC in Erlanger, Kentucky.
March 1, 2007... United Dairy Farmers (Covington, Ky., www.udfinc.com), a supplier of dairy products and operator of over 200 retail ice cream stores, is expanding its distribution and warehousing operations in Erlanger, Ky., with a new 104,000 sq.-ft....

Non-automotive orders for robots rise in 2006.
March 1, 2007... Increased orders from non-automotive users in 2006, weren't enough to offset a steep decline in sales to automotive companies for North American robotics companies. Net new orders to North American robotic companies fell 30% for the year, the...

PepsiCo to build new DC in Pa.
March 1, 2007... Pepsico plans to spend $36 million on a new 503,000-sq.-ft. facility across the street from its Gatorade factory near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The location will reportedly save on fuel costs by storing inventory near the production facility. The new...

Parts Now! Opens West Coast DC.
March 1, 2007... Parts Now! (Middleton, Wis., www.partsnow.com), a laser printer parts distributor, opened a distribution center in Hayward, Calif. The 25,600 sq.-ft. facility will speed customer delivery on the West Coast. "The tech sector concentration of the...

Material handling equipment market outlook.(Vendor News)(Industry overview)
March 1, 2007... ARoundtable of Industry Leaders from the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA, Charlotte, www.mhia.org) met in late February in Naples, Fla. During the meeting, the trade association released the latest market data for the material...

East Penn and Nuvera test hydrogen generation and fuel cells in everyday use.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... In a joint operation with battery manufacturer East Penn Manufacturing Company, Inc. (Lyon Station, Pa., www.dekabatteries.com), Nuvera Fuel Cells, Inc. (Cambridge, Mass., www.nuvera.com) has installed its first hydrogen generation system at...

RFID pilot to monitor medical supply chain.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... The U.S. Air Force Surgeon General's office awarded a contract for an RFID pilot project with VeriSign, Inc. (Mountain View, Calif., www.verisign.com), Alien Technology Corp. (Morgan Hill, Calif., www.alientechnology.com), and E. Smith...

Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. buys Midwest dealership.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU, Irvine, Calif., www.toyotaforklift.com) acquired ProLift Industrial Equipment (Louisville, Ky., www.proliftequipment.com), one of its lift truck dealerships. ProLift has branches in Evansville,...

Myers Industries purchases assets of Schoeller Arca Systems.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... Myers Industries, Inc. (Akron, Ohio, www.myersind.com) intends to purchase certain assets of Schoeller Arca Systems, Inc. North America, a manufacturer of reusable bulk containers and related material handling products, based in Detroit...

The New York Times installs HK bundle handling system.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... The New York Times (New York, www.nytimes.com) selected HK Systems, Inc. (Milwaukee, www.hksystems.com) to supply a bundle handling system and insert management software. The project is a part of the newspaper's College Point facility expansion...

Tarpon to supply racks to Menards.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... Home-improvement retailer Menards (Eau Claire, Wis.) has ordered storage racks for its national distribution center in Shelby, Iowa, from Tarpon Industries, Inc.'s (Marysville, Mich., www.tarponind.com) SpaceRak division. The contract is valued...

FKI Logistex forms library division.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... FKI Logistex (St. Louis, www.fkilogistex.com), a developer of integrated material handling technology, has formed a Library Solutions division to support the company's growing commitment to the library market. FKI plans to hire new sales,...

Asyst Technologies to supply material handling system for semiconductor plant in Japan.(Vendor News)
March 1, 2007... Asyst Technologies, Inc. (Fremont, Calif., www.asyst.com), a supplier of automated material handling systems for semiconductor and flat panel display manufacturing, will supply equipment for Toshiba (Tokyo) and San Disk's (Milpitas, Calif.) new...

TGW-Ermanco creates Field Support and Services Departments.(Vendor News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... TGW-Ermanco (Spring Lake, Mich., www.tgw-ermanco.com) has created an Installation and Field Support Department that's responsible for estimating, supervising and implementing material handling system installations. The company has also...

Unirak moves into new factory.(Vendor News)(Unirak Storage Systems )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Unirak Storage Systems (www.unirak.com), a manufacturer of heavy-duty pallet rack, has moved into a new manufacturing facility in Taylor, Michigan. The factory includes a new powder coat paint system that reportedly increases durability,...

4 ways to improve facility security: security policies and products protect both tangible and intangible assets.(Facility Management)
March 1, 2007... Facility security has many battlefronts, from protecting assets and employees to thwarting data thieves and safeguarding a company's reputation. A well-managed security program includes the right policies and procedures as well as sophisticated...