Material Handling Management articles from May 2008

Material Handling Management archives from May 2008

Industrial robotics market to hit 149,000 units: advancements in the fields of robotics and machine vision led to the development of various new robots for use in diversified sectors of industry.(Automation)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Forget about robots that emulate pet dogs, automated vacuum cleaners, robotic fish, reconnaissance robots and humanoids capable of recognizing, understanding and performing human actions. Demand for industrial robots...

The 12 most costly conveyor maintenance mistakes: conveyors--invisible links in the distribution system--are often overlooked. Avoid excessive downtime by watching for these common mistakes.(Facility Operations)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many companies don't give much thought to conveyor systems--until there's a breakdown. Then, a conveyor becomes a major issue. Production stops. Employees are idle. Shipments are late. Customers are upset. Often...

Pickle company cleans up filter process: the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. maximizes uptime and minimizes labor with a self-cleaning filter system.(Facility Operations)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a privately held U.S. pickle company operating in an industry that's undergone widespread consolidation, the Mt. Olive Pickle Co. must operate more efficiently than the competition while producing high-quality...

Sustainability--technical feasibility: how doing the right thing makes cents: if your company is not positioning itself to be aggressive in reducing operating costs, you will be less competitive and left behind.(Cover story)
May 1, 2008... There are two major facets of the sustainability topic: Where we've been and where we're going. There's nothing to be done about what created today's state of environmental conditions--other than to recognize the problems and note what not to...

Beyond the usual suspects.(Information Management)
May 1, 2008... When it comes to green technology in material handling, the usual suspects are obvious: Solar-powered distribution centers save energy, air pollution dispersion models protect air quality, and alternative-fuel vehicles reduce our dependence on...

Industry slowdown predicted.(Industry News)
May 1, 2008... CLEVELAND -- Speaking to a gathering of material handling industry news editors at NA 2008, Hal Vandiver, executive vice president of business development, MHIA, said, following several years of consecutive growth, the material handling...

MHEDA introduces recruiting Web site.(ASSOCIATION NEWS)(Website overview)
May 1, 2008... VERNON HILLS, IIII. -- The Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) has launched a Web site called Gateway in an effort to recruit students seeking employment opportunities in the material handling industry. Available at...

RFID enabling green initiatives.(Industry News)
May 1, 2008... WARRENDALE, Pa. -- The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies in green applications is a promising market segment, and consumers will see increased use of RFID in environmentally friendly programs over the next 18 months,...

Conference dates set.(VENDOR NEWS)(Conference news)
May 1, 2008... NEW BERLIN, Wis. -- HK Systems has announced the dates of its annual Material Handling and Logistics Conference. This year's event will be held at Park City, Utah, Sept. 14-17. More than 60 sessions have been designed to provide expert tactical...

TMHU announces President's Award winners.(VENDOR NEWS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2008... IRVINE, Calif. -- Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. Inc. (TMHU) announced the 2007 winners of its President's Award. This year, 15 winners earned the coveted award and were acknowledged at Toyota's national dealer meeting. The winners are:...

Raymond, Ballard partner for research.(VENDOR NEWS)
May 1, 2008... GREENE, N.Y. -- The Raymond Corp. announced it has signed a joint development agreement with Ballard Power Systems to research lift truck designs and develop a prototype fuel-cell-powered lift truck. The announcement was made at NA 2008. The...

Fuel-cell power payback: though field trials with fuel cells have shown promise, return on investment will be vital to the technology's growth.(Powered Vehicles)
May 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wal-Mart. General Motors. FedEx. Bridgestone. Michelin. These are just a few of the giants that have used fuel-cell-powered vehicles to move materials. In material handling applications, fuel-cell technology is...

Improve supply chain efficiency.(Tech Toolbox)
May 1, 2008... Improving supply chain efficiency is often measured by hitting certain targets. The targets, however, that supply chain managers are aiming at today are entirely different than what they used to be. Hewlett-Packard recently announced a goal...

Next major mobile wireless market: industrial.(Voices of Industry)
May 1, 2008... Where is the next major boom market for mobile wireless? Is it more music sharing, gaming, or some groundbreaking wireless medical device? In our view, the industrial market is poised to be the next major growth area for mobile devices,...

Cynics need not apply.(Witt's End)
May 1, 2008... The comment I overheard was, "Okay, so what's in it for me?" We were filing out of the keynote speaker's address on sustainability at NA 08; however, the question is something a lot of folks are thinking about the sustainability movement. ...

Sweet smell of success.(Transport Packaging)
May 1, 2008... In keeping with the sustainability theme of this month's issue, I thought I'd clean up my desk and recycle some of the news releases I get in overwhelming numbers. A tip of the hat goes to Greg Bunker of Dow Chemical, whom I recently...

Strange bedfellows.(World of Difference)
May 1, 2008... Because we have the technology and drive to pursue all things green, we like to think we've evolved beyond the smog. A critical part, however, is missing. Our green hopes will fade to black if we don't address it. A 2006 study by the...

A little knowledge.(Data Intelligence)(Automatic Identification and Data Capture)
May 1, 2008... Whoever said, "What you don't know can't hurt you" obviously never had to deal with OSHA, Sarbanes-Oxley, upper management or any of the other necessary reporting functions required in business today. So, of course, you know I'm going to...