Material Handling Management articles from October 2007

Material Handling Management archives from October 2007

Handling old stuff with new thinking: this online retailer can manage an inventory of 75 million items with a little (make that a lot) of help from its friends.(Real World Material Handling)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mark Nason, vice president, operations, at Alibris (Sparks, Nev.), sounds almost relaxed when asked how he's able to keep track of more than 75 million items--mostly rare and out-of-print books--considering that...

Bitter pill: California's new electronic pedigree regulation will force every link in the pharmaceutical supply chain to rethink material handling.(Process Excellence)
October 1, 2007... Big pharma has a big material handling problem. Make that several. Criminals are infiltrating the nation's pharmaceutical supply chain with knockoffs and diverting legitimate drugs to the black market. Although this is nothing new, the problem...

Green news initiatives: equipment, education: here's one material handling supplier's take on creating greener products inside the building. Plus, more education for the educators.(Facility Management)
October 1, 2007... A warehouse is not a structure generally associated with the terms "green" or "sustainable." Yet, what once were buzzwords are now key issues in the world of industrial development--including the modern warehousing facility. Following the lead...

Educators learn about green buildings: the U.S. Green Building Council has launched a program to create healthy, efficient, green schools.(Green News Initiatives: Equipment, Education)
October 1, 2007... Dozens of architects, PTA presidents, school board members, school superintendents and others from across the country are ready to begin a grassroots effort to further the vision of green schools for every child within a generation. Some...

The secret workforce: millions of qualified, productive, loyal workers are just waiting to be hired for material handling jobs. Will your competition get them before you do?(Labor Management)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] By 2020, the number of people over age 55 will increase 73%, while the number of younger workers will grow only 5%, according to Ira S. Wolfe, workplace expert and founder of the Lancaster, Pa.-based labor...

When the cost of failure is high: automotive OEMs can't afford glitches in the supply chain; consequently, more are turning to third-party logistics providers to bolster success.(Leadership)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jim Dunn, president and CEO of Value Added Service Corporation (VASCOR, Georgetown, Ky.), says the auto industry looks at outsourcing more than other industries to further its targets. "They're demanding, for...

Honda handles hazmat by the book: shipping automotive parts classified as "dangerous goods" can be made easier and safer.(Leadership)
October 1, 2007... John Dho, regulatory coordinator for the National Parts Division of American Honda Motor Co. Inc. (Torrence, Calif.), faces challenges shared by auto manufacturers, and others, in shipping parts that are classified as dangerous goods. ...

Shipping dangerous goods by Air--what you need to know.(International Civil Aviation Organization)
October 1, 2007... Regulations Lack of knowledge of the stringent regulations governing shipping dangerous goods by air can be catastrophic. Not only can public safety be compromised, costly fines can be levied against companies and individuals for...

We don't know what we don't know.(Transport Packaging)(Editorial)(Survey)
October 1, 2007... Reading my local newspaper the other day, my finely tuned editor's eye spotted a material handling error in the middle of a story about an unfortunate chap who had "been a towmotor operator for 20 years...". The error, written by a journalist...

Use soft skills to solve hard challenges.(Guest Column)
October 1, 2007... To satisfy customers, managers in the material handling industry deal with constantly changing requirements and increasingly tight deadlines. All this while managing internal issues, from meeting safety specifications to working with countless...

Picture this ...(Data Intelligence)
October 1, 2007... "A picture is worth a thousand words," they say. In the warehouse, it's really more about efficiency. What I'm talking about, of course, is imaging technology for barcode reading. We all know that you need a 2D imager to read matrix...

Competition or complement: six sigma and TOC.(Process Excellence)(Theory of Constraints)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The first two articles of this series (June 2007, "Know the Score" and August 2007, "Becoming Lean") discussed strengths and limitations of SCOR and Lean. This final article covers Six Sigma and TOC and offers a...

Ceiling's the limit for airplane parts supplier.(Product Focus)
October 1, 2007... The key to success at Corporate Jet Support (CJS, Moonachie, N.J.) is the company's ability to keep in-demand high-quality airplane parts flying out the door--and doing it faster than the competition. A leading wholesale supplier of Gulfstream...

Shelf containment system nets confidence, productivity.(Product Focus)
October 1, 2007... Donna Muniz's job is to keep employees working safely in one of cosmetics giant L'Oreal's (Piscataway, N.J.) production plants. But for Muniz, being a safety health and environmental manager is more than a job; it's a mission that follows her...

Am I re-trainable for sustainable?(Guest Column)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Okay, I admit it. I am confused and perhaps even a tad nervous. After more than 30 years as a packaging professional, focused on flexible--dare I say plastic--packaging, this new movement people are calling...

America, we have a problem.(Witt's End)
October 1, 2007... There's trouble right here in America. That's Trouble with a capital T, which rhymes with P, and that stands for population. My grandson, who started school this year, is preparing for some job that does not exist today. He'll use some...

Ready to be Different?(World of Difference)
October 1, 2007... It's not just the products you make or distribute. It's not just your high-tech equipment. It's the people that make or break your operation. A company is only as good as its people, and an industry is only as good as its leaders. In any trade,...

Invista sets warehouse safety record.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... WICHITA, Kan. -- Textile fiber manufacturer Invista has reached an "unprecedented" warehouse safety milestone, according to its 3PL provider Kenco Logistics Services. As of Sept. 13, Invista's facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., has had no...

RPCC presents Leadership Award.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... WASHINGTON -- Hugh Topper, a well known figure in the produce industry for more than 20 years, is the recipient of the Reusable Pallet and Container Coalition's (RPCC) prestigious Leadership Award for 2007. Topper, vice president, produce...

Goodyear to continue RFID tire tracking.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... CALGARY, Alberta -- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. will continue its use of RFID tags to track all racing tires used in the 2008 NASCAR season. This is the third consecutive year Goodyear has used RFID tags from Advanced ID Corp. In the 2006...

Editor joins MHM staff.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... CLEVELAND -- Mary Aichlmayr has joined the staff of Material Handling Management as senior editor. She will concentrate on feature writing and provide a monthly column on workplace diversity issues. A veteran business journalist with nearly...

News from the bean counters.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... PORTLAND, Ore. -- Biobased particleboard offers an option for green buildings. Building green is a new trend in commercial and residential buildings, and industry is eager to supply builders with the necessary materials to construct...

Finland post installs camera-based sorter.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... TELFORD, Pa. -- The Finland Post parcel-sorting center in Helinksi recently installed an AV40002.0 camera-based sortation system from Accu-Sort Systems. The automated sortation system, according to Accu-Sort, is the first high-speed parcel...

Grocer targets Boise for DC.(Industry News)(Winco Foods Inc.)(distribution center)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... BOISE, Idaho -- WinCo Foods is building a new 700,000-square foot distribution center in Boise that is expected to bring 175 to 200 jobs to the area. The grocery company said it was close to reaching full capacity at its current...

Packaging Company acquires Caraustar.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- Sonoco, a global packaging company, completed its acquisition of the fiber containers and industrial plastic carriers operations of Caraustar Industries Inc. The deal includes six manufacturing facilities in the U.S. ...

AS/RS study results released.(Industry News)(automated storage/retrieval systems)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Material Handling Industry of America released the results of two independent research studies on the reliability of automated storage/retrieval systems (AS/RS). The studies were commissioned by MHIA and conducted by...

McDonald's supplier opens new DC.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Martin-Brower Co. announced plans to open a new distribution center and warehouse in Mason City, Iowa. Reportedly the largest supplier of products to McDonald's restaurants, Martin-Bower delivers more than 200 million...

Niemeyer named MHIA director, membership.(Industry News)
October 1, 2007... CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ray Niemeyer has been appointed director of membership for the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA). In his new role, Niemeyer will lead MHIA's efforts to improve value to association members. [ILLUSTRATION...

Yale launches new safety programs.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Yale Materials Handling Corp. has introduced three new safety resources that, the lift truck supplier says, can help companies of all sizes protect personnel, equipment and product as well as improve productivity. ...

Air Products showcases mobile fueling.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Air Products is providing hydrogen for two hydrogen-powered lift trucks through its mobile hydrogen fueler technology for the Fuel Cell Lift Truck Demonstration Project in Columbia, S.C.'s Greater Columbia Fuel Cell Challenge....

New engineering service is 'on demand.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Pinnacle Engineering Inc. announced a new "on-demand engineering service" for facilities throughout North America. On a short- or long-term basis, engineers and technicians are available to assist industrial and...

Voxware, LXE partner on voice computer.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. -- Voxware Inc. and LXE Inc. jointly announce that LXE's new wireless data collection computer for warehouse applications --called HX3--will use Voxware's voice recognition technology as its primary form of data input. ...

Bright ideas for energy management.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... Bright Ideas for Energy Management Each month, we ask our readers' opinions on our Web site, www.mhmonline.com. This month's question was: What is your company doing to conserve energy? Interestingly, half of those polled are...

NACCO selects wireless fleet management.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... PORTLAND, Ore. -- NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc. announced it has deployed the Wireless Asset Net fleet management system from I.D. Systems at its U.S. parts distribution center in Danville, Ill. The fleet management system will help...

PACCAR breaks ground on Budapest DC.(Vendor News)
October 1, 2007... BELLEVUE, Wash. -- PACCAR held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new parts distribution center near Budapest, Hungary. PACCAR chairman and chief executive officer Mark Pigott and the U.S. ambassador to Hungary, April Foley, joined Dutch...