Modern Materials Handling articles from April 2009

Modern Materials Handling archives from April 2009

60 Seconds With….(Greg Cronin speaks about warehouse management systems )(Interview)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Greg Cronin What do warehouse management systems (WMS), supply chain visibility, RFID and robotics share in common? They're all real time. When I first got into the business, it was not possible to track product because...

Why does a *put* strategy optimize order fulfillment?
April 1, 2009... Ken Ruehrdanz, market development manager, Dematic By bringing the product to a location, you can increase picking rates and accuracy. Distribution operations that are required to ship product to the same location on a recurring basis...

Do it Best relies on reusables.(Do it Best Corp. makes use of plastic containers )
April 1, 2009... By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large Retailer uses plastic containers to move products from its eight DCs to 4,100 hardware and lumber stores in its network. Do it Best Corp. has used plastic reusable containers long before being...

Case printing delivers tasty results.(Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co.)
April 1, 2009... By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co. saves on ink and labor by consolidating functions. The Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co., a niche manufacturer of Philly-style sandwich steak product,...

Shrink wrap system makes the grade.(Video Professor )
April 1, 2009... By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large Video Professor uses new shrink wrap to increase stick rate and improve product. Nearly 11,000 people per day heed the call of "try my product?" from the Video Professor John Scherer during...

Mecalux/Interlake: It's a done deal.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Spanish storage systems provider Mecalux (www.mecalux.com ) completed its $30 million purchase of the UFI/Interlake assets last month, which include plants in Pontiac, Ill.; Sumter, SC; Mexicali and Matamoros, Mexico. The...

CEMA to release unit handling conveyor guide.(Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association )(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA, www.cemanet.org ) will release a new publication on unit handling conveyors in June. CEMA's Application Guide for Unit Handling Conveyors is an in-depth guide offering design...

Economic calculator helps figure savings.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff The reusable packaging association (RPA, www.choosereusables.org ) has created an economic calculator to help you determine if switching to reusable packaging will save you money. "Now more than ever, businesses are trying to...

Blue Giant on the small screen.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Blue Giant Equipment Corp. (www.bluegiant.com ) has been selected to appear on 21st Century Business Television Series. Headquartered in Ontario, Blue Giant designs, manufactures and distributes loading dock systems and will...

Supply chain software basics.
April 1, 2009... By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor From the factory to the warehouse to the shipping department and beyond, software applications are enabling end-to-end supply chain management. An important shift has taken place in materials...

Fuel cells are a stimulus package.(Column)
April 1, 2009... Tom Andel, Columnist Fuel cell powered lift trucks are getting hot, despite economy's chill. Companies serving materials handling markets must not be reading the papers. Don't they know the recession has slammed the brakes on putting...

U.S. demand for rigid bulk packaging to approach $7 billion in 2013.
April 1, 2009... Staff According toRigid Bulk Packaging , a new study from The Freedonia Group (www.freedoniagroup.com ), demand for rigid bulk packaging is projected to increase 2.1% per year to $7 billion in 2013. Although a moderation in raw material...

People to Know.(Steven W. Strifler appointed at Cisco-Eagle)(Colin Ricardo appointed at Agility Systems Ltd.)(Mark Holmes appointed at American Society of Transportation and Logistics )(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Agility has appointed Colin Ricardo as managing director for the Philippines-- The American Society of Transportation and Logistics has named Mark Holmes , vice president of global integrated solutions for OHL, chairman -- CEMA has...

Company News.(Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc. opens distribution center)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) has opened its largest North American distribution center in Jacksonville, Fla., which will supply tires and automotive parts to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and...

Material Handling Society gives New Jersey Institute of Technology $3,000 scholarship.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff The New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Material Handling has given the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) $3,000 to fund students studying materials handling or management. NJIT students who study this discipline are...

Psion Teklogix teams with Ingram Micro to bring more value and business support to channel partners.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Making it easier for channel partners to source and sell its rugged wireless computing solutions, Psion Teklogix, mobile computing solutions provider, announced a distribution agreement with technology distributor Ingram Micro. ...

Last Year's Top 20 Systems Suppliers.(Brief article)(Company rankings)
April 1, 2009... Staff "If revenue figures among the industry's top system suppliers are any indication, 2007 was a great year to be in the materials handling equipment business. Seventeen of the 20 companies included in Modern 's annual ranking of...

CEMA reports 2008 shipments flat.
April 1, 2009... By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor At the annual meeting, conveyor equipment manufacturers were hopeful for a market rebound in 2010. The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA, www.cemanet.org ) recently reported that...

Boston Rack and Base Manufacturing complete merger agreement.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Boston Rack International Inc. (www.bostonrack.com ), a provider of warehouse storage solutions, is partnering with Base Manufacturing (www.basemfg.com ), a full-service manufacturer of roll-form and structural storage products. The...

Rockwell Automation announces global agreement with ProLeit.(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Staff Rockwell Automation (www.rockwellautomation.com ) announced a global agreement with ProLeit AG that will allow ProLeit (www.proleit.com ) to more tightly integrate its Plant iT industry solution with the Rockwell Automation Logix...

Focus On Conveyors.
April 1, 2009... Staff Modular, expandable conveyor system Staff Offering improved carton control, quiet operation and low energy consumption, the modular conveyor system increases operational flexibility due to scalability and easy configuration...

Dock shelters increase comfort, decrease cost.
April 1, 2009... By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor Focused on employee comfort, national bed retailer Select Comfort installs dock shelters that keep temperatures stable inside, weather outside and lower energy costs all around. When is a door not...

DC site selection: Time to scrutinize the details.
April 1, 2009... By Karen E. Thuermer, Contributing Editor In today's economy, factors such as unpredictable fuel prices, shifts in global trade, new warehouse technologies and environmental sustainability weigh heavily on site selection decisions. ...

Fisher Nuts: WMS cracks into manufacturing success.
April 1, 2009... By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor At its new manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters, John B. Sanfilippo & Son installed a warehouse management system to drive quality and productivity improvements. When John B. Sanfilippo &...

WMS in control.
April 1, 2009... By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor At John B. Sanfilippo & Son, a warehouse management system drives manufacturing and distribution. The John B. Sanfilippo & Son new corporate headquarters has a conventional materials handling system...

Top 20 Systems Suppliers.(Daifuku Company Ltd.)(Legris Industries S.A.)(Schaefer Systems International Inc.)(Financial report)(Company rankings)
April 1, 2009... By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor Modern 's 12th-annual survey of top worldwide materials handling systems suppliers shows that 2008 was a year of stability for the top players. The more things change, the more they stay the same....

Getting more from your WMS.(Cover story)
April 1, 2009... Michael Levans, Group Editorial Director It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that warehouse and DC managers are being pinched now more than ever to make the most of the resources they already have. Countless low-cost projects are...