Modern Materials Handling articles from January 2008

Modern Materials Handling archives from January 2008

Survival in the drug chain.
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor in Chief Pharmaceutical wholesalers live in a world of dichotomies. They make lots of revenue, but survive on razor-thin profit margins. Delivery speed and accuracy are life and death issues, but distribution...

Sensor basics.
January 1, 2008... By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large You'll never take sensors for granted again once you understand their role in identifying cartons, monitoring the height of a stretch wrapper and positioning an automated storage and retrieval crane. ...

The multi-modal warehouse.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large Warehouse management and data collection are converging into one system that can scan a bar code, read an RFID tag or communicate instructions using voice technology. Anyone who's bought a cell phone...

Michigan service tax repealed.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor In Chief Evidence of its negative impact on logistics and warehousing services helped persuade legislators to repeal the two-month-old tax. Joel Anderson is a happy man. The Michigan 'inventory tax' is dead. Modern...

RPCC tracks produce from field to store.(Returnable Pallet and Container Coalition)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... By Corinne Kator Combining an RFID tag and a returnable container may be the key to earning a positive return on both investments. That's the idea behind a research project launched last year by the Returnable Pallet and Container...

Safer overhead handling.(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... By Corinne Kator Manufacturers of cranes, hoists and monorails have renewed their alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to improve workplace safety. Last month, the Crane Manufacturers Association of...

2008 Industry outlook: Steady through the storm.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor Forecasts for the U.S. economy are gloomy, but most companies in the materials handling industry expect business to remain steady this year. Subpar. Subtrend. These are words economists use to...

How pharma is pushing supply chain technology.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor-In-Chief Pending actions in the pharmaceutical supply chain will affect technology investment in all industries. 'Who's responsible for the safety of the pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S.?' Ask that and enjoy...

Labels made easy.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor Bar code verifiers and quality label stock helped World Kitchen print better shipping labels and avoid costly chargebacks. Printing shipping labels should be easy as pie. But World Kitchen-a...

AmerisourceBergen's big bang 6 DCs, 3 years.
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor-in-Chief The desire for double-digit growth motivated the merger of these two pharmaceutical wholesalers. All they needed was a new distribution network-and fast. In 25 years, pharmaceutical distribution has...

How AmerisourceBergen's DCs flow.(Editorial)(Company overview)
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor-In-Chief The six greenfield sites may resemble each other, but they are unique in the industry for their productivity. At peak, they can process 100,000 lines per night. AmerisourceBergen's six new greenfield...

Adjustment to automation: days not weeks.
January 1, 2008... By Staff With today's technology and the right management, employees can adjust to new automated materials handling equipment within days. That's according to John Seidl, a consultant with retailing specialists Kurt Salmon Associates...

Fuel cell contest energizes students.(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... By Staff High school students from the United States, India, Germany and Japan gathered in Texas this fall to compete in the 2007 International Youth Fuel Cell Competition (IYFCC, www.iyfcc.com ). As part of the contest, the students...

You do what for a living?(www.mhia.org)(Material Handling Industry of America)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... By Staff Do you ever have trouble explaining your job to your neighbors or in-laws? A new online video from the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) might be able to help. The 12-minute video, 'Introducing the Material Handling...

New dock leveler standard available.
January 1, 2008... By Staff A new American National Standard for the safety, performance and testing of dock levelers is now available. If you're buying new dock levelers, the standard can help you determine whether the equipment you're considering meets...

Go on green.(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor-In-Chief Starting with this issue, Modern 's Editorial Advisory Board will use this column to share observations, problems, solutions, pet peeves-anything that happens to be on their mind-with you. The mix of talent on...

Respect your pallet trucks.
January 1, 2008... By Tom Andel, Editor-In-Chief Of all the lift trucks, pallet trucks are probably the most ill-used. Post this top 10 list on your shop's bulletin board to ensure a longer service life. It's easy to take pallet trucks for granted. That...

Green: The new gold.
January 1, 2008... By Andrew Winston Tired of hearing people talk about 'carbon footprints?' If you supply Wal-Mart, or want to, don't expect this discussion to stop. I was in Bentonville recently to sit in on a meeting with the CEOs of Wal-Mart's...