Modern Materials Handling articles from June 2006

Modern Materials Handling archives from June 2006

60 seconds with ...(make our supply chain more secure)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Dave Aslala on finding the sweet spot for RFID. Not every RFID project having to do with the supply chain today is compliance based. At Dow Chemical, we wanted to see how RFID could be used to make our supply chain more...

Better dock safety and ergonomics.(receiving and shipping)
June 1, 2006... By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large It's all about finding the right balance with efficiency and throughput. Pallet loads and cases in and out. That's what so many people think tells the full story at receiving and shipping docks. But...

Focus on batteries, battery handling.
June 1, 2006... By Staff Rugged wash cabinet Staff With all stainless steel construction, wash cabinets are designed for long-lasting dependability in battery charging rooms. The rollers' stainless steel shafts rotate in the bearing frame,...

Product Showcase.
June 1, 2006... By Staff Palletizer handles packages just 5 inches wide Staff A high-throughput/small-package palletizer for cases as small as five inches wide features a redesigned infeed with improved metering, turning, row forming and...

Momentum and inertia.(the value of momentum and its relationship to manufacturing and distribution operations)(Viewpoint essay)
June 1, 2006... By Jim Apple Small changes today can mean greater success tomorrow. The NCAA basketball tournament earlier this year caused me to start to think about the value of momentum and its relationship to manufacturing and distribution...

Getting returns under control.(supply chain management)(Viewpoint essay)
June 1, 2006... By Jim Nelson Once returns handling becomes a systemized process, cycle times can be reduced from a week or much longer to less than a day. Returns can be ugly and often are. Too many DCs stack them in a corner, and process them only...

Blum remodels.(Julius Blum Inc.)
June 1, 2006... By Corrine Kator, Associate Editor The North Carolina manufacturer of kitchen cabinet hardware adds space and automation to accommodate its booming business. Two primary markets drive demand for kitchen cabinet hinges and drawer...

Thoughts coming off the road.(Blum, the kitchen cabinet manufacturing company)
June 1, 2006... By Gary Forger, Editorial Director Spring is always a heavy travel season for me. And, this year was no different. What's so interesting is what I pick up along the way and how that contrasts or correlates with other things I hear and...

WERC shines in Florida.(Warehousing Education and Research Council)
June 1, 2006... By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor From managing product returns to using voice systems, warehouse professionals heard the latest in practices and technology at the group's annual meeting. Roughly 1,200 warehousing professionals went...

Simulation protects from mistakes.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Before food and beverage distributor S. Abraham & Sons (SAS, www.sasinc.com ) built its highly automated DC in Greenfield, Ind., the company simulated the picking, sorting and shipping procedures of the facility. The simulations...

Warehouses must balance space and time.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Warehousing is a game of space vs. time. Designing an efficient warehouse requires balancing storage capacity (space) against throughput and productivity (time). That's according to comments by Robert Silverman, president of...

Third-party relationships require TLC.(Total Logistics Control)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Business relationships with third-party providers don't simply take care of themselves. After the contract is signed, both companies--the client and the provider--must dedicate time and effort to managing the relationship. ...

Software consolidation continues.(SSA Global)(JDA Software Group)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Three supply chain software companies announced major acquisitions during the last month, continuing a trend toward industry consolidation: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider Infor ( www.infor.com ) is...

MHIA takes on pallet standards.(Material Handling Industry of America )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Pallet users can look forward to receiving better education about standards now that Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA, www.mhia.org ) has assumed responsibility for overseeing them. MH1, the committee developing...

The on-demand WMS for smaller companies.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Low monthly fees. Ninety-day free trial. Get up and running in days. That might sound like the pitch for a new cell phone service, but it's not. It's how Navis ( www.navis.com ) introduced SmartTurn, a new warehouse...

RFID has a future in electronics.
June 1, 2006... By Staff The electronics industry makes little use of RFID technology today. However, researchers at Venture Development Corp. (VDC, www.vdc-corp.com ) predict that will soon change. Makers and distributors of electronics components...

Westfalia strengthens presence in food and dairy industries.(Westfalia Technologies merged with Deam Company )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Systems supplier Westfalia Technologies ( www.westfaliausa.com ) has merged with Deam Company ( www.deam.ca ), a Toronto-based maker of packaging and materials handling equipment for the food and dairy industries. The merger...

Lockheed Martin acquires Savi Technology.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Defense contractor Lockheed Martin has announced plans to acquire RFID solutions provider Savi Technology ( www.savi.com ). The deal is expected to close by the end of this month. California-based Savi is a provider of...

Manhattan Associates on the new power of TMS.(transportation management system)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Managing the supply chain is a costly proposition. Just ask Pete Sinisgalli, president and CEO of software supplier Manhattan Associates. At the opening of his company's annual users' conference, Sinisgalli said the cost of...

Managing the reverse supply chain.(Automated Distribution Systems)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Life is random. So are the customer returns received at most distribution centers, according to Bruce Mantz, executive vice president, Automated Distribution Systems ( www.adslp.com ), a third party logistics provider to major...

People to know.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff People to know SATO Corp. has made three new appointments: J. Michael Fowler as president of SATO Holding Americas Inc., Robert Linse as president of SATO America Inc., and Gary Krause as director of marketing-- RedPrairie...

Battling the elements.(Frozen Assets Cold Storage)
June 1, 2006... By Noël P. Bodenburg, Managing Editor By using freezer-rated handheld terminals, Frozen Assets Cold Storage manages case picks across its facility in real time. Frozen Assets Cold Storage, a Chicago-area based provider of storage...

California requires cleaner lift trucks.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted at the end of May to approve stricter emission standards for lift trucks. The new rules, which are the toughest in the nation, have two elements. The first requires...

How to audit your warehouse.(Auditing Warehouse Performance)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... By Staff Longtime industry consultant Ken Ackerman has published a new book explaining how to audit warehouse operations. A thorough audit can identify and root out ineffective practices, says Ackerman, transforming a warehouse into a...

ITA and OSHA team up for safety.(Industrial Truck Association)(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff The Industrial Truck Association (ITA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have renewed an alliance to work together on lift truck safety. Since signing the first alliance two years ago, the two...

Growth predicted in robotics.(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... By Staff The worldwide market for industrial robotics is expected to grow steadily during the next five years. Researchers at ARC Advisory Group ( www.arcweb.com ) say the market for robotics hardware was nearly $3.6 billion in 2005 and...

The book on item-level RFID tagging.(Selexyz uses Radio Frequency Identification technology)
June 1, 2006... By Bob Trebilcock, Editor at Large While others are talking about it, Dutch retailer Selexyz is one of the first to implement item-level RFID tagging from the warehouse to retail stores. One of the benefits of RFID technology is its...