Modern Materials Handling articles from May 2006

Modern Materials Handling archives from May 2006

Chief engineer of Toyota Camry takes charge of lift trucks.(appointment of Kosaku Yamada)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The former chief engineer of America's best-selling car-the Toyota Camry-is now overseeing the design of Toyota's lift trucks. In his new job as managing director of Toyota Industries (www.toyotaindustries.com), Kosaku Yamada will oversee...

Danish fork lift manufacturer buys its U.S. dealer.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Danish fork lift and positioner manufacturer Logitrans A/S (www.logitrans.com) has purchased its American dealer, Interthor. The purchase agreement is the largest ever signed by Logitrans. Interthor (Broadview, Ill.) has been Logitrans' North...

Key to managing a supply chain.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Researchers at Aberdeen Group (www.aberdeen.com) presented supply chain managers with a list of about 15 internal operating norms (from visibility to crossdocking) and asked them to rate the importance. The chart shows the six items supply...

Steady growth expected for item-level RFID tagging.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The market for retail point-of-sale RFID systems is expected to grow by 35% per year through 2010, when the market will reach $400 million. This forecast comes from researchers at Venture Development Corp. (VDC, www.vdc-corp.com), who say...

$1.05.(fast fact)
May 1, 2006... $1.05 Cost of the Chuckaway, a disposable pallet designed by Modern Materials Handling publisher Norman Cahners in 1946.

60 years and counting.(Modern Materials Handling magazine's 60th anniversary celebration)
May 1, 2006... In today's world, 60 years is an eternity for so many things. And magazines fit right in there. "The rule of thumb is that 80% of the new magazines fail in the first two years," Chip Smith of Kable Distribution Services told Business Week...

Optimism pervades NA 2006.(materials handling industry trade show)
May 1, 2006... The materials handling industry experienced strong growth in recent years and that growth is likely responsible for the upbeat mood that pervaded NA 2006, held March 27-30 in Cleveland's I-X Center. Strong demand for materials handling...

What was new at NA 06: here's a rundown of the equipment and software introduced at press conferences at the Cleveland show.(materials handling industry trade show)
May 1, 2006... Load trailers automatically with an AGV The SmartLoader, an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) introduced by the Jervis B. Webb Company (www.jervisbwebb.com), picks up loads from storage rack, staging areas or palletizers and delivers them...

Top 20 systems suppliers update.(CORRECTION)(Correction notice)
May 1, 2006... The ranking of two companies was inadvertently transposed in the listing last month. With $220 million in annual sales, Knapp should have been ranked No. 14 and Jervis B. Webb, with $200 million, should have been ranked No. 15. Due to a...

From good to great: with a lean manufacturing system and improved material flow, UPCO has been transformed from a good producer into a quality leader.(manufacturing)(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... Lean manufacturing is most often thought of as a solution for the big guys. Yet in today's competitive landscape, the problems faced by smaller manufacturers mirror those faced by global giants. Likewise, those small companies can reap the same...

Celebrating 60 years of materials handling.(Chronology)
May 1, 2006... The U.S. military made incredible advances in materials handling techniques during World War II. At the end of the war, the staff of the Naval Ordinance Materials Handling Laboratory founded a civilian company known as Materials Handling...

The elephant in the warehouse: the huge issue of how to best store and handle bulky, heavy items often vexes DCs. The answer may lie in a building's height rather than footprint.(equipment/systems)
May 1, 2006... Where does an elephant store itself in a warehouse? Wherever it wants. And that's exactly the problem with storing large parts in most DCs. They tend to wind up in some really awkward places. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Worse yet, we're...

Voice speeds produce picking: Four Seasons Produce eliminated paper and improved accuracy and productivity.(Four Seasons Produce uses systems from from Vocollect Inc.)
May 1, 2006... Eleven million cases of produce is a lot to track and pick manually in a year. But that's exactly what Four Seasons Produce was doing across five facilities. As would be expected, productivity wasn't all that great, and mispicks were high, too....

Crossdock for productivity: Belk's distribution center reduced the time it takes to move merchandise through the facility to just seven minutes.(department uses equipments and systems from FKI Logistex)
May 1, 2006... With 280 stores in 14 southeastern states and more than $3 billion in sales, Belk, the largest privately held department store chain in the United States, faced a challenge. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The retailer's 97 merchandising...

The new look of WCS control: warehouse control systems are taking on the look and feel of warehouse management systems.
May 1, 2006... In today's world, warehouses and distribution centers are forced to meet more demands than ever before. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To get more throughput while decreasing cycle times, more facilities are turning to the strategic use of...

Linear motors improve performance.(FOCUSON Motors)
May 1, 2006... Direct drive linear motors shed the rotary-to-linear conversion iron of positioning stages like ballscrews and belt drives to reduce mass and inertia leading to more dynamic performance. The external feedback encoder is eliminated by new...

High cycle brake motors for faster action.(FOCUSON Motors)
May 1, 2006... A DC brake with integral rectifier provides faster action than traditional spring-set brakes for a line of motors that feature a low inertia design for continuous start/stop applications. A die cast aluminum frame aids in heat dissipation. The...

NEMA premium efficiency motors save energy.(FOCUSON Motors)
May 1, 2006... From 1 to 500 horsepowser and larger, motors meet or exceed NEMA premium efficiency specifications. Electric motors consume 10 to 25 times their purchase price in electricity each year, so a single point of increased motor efficiency can mean...

Motors with improved efficiency.(gear motors feature a standard two-stage design for improved efficiency)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Three-phase BS series worm gear motors feature a standard two-stage design for improved efficiency. They offer a variety of options including foot or flange with single or double output shaft, shaft mounting with hollow shaft in keyed, or...

Continuous duty motors for tough conditions.(FOCUSON Motors)
May 1, 2006... Squirrel-cage motors and brakemotors deliver performance and reliability combined with low maintenance. Designed for continuous duty under tough service conditions, these low-noise brakemotors are used where fast, safe breaking applications are...

Software provides personalization.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... With the underlying Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), ViaWare 7.0 warehouse management system (WMS) provides integrated business intelligence and personalization capabilities. With SOA, the software can be integrated into an existing IT and...

Maximize picking efficiencies.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... DC Xcellerator analyzes the full range of picking systems--manual, semi-automatic, and automatic--in real time. The software details system effectiveness in its current configuration, and recommends adjustments in product placement, machinery,...

Software provides total warehouse functionality.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... The PowerHouse package provides full warehouse functionality. This includes: picking, putaway, replenishment, receiving, cycle counting, wave planning, labor planning, reporting, production, Internet access to inventory management screens, and...

Objectively measure employee performance.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... Designed to meet the needs of customers with complex labor tracking requirements, Labor Advantage compiles real-time employee performance. Customers can choose among engineered, discrete, and historical standards. The software features...

Automatically print and apply lists and labels.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... The One-Step Shipping Fulfillment System combines custom label design with advanced real-time software and hardware that can out perform 15 manually operated labeling and manifesting stations. The system allows users to simultaneously apply and...

Next generation TMS.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The transportation management system TMS-Link provides real-time management of carriers, stores, routes, loads, and grouping of store routes (loads) for volume production and fulfillment. Built on previous generations, this new version was...

Central management of all mobile devices.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... A cost-effective mobile management software tool, Mobile Control Center, allows companies to deploy, maintain, support, and secure applications and devices. Using a single management console, administrators can control and monitor devices,...

Touch-screeh mobile computer for lift trucks.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The DNeT MPC 5/110 industrial mobile computer is designed for use on lift trucks and elsewhere in the warehouse. The optional 3M Near Field Imaging (NFI) MicroTouch 10-inch touch-screen provides high visibility, even in bright environments. The...

Personalized voice solution.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... With digitized human prompts, similar to normal human conversation, the Lucasware voice systems, driven by Jennifer (the voice behind the system), improves efficiencies and eliminates errors in the warehouse. Through the SmartSpeed feature,...

Optimize materials flow.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... Voyager WarehousePRO optimizes the flow of materials and information and can be configured for warehouse needs without custom programming. The software monitors goods in real-time as they are received, stored and shipped. Radio frequency...

Lightweight, rugged handheld computer.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... Tough, yet light enough for scan-intensive picking applications, the MX7 handheld computer is designed for comfort. Single-touch function keys with a fully mappable keyboard allow customizable, one-click access to specific application...

Identify hidden costs.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... Pulling real-time data from warehouse and transportation management systems, Billing Management uses rules-based logic to evaluate transactions and create billing records to easily track and assign charges to any warehouse event to clearly...

Speed distribution performance.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... Reduce labor costs, eliminate paperwork, and increase throughput with Real-Time Distribution System (RDS). It integrates conveyors, in-motion scales, bar code scanners, print and apply label applicators, and other automation equipment with...

WMS prioritizes tasks for efficient sequencing.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... DLxWarehouse WMS drives maximum productivity, cost savings and throughput with comprehensive task interleaving and optimization functionality. The task optimization creates an approach that drives savings from raw materials, work-in-process...

Supply chain management system.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... A next-generation supply chain management system built on a robust, scalable, Web-based architecture, Enterprise Logistics Information Technology provides application portability and reusability. It is an integrated, real-time system that...

Outsourced asset management.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
May 1, 2006... TrenStarCM container management software incorporates the latest tracking technology, including RFID, to support a closed-loop process that not only reduces capital costs but also meets compliance requirements. Includes asset acquisition,...

60 seconds with ... Don Frazier on the early days of Modern Materials Handling.(Interview)
May 1, 2006... I started with Norman Cahners and his Materials Handling Laboratories just a month before the first issue of the magazine was published. It was originally called The Palletizer. The idea was to transfer the materials handling practices that...