Modern Materials Handling articles from September 2005

Modern Materials Handling archives from September 2005

Demand for warehouse software strengthens.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... AFTER SEVERAL SLOW YEARS, the warehouse management system (WMS) market grew by more than 5% in 2004. The market was $1.07 billion in 2004 and is forecasted to be over $1.339 billion in 2009, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study,...

Get on board with real time.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)
September 1, 2005... Don't forget to sign up for Modern's "Real Time Plant & Warehouse Virtual Conference" on Sept. 8. And if you miss it that day, it will be archived at www.mmh.com/realtime until early December. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Available...

RFID forum addresses pitfalls.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)
September 1, 2005... When organizations such as Wal-Mart, the Department of Defense and supply chains including the pharmaceutical industry explored and then embraced RFID technology, they were attracted by some very desirable capabilities. Now, in year two of beta...

Warehousing space on upswing.(BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... AFTER AN EXTENSIVE STAGNATION, demand for new warehouse and distribution space has increased noticeably. The warehouse facilities market has been "flat to declining and inventories have risen every year since 2001," Rosalyn Wilson,...

Fast fact.
September 1, 2005... 16% Growth in the U.S. 3PL logistics market in 2004. Source: 16th Annual State of Logistics Report

Slimming down.(MY VIEW)(Editorial)
September 1, 2005... EVEN THOUGH BEACH SEASON IN THE NORTHEAST has pretty much come and gone, that doesn't mean we're past the time for slimming down. In fact, if you look at two particular stories in this issue, you'll see that lean is definitely a bonus during...

Supply chain: mid-size companies missing out on supply chain best practices; Many managers are unaware of the benefits, new study says.(NEWS & TRENDS)
September 1, 2005... DESPITE GAINS MADE by many of the largest companies using supply chain best practices, mid-size companies, for the most part, are not following suit. This according to Gene Tyndall, founding partner, Supply Chain Executive Advisors, LLC. ...

Lift trucks: Toyota unveils customer center.(NEWS & TRENDS)(Toyota Material Handling U.S.A.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Toyota Materials Handling U.S.A. (TMHU) has formally opened its National Customer Center at its manufacturing facility, Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM). The $11 million investment, which includes the state-of-the-art customer...

Appointment: McPherson joins as Modern publisher.(NEWS & TRENDS)(appointment of Kevin W. McPherson at Modern Materials Handling )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Kevin W. McPherson has been named publisher of Modern Materials Handling (www.mmh.com). Bringing over twenty-four years of media experience to the magazine, he has worked in all facets of publishing and e-commerce. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Lift trucks: Jungheinrich focuses on U.S. market.(NEWS & TRENDS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Traditionally serving the European market, Jungheinrich (www.jungheinrich-us.com) has made a splash by offering a typically American lift truck. Building on the specifications of the EKS 310 that made the company a major player in Europe,...

Acquisitions: pallet suppliers consolidate.(NEWS & TRENDS)
September 1, 2005... Two acquisitions in the pallet industry are changing the face of that business and the companies involved. Millwood, Inc. (www.millwoodinc.com), a supplier of new and used pallets and pallet repair services, has acquired Liberty Industries...

Printers: line matrix printers get rejuvenated.(NEWS & TRENDS)(matrix printer P7000)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Despite all of the focus lately on laser printers for industrial applications, line matrix printers still have a role to play there. As a result, Printronix (www.printronix.com) has completely redeveloped its lead line matrix product. The...

Appointments/promotions.(FKI Logistex)(LINPAC Materials Handling)(Precision Industries Inc. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana))(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Appointments/promotions: FKI Logistex announces the appointment of Gary Savarese as project manager in the Northeast regional office... Intelligrated announces the appointment of Susan Rider to senior vice president of marketing... Toyota...

Company Alliances/Construction.(Alien Technologies )(SI Systems )(AP Dataweigh Systems )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Company Alliances/Construction: Alien Technologies announces partnerships with IBM, Microsoft and Oracle to integrate software and Web access into their Gen 2 RFID reader... Matthews International has acquired the Microroller motor-driven...

Information management: building new warehouse networks.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The developing radio frequency (RF) and microwave data collection market is poised to see a momentous upturn over the next 36 months. This according to Venture Development Corporation (VDC). VDC (www.vdc-corp.com) forecasts that slightly...

September 2004.
September 1, 2005... September 27-29 Frontline Solutions USA Chicago, Ill. Sponsor: AIM Global and Advanstar Technology Group Call: 781-239-7510 Web: www.frontlineexpo.com

Correction.(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2005... Due to incorrectly supplied information, the August story on CVS mis-identified a system supplier. The company that delivers tote stackers and pallet exchange machines to the CVS DC should have been identified as Gebhardt Transport- und...

Helpful cliches for project management: some familiar phrases that may help if the going gets tough on a project.(FOR DEALING WITH THE REAL WORLD)
September 1, 2005... ARE YOU GETTING READY TO START A PROJECT that will bring significant improvements to your current operation? If so, lots of luck! But, remember to keep your eye on the ball: that is, firmly focused on the ultimate goal: to support the company...

Get the latest on RFID: monthly newsletter gets a makeover.(WEB-BASED NEWS & INSIGHTS)
September 1, 2005... Modern's "RFID Alert" e-letter has a new look with enhanced graphics and easier to read format. Each month it features three exclusive news stories on RFID technology and its use. Additional stories add still more coverage of this emerging...

Expanded content: updated Web site features enhancements.(WEB-BASED NEWS & INSIGHTS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A new, enhanced Web site from product identification solutions supplier Markem offers improved navigation and technology pages, increased global content and tips for matching products to applications. The home page welcomes visitors to the...

Open and closed access: Web site on drawers and shelving.(WEB-BASED NEWS & INSIGHTS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Users can now reach different parts of drawer and shelving supplier Stanley Vidmar's newly redesigned Web site directly from the home page, offering quick access to the information or products needed. Clear and colorful graphical links on the...

Industrial packaging in Spanish: Web site features one click translations.(WEB-BASED NEWS & INSIGHTS)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Spanish-speaking visitors to A-B-C Packaging's Web site can learn about the company and its industrial packaging products. It features one-click access to Spanish translations of the company's profile as well as product information. Links...

Stop & Shop's fresh approach: the Northeast grocery chain went with 77 aisles of automated storage, an advanced WMS and voice to handle 40% more volume in its new 1.3 million square foot DC.(warehousing/distribution)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT ALL grocery distribution centers are manual, highly labor intensive operations, Stop & Shop comes along. At the Northeast grocer's new DC in Freetown, Mass., an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) with 77 aisles...

Protecting your ROI: showing a return on investment on paper is the easy part. A few best practices during selection, planning, implementation and execution will make the promise a reality.(return on investment)
September 1, 2005... IN TODAY'S BUSINESS CLIMATE, two kinds of materials handling projects get approved. The first are those that must be done because an existing system is obsolete, an important customer has added a new requirement or the competition has raised...

Learn from lean's best: a new report shows that successful lean manufacturing efforts hinge on the integration of a set of methods with cultural factors.
September 1, 2005... LEAN MANUFACTURING has a lexicon all its own. Terms like Kaizen, Kanban, and Five Ss permeate the vocabulary of many in manufacturing operations today. Just don't equate mastering a set of terms with guaranteed success at lean. ...

Tighter information connections: today's leading information technology best practices are all about tightening the connection between the movement of goods and the information about them.(information management)
September 1, 2005... BEST PRACTICES IN THE WAREHOUSE used to center around materials handling only. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Today, there are also best practices for managing the information about the movement of those goods. "Every time there's a...

Over, under & around: cubing and weighing systems are playing an increasing role in improving distribution efficiencies from storage to shipments.
September 1, 2005... Cubing and weighing... sounds simple enough. And in some ways it is. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] These systems utilize ultrasonics, infrared light, cameras, lasers, or a combination of technologies to acquire an accurate analysis of a...

Cool dock solution for food supplier: a combination of efficiency and safety measures keep things cold and safe for a perishable foods distributor.(productivity solution)
September 1, 2005... AFTER SERVING TEXAS with perishable food items for over one hundred years, Ben E. Keith Inc. needed to expand its warehouse cold storage and upgrade its 33 docks. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Keith Pittman, frozen receiving manager for the...

Sortation for small items.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The ProSort 131 is designed for high-speed sorting of products that may be too small to be sorted on conventional shoe sorters. Small fragile items or groups of items can be sorted easily with the equipment. Products are transported on high...

High-speed sorting.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A high-speed sliding shoe sorter simultaneously sorts two parallel lines of totes and other items. Operating at speeds up to 600 feet per minute, the system sorts up to 450 items per minute. Sliding shoes are lined up in the middle of the slat...

Sort with versatility.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The 3D tilt tray sorter with linear motor drive is a high capacity system for sorting various kinds of goods. Small parcels, packages, delicate products such as glassware and grocery items, as well as heavy freight, boxes and baggage are safely...

Maximize flexibility.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The ProSort SC belt driven sortation conveyors provide a reliable method of tracking packages to divert stations. Takeaway spurs may be skatewheel or powered. The ProSort SC family of sorters provides reliable mid-range sortation solutions...

Affordable, reliable sorter.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A high-speed pop-up wheel sorter is pre-engineered for affordability and reliability. The sorter contains powered wheels that rise up out of the conveyor to divert product off the main line at a predetermined angle of 30 degrees. The pop-up...

Sort 90 cartons a minute.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The AutoSort 5 pop-up wheel sorter uses three rows of skewed divert wheels to redirect packages and other items for precise sortation. Conveyor widths range from 24 to 36 inches. Top sortation throughput is 90 cartons per minute. Sort rate is...

Versatile sliding shoe.(FOCUSON Sortation)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The IntelliSort 700 provides flexible sortation for a wide variety of products. The system incorporates sliding shoe technology, which can be provided with a tube or flat slat design. This high-speed sorter features heavy-duty construction and...

Quadruple output with crossbelt.(Siemens)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The QuadSorter, an ultra high-rate unit sorter, accommodates over 41,000 items per hour. This four-cells-per-carrier crossbelt sorter offers a flexible sort plan that does not require pre-sortation and significantly increases the throughput of...

Channeling productivity.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... For channeling and sorting larger items, a high-speed shoe sorter offers high reliability, quiet operation, and a flexible design to meet the most demanding sortation applications. The bi-directional shoes allow off-loading to both sides of the...

Easy-opening drawers.(Rousseau Metal Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... An integrated lock-in mechanism facilitates the opening and closing of a locked drawer without the use of a trigger, which needs two hands to open. With this solution, you can open a drawer by simply tilting the handle up with only one hand and...

Modular printer/applicator.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The P3400 label printer/applicator has a modular design for seamless combination of the base system, a print engine and one of eight standard application modules. The system features a standard 14-inch (350mm) diameter unwind reel [16-inch...

Conveyor gate for easy access.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The PosiGrip conveyor gate section provides access behind or through conveyors. The unit is self-contained and operates on a standard 110V electrical supply. A gas spring assists the lifting mechanism. The result is a relatively lightweight and...

High-speed vision system.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... The MVS-8600 family of frame grabbers is ideally suited for high-resolution and high-speed machine vision applications that require very fast processing of large quantities of image data. The frame grabbers utilize state-of-the-art digital...

Heavy on power, not on mass.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... The Pacesetter family of AC inverter duty motors, gearmotors and AC variable speed controls consists of all new motor and gearhead combinations for maximum output power in the smallest package. Applications for the new inverter duty gearmotors...

Hoist for fragile parts.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... The Leo Series of portable hoists lifts glass and other fragile parts. Featuring integrated variable frequency drive controllers, the hoist offers an easier and safer method for lifting fragile materials. Soft start and stop capabilities allow...

Push to open doors.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... The Panther series of door activation push plates installs quickly to provide reliable activation of swinging, bi-fold, low-energy and rolling industrial doors. The push plate arrives as a fully assembled unit, with an integrated wireless RF...

Durable containers stack easily.(LM Containers LLC )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Custom collapsible aluminum intermediate bulk containers are durable, stackable, lightweight, repairable, easily cleaned and suited to use in automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS). The containers fold within seconds, no tools...

Versatile packaging pillows.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The new AIRPlus produces cushioning air pillows to suit any packaging requirement. Portable, battery-powered machines can be used anywhere on the plant floor, mini machines fit on a desktop, and stationary machines feed overhead storage and...

Pick with accuracy.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The EASYpick Trak3 modular pick-to-light system's components offer increased functionality, improved ergonomic features and advanced diagnostic tools. These significant hardware developments enable high productivity and accuracy in order...

Meet RFID mandates.(Radio frequency identification)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A family of scalable, pre-configured compliance solutions that meet various retailer RFID mandates is now available. The solutions provide total packaged capabilities from simple slap-and-ship to highly automated encode on-the-fly...

Versatile readers.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Recent enhancements to the WORKABOUT PROline include 1D and 2D image readers, a high-frequency RFID reader, a wide area wireless communications PC Card Radio Kit and Windows Mobile as an alternative platform to Windows CE .NET. GPRS and CDMA...

Strong and stackable containers.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... Rugged StakNest reusable containers are ideal for work-in-process materials handling across all industries, including general manufacturing and food processing and distribution. StakNest containers feature a heavy-duty, one-piece stack and nest...

Easily maneuvered cart.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... An industrial cart design that improves handling of large loads features modified pivot point caster steering. This permits the cart, when towed, to negotiate tighter corners than standard caster steering and allows easier manual maneuvering....

Ink jet print to high resolution.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... The ci1000 micro continuous ink jet printing system applies high-resolution, high-speed identification marks, sell-by dates and lot date codes to any surface. The non-contact printing gives near letter quality print resolution. The micro...

Workers stay safe.(PRODUCTSHOWCASE)
September 1, 2005... An Anti-Collision Safety System for forklift trucks and other vehicles takes the "dents" out of accidents. Utilizing the Sky-Trax Local Positioning System, the system tracks the movement of vehicles inside warehouses and factories,...

Taking costs out of packaging: Modern Materials Handling.(SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT)
September 1, 2005... Increased competition and a more global economy are putting pressure on manufacturers and distributors of goods in all categories to cut costs. As a result, many are turning to more advanced materials handling equipment and systems to help...

ORBIS plastic reusable packaging drives supply chain optimization.(PROFILE)(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... According to Forrester Research, 92% of supply chain professionals cite operational efficiency as their top priority. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Plastic reusable packaging improves the flow of product all along the supply chain to reduce...

60 seconds with ... Phil Godden on rolling out a lean warehousing program.(Phil Godden of RadioShack Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... We wanted to put more focus on continuous improvement at our six warehouses. Just as important, we wanted continuous improvement to become part of our culture. From there, it was a short step to lean warehousing. You could say we're...