The Material Handling Blog

When business demands require different space solutions, modular office systems offer a cost effective and quick answer. Whether you need a portable shelter, clean room, guard shack or other office concept, here are 5 reasons modular offices make sense...

The majority of case conveyor systems include at least some amount of accumulation conveyor, and while there are many types of accumulation conveyor, DC powered accumulation conveyor is becoming more and more popular for several reasons...

In the midst of a challenging economy and shrinking capital budgets, many companies are faced with the daunting challenge of keeping aging conveyor systems up and running well past when they'd ordinarily be heading to the scrap yard. If this describes your predicament, here are a few maintenance tips to keep that conveyor system going...

For the last several years, a green movement has swept the globe. Consumers, organizations, and large corporations have all moved toward green initiatives. However, in an industry filled with automation and machinery, the thought of going green might seem like a faraway dream. Luckily, new innovations in conveyor technologies have led to the possibility of greener business practices in the fields of materials handling and automation...

Just a few years ago, the material handling industry thought 24-volt conveyors had to be driven via a small, high RPM motor with gearing assembly, all fitted within the tube of a drive roller; thus, the term motor driven roller (MDR). In recent years, however, a new technology has come along offering a much different solution. This new technology utilizes a 24-volt motor mounted external to the roller rather than inside, and it offers several advantages...

In years gone by, facility roofs were designed in such a manner that you could just about hang the Queen Mary from them with little regard given to worrying about the roof collapsing or caving in. Nowadays, this is not always the case. With rising costs in steel and labor, roof structures are for the most part designed with the minimum loading allowed by law.

With the economic recovery moving at a snail's pace and the cost of raw materials and fuel continuing to rise, manufacturers are continually challenged to find ways to incorporate green sustainability solutions into their material handling processes.

Whether you believe the peak oil theory or not, the cost of crude oil continues to rise causing a major affect on a variety of supply chain costs. Last year, I listened to an economist talk about the influence of rising oil prices, and how it will change the logistics industry as we've known it in recent years. At the time I was skeptical of his predictions . Today with gasoline prices at $4.15 per gallon and rising, I'm starting to believe what he had to say. Here's why.......

Retrofitting what you already own is often just a fraction of the cost of replacing it with new conveyor, and you can also gain new functionality.

As an officer in the U.S. Air Force, I was responsible for the phase inspection of our bomber aircraft. The team took the aircraft down for inspection, repairs, and preventative maintenance of safety-of-flight and mission-critical items. Our maintenance group commander, a colonel, constantly challenged our quality assurance (QA) pass rates on phase inspections. The goal was 96 percent, and on average, the unit hit that mark.

For most companies, warehouse efficiency has become a matter of survival versus the profitability goals of a few years ago. Thus, most companies are looking for even more ways to make their day-to-day processes more efficient.

Many material handling projects today include high tech "wizardry" such as robots , Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) , or Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) . These types of equipment all have their place and serve their function well; however, we can't lose sight of the basic, less heralded, building blocks of a great system. One of these building blocks is a mezzanine .

Lean manufacturing is a common production practice. It considers the spending of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be a wasteful practice, and thus a target for elimination. Wasteful practices are those practices that do not add value to our customers. When considering each process within your facility it becomes necessary to consider those goods and services that you, as a customer, are willing to pay for and those goods and services that you do not see value in...