The Material Handling Blog

From orchard to market: See how advanced automation and data analytics from RH Brown, now proudly part of Bastian Solutions, transformed a fourth-generation family business. Wenatchee, Washington, may be known as the "Apple Capital of the World," but is also renowned for its bountiful sweet cherry orchards. McDougall & Sons, a fourth-generation family-owned business, has been growing, processing, and distributing cherries and other tree fruits for decades. With Washington state producing millions of pounds of cherries annually, meeting the demand for fresh and high-quality sweet cherries is no small achievement. McDougall & Sons faced the challenge of increasing processing rates, managing peak capacity, and balancing production across multiple lines. To meet the demand for customers in both domestic and export markets, they partnered with RH Brown. Their collaboration led to significant improvements through advanced material handling automation, warehouse control software, and data analytics, transforming McDougall & Sons' operations and efficiency.

Efficiently moving items is the name of the game in material handling and the number one player is conveyor. Whether your company plays in the automotive, electronics, food and beverage, or pharma industries, you are going to need to move materials, components and/or finished products to the next area of your business. A well-designed conveyor system determines whether you stay in the game or not.

In the dynamic landscape of warehouse operations, efficiency is the cornerstone of success. As businesses strive to streamline their processes, there's a unique opportunity for warehouse operators to revolutionize material handling with conveyor systems. Warehouses are undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the need for streamlined operations and increased productivity. Recognizing this evolution is the first step for businesses looking to stay ahead in an ever-changing market. Labor costs, inventory management complexities and navigating seasonal peaks are common hurdles. In this blog post, we'll explore how businesses can identify and leverage conveyor opportunities to elevate their operations.

Sales are on the rise again this holiday season and consumers are shopping in an omnichannel way. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and sales before and after the Thanksgiving holiday marked at least a week of special discounts and sales. It also marked a year over year increase in retail activity in the United States, spending an estimated $9.8 billion during Black Friday alone, according to Adobe Analytics. Originally a single day of sales, discounts and deals came early extending the sales period before Black Friday, potentially easing the Friday sales bump. In-store sales increased by 1.1%, while ecommerce sales rose by 8.5% year over year, according to MasterCard SpendingPulse. Final totals are still being tallied but reports from MasterCard SpendingPulse, Adobe Analytics and various consulting firms indicate that most likely due to the country’s inflation and economic pressures, consumers actively took advantage of the season’s special discounts, searching for the best deals. They are buying “closer-to-need” according to TD Cowen analysts.

To meet the escalating customer demands, optimizing the movement of goods is now more crucial than ever for warehouses in manufacturing, logistics and e-commerce. Telescopic conveyors are a proven and efficient technology for various industries in India.

Efficient and streamlined operations are vital for the success of any industry. In India, companies are constantly seeking innovative solutions to improve productivity, reduce costs and enhance overall efficiency. ‘Research and Markets’ reports that India’s warehousing market is expected to reach INR 2,872.10 bn by 2027.One significant aspect of achieving these goals lies in optimizing material handling and warehouse operation processes.

Part 2 of our series on plastic chain conveyors. Typically used to transport clean, cool, or small products, plastic modular chain conveyors are surprisingly well suited for the opposite, too.

The demand for plastic chain conveyor systems has been steadily increasing as companies realize the benefits they provide. Here are the top three reasons why you should consider using a plastic chain conveyor system.

With Bastian Solutions Conveyor, we want anyone to look at the model name and instantly know what type of conveyor it is. To do this, our naming convention identifies three key features of any conveyor system--belt surface, conveyor function, and power type.

From intelligent modules, to proactive monitoring, and complete data visibility into your operations; Automated Order Routing is a software system that will be the keystone to holding your entire operation together. Read: Automated Order Routing Defined

Conveyors are often routed through all parts of a facility at various elevations. Supporting these conveyors while maintaining critical floor space and walk ways creates a unique challenge. Here are three conveyor support alternatives to help you maximize floor space.

In a perfect world, every conveyor system would be flat. However, this is hardly ever the case. People, equipment, walls, and daily operations always seem to get in the way. Therefore we must go over, under, or around.

There are many different technologies to choose from when selecting a sortation conveyor, and each solution should be compared to ensure that the correct sorter is used to meet your system needs. Let's explore the options.

Conveyors can be complicated to understand until you break them down into their individual components and understand what they do for your system. A good place to start when understanding your conveyor system is AC (alternating current) powered conveyor versus DC (direct current) powered conveyor.

Bastian Solutions is proud to introduce a shoe sorter as the newest addition to its ZiPline Conveyor product line. Over the years, our team has integrated and installed many shoe sorter designs. Using that experience, we are proud to manufacture our own shoe sorter, featuring some unique design improvements.

There are many items to consider when selecting a conveyor type for a project. Each item has it’s own importance and will impact conveyor selection. Use the following criteria to make the best choice for your operation.

As standards of food manufacturing and distribution change with new mandates, food manufacturers and processors sometimes struggle to keep up. The regulations may require facilities to modify their existing material handling equipment for new, updated equipment that meets current standards. This article sheds light on which conveyor is best for conveying various food products.

Loading and unloading a moving truck by hand is a task that we despise in our personal lives and yet a very similar task is performed everyday across the world by thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of people. Here are three conveyor options to improve your fluid loading process.

At first glance, complicated and complex systems might sound the same, but a closer look at your business model and SKU seasonality will reveal which system will work best for you.

Conveyor systems are most critical in the food processing and manufacturing industry to reach high efficiency and profitability. The answer to which style of food grade conveyor can be a difficult decision. Conveyor technology is changing rapidly, and it’s always beneficial to study what is available in today's market before making a decision to settle on yesterday's offerings.

Are you considering the purchase of a conveyor system to transport your product in the warehouse? If so, there can be many factors to consider when deciding how to convey your material, especially when it comes to the box or container holding the material. In this article, we’ll discuss a few things to keep in mind.

After comparing its warehousing operations to industry best practices, Roche Diagnostics Operations (RDO) revealed opportunities to improve processes by standardizing across all warehouses and implementing a more automated material handling system. In doing so, Roche was able to increase pack rates, reduce operating costs, and gain better visibility of carton-level details. Read: Conveyor System Best Practices in the Pharma Industry

Even as new material handling technologies enter the market, conveyors seem to remain a critical part of almost every automation system. Here's a brief overview of conveyors and their uses as well as some considerations for choosing the right one to ensure your system performs at peak performance.

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...

To showcase the usefulness and advantages of material handling simulations I've included the top 3 reasons one should consider simulating their current or future processes.