The Material Handling Blog

The amount of new technologies emerging to support distribution and supply chain automation is also rapidly increasing; and for good reason.

I was recently on a Sunday afternoon Zoom call (gotta love COVID-19) with some old friends from college – Boiler Up! We all graduated in the early 2000s, thus we’re 15 years or so into our careers. As the conversation progressed through a multitude of topics from the weather to kids to the trials and tribulations of U.S. politics, one of my buddies expressed how much he dreaded Monday mornings. Although he has a great job, he said he feels “uninspired”. My other buddies quickly jumped in acknowledging their agreement. I asked: “What would make you all feel ‘inspired’?” Almost in unison they all said they “want to feel as though their work is truly making an impact.”

In celebration of National Engineers Week – annual recognition of the importance of math, science, and technical skills – Bastian Solutions talked to three of its engineers to understand how they came to be an engineer, their experiences in the field, and how the supply chain industry has changed in the last year.

Era sólo cuestión de tiempo para que los proveedores logísticos, los integradores y las diferentes empresas multinacionales empezaran a buscar maneras de aprovechar esta tecnología.

As the global effects of COVID-19 continue to play out, demand for contactless shopping via eCommerce is increasing putting pressure on fulfillment. Businesses are scrambling to identify opportunities to increase supply across their distribution networks. Many are seeking support from automation systems integrators (conveyor, robotics, software, controls) across several fulfillment sites at once. While multi-site implementations can be challenging, when executed successfully they can achieve greater results than single-site implementations.

This supply chain evolution has created the need for hyper-local fulfillment, which also comes with its own challenges. Customers expect things like free or low-cost shipping, same or next day delivery, hassle-free returns and inventory to be always in stock, just to name a few.

Ever wondered what Bastian Solutions interns are up to during their programs? Bastian Solutions makes every effort to ensure each intern goes back to school or out into the industry with valuable skills necessary for success. From controls to software and systems, our interns had a diverse experience this year, and even with the challenges presented with COVID-19, they each flourished and brought great value to our teams!

Without a doubt, microfulfillment is one of the hottest trends in supply chain. The ability to get products into consumers’ hands quicker than your competitors is the ultimate leg up, so not only is it a trend, but it’s a strategy enabling today’s retailers to decentralize fulfillment, create a better customer experience and redefine the retail landscape. So, what is it?

Throwing good money after bad often happens without the realization that it’s being done. We’ve worked with several clients over the years where the common thread across projects has been an investment in something of considerable capital value that simply isn’t well suited for the client’s operation.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to force unprecedented shut downs, will the resulting changes to supply chains be temporary anomalies or permanent changes?

Despite fears of the COVID-19 pandemic amidst the biggest trade show of the year, the supply chain industry adapted and made the best of a difficult situation.

From theft to damaged goods, there is a disconnect in the current supply chain. The Internet of Things is quickly changing how we track, manage, and recover assets. What can you do today to ensure your products are shipped on time and uninterrupted?

Welcome to the world of distribution…or is it supply chain….or maybe logistics? Whatever you call it, your objective is to get something from one place to another. There are hundreds of thousands of people working to do the same. Wouldn't it be great if you could find those people and learn from them?

Zone skipping is a logistics technique where companies ship their products directly to sorting facilities close to the final ship-to destination.  Zone skipping can result in a significant savings as the costs associated with multiple sort and transfer points by the carrier are eliminated.

A movie, pizza, pair of shoes, microwave…your new material handling system. All these things and anything else you can think of are now available with a few keystrokes and a click of a mouse. All this buying is not only driving the retail market, but also growing other businesses.

It wasn’t all that long ago U.S. manufacturing prowess was the envy of the world, but then numerous U.S.-based companies decided to move their manufacturing operations abroad due to world competition and cost constraints. In recent years, however, a fascinating and somewhat silent trend has developed; U.S.-based manufacturing is making an exciting and notable comeback .