The Material Handling Blog

Planning for your racking and ceiling hung conveyor projects is a critical first step no matter what, but never more important than when installing them in areas where seismic events can occur...

Brazil, and South America in general, is a very good market as it is expanding, resourceful, demographically buoyant, and with increasing rates of population entering the middle and upper classes, boosting consumption; however, many business models are about to change as this occurs, mainly due to labor cost’s rapid increase...

In the strategic selling cycle, we are often faced with the decision to sell to a customer individually or as a team. Having been through both scenarios for several years, I would highly recommend the team-based selling approach, and there are many reasons for this recommendation...

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 .

When talking about software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing, people tend to use the two terms interchangeably. Although the two technologies are related, they are not the same. So what is the distinction? Simply put, SaaS is a type of cloud computing . Let’s roll up our sleeves and dig into the specifics so you can better select services and products that will benefit your organization... Continue Reading >>

March Madness is finally here, and there's a reason it's called "madness." The unexpected often happens - which is very exciting in sports, but not so much with a mission critical project. To reduce the "madness" that can often overwhelm and impede project success, follow this simple outline. As a result, you will save time, effort and money over the lifespan of the project.

Leasing larger, higher priced equipment is a very common practice for all sorts of companies, large and small. This makes sense because there are many benefits to doing so...

Behind all those flower bouquets, candy hearts, and jewelry boxes, there's a manufacturer and distributor who got them to you! So this year, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the numbers and logistics behind Valentine's Day because without all the behind-the-scenes work, well, the day just wouldn't be the same...

Recently, I attended a meeting where a consultant was presenting his recommendations for a project that involved adding automation to an existing process. One of the key points that jumped out at me was that his justification for this project was focused entirely on the elimination of people. While the consultant suggested that the project would probably go forward because it was a strategic initiative on the part of the customer, I could only think about a more than 100-year-old poem entitled, The Calf-Path ... Continue Reading >>

Project management is more or less the art of making things happen, or moving a project forward to completion. Sounds simple enough, right?

In this day and age, it's absolutely crucial to develop a sound request for proposal, or RFP. There are several key advantages to taking the time and effort to do so, but this isn't a how-to on on RFPs. Instead, it is key information that you should think about as it relates to your projects.

If you're anything like me, you've probably procrastinated on this year's holiday shopping. And if you're really like me, you have an engineer on your shopping list, and you're struggling to find him or her the perfect gift. Well, you're in luck because I've spent the last week digging around the Internet to find some ideal gifts, ranging from humorous to down right practical...