The Material Handling Blog

Making the move to automate warehouse processes and operations is no small decision. Not to mention that choosing the type of automation, and how much of it you plan to install, can significantly affect the success of the project. There are many factors to consider and...

We are often asked for more information about the different types of conveyors available, the benefits a conveyor system provides, and how it affects productivity in the workplace. To answer all these questions and more, we are happy to provide our complete guide to conveyor systems...

Enclosed track overhead conveyors have been around for many years, some dating back to 1919 when they were used in automotive assembly plants. However, this type of conveyor is not just for moving automotive parts or clean clothes. It provides a host of other benefits as well...

PC-based controls were all the rage a decade or so ago. I saw many systems delivered with PC-based controls touting advantages ranging from less cost to more functionality. From my perspective, it seems as though the tide has turned in recent years back to PLCs, so let's take a minute to review the pros and cons of each... Read More >>

Redundancy in system design means duplicating or triplicating equipment so if primary equipment fails, system operation continues uninterrupted. On a recent project which implemented redundancy to achieve high system availability, or up time, I began to research whether there were alternate ways of reaching high availability without the use of redundancy. Here are some solutions I discovered...

In college, I was given the opportunity to attend a wine tasting session to learn the basics and proper food pairings. Since then, I was fortunate enough to marry an individual whose hobby is cooking and who over the years has enjoyed seeking out the right (reasonably priced) wine to go with whatever dish she might have prepared. However, it is after the wine is made and bottled that my private interests have intersected with my professional endeavors; somehow this bottle has to get from the winery to my table...

Weekend cutovers are becoming more popular as demand for system reliability, increasing throughput, and ever-changing products drive facility managers to find new system solutions, while avoiding the headaches of taking down their current system during business hours. I have helped in a few material-handling cutovers, so I would like to share my thoughts on how to complete one successfully. Here are a few of the fundamentals...

You know what your operation needs: a better, faster, and more accurate order fulfillment solution. As with most things, however, the order fulfillment process is much more complex and involves people, resources, record keeping, and transportation—all of which require time and management.

Over the last few years, I have seen more client interest in automated case storage systems. While the cost justification for some of these installations was based upon very high labor costs; I think the technology costs have dropped to the point where it can have a wider application.

I just had a discussion with a colleague in our consulting group about a client who wanted him to design a picking area. The problem was the client didn’t have any product size information. To this client, the size of a case was “case size,” and an individual item was smaller than “case size.” Regrettably, many distribution operations have little information about the size of the product they are distributing, but know size information has many advantages...

I have seen people push boxes along powered conveyors too many times. Just fix it already! If you want to get that conveyor moving again, here are 10 tips I've learned to help you troubleshoot the problem and hopefully get it running... Read More >>

Used automation equipment is seen by some as too risky an investment, and by others, as an easy way to save a project's budget while still getting all of the hardware they desire. Like all projects, there are pros and cons to used or refurbished equipment, but when the opportunity for used automation presents itself, it is worth the time to closely examine it as an option...