The Material Handling Blog

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.

In today's fast-paced, demand-driven world, material handling system modifications are almost guaranteed and required to keep up with competition. To ensure a smooth project and successful go-live, whether a brand new system or modification, follow these five steps.

Most material handling situations involve physically-straining or repetitive actions, such as lifting products from variable elevations, installing a component in an assembly process, or picking products into containers for order fulfillment. Those physical stresses could lead to worker injury and additional costs.

“Garbage in, garbage out.” As this phrase applies to robotic palletizing systems, the system outputs, particularly built pallet quality and throughput rates, are directly tied to the quality of the system inputs. To avoid issues, it's critical to ensure quality products, pallets as well as downstream and upstream processes. Read: How to Avoid Common Pitfalls of Robotic Palletizing System Startups

With the improvements and new technology in material handling, we can take the idea of Kanban to whole new levels. The question is, what level of Kanban implementation, if any, is right for you and your facility? Read: The Benefits of Automating Line Replenishment with Electronic KANBAN

Whether its automating the picking process with goods-to-person (GTP) technology or the pack-and-ship process with tapers and print and apply, the path to a successful automation implementation can be seamless and smooth for some organizations, but also, prolonged and strenuous for others.

Consumers are getting more tech savvy when it comes to purchasing goods. The common trend is to be faster, more accurate, and provide decision-making information on-demand. The wine and spirits industry is no different, which is why smart distributors are investing in new hardware and software.

Conveyor equipment can be dangerous if not used in the proper manner and with necessary safety precautions in place. To prevent injuries and accidents, OSHA has outlined several conveyor safety standards, which we'll review and expand upon. Read: Understanding OSHA Safety Standards for Conveyor

Searching for the right asset tracking solution can be daunting. Within the materials handling and supply chain industry, Radio-Frequency Identifier (RFID) is commonly championed as the defacto successor to previous approaches like barcode scanning, but there are other methods that have competitive advantages and technological trade-offs. Read: Comparing IoT-Based Asset Tracking Technologies

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.

If you’ve never attended a trade show before, they can be a bit daunting; however, with proper preparation, they can provide you with a lot of exposure to new trends and technologies within a relatively short period of time! Read: Attending Trade Shows Like an Expert