The Material Handling Blog

Computer-aided design programs have become a staple in many engineering practices, but sometimes it can feel like an uphill battle trying to get them to cooperate. They have a tendency to be buggy, crash, or unable to execute certain commands. But not to worry, there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of things going wrong and to produce better drawings...

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.

For the last several years, a green movement has swept the globe. Consumers, organizations, and large corporations have all moved toward green initiatives. However, in an industry filled with automation and machinery, the thought of going green might seem like a faraway dream. Luckily, new innovations in conveyor technologies have led to the possibility of greener business practices in the fields of materials handling and automation...

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.

Have you ever started a new job and felt like a small fish swimming alone in a big new pond? Here are some recommendations for successfully transitioning your new hire into a card-carrying member of the team.

What do Girl Scout Cookies have to do with material handling? Everything! Cookies are made with various conveyors in the baking and coating process. Boxed cookies are put into cases; cases are glued with automated equipment, stacked on pallets, stored in racks, and logistics services route the orders to the local service centers.

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...

Any organization providing products and services should have a solid, if not excellent, customer service and support system in place. Although providing top-notch customer service involves a variety of tactics and procedures, by turning these five actions into habits, you will be well on your way to keeping customers engaged and satisfied...