The Material Handling Blog

Athletes train tirelessly to master their chosen skill. Countless hours are dedicated to perfect each movement, lower reaction time, and increase strength. The same can be said for professionals and laborers alike. Each group either does or can benefit from dedicated, focused instruction. Whether it is a coach, a professor, or a mentor, these individuals provide guidance to ensure correct implementation of vital tasks.

Whether you believe the peak oil theory or not, the cost of crude oil continues to rise causing a major affect on a variety of supply chain costs. Last year, I listened to an economist talk about the influence of rising oil prices, and how it will change the logistics industry as we've known it in recent years. At the time I was skeptical of his predictions . Today with gasoline prices at $4.15 per gallon and rising, I'm starting to believe what he had to say. Here's why.......

When companies are moving to a new facility, I'm frequently asked whether it's better to move existing equipment to the new location or to purchase new, and my usual answer is that it depends on many factors. Now I know this really isn't an answer at all, but the decision can't be made without first asking several important questions .

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) mandates that business owners must provide safety training to all employees. However, owners are given the option of deciding what kind of training will be done and what topics will be covered as it relates to their business.

In today's business world, many employees--including myself from time to time--wear multiple hats on a day-to-day basis. These additional responsibilities, combined with a decreasing amount of time in which to do them, create an atmosphere in which out-of-the-box thinking is often lost.

As I was recently working on an Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS)project, I had the opportunity to reflect on how much the technology has changed in just the past few years. One of the more valuable references I was using--from the Material Handling Institute of America --divided the ASRS technology into two main families: fixed aisle and carousel/vertical left module (VLM). However, some of the new advances in ASRS have a hard time fitting into either of these categories.

With the summer project season just around the corner many industrial manufacturing companies are shoring up plans for their big projects. I recently had the pleasure to walk a manufacturing plant from front to back and back to front again in search of automated material handling opportunities. It certainly was a shocking experience because in this case, the client went naked! While this client was the expert on their systems and operations, a trained eye in material handling-- especially robotic --was a welcome investment of their time.

Retrofitting what you already own is often just a fraction of the cost of replacing it with new conveyor, and you can also gain new functionality.

In the past several months, I have been making the (more or less) smooth transition between my previous career as an engineering manager in the aerospace sector and my new role in the material handling industry with Bastian. While originally it was somewhat scary to move from one industry to another, I was pleased to discover the many connections between my previous career and my new one.

Before I accepted my position as a research and development engineer at Bastian Material Handling , I only knew of a peripheral definition for material handling. This was due to my focus as an undergrad in automotive engineering, with some topical interest in aerospace and biomechanics.

I want to challenge anyone involved in the leasing, acquisition, or development of industrial real estate to incorporate your company's material handling solution into your building design and/or specifications. Looking first at the processes inside a building and then establishing building parameters will lead to increased efficiencies and more cost-effective solutions.

When a business decides to automate its palletizing process , there are essentially two choices: robotic or conventional. What are the differences between these two technologies? What are the advantages? Read More >>