The Material Handling Blog

Building, storing and moving pallets is often what most people think of when they hear the word “warehouse.” And they’re not entirely wrong, pallet handling operations are critical to the effective flow and performance of many manufacturing and distribution facilities. Outbound pallet handling is often the focus of most companies in this space, as these processes appear to be most impactful to the end-customer. However, inbound pallet handling operations can be equally important to the overall production and fulfillment process. Manual palletizing and movement of inbound product in distribution and manufacturing centers often presents challenges due to labor-intensive processes, ergonomic concerns and safety risks. To address these issues, automation can be implemented to streamline operations and improve efficiency.

When it comes to pallet transport, pallet monorail systems offer a solution that can be significantly less expensive than an equivalent roller conveyor system. Accommodating various applications and adjustable for performance levels, once you’ve determined that a pallet monorail system is the right transportation solution for your application, the next step is putting together an initial concept design.

Goods to person and goods to robot solutions are trending topics when it comes to distribution fulfillment but what about heavier and larger pallet transport? Pallet monorail systems are one of the fastest and most efficient ways to transport pallet loads throughout a facility. This technology goes by many different names including “Electrified Floor Track System (EFTS)”, “Electrified Monorail System (EMS)”, or sometimes just “Monorail.” In the most general sense, a monorail system is comprised of two key elements: - Track - provides guidance and power - Trolleys - physically move the pallets along the track system; self-propelled The scalability makes them a great investment, less than a roller conveyor system, and an option worth considering. Below we take a look at standard ways this solution can optimize your operations.

Now, more than ever, companies struggle to staff industrial areas due to the ongoing labor shortage. Robotic systems can accomplish many tasks within an industrial environment, including palletizing, depalletizing, case packing, machine tending, and many other roles.

With skyrocketing warehouse real estate prices in many parts of the country, Bastian Solutions is finding more of our customers want to make better use of their vertical cube.

When looking for a pallet handling solution, knowing the key questions to be answered and the crucial information regarding your product and process is critical.

Although handling pallets might seem simple, there are many considerations when selecting the right equipment such as pallet type, pallet condition, and pallet load stability. Here are a few items that you should consider before selecting your pallet handling equipment...

At the beginning stages of a material handling opportunity, whether a multimillion dollar system or an inexpensive gravity roller conveyor, an application specialist will commonly ask the question, “What can you tell me about the product we are going to be carrying on this equipment?”