This month, we delve into the stresses faced by warehouse workers, and how that may play into the sector’s competitiveness for labor as the available pool continues to contract. Also: detailed data on manufacturing output, ROI for industrial capital spending, and a bit more.
Stress and The Warehouse Worker: What are the Issues?
Tags: Automation, Manufacturing, labor
Posted in Industry Insights|
How to Convey Heavy, Fragile Cartons
Beverage handling systems have always been challenging. Cartons of expensive wine and liquor are heavy – and dense. And prone to damage. Sometimes these loads can be perishable and need to move fast through a system from picking to packing. The need to serve both retail and ecommerce customers from the same facility also complicates these design challenges.
Tags: warehousing, product damage, ergonomics, order fulfilment
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Warehouse Ergonomics and Productivity: an Inseparable Relationship
Improving the ergonomics of any warehouse operation may be the single easiest way to improve productivity – and that’s aside from the obvious safety and labor force protection aspects. Consider all the ways people move and work every day, every week, every year. Those repetitive motions take a toll both on the people doing the work and overall productivity. Ergonomics and productivity are not only related: they’re essential to each other.
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Manufacturing Expansion: Who, What, Where and How?
As we enter 2024, it’s no secret that manufacturing is growing at a nearly unprecedented rate. This cycle has been on the rise for years, and is now accelerating. Beneath the surface, some regions and sectors are growing faster than others. What are the trends we can anticipate in 2024 and beyond?
Tags: Manufacturing
Posted in Industry Insights|
Warehouse Automation: The Cost of Doing Nothing
People who operate industrial facilities have a difficult task. While the world changes around them, they’re dealing with a static operation that can be difficult to change or revitalize. Sunk costs, funding and organizational inertia can paralyze you at the worst moments. But the reality is that from our supply chains to labor to our customer demand profile, things are always in flux.
Tags: conveyors, labor management, Robotics, AS/RS
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Cisco-Eagle Announces Strategic Acquisition of Trinity Controls
Dallas, Texas – January 15, 2024 – Cisco-Eagle, a leading material handling systems integration company, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Trinity Controls, an innovative controls engineering company located in Birmingham, Alabama.
Tags: controls, ESOP, Automation
Posted in ESOP & Company News|
How to Specify Dock Area Pallet Racks
Above: pallet racks are installed both to the side and in front of dock doors in tight space. Palletized loads are floor-staged nearby, further squeezing space.
Warehouse shipping docks are one of the busiest areas in any warehouse. You have the buzz of constant activity as shipments are received or processed out the door, with a mixture of people on foot, forklifts, carts, floor scales, pallets and storage areas. There may be extendable conveyors or other equipment in the same relatively compact footprint. During busy times, it gets more congested and less workable.
It’s also a popular area for palletized storage on, near and around the area. Here’s what to keep in mind:
Tags: shipping docks, loading dock safety, Receiving, forklift safety
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Insights: Manufacturing Construction Boom, Product Loss Prevention
As the holiday season roars in, ecommerce and retail fulfillment operations are both pushed to their limits. What should you be looking for over the next year?
Posted in Industry Insights|
5 Ways to Help Prevent Forklift-Pedestrian Accidents
Every company that operates forklifts struggles with pedestrian safety problems. The issues are well-documented; forklifts are often the most problematic safety machinery in any operation that utilizes them.Â
Tags: plant safety, forklift safety, forklift
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
ROI for Warehouse and Manufacturing Automation: A Panel Discussion
Above: James Murphy moderates a panel discussion on automation return-on-investment with Mitch Smith of Hytrol, Nils Hart of Muratec and Bryan Gauger of Cisco-Eagle
Cisco-Eagle’s Bryan Gauger joined Mitch Smith of Hytrol and Nils Hart of Muratec for a Warehousing Education and Research Council panel on automation projects return-on-investment. The discussion revolved around ROI factors ranging from labor to safety. Because labor and money are both tight, justifying capital expenditures is more important than ever. Here are the panel’s thoughts on critical ROI issues:
Tags: ROI, Video
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|