Scott Stone | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 33
Cisco-Eagle Logo

Order Picking: Optimizing and Storing Slow Movers

June 18, 2014

Order picking slow movers in a shelving row

The focus when it comes to order picking is usually (and justifiably) on the fastest-moving product. You slot your warehouse for fast movers. You pareto-focus on the 20% of the product that generates 80% of the business, as you should. But it’s also useful to consider the slow-moving inventory and pick locations. Simply putting the slowest movers in the least accessible area may make them consume more order picking time and storage space than necessary.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

Innovations in High Density Storage

June 13, 2014

SpeedCell Dynamic High Density Storage

Ever find yourself wondering how you can get more out of your pallet rack? Do you have goods that take up very little space, but your pick operations don’t call for entire pallets full of the product? Then you might need to look at ways to achieve more density in your storage, and we’ve recently found a gem of a product that can help you out. It’s called Dynamic High Density Storage and it’s made by SpeedCell.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

The Wonder of Robotic Palletizing

June 6, 2014

Robotic Palletizing

I recently attended an ESOP event at a specialty paints and stains company. During the tour of their plant, I got to see a robotic palletizing system in operation. I was impressed. Standing about 6 to 8 feet away from the action, I watched as it placed 5-gallon cans of paint in rows of 3 stacked 3 high. Each row was offset from the previous one, so that optimum pallet space was used. As the robot picked up cans off the conveyor belt using a vacuum end effector, it placed them precisely on the pallet. Then, it slightly dropped down and “bumped” them to make sure they seated onto the row below. That action made me chuckle as I considered what a profoundly human act that was – a little hip action to make sure the cans seated correctly.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

5 Common Pallet Rack Mistakes

June 5, 2014

Pallet rack system

When it comes to warehouse storage, pallet racks provide an optimal, easy-to-maintain solution. They’re the most common way of storing pallet loads in the world, and they’re used in the vast majority of warehouses, manufacturing facilities, commercial operations and even retail stores. Whether you’re dealing with selective, pushback, drive-in or other types of racks, the issues are frequently similar.

Safe pallet rack operation involves understanding how to properly use racks; an otherwise safe rack can become dangerous and expensive if used incorrectly. Here are 5 common mistakes people make with pallet racks—and what you can do to ensure you don’t make any of them in your warehouse.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ,
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

5 Heavy-Duty Shelving Solutions to Help You Maximize Storage Capacity

June 4, 2014

industrial heavy duty shelving

When it comes to the storage of industrial equipment, products, and parts, you need a reliable heavy-duty solution. Whether you work in a warehouse, shop, office, or manufacturing facility, a proper system of organization is essential to the way that you keep records, manage inventory, solve problems, and care for your tools.

Here’s a look at 5 industrial shelving solutions that can help you maximize your facility’s storage capacity, ultimately resulting in greater efficiency and workplace productivity: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|

Avoid Common Warehouse Layout Mistakes

May 10, 2014

diagram of rows of pallet racks in a warehouse

It’s not easy to understand when facility layout is causing significant problems for an operation.

The way the warehouse is planned and laid out can affect everything in a warehouse or distribution facility. You may be suffering from over-forecasted demand for product and under-forecasted need for square footage. Executives may not fully understand what it takes to receive, store and ship orders. What are some of the more common problems when it comes to facility layout?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|

The Fork-Free Warehouse

May 9, 2014

http://www.cisco-eagle.com/c-1577-conveyor-guardrail.aspx

See Amanda’s White Paper as well.

Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

5 Manufacturing Challenges (or are they Opportunities?)

May 1, 2014

Manufacturing at a pipe coating plant

U.S. manufacturing is at a crossroads. After decades of decline, there are signs of a renaissance, with the chance to re-shore more and more manufacturing capacity every year. Some of this is driven by the natural gas energy boom, and the cost of shipping product in vs. making it in America. You also see more companies returning capacity due to the fact that offshoring didn’t always live up to its cost cutting premise. Whatever the reason, American manufacturing now faces the reality of growth, with the challenges and opportunities that brings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manufacturing|

Prevent Forklifts from Cutting Corners

April 24, 2014

forklift aisle with striping

forklift aisle with guardrail corners

It’s always dangerous when forklifts and people inhabit the same work areas.

You’ve probably heard the statistics when it comes to the forklift and its safety, but one of the most disturbing is the injury rate compared to incident rate. Forklifts cause just 1% of industrial accidents, but are responsible for a staggering 10% of all injuries in the space. So what can you do to help keep people and industrial traffic separated?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Warehousing Key Performance Indicators

April 5, 2014

order picking cartons at a distribution center

Key performance indicators – KPI’s – are frequently used in general business to evaluate the success of everything from a specific department to an entire enterprise. They focus on strengths and weaknesses. Many warehousing KPI’s tend to be focused on external performance, such as on-time shipments that directly impact customers. This is a good measure, but the need to go deeper and measure the factors that drive those success rates is critical. What are some KPI’s for warehousing operations?

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Read our customer reviews