Just a quick tip of the hat to the The North Texas WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council) Chapter. They are planning a 1-day convention on Thursday, September 23, 2010. Even if you’re not a member, you’re welcome to go. Cisco-Eagle will be there, so come by and see us if you attend. Besides our booth, you can visit 8,000 square feet of exhibit showroom and attend four educational presentations with a total of 12 topic options. For an inexpensive, quick, but informative day, it’s hard to beat. There will be raffles, continental breakfast, a hot lunch, and excellent networking opportunities.

The conference is sponsored by TCU and DCVelocity.

• Where: Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 South Main Street, Grapevine, TX 76051
• When: Thursday, September 23
• Cost: $20 to WERC Members, $25 to non-members. Free to students & faculty with ID’s (must submit info prior to the 23rd).
• More information: Visit the North Texas WERC site

The North Texas WERC (Warehouse Education and Resource Council) is presenting a Dinner & Educational seminar on the topic of product slotting. According to WERC, Product Slotting may be the most cost-effective improvement opportunity in today’s distribution center. Slotting is assigning an item into the right storage fixture type and placing it into a location that results in the most efficient use of space, equipment and labor resources. To get the product into the right location many factors can be analyzed including product velocity and order commonality. At the same time, the optimum location must satisfy special storage and handling requirements, such as weight and contamination issues. The optimization of product slotting can be complicated without the aid of an advanced slotting program. There are a few on the market, and WERC has invited Optricity to demonstrate how their slotting program  solves this complex opportunity to slash your DC labor costs.

The Dinner presentation is Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 4:30. It costs $40, and includes dinner and networking sessions. For more information, visit the WERC North Texas events page.

The North Texas WERC council is announcing the 7th annual warehousing resource convention set for Wednesday, September 10, 2008 in Grapevine, TX. Cisco-Eagle’s Vice President of Systems and Design, Mike Palmison will be speaking at this event. Mr. Palmison’s presentation will be focused on material handling excellence in order fulfillment. We’ll post more details as they become available. The North Texas convention is a terrific value at just $25 for members or non-members. Cisco-Eagle will also be present in the exhibition hall.

Other topics covered at the convention include:

• Supply Chain Security
• Multi-modal picking solutions combining RFID, voice, barcode scanning, and light
• Round Table – Product Slotting
• Metrics – Setting, and Using
• The Range of Warehouse Systems…from low automation to fully automated
• Supply Chain Network Analysis
• Round Table – Technology
• In Motion Order Fulfillment – Nordstroms, US Marine Corps, Baker Taylor, Koch Ent
• Optimize Your Operation with Slotting
• Round Table – Saftey and Security
• Warehouse Planning & Operations
• Round Table – Going Green