Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 4
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Fall Protection Equipment – Harness Adjustment Guidelines

August 17, 2023

Worker in fall protection harness

If your operation requires workers to conduct some aspect from certain heights, then you know fall protection. Keeping your workers safe from falls isn’t just a top priority, it’s most likely the most top priority!

The numbers back this up, with yearly OSHA stats showing falls topping the lists time and time again. There’s even a yearly campaign to raise awareness for stopping falls with education, training and accountability. Combine all of this with protective gear designed to stop falls and protect workers, and you can have an effective fall safety program.

When considering the equipment needed, introducing the right fall arrest system featuring tie-offs, lanyards and harnesses is the lifeblood of this protection. But to ensure the person using them is truly safe, the harness has to fit right.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

VLMs Vs. Vertical Carousels: Critical Specification Factors

August 8, 2023

Vertical carousels and vertical lift modules—VLMs for short—enhance organization, increase storage density, improve security and speed throughput. They serve components directly to pickers in waist-high ergonomic zones. 

While these systems are similar from a functional standpoint and look similar from the outside, they can have different use cases and application requirements. Kevin, a Cisco-Eagle Dallas account executive, zeroes in on the differences in this video. 

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

OSHA’s Warehouse Safety Emphasis Program: An Analysis

August 1, 2023

Illustration of an automated warehouse being inspected.

Warehousing grown for most of the last decade, with a 5-6% annual growth rate expected for the next 5 years. That level of expansion stresses labor availability and supply chains, but has another implication: safety. In July 2023, OSHA announced what it terms a “new national emphasis” for workplace hazards for warehouses, distribution centers and retail storage facilities. Since nearly 2 million people work in the industry, the agency is interested in reducing injuries across the board.

What are the implications of this emphasis?

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Insights: Light-Directed Picking for Manufacturing

July 20, 2023

morning coffee with Cisco-Eagle
A look at ways to optimize labor in manufacturing and distribution operations, as well as more on the current American manufacturing construction boom and how it is affected by inflationary pressures.

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Posted in Industry Insights|

How to Use Conveyors for Ergonomic Truck Loading and Unloading

July 18, 2023

flexible conveyor extended into a tractor trailer for loading at a distribution center.

We recently discussed the various ways you can use conveyors to optimize the end of the line, which includes the ways they interface with trucks and trailers. The transition between the end of a conveyor system and the trucks where goods are loaded or unloaded are one of the areas where distribution centers can struggle. The traditional method has been to throw labor at the problem, but as we know in 2023, that is becoming a less useful and more difficult option.

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

Air Conditioner Protection

July 13, 2023

Facility with industrial AC cages to protect equipment

Recently in Tulsa, where I live, we were in the midst of a large power outage due to a violent thunderstorm. Thunderstorms are not at all uncommon in this part of the country, but power outages associated with them are. What made matters worse was that the heat of the summer was just starting to blanket the city as well. As electrical workers are tirelessly repairing the damage, many residents are battling the heat without their biggest weapon, their air conditioning.

For an industrial facility, keeping your workers comfortable and cool is a top priority as the temperatures rise. But what about protecting those investments made to keep your operations cold?

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Posted in Security|

When Should You Use a Yard Ramp?

July 6, 2023

yard ramp with a truck trailer in a shipping yard

Yard ramps are great for letting you load trailers in situations where you can’t back them to a dock because they can easily adjust to trailer heights. You can also use them to connect dock height to the ground in situations where that’s necessary. Beyond these basic situations, there are detailed reasons for using a dock ramp. Let’s look at those reasons:

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Posted in Docks & Shipping|

Insights: Manufacturing’s Real Estate Shortage, DC Survey and More

June 27, 2023

Morning coffee with Cisco-Eagle photo

What are the top concerns of distribution center managers in 2023? The latest MMH survey lays it out. We also delve into manufacturing’s real estate problems, batch picking and a little more in this month’s roundup.
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Posted in Industry Insights|

Does a Warehouse Mezzanine Count as Square Footage?

June 20, 2023

storage mezzanine installed in a warehouse facility.

Above: is this a platform or a mezzanine? 

Mezzanines are a great option when you need to add more square footage into your warehouse or factory floor. They’re less expensive and easier to implement than alternatives like new construction or facility expansions, but also pose challenges when it comes sato dealing with code, safety and construction requirements.

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Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|

Conveyors: Optimizing the End of the Line

June 13, 2023

Extendable conveyors feed truck loading docks at a distribution center.

Conveyors are primarily a transport mechanism within a facility: they move products from point A to point B to point C. Value is added at all points along the way. They’re the most efficient way to do that, even if that’s the only task they have. However, that’s rarely the only way they’re used. They’re loaded at point A, then transport the load to points of value down the line. Processes are is executed at point B, and something is finalized at point C — at the end of the line. Let’s dive into the ways you can drive value at the end of the line.

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

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