December 2009 Material Handling Tips & Information Newsletter

Improve Distribution Center Performance without Automation

Distribution centers will benefit from emerging automated case picking technologies, but those don’t fit for every operation, at every level. They’re also expensive upgrades, so your ROI has to be considered as well. Supply Chain Digest recently published an excellent article on how to optimize order picking without automation that might be worth reading. The main points are:

• Segregate Single-Line Orders

• Lot Sizes of one for retail distribution

•  Look for Family Groups

• Pick the little stuff first

Choosing the correct mezzanine deck surface

Roof deck is the most common type of decking. Also known as B-Deck or corrugated steel, it can be finished with a variety of surfaces, from plywood to floor plate to concrete. Each of them can work, depending on the mezzanine's purpose and load. We've published this quick guide to various decking options for your consideration.

Protect Workers at the Shipping Docks with Safety Gates

Worker injuries and accidents are more likely at shipping docks than many other areas of most warehousing or industrial operations. This is partially because they are a hotbed of fast-paced activity, partially because they are a key area where lift trucks and pedestrians can come into contact, and partially because you often have workers near the drop off from dock to lot. A relatively inexpensive gate can help to prevent falling accidents where a worker is moving boxes or pushing a cart, and ends up falling. A chain gate can be utilized, and it's safe, but it's also something of a pain to use, meaning that workers may just leave it constantly open. This is why we like easy-to-use folding dock gates. Besides being easier to use, they're just better protection. When lowered into position, it’s less likely that an individual will stumble off the dock during active packaging or truck loading activity. Check them out -- including video. The unique Folding-Rail Gate protects wider openings up to 12' while minimizing the required gate clearance height. Straight-Rail Gates cover standard openings up to 10'.

Buying Shelves without Particle Board Decking

One of the persistent issues with industrial shelving is the cost of shipping. In particular, that’s an issue for industrial rivet shelving, which is the most economical type of shelving with the highest capacity. It is easily the most popular industrial shelf type going. For many customers, shipping an all inclusive shelving system is the easiest, most convenient thing — we do it all the time. But you can also order it without the decking and save significant shipping dollars. Acquiring local deck materials is easy and saves money. Here's how you go about it...