Theft costs warehouses, manufacturers and shippers more than $15 billion a year in the United States in direct costs. But the burden doesn’t end there: indirect costs like increased insurance premiums, employee turnover, morale issues and inventory problems compound the losses. Check out our industrial security white paper for extensive information.
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White Paper: Loss Prevention & Warehouse Security
March 29, 2018
by Scott Stone
Posted in Security|
How To Choose The Right Cold Storage Facility for Your Needs
March 29, 2018
Because it links the manufacturing process with transportation to retailers, cold storage is one of the most important parts of the frozen food supply chain. The rise in e-commerce and evolution in where food is stored and how it gets to our homes is causing a massive increase in cold storage facilities across the nation. With supply chains becoming more and more complex and increasing in length, it’s more important than ever for providers to ensure that perishable products that are stored in their warehouses are kept within a strict temperature range (normally between -20 degrees Celsius and -28 degrees Celsius). A temperature variation of even a few degrees could ruin hundreds of pallets of food—and cost many thousands of dollars.
Tags: e-commerce, cold storage, frozen storage, 3PL cold storage
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
Why Your Order Pickers Should be More Like Fast Food Workers
March 22, 2018
by Scott Stone
Order picking operations in today’s rapid, ecommerce-driven market are faced with increasing demand and customer expectations on one side, and a fluid labor pool on the other. This isn’t dissimilar to the labor challenges experienced by fast food companies. What can you do to cope with this?
Tags: Robotics, Automation, labor
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
E-Commerce and the 3PL – The Benefits of Teaming Up
March 13, 2018
E-commerce is the driving force for warehouse and shipping industries, so a focus on efficiency of distribution is paramount to gain competitive advantage. Demand is an ever-growing constant, and the movement to appease that demand can produce a strain on an entity wanting to thrive within the E-Commerce world. Multiple factors can either make or break those that want to dive into these waters, but what is an inexperienced company to do? Enter the 3PL, and what it can bring to E-Commerce.
Third-party logistics service providers (3PLs) design their distribution facilities to be flexible and scalable to serve a wide range of clients—capabilities that align well with the needs of growing
E-Commerce ventures. But the advantages don’t stop there. Here’s a look at some of the potential benefits of teaming up with an experienced 3PL:
Tags: 3PL, warehouse, e-commerce, Third Party Logistics
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Three Inexpensive Ways to Reduce Forklift Accidents
March 1, 2018
by Scott Stone
You probably know the stats: Forklifts are extremely common, very productive and likely the most dangerous piece of machinery in any given warehouse. They seriously injure tens of thousands of people a year.
Over its lifespan, most every forklift will be involved in some type of accident. If that involves a pedestrian, the injuries can be ghastly and the costs astronomical. Here are some things we’ve recently looked at to help reduce the chances of such incidents.
Tags: forklift, forklift injury, warehouse accidents
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
So You’ve Decided To Automate Your Facility. What Next?
February 22, 2018
With the rapid increase of the pace of manufacturing and distribution, facilities that automate manual processes will increase their ROI and grow their bottom line. Customer demand is ever increasing, right along with the costs to service that demand. You want your warehouse to deliver faster and more efficient results without sacrificing production. You’re looking at automating components within your facility to produce this change. But how can you really get started?
Tags: Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, distribution center, e-commerce, warehouse productivity
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
The Ergonomics of Flexible Conveyors
February 20, 2018
by Scott Stone
As we have covered previously, conveyors contribute to ergonomics in material handling operations by reducing repetitive lifts, twists, reaching and materials movement that may have been done by hand without them. Eliminating manual lifting and carrying reduces the chances for painful, expensive musculoskeletal injuries. It’s not about the once-in-a-while lift/carry. It’s about the same, repetitive motions over and over.
It’s important that your conveyor is configured correctly to make this work.
Tags: ergonomics, worker safety, loading docks
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
OSHA Requirements for Better Loading Dock Fall Protection
January 23, 2018
by Scott Stone
In warehouses, about 25% of injuries come at or near the loading dock area.
This is usually because it’s such a focal point of any distribution operation—it’s where everything is accepted and put away and where everything eventually processes out. This means that at times the dock will buzz with forklifts, workers on foot and other bursts of activity. It has a natural fall hazard in the edge of the dock. It’s got exposure to elements, meaning that it may have moisture, oils and other trip/slip hazards. When it comes to preventing falls, what are OSHA’s requirements? And what should you do above and beyond them?
Tags: ecommerce, 3PL, Third Party Logistics
Posted in Docks & Shipping|
Smarter Space in the E-Commerce Landscape
January 18, 2018
Online sales will account for 17% of all U.S. retail sales by 2022, up from a projected 12.7% in 2017. As you might imagine, warehouses are suffering from a major capacity crunch. Whereas previously warehouses were organized to handle large volumes of each product, E-commerce orders are characterized by a low quantity of many items or just a singular item. In an e-commerce oriented warehouse, huge quantities of SKUs exist, each needing their own specific storage slots.
Warehouse managers know that inventory levels can fluctuate anytime within a sales season, especially during a holiday when inventory levels are typically at their peak, often double or triple normal levels. Plus, because of the Amazon-effect, consumers are demanding more products with faster and better service, putting additional strain on warehouse space. Because of this growth, many businesses are looking for additional space to distribute and store products, but warehouse real estate is hard to find.
What is a retailer to do? The answer for additional space can be found within the four walls of your current operation.
Tags: warehouse, e-commerce, Order Picking & Fulfillment
Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|
To Move Your 3PL Forward, Harness the Power of Data
January 11, 2018
3PLs frequently serve as the central communication conduit between shippers, carriers, regulatory agencies and other supply chain participants as cargo moves in-bond and from port-to-port. As a result of this pivotal role in the marketplace, they are uniquely positioned to view scenarios that address the best methods to move goods as well as data. Innovative 3PLs are demonstrating that moving information better—re-purposing data, improving accessibility, enhancing visibility and supporting the latest data standards—helps move freight better.
Tags: Material Handling, 3PL, supply chain operations, logistics, Supply Chain, warehouse, Third Party Logistics, data, ecommerce
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|