2021 | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 4
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How to Make Packing More Efficient

April 6, 2021
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Automated packing area for an ecommerce distribution center, pick-to-totes operation.

Above: in this automated e-commerce distribution center, picks are packed into cartons from totes on the conveyor line. Because conveyors deliver the totes directly to workers, and the work is executed at ergonomic heights, the process is fast and efficient.

Order fulfillment is only as fast as its slowest function, and packing–often the last stop before shipping–can be a bottleneck. We’ve analyzed many operations that underestimated the needs of the packing department from the start, while others realized over time that new requirements, new SKUs and order volumes that were fine at go-live eventually bogged the packing function. It’s not unusual for picking processes to react faster and better to these conditions than the packing area.

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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

A Guide to Workstation Reach Zones

March 23, 2021
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assembly line with integrated conveyors and workstations.

You should always analyze the economy of movement for repetitive tasks like assembly, packing, picking and repair. Imagine reaching to the same shelf, for the same carton, to pull the same part. How many times a shift does someone make that reach? How many working days a year? How many years? Shaving time and effort off a simple repetitive motion can shave time off your process and improve ergonomics over the years.

To do that, look at how many times–and places–your people reach for things on a daily basis.

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Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|

Shoptalk: Vertical Conveyor Safety Gates and Enclosures

March 16, 2021
by

man using yellow gate on VRC loaded with boxes

Vertical reciprocating conveyors—or VRCs—make it easy to move materials between levels, such as onto a mezzanine or down to basement storage. As you might expect, this equipment involves enclosures and access features for optimum safety. In this installment of our Shoptalk series, employee-owner Christine Perry offers a quick look at these features.

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Posted in Lifting & Lift Systems|

Download Our Guide To Workstations

March 9, 2021
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workstation

Ergonomics in the warehouse is a constant focus that each operation looks to improve. You want your workers to perform better each day while reducing factors that contribute to missed time and injuries. One way to achieve this is by adding workbenches to your facility. When built to the right specifications, workbenches help people work faster, more accurately and more ergonomically. That’s why we’ve added a new guide to workstations.

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Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|

Download Our Guide To Warehouse Security

March 4, 2021
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warehouse security layout

Every facility fights a constant battle to keep its equipment and product safe and secure from theft. You want to maintain access for high-value items while also limiting availability to only those that really need to handle them. Our new guide to industrial security is here to help you find the right security options to fit your operations.

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Posted in Security|

Integrating Conveyors and Industrial Lifts

March 2, 2021
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scissor lift for pallet handling in a conveyor line.
Above: scissor lift/rotator at the end of pallet conveyor line

Conveyors and scissor lifts are frequently integrated due to the fact that it’s such an efficient way to manipulate loads along a conveyor line. Loads can be lifted, raised or rotated on a lift table for a variety of activities. When you need to actively work on a conveyed item, it’s ideal. Here’s how to go about it.

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Posted in Lifting & Lift Systems|

Pallet Rack Safety: Preventable Risks

February 16, 2021
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warehouse worker and pallet rack aisles.

Pallet racks are safe and stable storage for pallets and bulk loads in warehouses, factories and other facilities, but you should be aware of the kind of dangers they pose when misapplied, modified or neglected. In any safety program, you’re always looking for risks you can prevent. What are some avoidable risks when it comes to pallet rack?

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Floor Matting For Ergonomic Protection

February 11, 2021
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ergonomic mat in use

As with all equipment in your facility, your workers are important parts of the operations process and the bottom line. Keeping them safe is always a high priority, but just as important is making sure they can be comfortable (or at least as comfortable as allowed) so that performance and productivity have less of a chance of faltering.  You want to protect the human body from unnecessary strain and stress in all situations, but while standing is an area easy to offer help and reduce fatigue.

Applying the use of anti-fatigue mats throughout your facility can not only aid in this never-ending quest to protect workers but also enhance areas not thought of as important for continuous care.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Where to Add Warehouse Guardrails

February 9, 2021
by

Hallway with guardrail lining the walls for safer operations.

Facility safety for many warehouses focuses on industrial traffic and vehicles like forklifts or stackers, and no wonder—the damage that a simple mistake can do, and the people that can be harmed—is considerable. There are many varieties of guardrail systems, and they all function a little differently but have the same role: solid protection for a critical area when all else fails.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

How to Specify and Design Dock Door Security Cages

February 2, 2021
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Driver access cage securing a warehouse personnel door.

Dock door security cages are used to control access to warehouse facilities, docks and receiving areas where drivers, service workers and others enter a building. They are typically 2 or 3-sided and cover a dock’s personnel access door while allowing truck drivers and other visitors to enter the facility, but not the warehouse and general storage or production areas. This lets you admit visitors (or not) as your security and safety rules dictate.

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Posted in Docks & Shipping|

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