Evan Fleishacker | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 9
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Robots and a Safe Environment

March 19, 2020
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robot worker with safety paneling

In this new age of warehouse or facility labor shortage, more and more companies are turning to automation and robotics to help fill in the gap and increase productivity as well. With e-commerce showing no signs of slowing and innovative supply chains being rewarded, you can bet that companies embracing this new dawn are showing better ROI and efficiency. One aspect of adopting robotic help for your warehouse to review is that of safety. While the overall safe environment you provide to your operations is crucial, when adding robotics or automation to the mix it requires a new set of ideas and priorities to ensure your workers and ‘bots can coexist.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Warehousing and the Millennial Worker

February 20, 2020
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warehouse workers reviewing a whiteboard plan

As the progression of baby boomer retirees continues–at a blistering pace of 10,000 each day–all industries are feeling the pressure to attract the younger generation. Not only is this need growing, but in terms of keeping up with the faster pace of business, it’s paramount. Warehousing is no different and faces the tough task of keeping millennial (and younger) workforces interested in walking through its doors for the long haul.

Just how do warehouse operators attract qualified hires from the millennial generation? What are some ways not only to bring in these employees–but retain them?

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Shoptalk: How Does AisleCop Work?

December 10, 2019
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AisleCop Explanation

In this installment of Cisco-Eagle’s Shoptalk series, Markus explains how our AisleCop forklift safety system works to prevent dangerous pedestrian-forklift accidents in aisles, blind crossing and other dangerous areas in a facility.

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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|

Finding Hidden Warehouse Capacity

October 15, 2019
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Distribution Center Mezzanine
Out of space? You are not alone. With increasing SKUs and inventory levels, many warehouse operators are staging products in the aisles, using outside storage, and mixing SKUs in locations. All of this lowers labor productivity and impacts quality. So, where is the hidden capacity in your warehouse?

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Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|

Vertical Considerations For Automated Programs

October 3, 2019
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Distribution Center Mezzanine

With e-commerce operations moving at an ever-increasing pace, you must take every advantage to meet consumer expectations. You not only want to save the customer time on their order, but also gain manufacturing and processing time by doing so. With careful consideration and a robust process, each aspect at play in a distribution center or warehouse could be an opportunity to save seconds.

To maximize every advantage, more facilities are turning towards automation to meet those strong demands. By utilizing automation, a distribution center can provide a more flexible and efficient environment in addition to more accurate orders delivered on time. The ability to scale and grow with automation is also an attractive one. But to jump headfirst into the automation process is a daunting task, and can cause an operations manager cause for concern. Two overlooked areas that can become a “tipping point” for this process are mezzanines and VRCs.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Storage Wars: Buying Pallet Rack In The Age Of Tariffs

September 26, 2019
by

Pallet Rack

The only constant is change in today’s global economy. Many companies and operations are waiting with bated breath to see which way the prevailing tariff winds will blow. Warehouses are especially on edge about all of this, considering how international supply chains and manufacturing has become. One area of concern coming up is that of pallet racks. In the past, a facility could take the chance on a lower-cost imported with the understanding that although the quality isn’t the same, costs may be lower. Now, with tariffs looming, what should you look for in thinking of replacing foreign rack?

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Navigating Your Way to Warehouse Savings

September 10, 2019
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warehouse

Today’s warehouse managers are fighting growing inventory levels, dealing with increased SKUS, and managing higher frequency of tiny orders. Dealing with this daily grind many often have no time to find or fix operational issues. If your company is not fortunate enough to have a team of industrial engineers, you could be missing many opportunities.

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Small Order – Big Problem

August 20, 2019
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e-commerce warehouse

E-commerce sales continue to account for the majority of the retail sales, but it is not getting any easier on the distribution/fulfillment center operations managers. There continues to be an increase in the number of SKUs and orders with one to three lines. In addition, with growing supply chain lead-time concerns, impacted by Tariff changes, inventory levels are rising! This makes the job even harder for operations managers.

The 2019 Holidays are fast approaching and this only means more on-line order volumes and marketing pushes with even more new SKUs. Not to mention ‘Cyber Monday’ and other key seasonal dates spiking volumes considerably. Add to this the continuing retail trend for multi-channel fulfillment, such as allowing customers to order an item online or inside a store, and having it delivered from the distribution center to the store for the customer to pick-up.

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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

E-Commerce Propels 2019 Distribution Center Metrics Study

August 6, 2019
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distribution center dock area

The annual DC Velocity/WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council) DC Metrics Survey is out for 2019. This research is conducted every year and offers us insight into what measurements are most critical according to DC managers. As we know, the only constant is change, and this year showcases how e-commerce pushed accuracy and capacity to the forefront of DC managers’ minds.

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Shoptalk Interview: Seismic Regulations And Your Warehouse

July 18, 2019
by

ASRS

Buying standard storage racks for quick-shipment from a manufacturer used to be the norm. You relied on stocked inventory, but this is occurring less and less as racking becomes more specialized and regulations stricter. Today’s storage rack systems are generally considered a building-like element, and as such must meet a slew of regulations.  While these emerging ordinances are continuing to evolve, they can generate considerable headaches for even the most seasoned warehouse manager.  You should seek expert guidance from a qualified design professional whenever the racking, foundation, or warehouse infrastructure must accommodate unusual stress, loading, function, or other non-standard factors.

To help you stay up to date with changing requirements and regulation, we discuss how partnering with an expert can help to ensure durable, cost-effective, compliant storage rack with Arlin Keck, an engineer at Steel King Industries, a designer and manufacturer of warehouse storage racks, pallet racks and material handling/safety products since 1970.

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

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