Whether you’re running a metal fabrication shop or laser cutting center, or stocking raw materials for manufacturing, sheet metal storage can make you faster. It makes the stock easier to reach, protects valuable materials and prevents injuries. However, the wrong solution means injuries, wasted time and damaged materials. In this article, I’m covering a range of solutions, from simple floor stacking to semi-automated carousels, analyzing for fit, safety, access and cost.
Posted in Manufacturing|
In 2025, the U.S. labor market is undergoing a significant demographic shift. Approximately 4.18 million Americans reach retirement age this year (about 11,400 turn 65 each day). The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the labor force will grow at a modest 0.4% annually from 2023 to 2033, reaching 173.3 million by 2033. The problem: we’ll need to fill 192 million job openings, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Posted in Industry Insights|
Cisco-Eagle named its inaugural Core Values award winners in June 2025. These are employee-owners who embody our core values–the principles we aspire to. Those values were established over thirty years ago and remain unchanged since. “They are universal and timeless,” said CEO Darein Gandall. Our founder, Warren Gandall, has often said that he wants to treat his suppliers, customers and employees the way he wants to be treated.
Our values reflect that vision, and so do the 2025 winners of these awards.
Posted in ESOP & Company News|
Loading and unloading pallet conveyors with forklifts is an everyday, all-day task.
Done right, it’s fast and efficient. Done wrong, product damage, collisions, injuries, and workflow bottlenecks happen. I’ve seen it in dozens of warehouses, even in highly automated operations, and most of them tend to bridge the shipping dock and the end conveyor lines with forklifts (these days, AGVs and AMRs often do this work). Pallets are large, heavy and in motion when they’re transported on conveyors. That combination of size, pressure and movement can result in damage or injuries when not properly controlled.
Tags: forklifts, conveyor safety
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Just how many pallets can you store in a 100′ x 100′ area? It can range from not that many–X with selective racks that let you pick or place any pallet at any time–or “Y” using incredibly dense, using pallet flow or drive-in systems that restrict how and when you can access pallets. The balance between storage density and selectivity is always critical, but there are other factors in play: cost, efficiency and safety.
Tags: Space Optimization
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
As we mentioned last month, you can expect increases in 2025 shipping costs and fees, particularly in the heavy package sector. What else can you expect in 2025 in the manufacturing, warehousing and distribution spaces?
Posted in Industry Insights|
Above: Belt conveyors hang from the ceiling of a busy e-commerce distribution center, feeding shipping operations from a pick module while leaving the space below for traffic and shipping activities.
Conveyor systems transform picking, transport, assembly, and more, but occupy space in fixed positions. Tight layouts, low ceilings, facility structures and equipment compromise and compete for that square footage.  Don’t worry, though—there are creative ways to work circumvent those limitations–and in some cases make them strengths.
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Tags: Automation, shipping, labor
Posted in Industry Insights|
Truck drivers often need to enter warehouses when they deliver or pick up shipments. When they do, many warehouses have installed secure driver cages that let the driver into the facility, but not into the building at large. This can seem “driver-unfriendly” because they contain the driver. However, there are good reasons to install them while ensuring drivers have a good experience at your facility.
Tags: warehousing, dock security
Posted in Docks & Shipping|
Most pallet rack systems are installed with a starter-adder design, which shares a common rack upright between consecutive storage bays. The alternative is a double-post rack system, where each bay has two independent uprights. Most of the time, starter-adder is used because it’s more economical and uses space more efficiently.
Given that it’s costlier and uses more space, why–and where–would you use a double-post design?
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
