Scott Stone | Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 33
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5 Heavy-Duty Shelving Solutions to Help You Maximize Storage Capacity

June 4, 2014
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industrial heavy duty shelving

When it comes to the storage of industrial equipment, products, and parts, you need a reliable heavy-duty solution. Whether you work in a warehouse, shop, office, or manufacturing facility, a proper system of organization is essential to the way that you keep records, manage inventory, solve problems, and care for your tools.

Here’s a look at 5 industrial shelving solutions that can help you maximize your facility’s storage capacity, ultimately resulting in greater efficiency and workplace productivity: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|

Avoid Common Warehouse Layout Mistakes

May 10, 2014
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diagram of rows of pallet racks in a warehouse

It’s not easy to understand when facility layout is causing significant problems for an operation.

The way the warehouse is planned and laid out can affect everything in a warehouse or distribution facility. You may be suffering from over-forecasted demand for product and under-forecasted need for square footage. Executives may not fully understand what it takes to receive, store and ship orders. What are some of the more common problems when it comes to facility layout?

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Posted in Space Optimization & Planning|

The Fork-Free Warehouse

May 9, 2014
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http://www.cisco-eagle.com/c-1577-conveyor-guardrail.aspx

See Amanda’s White Paper as well.

Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

5 Manufacturing Challenges (or are they Opportunities?)

May 1, 2014
by

Manufacturing at a pipe coating plant

U.S. manufacturing is at a crossroads. After decades of decline, there are signs of a renaissance, with the chance to re-shore more and more manufacturing capacity every year. Some of this is driven by the natural gas energy boom, and the cost of shipping product in vs. making it in America. You also see more companies returning capacity due to the fact that offshoring didn’t always live up to its cost cutting premise. Whatever the reason, American manufacturing now faces the reality of growth, with the challenges and opportunities that brings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manufacturing|

Prevent Forklifts from Cutting Corners

April 24, 2014
by

forklift aisle with striping

forklift aisle with guardrail corners

It’s always dangerous when forklifts and people inhabit the same work areas.

You’ve probably heard the statistics when it comes to the forklift and its safety, but one of the most disturbing is the injury rate compared to incident rate. Forklifts cause just 1% of industrial accidents, but are responsible for a staggering 10% of all injuries in the space. So what can you do to help keep people and industrial traffic separated?

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Warehousing Key Performance Indicators

April 5, 2014
by

order picking cartons at a distribution center

Key performance indicators – KPI’s – are frequently used in general business to evaluate the success of everything from a specific department to an entire enterprise. They focus on strengths and weaknesses. Many warehousing KPI’s tend to be focused on external performance, such as on-time shipments that directly impact customers. This is a good measure, but the need to go deeper and measure the factors that drive those success rates is critical. What are some KPI’s for warehousing operations?

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

WCS vs. WMS: Complementary Warehouse Software

March 16, 2014
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sortation system

A warehouse control system (WCS) directs “real-time” activities within warehouses and distribution centers. They act as a traffic regulator for warehousing activities, with the mission of running material handling systems (and in some instances, the activities of workers). A good WCS system provides a broad, yet consistent interface for material handling systems like conveyors, carousels, palletizers, sorters, etc. On the other hand, a warehouse management system (WMS) is more focused on broader activities, people, and processes, such as shipments and orders. WMS usually doesn’t reach downstream into the automated equipment itself. A WMS is more about controlling human interactions to fulfill or receive product.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Configuring a Forklift Warning Light

March 11, 2014
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Forklift warning light distance settings illustration.

When it comes to pedestrian safety in warehouses, the problem can be plain old attention span

People who aren’t paying attention are at the most risk, particularly those who walk near and around forklifts. People don’t pay attention because they’re busy, worried about deadlines. Or they’re absorbed in their smart phone, or in a conversation with someone. The reasons vary, but when forklifts are involved, the results can be deadly.

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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|

25 Informative Manufacturing & Industrial Profiles to Follow on Twitter

March 6, 2014
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Twitter Logo2014 is shaping up to be a year of transition for the manufacturing sector, with issues in talent development, an aging work force, the re-shoring of manufacturing in some sectors, and the forward moment of automation taking center stage.

Where can you go for the latest in industrial manufacturing news, trends, research, events, and discussions? Social media is one solution. With roughly one billion registered users, Twitter can be an invaluable resource for discovering what distributors, suppliers, publications, consultants, journalists, bloggers, and industry experts are discussing.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Manufacturing|

The Case for a “Supersized” Receiving Area in Your Warehouse

March 3, 2014
by

Dock door in a receiving area

Receiving is an often-overlooked but critical component to warehouse workflow. Receiving  mistakes can flow through every other aspect of your operation.

If you can’t quickly and accurately break down landed shipments and send them to effective putaway, you can sabotage every other aspect of the operation. It has a direct impact on inventory accuracy (and security – in fact receiving is an area of particular vulnerability), throughput, and accurate fulfillment. Too little receiving space tends to become a root cause for many errors and throughput headaches.

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Posted in Docks & Shipping|

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