Cisco-Eagle has promoted Eric Zuniga to Applications Specialist according to Systems Integration Manager Bryan Gauger.

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Conveyor systems with shoe sorters are the go-to method for carton or parcel handling divert applications, but aren’t limited to just those types of loads. Shoe sorters are gentle with the product, fast and reliable with lower maintenance than other sortation options. What are the best applications for shoe sorter conveyors?

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Automated equipment was a fast-growing sector before the pandemic, but is gathering more momentum and acceptance as companies face labor shortages and increased demand. Forging a more efficient environment means embracing automation–it’s inevitable.

With more instances of machine and man working together happening every day in a warehouse, one factor any facility wants to target is keeping your workers safe around this new automation. While education and training are important routes for this, implementing safety systems also adds protection. One way to not only protect your workers but also your investment is by using machine guarding systems.

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The pressure on companies of all types to continuously ship faster and more efficiently has grown, particularly in the age of increased e-commerce, an extremely tight labor market and Covid-19 restrictions. Increased demand also affects retail distribution as companies work to develop effective delivery channels outside traditional ship-to-store.

The core mission of these operations is parcel shipping–an old art with new twists.

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As we navigate through a vaccination-ramped up world, many potential workers that either had tough choices to make or were left behind are now in demand by virtually all industries. The labor pool has shrunk, and many companies are finding the acquiring of talent a massive headache. Those roles within a warehouse that would otherwise be much easier to fill are requiring effort and enticement never needed before to bring in potential employees.

Warehouse employment is at an all-time high, so how can you sell your facility as an interesting and exciting place to work at? We review some options.

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Buffers can be found in most warehouses and manufacturing facilities, and they take many forms. You can build buffers into racks, floor space, conveyors or external storage areas like truck trailers. When you need to temporarily store materials before they enter putaway, shipment, kitting, processing, or another production process, what are some of the best design, equipment specification and usage practices?

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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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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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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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Maybe you’ve reached a point in your business where automation seems inevitable. You have to scale up to keep up, and you need new technology. We advise companies on this transition, and it can start with smaller changes than you might think. But if you haven’t broken the seal yet, you might be wondering: how do I discuss this with my employees?

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