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Palletizing: Analyzing Your Operation

October 29, 2024
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Robotic palletizer system from Premier Tech

Automated palletizing is one of the best places to target automation because the process is so manual and heavy duty for many companies.

Why? Because it helps you reduce one of the least value-add parts of your operation: stacking and creating pallets. Doing that manually makes less sense every passing year for companies that are already working to reduce dependency on an ever-contracting labor pool. To get the process started, start by focusing on your operational needs, customer base and labor factors.

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Give Me a Reason to Stay

September 5, 2024
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pedestrian exit sign in a warehouse

You’ve seen the statistics about labor shortages over the last few years. The reality for recruiters on the ground is more obvious: there have been plenty of no-shows for job interviews (or for the first day of work). Candidates ghost companies throughout the process. You may have to take down a job posting only to put it right back up when someone quits. Particularly for the roles warehousing and manufacturing companies need to hire, the difficulties are real – and only growing.

So how do you attract and keep the right candidates for your company?

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UL 508A Panel Certification: Why It’s Critical for Reliability and Safety

August 22, 2024
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PLC controls panel fabrication facility
Most every automated warehouse system utilizes programmable logic controls control systems that interface between hardware and other software. PLCs easily integrate with other control systems – Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), WMS, WCS and enterprise resource planning software for better monitoring, data collection and overall system management. They provide robust, local and flexible programming that can evolve as needs change.

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Checklist: What to Discover Before Your Automation Project

August 8, 2024
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manager with tablet in warehouse

Initiating an automation project can be daunting. You have to ask for a budget. You have to justify your ideas. Inertia and tradition are your enemies. If you find yourself staring at a blank page, intimidated by the idea of beginning to automate, you’re not alone.

As we have discussed before, there’s no reason you must automate all at once when incremental steps will serve. You can set yourself up for success and start a project with greater confidence with careful thought and planning. What does that process look like?

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Automation: It’s Not All-or-Nothing

July 9, 2024
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manufacturing facility with manual and automated mixed processes

If your operation is mature, up-and-running, and delivering results, is it possible to automate individual steps and achieve excellent ROI? The answer is yes — but only in cases where your process is well-defined and correctly segmented into steps you can analyze for productivity gains. This kind of localized productivity is often the intersection of productivity and automation.

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How to Start Your Palletizer Project

May 23, 2024
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robotic palletizer in action

In this new age of battling labor shortages while increasing throughput, finding the right means is critical. Forward-thinking operations that turn to automated solutions are finding a balance between worker and machine. This balance leads to new heights scaled in terms of productivity and engagement.

One way to enhance an operation in this regard is by implementing palletizers. These systems offer increasing speed, safety and structure of pallet production, but when considering such a solution where should you begin?

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Palletizers: Robotic vs. Conventional

May 7, 2024
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photo of side by side robotic arm palletizer and layer bag palletizer systems

Palletizers are great for higher-volume operations. They increase palletizing speed, increase safety, and build solid, consistent pallets without human intervention. In today’s tough labor market, palletizing is one of the best places to automate and reduce manual involvement. Fully-automated systems come in two basic varieties: conventional and robotic, either of which could be the right fit for your operation.

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Warehouse Automation: The Cost of Doing Nothing

January 18, 2024
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automated facility with AS/RS, conveyors and transport system

People who operate industrial facilities have a difficult task. While the world changes around them, they’re dealing with a static operation that can be difficult to change or revitalize. Sunk costs, funding and organizational inertia can paralyze you at the worst moments. But the reality is that from our supply chains to labor to our customer demand profile, things are always in flux.

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ROI for Warehouse and Manufacturing Automation: A Panel Discussion

December 5, 2023
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WERC North Texas 2023 Automation Panel Discussion

Above: James Murphy moderates a panel discussion on automation return-on-investment with Mitch Smith of Hytrol, Nils Hart of Muratec and Bryan Gauger of Cisco-Eagle

Cisco-Eagle’s Bryan Gauger joined Mitch Smith of Hytrol and Nils Hart of Muratec for a Warehousing Education and Research Council panel on automation projects return-on-investment. The discussion revolved around ROI factors ranging from labor to safety. Because labor and money are both tight, justifying capital expenditures is more important than ever. Here are the panel’s thoughts on critical ROI issues:

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Automation: Starting with a Clean Slate

October 10, 2023
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manual and robotic palletizing.

How should your next automation project be evaluated? In many cases, companies try to replicate a manual processes through automation: if a person once rotated a tote, then picked from it and placed the contents into a container, that’s what the automation does. This kind of solution can provide excellent results, but may not be the optimal solution. What if you began with operational goals in mind that imagine a solution without the manual process?

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