Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 24
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Vertical Considerations For Automated Programs

October 3, 2019

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

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|

HVLS Fans, Air Flow and High-Bay Warehouse Racks

September 17, 2019

direct drive fans mounted in a pallet rack aisle

HVLS fans are an ideal way to make warehouses and other industrial facilities more comfortable and reduce the cost of air conditioning, but they usually can’t be installed above pallet racks, which dominate the floor spaces of most warehouses.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Navigating Your Way to Warehouse Savings

September 10, 2019

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|

How to Increase Conveyor Longevity

September 3, 2019

Conveyor system in an assembly application
Conveyors–as we’ve discussed–have two major costs:

  1. The cost of conveyor hardware, which should include installation.
  2. The cost of operations, which should include maintenance, repair and energy consumption.

When you invest in capital equipment, you should be as focused on operational costs as purchase price. Part of that is extending the life of your conveyor system. How can you make sure you get the most out of your conveyors?

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

Small Order – Big Problem

August 20, 2019

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|

How Well do Your Forklift Drivers See?

August 13, 2019

Forklift driver with obstructed view
When forklifts transport large loads across a busy warehouse full of people, visibility is perhaps the most critical safety concern.

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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|

E-Commerce Propels 2019 Distribution Center Metrics Study

August 6, 2019

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|

Hytrol Relationship Focus: EDC’s Order Fulfillment System

August 1, 2019


Cisco-Eagle designed and implemented a modern order fulfillment system for Educational Development Corporation that dramatically increased order picking speed, reduced errors and allowed the company to expand. In this video, EDC’s Randall White, Jimmy Cleveland and Craig White explain why partnership with Cisco-Eagle and Hytrol was so critical to the project’s success.

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

Shoptalk Interview: Seismic Regulations And Your Warehouse

July 18, 2019

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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