Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 26
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What to Do When You Can’t Air Condition Your Warehouse

May 14, 2019

hot warehouse with sunlight

If you run a warehouse, you’re keenly aware of how hot and uncomfortable it can get on a scorching July afternoon—and you also know how much that affects your workforce, their comfort, their error rates and their ability to get things done. Installing air conditioning may not be feasible for every industrial facility, but there are alternatives.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Carousels & Ecommerce

May 8, 2019

Vertical Carousels
Once an afterthought in the warehouse, vertical carousels are being reborn in the omnichannel age as a fulfillment finish line product. Retailers are eyeing carousels to help them aid in customer retrieval of picked orders shipped to a retail location, which is giving the carousel a “moment” as a new last-mile darling. Whether located in the back of the store for employees to use, or at the front for customers to pick up themselves, vertical carousels are showing to be a good fit for this new age of sales. But don’t sleep on their value in industrial settings or distribution channels.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

Conveyors in Difficult Environments

May 2, 2019

Conveyor in a dusty manufacturing area
Conveyors are essential for manufacturing operations, but in some areas where they are exposed to dust, airborne debris, moisture or chemicals, there may be issues with their mechanical components. These environmental factors impact performance, equipment lifespan, maintenance burdens and safety, but can be dealt with if the conveyor is properly designed, used and maintained. Let’s dive into these issues.

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

Load the Barbell: Heavy Lifting Options

April 18, 2019

jib crane

When you need to move heavy loads, you want equipment that offers the flexibility of a CrossFitter with the power of a power-lifting beast. Lifting heavy loads is no small feat, and understanding which option will work best for your facility, plant, or warehouse will keep your lifts in good form without sacrificing strength.

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Posted in Lifting & Lift Systems|

How to Reduce Warehouse Noise

April 16, 2019

manufacturing worker with earplugs

Anyone who works in a production facility or distribution center knows how loud these places are. The sound of forklifts, the constant whirr of conveyors, the thrum of generators, and the steady beat of all things mechanized can be overwhelming. There are also specific, distracting noise producers, such as small engines, stampers, and generators. Over time, people adapt to this environment, “tuning out” noise as much as possible.

Research from the National Institutes of Health is clear: sound affects productivity. It’s also unsafe on a number of levels for industrial workers.

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How Heat Saps Warehouse Productivity, Causes Errors and Reduces Retention

April 2, 2019

shop floor in heat
Warehouses, shop floors, and manufacturing facilities can be difficult environments for workers, and heat makes it even harder. Hot days and hard work conspire to reduce productivity and increase errors. We’ve found some research that spells out exactly how much, and have some recommendations to reduce the issues.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Climb Towards Ladder Safety

March 26, 2019

ladder safety month

With OSHA statistics showing that every year more than 100 workers are fatally injured of suffering disabling injuries in ladder-related accidents, it makes sense to take time in your facility to educate and train workers on safe ladder operation procedures. This month, the American Ladder Institute (ALI) is sponsoring its annual National Ladder Safety Month to promote ladder safety at work and home.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Crossing Conveyor Lines: The Options

March 19, 2019

conveyor cross over choices

The extensive conveyor lines that snake through many distribution facilities allow operations to transport, buffer and direct loads in a way that takes the best possible advantage of space. These conveyor systems are essentially the core around which a lean, efficient material handling operation is built, but they also create barriers to people moving around the facility since they can block the flow of foot traffic.

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

Pretty Much Everything Rolls on Casters

March 14, 2019

caster wheel

Casters are the unsung heroes of the material handling world. Whether you operate a warehouse, facility or plant, you utilize casters every day in your distribution or manufacturing environment.

When you take the time to review your production environment and the types of casters available to you, it is possible to save money, enhance safety and boost production by choosing the right products from the start. This step-by-step guide will aid you in finding the best caster solutions for your workplace.

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Posted in Material Handling|

Light-Directed Assembly for Manufacturing

March 5, 2019

manufacturing pick to light workstation
The advantages of pick-to-light for order fulfillment are well-documented: you can pick faster and more accurately without the burden of tickets or voice-activated systems. Your workforce can be trained in a fraction of the time, in a “fast food” type experience. It’s a technology that has found broader applications in many distribution centers simply because it’s a fast, easy way to improve.

Light-directed systems may have a more positive impact on assembly than they do on order picking.

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Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|

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