Warehousing Insights | Material Handling Systems - Part 43
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Ergonomic Safety Tips for the Warehouse

April 2, 2015

Warehouse workers

Everyday functions of most warehouses and industrial operations fall within the realm of manual material handling–constant lifting, bending, stretching, reaching, pushing and otherwise manipulating materials by physical force. People are moving cartons, picking orders, reaching for packing materials and performing other tasks. Manual material handling contributes to musculoskeletal disorders, to the tune of more than 500,000 reported annual reported cases of strains and stress in shoulders, backs, arms and legs.

While you can never eliminate it, you can reduce the worst aspects of it. Let’s dive into some ways.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

10 Ways to Improve Order Picking Productivity

March 31, 2015

warehouse order picking

Like the Paul Simon song goes, there are 50 ways to pick an order—except in reality there are far more.

With such a variety of methods, processes, technologies and equipment options out there, it can be challenging to determine the best ways to improve order processing efficiency and productivity. In this article, LIDD’s Charles Fallon discusses 10 ways for distribution center managers to boost their order picking crew’s performance.
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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

Advantages of Modular Buildings in the Warehouse

March 17, 2015

Modular Building

In the past year I’ve toured manufacturing facilities that have office space right on the plant floor.  Those offices had been added as the company grew and needed more supervisors or engineers on the floor. They were using modular offices, of course. Later, I was fortunate to attend a training session on modular offices done by one of our suppliers, and it was amazing the forethought and engineering that goes into these modular buildings.

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Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|

Which Carton Flow Type Fits Your Application?

March 5, 2015

gravity rack each pick in a warheouse

Carton flow expedites pick operations by making stock accessible in an easily replenished first-in/first-out pattern. Gravity flow racks can reduce labor costs up to 75% in pick operations compared to static storage picking by delivering cartons and split case goods to the pick aisle rather pickers pulling from the static pallet rack storage. It is a commonly used storage/picking method in many operations, but there are many options and types of flow storage available. Which fits your need best?

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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

How Many Order Picking Errors Go Unreported?

March 3, 2015

voice directed order picking

Most operations maintain at least some numbers on the most critical aspects of the business. For order picking operations, you might track number of orders picked per day, hours per pick, cost-per-pick, on-time rates — and error rates. The question is this: how accurate are those numbers? For instance, if your system reports 50 order picking errors a week, does that represent half your errors? All of them? Most of them? It’s can be difficult to understand.

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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

When to Use Lift-Out Guardrails

February 24, 2015

lift-out steel guard rail
Steel guard rail is one of the best–and most economical–accident prevention tools in a facility’s safety arsenal. It helps keep workers safe from forklift traffic, protects valuable equipment from potential damage, and even guards ends of pallet rack rows. But there may be times when you need forklift or cart access to protected areas (or simply don’t want to step over or around railing). How do you handle those situations? How often are you having to remove your guard rail and then reassemble? There’s a better way available — lift-out rail systems.

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Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|

Video: Tips for Safer Pallet Rack Operations

February 11, 2015

This short video details some common-sense tactics for safer pallet rack operations. Remember, pallet racks are designed for specific capacities and loads. If you are working on a rack application and aren’t sure of any of your load factors, contact us for assistance today. Also see our related infographic: “Safer Rack Operations”.

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Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|

Choosing a Replacement Electric Motor

February 10, 2015

conveyor motor with C face

When your conveyor motor stops working, do you know what you need to know to replace it quickly? How do you even know what the original motor was rated?

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Posted in Conveyor Optimization|

10 Transportation Management Solution Considerations to Include in Your Logistics Strategy

February 3, 2015

Transportation management

Transportation management solutions are no longer just for moving freight at the lowest possible cost. Companies are using effective transportation management as a competitive advantage tool in the ever-challenging economic and commercial landscape. Additionally, shippers are now seeing both internal and outsourced transportation management solutions less as a commodity and more as a collaborative relationship between themselves and carriers as well as third party logistics services providers (3PLs).

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Posted in Docks & Shipping|

The Fundamentals: High Profile Span-Track Carton Flow Tracks

January 22, 2015

High Profile Span Track Carton Flow

 What is high profile Span-Track?

UNEX’s high profile Span-Track was the first full-width roller track in the industry. Span-Track made its debut in 1992 and revolutionized the carton flow industry. High profile Span-Track increases efficiency by providing better flow, fewer hang-ups, and greater storage density than the alternatives—plastic wheel rails or other carton flow solutions.

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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|

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