Above: SAS Automation standardized bag-gripper
Palletizing is a standard material handling application for industrial robots, and bag palletizing is one of the most typical applications. Why? Because bag palletizing is simpler and easier than case palletizing. If your operation requires bag stacking/pallet loading – and you want to improve speed, reduce mistakes, and create a more ergonomic system, here are the things you need to know.
Tags: labor, ergonomics, Robotics
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
Busy, frazzled, distracted, or plain inattentive drivers whose sightlines are impaired may have accidents. They’ll collide with pallet rack posts, building columns, walls, machinery and a variety of other things. Worse, they sometimes hit people. What can you do to increase driver awareness and the ability to see what’s around them?
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Forklifts aren’t cars, and they don’t drive like them.
They don’t brake or accelerate like cars, and they certainly don’t steer like them, yet accidents occur far too often because drivers and pedestrians don’t understand the difference. Pedestrians often misunderstand how forklifts maneuver and the dangers of walking or working around them. Forklifts aren’t dangerous to pedestrians only from the front or rear — they can also hit someone on foot from the side, frequently due to rear-end swings, since forklifts swing wide when they corner.
How can your reduce the chances for this type of accident?
Tags: forklift safety, warehouse accidents
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
When working with palletized goods stored at floor level beneath a rack beam in a typical warehouse, there are significant issues for order pickers who execute these tasks daily, including strains and stresses that can lead to major injuries, down time, and worker compensation expenses.
Tags: ergonomics, Safety & Ergonomics, rack bumper, rolling pallet, pallet truck, positioner
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Distribution is growing — booming, some would say — particularly in larger markets. This trend is being driven by many factors, including a sustained economic recovery and low unemployment rates. Also, e-commerce powers like Amazon are in the midst of one-day or same-day delivery guarantees that require larger, more capable distribution networks that can serve major markets faster and usually within close proximity.
These factors help to create stress on labor shortages in these cities, as newer distribution facilities open and existing ones expand. Add to that, the ongoing woes with skilled labor and a generally aging labor force.
How can you cope with a tight labor market?
Tags: Third Party Logistics, skills gap, labor shortage, ecommerce, 3PL, distribution centers, labor management
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Safety has always been important to warehousing and manufacturing, but in recent years, the emphasis has grown – and it’s no wonder.
The forklift has always been at or near the top of these concerns, due to its common use. There are nearly 900,000 forklifts in use in the United State. Forklift accidents are always in OSHA’s top ten  safety violations lists. But the reality is that despite the dangers they can present, forklifts are indispensable for material handling operations.
We sat down with Randall Chamberlain, assistant manager of Cisco-Eagle’s Safety Automation Group, to discuss some common questions involving ZoneSafe, a proximity detection technology that helps alert drivers that pedestrians are nearby as they do their work.
Tags: OSHA, training, forklift safety, sensors, dock safety
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
As an invaluable tool, they must be operated properly and always with safety in mind. However, that’s not always the case. OSHA statistics reveal there are more than 30,000 serious injuries involving forklifts (and similarly powered vehicles) in the U.S. each year. Approximately 20 percent of those accidents occur when a forklift strikes a pedestrian. This can make the forklift the most dangerous equipment in your facility.
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
You know that your warehouse is critically important to being able to satisfy customers. You know how warehousing mistakes can impact your company’s bottom line, and how excellent warehousing can boost it. You know that a lack of resources can cripple a thriving storage or distribution operation. You also know that there are people in some organizations who don’t understand this.
Communicating the warehouse’s value is almost as important as establishing it.
Tags: distribution centers, return on investment, ROI, Corporate Culture, lean warehousing
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Sometimes you need instant access to supplies, pick order inventory or assembly parts. You don’t want to open a box, carton or drawer – you just want what you need right there within reach. Traditional storage shelving requires adding bins, dividers and more to get that kind of access. There are some excellent alternatives!
Tags: mobile aisle, Rotabin, SpeedCell, High-Density, Shelf Storage, Alternative Shelving
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
Safety and security are critical for warehouses and other industrial facilities. Many times, safety means controlling access to your facility and keeping unauthorized people out of areas where they aren’t allowed. Industrial-strength folding gates make your facilities more secure, but allow frequent, easy access to those who need it. Whether it’s a doorway, hallway, or loading dock, folding gates make warehouses safer. Let’s dive into it.
Tags: dock security, security gates, work environment, Loading dock information
Posted in Security|
