Tags: warehousing, shelving, plant safety, Inventory protection
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
For manufacturing and distribution operations, workplace safety doesn’t just protect workers—it optimizes productivity and helps drive revenue growth. It also helps protect company assets, reduces downtime, and increases morale. What can you do to protect your employees in picking, packing, material handling, assembly, maintenance and similar work? To answer this question, we spoke with leading manufacturers and distributors. Here’s what they had to say: Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Hytrol, industrial safety, Unex, ergonomics, WireCrafters
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Waste might be the most critical measure for manufacturing operations – waste of labor, materials, time and money. Many companies are faced with nearly constant pressure to cut costs and increase efficiency, even as demand spikes. This means reducing costs without compromising quality or throughput. What are some things you can do to balance these needs?
Tags: lean manufacturing, ROI, Cost Reduction, assembly, cost-of-goods
Posted in Manufacturing|
Your conveyors are the unsung hero of your facility, delivering product quickly and efficiently at the push of a button (or automatically in many cases) where it’s needed, when it’s needed. Most people don’t think about their conveyors and automated equipment much, but if it breaks down, you suddenly can’t think of much else. You simply can’t afford downtime when material handling equipment is delivering your core business.
Tags: Conveyor, service, conveyor maintenance, repairs
Posted in Conveyor Optimization|
Do areas of your facility require constant temperatures? Are your employees dealing with significant seasonal temperature variations? These situations all require special conditions – often conditions that are hard to control with people and equipment moving in and out all the time. Let’s examine some climate control options outside the world of HVAC equipment.
Tags: fans, high-speed doors, mesh door, HVLS, high volume low speed, high velocity, industrial fan, climate control, air circulation, destratification, ventilation, heating, work environment, cooling
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
A fulfillment center with row upon row of pallet racks. Eight dock doors occupy one wall of the building, some for receiving, some for shipping. Pick workers work in the rack aisles pushing carts and pallet jacks loaded with picked orders. Other pick workers have empty totes on carts for pulling orders. Fork trucks stock pallet rack and pull bulk stock for large orders. Dock doors are left open much of the time, even when there’s no trailer at the dock.
How many potential safety risks can you envision in this scenario? How do you prevent those from happening?
Tags: safety sensors, motion detection, infrared, technology
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Somewhere in your facility, there may be a place where someone frequently shouts “shut the door!”
Perhaps you have operations that require maintaining temperatures within certain limits. There may also be areas heavy-traffic areas where a conventional overhead door’s slow lift and close rates cause delays, slower throughput and cause reduced productivity from waiting on a door to open.
These are situations where a high-speed door may solve a variety of problems. From limiting airborne debris, dust and contaminant infiltration to temperature regulation, high-speed doors pick up the pace in your facility even as they limit the amount of exposure to negative environmental influences. They open and close so quickly that forklifts and people hardly need wait on the door in order to pass through the doorway. Let’s take a few minutes to explore the types and key features of high-speed doors.
Tags: collision, forklift, high-speed door, vinyl mesh door, aluminum frame, steel frame, stainless steel frame, self-repair
Posted in Docks & Shipping|
Incentive programs are surprisingly common for industrial operations, and they can produce significant savings, quality increases and improved employee satisfaction – if the program is built correctly. In manufacturing, assemblers are often incentivized for quality and speed. In warehousing, it can be reduced product damage, pick rates, error rates or any number of other categories. When companies build out these programs, there are opportunities to create great value. How are companies going about this?
Tags: labor, ROI, industrial, Incentives, warehouse workers, bonus programs, personnel
Posted in Manufacturing|
Things get a little messy sometimes in most industrial facilities. Or a lot messy.
Areas where sprays and aerosols are used aren’t friendly to the rest of the operation, but they also need to exist in the same facility. Perhaps thermal zones are needed where there was once plenty of space. Welding stations may be in areas more highly populated with other workers. Amongst all these considerations is also the fluidity of your operations as the company grows and changes. Are permanent solutions (walls) the right answer?
Tags: thermal walls, privacy screen, vinyl walls, curtain walls, welding screens, acoustic panels
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Warehouse security is sometimes slighted – other than perhaps exterior door locks and perhaps alarms. Security professionals will tell you that security is substantially about access to desirable items. How can you limit it? Let’s take a look at security equipment that can reduce temptation and help to keep vandals away from expensive exterior equipment.
Tags: woven, welded, mesh, expanded steel, security cabinet, truck, security products, wire cage, wire partition
Posted in Security|
