OSHA estimates 85 deaths, 35,000 serious injuries, and another 62,000 non-serious injuries. More than 11% of forklifts are involved in these accidents every year, meaning that the forklift in your warehouse is statistically destined to have an accident before it goes out of service.
Almost 40% of forklift-related accidents involve a pedestrian
And this doesn’t take into account the accidents that damage property, but don’t hurt people. Forklift-to-forklift collisions, or forklift colliding with warehouse racks aren’t included in these numbers if people aren’t injured.
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Tags: collision avoidance, Automation, warehouse safety, forklift safety, sensors
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics, Warehousing, Material Handling, Docks & Shipping, AisleCop| No Comments »
When you are considering an automated picking solution, you have lots of choices. One of the more frequent comparisons is between horizontal carousels and VLM’s – vertical lift modules. Both promise similar efficiency gains: they bring products to pickers rather forcing pickers to move to picking stations in shelving or racks. But which is best? That depends on what set of criteria you use, and what’s important to you.
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Tags: picking systems, warehouse technology, Automation
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment, Conveyor, Automation, Safety & Ergonomics, Material Handling| No Comments »
Sortation systems in distribution is application driven – typically we are talking about order fulfillment (retail, wave pre-sorting, inbound putaway sorts), shipping (end of line carrier sortation, ship to stores), and returns. Traditional sweep sorters, cross-belt, narrow slat & shoe, or belt sorters are often thought of as “for the big guys” in large operations. SpanTech’s new TranSorter is different, and it’s rolling out at Modex 2012. A sneak peek video below:
The TranSorter is built for hard to sort items, such as fragile items that require different handling. It’s good for ultra-lightweight items, poly bags, etc. It’s scalable, flexible, and affordable due to truly modular design, a world of layout possibilities, and competitive pricing. It can also deploy quickly, with 6-8 week delivery times and a couple days installation time. If you’re planning to attend Modex, check it out.
Tags: conveyor systems, sortation conveyor, Factory Automation, Automation, Material Handling
Posted in Cross Docking, Conveyor, News, Docks & Shipping, Pallet and Industrial Racks, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Automation, Warehousing, Material Handling| No Comments »
The end of a manufacturing or distribution line is where the rubber meets the road for many operations. It’s potentially the last place where you have direct control of your product before it ships to retailers or direct customers. It’s where you can add a lot of value…or spoil a lot of value. The end of the line in many ways is more important to your company’s image as all its public relations, its websites, its brochures. It is often where your reputation can be made.
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Tags: Automation, Packaging, palletizing, Conveyor, Robotics
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Material Handling, Palletizers, Docks & Shipping, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Automation, Robotics| No Comments »
It’s important to control costs in your operation. What are some warehousing cost-cutting methods you can employ that don’t require extensive investment or re-tooling? Most of the costs of warehousing operations fall into the following categories:
- People
- Real Estate, Utilities & other Fixed Costs
- Inventory
- Technology
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Tags: employees, ergonomics, ROI, Warehouse Management, Automation, labor management, LCS
Posted in Lifts, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Safety & Ergonomics, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Material Handling| No Comments »
In this video, a Fanuc robot is executing mixed-load palletizing of beer cases at a distribution center.
In this operation, differently-sized beer cases are conveyed to the robot to fulfill a specific order. Since the cases vary by width, length, and height, their dimensional information is sent to the robot by the WMS (warehouse management system). The robot utilizes mixed-load palletizing software to determine the best pattern to build a pallet with the available products, achieving high density and stack stability with rapid speed.
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Tags: order fulfillment, Robotics, alcohol distribution, Automation
Posted in Warehousing, Supply Chain, Material Handling, Palletizers, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Robotics, Conveyor, Automation| No Comments »
The Integrated Systems and Controls (ISC) Council of Material Handling Industry of America has released a new report titled An Evaluation of Operational Performance in Warehousing, Distribution and Manufacturing., and it has some interesting information for those who operate warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing, and commercial operations.
The key thing? You’re still being asked to squeeze more value from your operation – and you need to be able to do it with fewer resources.
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Tags: industrial storage, warehouse technology, Automation
Posted in Material Handling, Sustainability, Conveyor, Order Picking & Fulfillment, News, Automation, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Supply Chain| No Comments »
When you are moving items such as cartons, bins, or components through a facility, several methods are available. Most of the time the choice is between non-powered carts & trucks or conveyors, whether power or gravity. (If you’re moving pallets, there are other methods and issues). Generally, conveyors deliver a less manual, safer operation with added efficiency across the board. Products are moved faster and fewer employees are required to accomplish the same tasks. Conveyors minimize fatigue and reduce potential manual lifting injuries. This improved handling has the potential to reduce worker compensation claims and expenses
But when do you make the leap from a manual, cart-driven system to a conveyor transport system?
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Tags: warehousing, carts, lean manufacturing, lean warehousing, Conveyor, ROI, Automation
Posted in ROI, Order Picking & Fulfillment, Safety & Ergonomics, Warehousing, Manufacturing, Material Handling, Conveyor, Space Optimization & Planning, Automation, Docks & Shipping| No Comments »
A few months ago, we posted a Guide to Vertical Reciprocating Conveyors (you might find it useful if you’re looking at any application that moves a load up and down at least one level integrated with a shaft, mezzanine or other area). That guide includes the following questions, should be helpful as you move ahead with your project.
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Tags: Material Handling, vertical lifts, vrc, mezzanine lifts, Automation, warehousing
Posted in Warehousing, Material Handling, Lifts, Automation| No Comments »
We’re preparing to release the latest Cisco-Eagle publication: “10 Ways to use Material Handling to Increase Security.” It’s common sense that the way you store, handle, segment, and track inventory has a great deal to do with security. Material handling is important because it’s a persistent, passive enhancement to regular security procedures and equipment. Material handling certainly doesn’t replace guards, careful hiring, a culture of honesty, and camera systems, but it can make all of them better.
- Store the most valuable, highest risk inventory & tools in secure areas
- Secure palletized loads, even when stored in racks
- Tightly control dock door access
- Secure valuable inventory as early as possible after receiving it, and prior to shipment
- Enhance security with automated material handling systems
- Lay out your plant with security considerations in mind
- Utilize cycle counts, irregular monitoring to detect & deter pilferage
- Separate staging areas from loading & shipping docks
- Secure inventory “where it sits” during receiving
- Erect a barrier between shipping and receiving doors
Sadly, most industrial operations suffer more from employee-based pilferage, since they don’t face shoplifters or other intruders. There is a fully developed industrial security area relating to material handling on our website, with articles, products, specifications, links and more information. Check it out. If you want to receive a copy of the upcoming paper, sign up for Material Handling Tips & Info, our award-winning newsletter. All subscribers will receive a link to the digital version when it publishes.
Tags: Automation, Material Handling, security, wire security cages, pilferage
Posted in Security| No Comments »
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