Orders for new conveyors fell an astounding 19.5% in April compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released this month by the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association. But the group’s executive director, Bob Reinfried, said it wasn’t time to hit the panic button quite yet because the figures were simply “a blip”: and … Read more
Summer of 2014 could show growth of between 5% and 15% for the automation and controls industries, according to a study released earlier this month by JP Morgan and the Control System Integrators Association. The study, which was based on a survey of automation industry professionals, showed a “steady lift” in second quarter with food … Read more
Logistics jobs today are like warehouse racks. Positions are repeatedly vacated and then filled again. This is a trend that was observed last fall and that seems to be continuing, according to a report released by Logistics Magazine on its Logistics and Material Handling website in October of 2013. This employment trend isn’t one that … Read more
Here’s a special sneak preview of what you will find this week on the Bahrns blog: You probably have seen robotic Automatic Guided Vehicles, but now an East Coast grocery store wholesaler is using robot “workers” that can not only see on their own but make decisions and think as well. One of the most … Read more
The Obama administration’s efforts to open up trade between the US and Asia may be closer than ever to being achieved, according to the director of a global trade think tank. When President Barack Obama met in April with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, high on the agenda of topics to be discussed was the … Read more
Retailers buy products from suppliers, but they don’t always know or care where their supplier is sourcing those products. That kind of willful ignorance can increase the liability of the end user sellers, according to a materials handling industry analyst. Two recent examples of companies not knowing the sources of the products they sell having … Read more
EXPO PACK Mexico 2014, which currently is being held at the Centro Banamex, Mexico City, is expected to attract more then 30,000 visitors and features more than 1,000 exhibitors, according to a trade show new release. The trade expo will feature packaging and procession equipment used in a variety of manufacturing industries, including food and … Read more
If you happened to be driving through the German countryside earlier this month and noticed a cargo container lift truck hoisting cargo containers high into the air, it wasn’t your imagination. Hyster — the Greenville, North Carolina, manufacturer of forklifts and other heavy duty materials handling equipment — recently sponsored an exhibition of its products … Read more
The number of cargo containers arriving at US ports is expected to be higher than than normal for this time of year due to retailers stocking up on inventory in anticipation of a breakdown in talks between West Coast port workers and port operators, according to a new report. The Port Tracker report, which is … Read more
Hannibal Industries — the Los Angeles-based manufacturer of carbon steel tubing and pallet racking systems — recently announced that more than 75% of it employees are now 100% vested in the company. The company launched its Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) back in 2009. Since then, its sales have increased 20.4% and the company has … Read more
