Many companies today are looking to up their “green cred” among consumers by touting environmentally friendly policies and practices. Going “green” is not only good for business — many customers today will opt for businesses that they perceive to have the smallest carbon footprint — but it’s also good for the planet. The material handling … Read more
As any warehouse worker can attest, unloading a pallet by hand can be a backbreaking task. Repeated squatting, bending and lifting can easily turn an eight-hour shift into a torture session. In order to improve employee comfort — and, not coincidentally, increase productivity and reduce health care costs at the same time — many companies … Read more
A truck backs into a dock at the BASF warehouse in Breuil-le-Sec, France, just north of Paris. As the truck’s driver remains in his cab, an unmanned automated guided vehicle opens the truck’s gate and goes to work removing pallets of vehicle paint products. The AGV transfers the pallets to a conveyor system, which moves the … Read more
One could say that the heart of a warehouse operation is the loading dock. All sorts of trucks and trailers are coming and going and personnel are loading and unloading these vehicles. Not only are there a lot of busy workers focused on the task at hand, there are also an abundance of equipment that … Read more
Fifty years ago, nearly all pallets were made out of wood. Then came plastic pallets, which offered more flexibility and durability. Today, foam pallets are beginning to displace both wood and plastic pallets as the pallet of choice among warehousing and manufacturing operations worldwide. The reason why has to do with the many benefits of … Read more
ReachMaster has developed a new type of scissors lift that can operate on rugged surfaces, slopes and other areas that previous were off-limits to these types of equipment.The ReachMaster Scissors lifts on wheels are nothing new. But the ReachMaster Bibilift 26BL is a small scissors lift that is mounted on tracks, like the ones found … Read more
Operators of a Florida food warehouse have found a way to make workers more accountable and significantly reduce operational costs at the same time. Like many distribution centers, Cheney Brothers uses radio-frequency scanners to track inventory in its Ocala warehouse from the moment it arrived to when it went out the door to be shipped … Read more
While meteorologists and even the “Old Farmer’s Almanac” are predicting another colder and snowier than normal winter, now is the time to get your warehouse or dock ready for the cold months ahead. Energy expenses are usually one of the biggest costs for any manufacturing warehousing operation. So protecting your facility against heat loss while … Read more
Anyone who might think that the job of a warehouse manager is easy hasn’t been one. A manager of a warehouse must have knowledge of all facets of a warehouse business including safety and OSHA regulations, productivity, slotting and organization, preventative maintenance, boxes and containers, staffing and management, training and education, and shipping and receiving. … Read more
Anybody who has worked as a manager or supervisor in a large facility knows the type of wear and tear the job can take on the body. Managers frequently have to be many places at the same time. So it’s not unusual to walk 5, 10 or even 15 miles during a single workday. At … Read more
