End users… can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. We love our customers. They keep us in business. More importantly, they make the world go round. BUT, we do need to talk.

In this day and age, it’s absolutely crucial to develop a sound request for proposal, or RFP. There are several key advantages to taking the time and effort to do so, but this isn’t a how-to on on RFPs. Instead, it is key information that you should think about as it relates to your projects.

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As a child, I was very fortunate to have a great family that encouraged me to work hard, do my best, and go after my dreams. I was also blessed throughout school with great friends, coaches, and teachers that helped build my character, knowledge, and imagination.

Unfortunately, many young people have not been given this same level of encouragement, but as adults, it is our responsibility to encourage our youth and teach them to go after their dreams…

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In years gone by, facility roofs were designed in such a manner that you could just about hang the Queen Mary from them with little regard given to worrying about the roof collapsing or caving in. Nowadays, this is not always the case. With rising costs in steel and labor, roof structures are for the most part designed with the minimum loading allowed by law.

This can cause concern when trying to layout a material handling system within a distribution center. Clear floor space is very important to customers, so here are five ways conveyor can be supported without hanging it from your roof or facility structure.

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In my last blog article, What’s the True Cost of Your Corporate Safety Program, I discussed the importance of corporate safety training and some of the most popular OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) citations in 2010. Now I’d like to review some of the costs that occur when workplace safety standards are not followed, which often results in violations with costly penalties that can reach upwards of $500,000, and in some cases, even jail time.

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As consultants and material handling system integrators, we are often asked to evaluate the economics of capital projects. There are several metrics that can be used to evaluate a project, each with their own set of advantages and disadvantages. However, we are almost always pressed to say what the “payback period” is of a given project. Every time it happens, my stomach hurts just a little.

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