The Material Handling Blog

As a Robotics Application Engineer, I work to develop systems that are innovative and push the boundaries of my own creativity. If you are not continually pushing yourself to improve and innovate, then your skills will become static. This is the same thinking behind National Robotics Week. It is important to celebrate how far the robotics industry has come, but we also want to encourage continued education and growth in the field.

When in review of some of the most demanding and extreme conditions that material handling equipment (MHE) can be subjected to, the applications can be quite daunting. But despite all the smoke, fumes, dirt, grease, and grime, perhaps the most extreme applications for MHE can be found in one of the cleanest industries of all: meat and poultry processing plants.

AC motors can be used for anything from running a conveyor to raising a gantry arm, but your best method for starting and stopping an AC motor depends on your end goal. This article will address the three means to control AC motors from lowest to highest capability and cost.

The role of the project manager is of critical importance when running a large project. Their performance impacts the success of a project more than any other team member involved. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the individual appointed to the role possesses the necessary skills and abilities to run a project successfully. A talented project manager will possess the following defining qualities.

Sometimes it can be hard to make a decision, especially when that decision will cause major changes to the status quo or cost a lot of money. So how do you know you’re making the right choice? One way is to use the proven Bastian Consulting 5-step methodology, DMADV, as your decision making process. Read: The 5-Step Decision Making Process

In honor of Engineers Week, we asked some of our team members why they choose an engineering career. The responses we received were both fun and interesting! Read them all in today's blog article.

Even as new material handling technologies enter the market, conveyors seem to remain a critical part of almost every automation system. Here's a brief overview of conveyors and their uses as well as some considerations for choosing the right one to ensure your system performs at peak performance.

Designing your distribution center is just like shopping for your perfect home. When you shop for a house or are looking to build a new one, you take into account many things including planning, work, space, flow, and amenities (automation)...

With a distribution center full of automation plus 35,000 SKUs to manage, iHerb’s Hebron facility relies on Exacta 6.0, a warehouse control system (WCS) and suite of supply chain software to ensure the entire system runs seamlessly and orders get to customers in the most efficient manner possible.

My wife and I were recently blessed with a newborn baby, and the during labor and week after, I couldn’t help but think how the process and activities of being a parent are very comparative to being a project manager...

Do you need a PLC (programmable logic controller) or a safety PLC? The answer depends on the safety requirement of the system or equipment in question. There are PLCs and there are safety PLCs which have safety built into them. So what's the difference, and what should you be using for your automated system when there is a stringent safety requirement? Read: Safety PLC versus a Regular PLC

I was recently talking with a client who wants to improve productivity by increasing the efficiency of his facility’s picking operation. As we talked, I learned he was thinking about going to a pick to pack methodology, so I asked him how he was going to get the boxes to his operators...