The Material Handling Blog

The heart of most distribution centers today is sortation. If it is applied correctly, products are efficiently routed to appropriate areas of the facility. Applied incorrectly, and the consequences can be catastrophic, often times costing companies millions of dollars in wasted labor and non-value added processes. Read: Your Guide to Sortation Conveyors

There are a few major concerns in distribution system design that need to be consistently addressed. One of the most critical cost concerns is financial waste through damaged product. In a post-recession era when companies are working to “stay lean”, managing product waste is a tangible area where capital investment can lead to great returns.

Technology advancements are being made all the time, whether it’s new gadgets or software. In fact, it seems as though any time you look at the latest tech news a newer version of a product you've just purchased has come out. The same challenge exists with material handling and supply chain automation. Whether it's upgrading a conveyor system, adding a goods to person or AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system), or state-of-the-art robotic automation, there are several factors that one should consider when looking into a new technology.

One of the biggest pain points in the life of a maintenance technician or installer is conveyor belt tracking. Here are a few helpful tips to lookout for and an easy, 3-step process to get your belt running right down the middle.

Hot, cold, corrosive – these environments, and more, inherently require a little extra care when it comes to planning labor and tasks. The same goes for introducing any automated technologies. After all, you need them to operate correctly and avoid any unnecessary damage. Often pulled in to support tasks that need to be reliably repeatable, industrial robotics are an excellent option to support safer work in unique environments. When looking at any robotics application, it’s crucial to consider the conditions under which the task is happening. Whether it’s palletizing, welding, paint, or part handling, the working environment – temperature, exposure, application, and materials – plays a key role in the way automation equipment is selected, outfitted, and designed. Let’s take a look at some of the most common challenging environments and what can be done if the environment is too harsh for most standard industrial robots.

With all this innovation and growth in the goods to person warehouse automation sector, it’s vital to factor the impact on the whole system’s integration, tied together through software and controls. To compensate, WES systems are getting larger and more complex in order to integrate with new technologies provided by other vendors coming to market. To truly optimize a goods to person system, customers should consider each GTP technology’s merits, but also the software that will manage its operations.

O Diretor de Fulfillment atribui a você um projeto para especificar um novo sistema de triagem e transportador capaz de "dobrar" as capacidades atuais. Por onde começar? Primeiro, comece entendendo e desafiando a verdadeira triagem e os requisitos do sistema. Os sistemas de transporte e triagem são soluções projetadas. Como a maioria dos problemas de engenharia, a solução geralmente é tão boa quanto suas entradas.

In 2021, Bastian Solutions announced that RH Brown Co., a fourth-generation family-owned material handling solution provider, became the newest Toyota member company. We talked to RH Brown Co. President Scott Larsen, who launched system integration and automation offerings after taking the helm as the fourth-generation leader. “With the evolution of the company, our primary focus on our customers hasn’t changed. Our primary focus today is working closely with our customers to identify specific project objectives that are most impactful to the success of their business,” says Scott Larsen.

Pick to light has become a staple of warehouse distribution and order picking. Here are the top 5 benefits. What if there was an easier, automated way to locate these items? Say, when you want to find an item a beacon of light illuminates to direct you to the appropriate aisle, and then another beacon of light illuminates to get you to the correct shelf, and eventually the exact location on the shelf.

Who Needs Support? Everyone. Simply put, any warehouse software system with automation should require a support plan with immediate access to technicians to troubleshoot critical issues. Downtime for fulfillment operations quickly adds up to lost revenue and the ability to restore operations is critical, especially for systems that rely on heavy automation. Without dedicated support, operations will be at the mercy of their software partners existing backlog. Priority is given to the customers with current support contracts. This can lead to long response times, and an inability for partners to commit to resolution dates for those without contracts in place. If critical issues do pop up that can be expedited, they typically come at a very high hourly rate for the effort. Don’t get caught in a tough situation. Here are six details worth knowing about warehouse software support plans.

Putting a bag on a pallet and conveying it is a simple enough concept; however, the variations in product must always be kept in mind if you want to prevent product damage and misaligned pallets. Here are five points to remember when using bag palletizing systems... Read More >>

When it comes to pallet transport, pallet monorail systems offer a solution that can be significantly less expensive than an equivalent roller conveyor system. Accommodating various applications and adjustable for performance levels, once you’ve determined that a pallet monorail system is the right transportation solution for your application, the next step is putting together an initial concept design.