The Material Handling Blog

As a material handling solutions provider, we take pride in integrating the best mix of technology and people to maximize our customer’s bottom line. We believe that there is a “best” solution out there for every customer. This philosophy is typically applied throughout our business processes; how can we do things cheaper, faster, better, and provide more value to our customers. One of the areas we recently focused on in this regard is freight management . Here are 6 key areas on which we have focused our attention and have seen real benefits...

Generation Y currently makes up the second-largest workforce in U.S. history at 70 million people, so it is likely that current and future hires into your distribution center will include many in this generation. Although it is difficult to talk in all-encompassing generalities about a group of employees, understanding Gen Y's needs and their generational/cultural attitudes toward a work/life balance and engagement can make for an overall better workplace. Read More >>

Who doesn’t have fond childhood memories of jumping over objects, whether it was on a bicycle, sled, skis, or dirt bike? Well, “getting air” is not just a kid’s dream; our customers want it, too. It seems like almost every project has some requirement to elevate product from one level to another. It makes sense considering customers want to make the most of their available floor space, and there typically is more than enough available space overhead. Sometimes the need to go vertical is simply to gain clearance for personnel or vehicles that need to travel on the ground level. Other times, it is the more complex requirement to move product between multiple levels of a pick module or mezzanine... Read More >>

Upon the approach of my tenth anniversary with Bastian Solutions, I began asking myself what makes this company successful. After all, there must be some reason or reasons why I have found such satisfaction here that I have contributed a decade's worth of skill, talent, and effort toward the company's success. In answering this question, recent project experiences led me to an answer that lies partially outside of the company... Read More >>

With the pace of business continually accelerating, it is nice to see the selection of new engineering design tools rising to the occasion. Although there is no substitute for sound engineering fundamentals, these tools can help engage an engineer's creativity by speeding up the iterative design process.

Behind all those flower bouquets, candy hearts, and jewelry boxes, there's a manufacturer and distributor who got them to you! So this year, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the numbers and logistics behind Valentine's Day because without all the behind-the-scenes work, well, the day just wouldn't be the same...

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.

If you're anything like me, you've probably procrastinated on this year's holiday shopping. And if you're really like me, you have an engineer on your shopping list, and you're struggling to find him or her the perfect gift. Well, you're in luck because I've spent the last week digging around the Internet to find some ideal gifts, ranging from humorous to down right practical...

During the design process of any system, it is desirable to know how the possible range of input values will affect the system output. One back-of-the-envelope method is to assume the amount of resources the system will use, err on the high side, and protect yourself against failure.

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.

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.

It's always puzzled me as to why so many companies spend months and years planning and designing a project and only give the material handling integrators two weeks to bid. It's also been suggested that tight timelines provide the end user with the best price possible. In my opinion and past experience, this statement couldn't be further from the truth. Read More >>