The Material Handling Blog

As we close the door on a year of tremendous challenge and change, it’s a good time for distribution center (DC) leaders to pause and reflect on how to apply the hard-won learnings of 2020 in order to make course corrections for 2021 and beyond. Despite how early it may seem, now is the time to prepare for the second half of 2021, by which time the COVID-19 pandemic may be substantially behind us. As you chart your distribution operation’s path forward consider a few key questions that take into account your business needs, workforce, trends and technologies. Not only will this help prepare your operations for a smoother process but will help you assess your capabilities as external factors continue to change.

For years, logistics consultants, material handling engineers , and supply chain execution providers have been slicing-and-dicing warehouse statistics in a quest to enhance employee performance for the ultimate purpose of bringing profitable dollars to the bottom line. While having tangible statistics and historical records of warehouse operation is important, I suggest that these benchmarks alone will not drive peak employee or warehouse performance.

As the global effects of COVID-19 continue to play out, demand for contactless shopping via eCommerce is increasing putting pressure on fulfillment. Businesses are scrambling to identify opportunities to increase supply across their distribution networks. Many are seeking support from automation systems integrators (conveyor, robotics, software, controls) across several fulfillment sites at once. While multi-site implementations can be challenging, when executed successfully they can achieve greater results than single-site implementations.

The two weeks at the beginning of a project take just as long as at the end of a project. The difference between the beginning and end, is that the beginning is usually less stressful than when a project is getting close to a deadline or a hard Go Live date. It can be easy to let precious time slip! By being efficient during the negotiation stage and clearly communicating the project timeline and milestones at the beginning of the process, you can help your projects run smoother.

Successful warehouse projects require collaboration between the individuals possessing engineering and analytical knowledge and those with a deep understanding and expertise of the operation itself.

All projects, large and small, have many moving parts that need to come together in time to meet your deadline. For projects to run smoothly, it's important to have one person who knows your system inside and out, making sure it all goes smoothly - a site manager.

Whether you’re in Atlanta or Madrid, there are benefits to selecting a material handling system integrator with a local presence. Read: Think Globally, Shop Locally: Choosing Your Material Handling System Integrator

In today's fast-paced, demand-driven world, material handling system modifications are almost guaranteed and required to keep up with competition. To ensure a smooth project and successful go-live, whether a brand new system or modification, follow these five steps. Read: 5 Key Steps to Your Next Material Handling System Modification

Communication is key in any business! We're often managing meetings with people in various locations and time zones, both internal and external resources. Each employee's communication manner directly impacts the image of both the employee and the company. Read: Increase Meeting Effectiveness

Project management is a critical piece to any successful automation system implementation. From the development stage to go live, the project manager must ensure all is going as planned and as the customer needs it. Here is an overview of what a good project manager should cover. Read: Project Management for Successful Automation Implementation

It would be nice if you could download the ideas for your next project to someone else, but today you have to define project requirements. That term is used often and everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a “requirement”. Read: 5 Tips on Project Requirements Definition

A turn-key material handling solution is the complete design, build, and installation of material handling equipment. This type of solution allows you to work with one company to ensure your project exceeds expectations from start to finish. Here's what you should expect during the three phases of your turnkey project... Read: 3 Steps to a Great Turnkey Material Handling System