August - Modern Materials Handling

Transcription

PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTIONS FOR DISTRIBUTION, WAREHOUSING AND MANUFACTURING
mmh.com
®
August 2012
LINCOLN INDUSTRIES:
Putting a finish
on lift trucks 18
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
Safety first
67
Lift truck user survey 27
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
Lift truck software/
Fleet management 34
SPECIAL REPORT
Top 20 lift truck
suppliers 43
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FLOATS LIKE A
BUTTERFLY.
BUSY LIKE A BEE.
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maintenance and labor costs. Bottom line, it’s performance without
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Testing conducted by PosiCharge. Comparative data overseen and compiled by the United States Auto Club Properties, Inc.
UP FRONT
Breaking news you should know
MHIA: 24.2% growth in materials handling
equipment new orders in 2011
Materials handling equipment orders grew an estimated
24.2% in 2011 and are forecasted to grow 8% to 9% in 2012
and 6% in 2013, according to the latest Material Handling
Equipment Manufacturing Forecast (MHEM) released by the
Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).
“Consumers’ and investors’ confidence is best characterized
as uncertain. Unemployment, industrial production activity and
factory operating rates (utilization) are improving modestly,”
said Hal Vandiver, MHIA executive consultant. “All are favorably
impacting MHEM, but do not indicate robust growth.”
The MHEM forecast of materials handling equipment manufacturing is released each quarter by MHIA and looks 12 to 18
months forward to anticipate changes in the materials handling
and logistics market.
Materials handling equipment
orders to grow modestly
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2012
2013
Source: Materials Handling Equipment
Manufacturing Forecast (MHEM)
Pack Expo International 2012 sells out
of exhibition space
PMMI, owner and producer of the Pack Expo trade shows,
announced that Pack Expo International 2012 (Oct. 28-31;
McCormick Place, Chicago), has sold out of exhibit space.
“The sold out status of Pack Expo speaks volumes to its value as a
showcase for the packaging and processing industries,” said Charles
D. Yuska, president and CEO of PMMI. “With space completely gone
three months out, the show has surpassed even our expectations.”
Pack Expo International 2012 will
be the largest edition of the show
since 2002, with a record 1,800-plus
exhibitors showing off the latest in
packaging and processing innovation across more than 1.1 million net
square feet of exhibit space.
MIT Forum launches manufacturing
technology advisory board
MIT professor David Simchi-Levi, founder of the MIT Forum for Supply
Chain Innovation, recently announced the formation of the forum’s
Manufacturing Technology Advisory Board. The board will bring MIT academia and research together with major technology providers and industry
leaders to collaborate on key issues in the U.S. manufacturing industry, such
as technology, process innovation, supply chain risk and reshoring enablers.
“The manufacturing industry is in need of process and technology
transformation to enable innovation, efficiency and sustainable business growth, and I think this board will help lead that conversation and
effort,” said Simchi-Levi.
Infosys, a global provider of business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to the manufacturing industry, has
become a strategic partner sponsor of the forum and is joining the
technology advisory board.
mmh.com
2011
Study finds workers
suffering from more hearing
loss than they perceive
The University of Michigan School of
Nursing study found significant differences
between measured and perceived hearing
loss, and suggests health care providers need
better methods of testing and protecting
hearing of factory workers.
Of the 2,691 noise-exposed automobile
factory workers surveyed for the study,
76% reported excellent or good hearing.
However, after formal hearing tests, researchers found that 42% of those workers actually
suffered hearing loss. This indicates that selfreported hearing loss is poorly related to the
results of formal hearing testing.
“This finding shows that even workers who
are served by a workplace hearing conservation
program and receive annual hearing testing
may be unaware of their actual hearing ability,”
said Marjorie McCullagh, principal investigator
and assistant professor. “Consequently, health
care providers would be wise to examine methods to help workers develop more accurate
perceptions of their hearing, and test more
effective methods to protect it.”
Modern Mat eria l s Ha ndl ing / A
u g u s t
2012
3
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VOL. 67, NO. 8
®
PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTIONS FOR DISTRIBUTION,
WAREHOUSING AND MANUFACTURING
COVER STORY
PHOTO: BLAINE FISHER/GETTY IMAGES
SYSTEM REPORT
60 seconds
with Jim Moran
18 Putting a finish on lift trucks
Lincoln Industries’ business is chrome metal parts, but it’s the lift
truck program that really shines.
24 The right truck for every application
Lincoln Industries’ new fleet of lift trucks includes six different
types of trucks.
FEATURES
EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH
27 User Survey: How customers acquire,
maintain and replenish their fleets
Lift truck usage survey offers most comprehensive snapshot available
of current U.S. fleet management practices.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
34 The smarter lift truck
Fleet management software is evolving from a tool to track
maintenance to a platform for the smarter lift truck.
SPECIAL REPORT
43 Top 20 lift truck suppliers
Continuing an upward climb, the worldwide industrial lift truck
market is seeing orders and shipments on the rise again.
PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTION
51
52
52
53
Sortation helps speed growth
Conveyor handles complexity
Rising to the challenge
Blessing in disguise for food supplier
BEST PRACTICES
55 Beyond the punch clock
While adoption remains low, savvy managers are putting engineered
labor standards and related labor management systems to work to
jumpstart productivity and gain a new level of operational visibility.
mmh.com
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS
3/ Upfront
7/ This month in Modern
14/ Lift Truck Tips: Fuel cells
16/ Packaging Corner: Returnables
Management
60/ Virtual Conference Wrap-Up
67/ Supplement: Safety
82/ Focus On: Ergonomics
86/ Product Showcase
90/ 60 seconds with...
NEWS
9/ Industry introduces a new pallet pool
10/ Pallet industry mourns loss of Scholnick
11/ Global trends:
• Yaskawa America expands in Brazil
• Meyers Industries acquires Brazil’s
Plasticos Novel
• Crown opens first direct sales and
service operation in Brazil
12/ RPA announces packaging award
Modern Materials Handling® (ISSN 0026-8038) is published monthly by
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MODERN MAT ERIA L S HA NDL ING / A
U G U S T
2012
5
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2012 Lift Truck Issue
I
t would be difficult to find a more comprehensive snapshot of the current state
of lift truck usage, best practices and
technology than the issue of Modern that
you’re holding in your hands at this very
moment.
This marks the second year in a row that
we’re using our August pages to celebrate
that piece of equipment that continues to
be the backbone of the materials handling
industry. Yet all too often fleets are taken
for granted or run to the point of exhaustion—as many have been during the last
few years of economic turmoil.
Starting on page 18, executive editor
Bob Trebilcock takes us inside the operations of metal parts finisher Lincoln Industries, a company that depends entirely on
its fleet of 32 lift trucks to keep product
moving throughout its 334,000-square-foot
facility. Lincoln is far from being one of
those operations that ran its lift truck fleet
to the bone during the recession.
At the end of last year, Lincoln, in cooperation with its local distributor, added
26 new trucks, purchased new attachments and installed fleet management
software in an effort to improve safety
and productivity. “Since then we’ve broken monthly sales records in four of the
last six months,” Lincoln’s vice president
of operations Bill Ellerbee tells Trebilcock. “At the same time, we’ve kept up
with extra production with no additional
overhead.”
And while Lincoln’s lift truck utilization
is impressive, we were curious to find out
just how well the U.S. end user market
was managing their fleets. To do this, we
turned to Judd Aschenbrand, director
of research for Peerless Research Group
(PRG), to develop Modern’s first annual Lift
Truck Usage Study.
The goal was relatively straightforward:
We set out to find the percentage breakdown of types of trucks currently in use
in the United States; where the purchase
vs. lease debate stands; the impact the
tough economy is having on fleet management; what maintenance best practices are
gaining favor; and how far technology has
penetrated fleet management.
Associate editor Josh Bond puts context
behind all of the findings starting on page
28. However, one high-level finding should
come as breath of fresh air for suppliers
and the industry overall.
Of the 64% of respondents who indicated that they would buy or lease a lift
truck in the next 24 months, one in 10 said
that they planned to add 20 or more units.
According to Bond, exactly 30% said that
the new equipment would expand the size
of their current fleet.
But Lincoln’s success and our survey results are just scratching the surface of what
we’ve packed into this issue. We also offer
the deepest dive available on the evolution of lift truck fleet management software
(page 34) and a special report on the Top
20 lift truck suppliers (insert).
So if you’re in the process of upgrading
your fleet or just kicking the tires, we’re
sure that this issue should give you the
data you need to make the decision that’s
best for your operation.
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for Journalistic
Excellence
Official Publication of
Modern Materials H andling / A
u g u s t
2012
7
Efficient Picking.
Correct item and quantity . . . delivered on time
Bare Escentuals is a cosmetic company that is built around the idea that makeup can actually be
considered skin care. To improve their warehouse logistics configuration that serves 200 retail store
boutiques and 1400 spas, Bare Escentuals implemented an all new process for picking split case items.
The results are compelling: no more expedited shipping costs, 5X increase in picking productivity,
process improvements, real-time control, increased order accuracy, operational flexibility, annual
physical inventory omitted and reduced order processing time.
Using Dematic PickDirector® software, Bare Escentuals processes orders for e-commerce, spas and
company owned stores in the same distribution center. Both light and voice directed technology support
the picking process. Using the browser based interface, supervisors can monitor % orders complete,
as well as verify order contents and make adjustments to ensure an order is shipped complete. The
software maintains comprehensive statistics so supervisors know exactly how many orders, lines
and pieces each operator handles. The number of operators per shift is allocated depending on order
volume. If order volume is up, more operators can be assigned to the pick-to-light zones, and more
operators can be assigned to the voice directed pick carts thereby making it scalable and flexible. In
addition, the system is portable so it is easy to move if the operation is relocated in the future.
Discover how Dematic can create a logistics result for your business challenges.
Visit www.dematic.us or call 1-877-725-7500 today for more information.
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Web | mmh.com
PALLET POOLING
Industry introduces a
new pallet pool
together a pool managed by pallet
producers in October of 2010, about
the time Costco announced its plans
to convert to a block pallet. The
reason: Although CHEP and PECO
offer block pallets in their pools,
most U.S. pallet manufacturers make
PALLET LOGISTICS & UNIT-LOAD SOLUTIONS IS
stringer pallets, which would no
OFFERING A BLOCK PALLET ON A PER-TRIP RENTAL.
longer be accepted by Costco. To
stay in that game would require an
BY BOB TREBILCOCK, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
industry response. “I think there are
other major retailers out there who
rent, lease or purchase your own pal9BLOC, A NEW PALLET POOL RUN
are looking at the Costco model but
let inventory, based on your needs,
by members of the pallet industry, is
have not switched to a block pallet
from the 9BLOC participating pallet
now offering fully independent pools
because there wasn’t a pooling busimaker you select.”
of nine block pallets nationwide.
ness model that worked for them,”
According to Swenby, the NaCreated as a response to thirdSwenby says. “We decided to spend
party pallet pools operated by CHEP, tional Wooden Pallet & Container
a few months to see what the indusPECO and iGPS, the pool from Pallet Association (NWPCA) had been distry is thinking.”
cussing the idea of a national pallet
Logistics & Unit-Load Solutions is
Out of those discussions came the
pool for years. “Within the industry,
offering ablock pallet designed to
we have been asking what can we do formation of Pallet Logistics & Unit
meet the Costco specification in a
Load Solutions, a not-for-profit orgato compete with the big pallet poolrent, lease or purchase model. That
nization that will oversee the operaing guys,” Swenby says. “If you look
means that pallet users can choose
tion of the pool, about a year ago.
around the globe, Europe has EPAL
from a variety of models, ranging
As a collaboration of companies that
and Canada has the CPC. We don’t
from a per-trip rental to outright
represent the entire product supply
have anything like this in the U.S.”
ownership of their own managed
chain, the group will work together to
While the concept was initially
pool.
provide a pool of high-quality wood
just industry chatter, Swenby says
The benefit to pallet producers,
block pallets that are manufactured
a group of leaders began to invesrecyclers and distributors is an opand repaired to an industry-wide
tigate what it would take to put
portunity to retain current customers
standard along with a
using stringer pallets who
software asset-tracking
may be considering a shift
solution to manage the
to a block or leased pallet
pool. An independent
as a result of the Costco
third-party inspection serspecification or the shortvice will conduct routine
age of cores.
inspections of participatThe benefit to pallet
ing suppliers to assess
users, according to John
9BLOC offers
quality standards.
Swenby, a member of the
a block pallet
“There are several
9BLOC development team,
designed to meet
thousand pallet manuis “the power of choice.
Costco specs.
facturers located around
Now, you can choose to
mmh.com
U G U S T
2012
9
the U.S.,” says Swenby. “If there are
500 of them with 100 trailers and 100
employees to manufacture, distribute
and repair pallets, that’s a lot of scale.
We can use our network to serve customers who are already working with
us, but have a need to go to a block
pallet.”
IN MEMORIAM
Pallet industry mourns loss of Scholnick
BRUCE N. SCHOLNICK, who led the
National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA) as its
president and CEO through a number of dynamic industry shifts, died
of cancer at his home in Alexandria,
Va., on July 9.
Bruce devoted his considerable energy and astute mind to the
wood packaging industry from the
moment he joined it in May 2000.
Bruce was a warrior on Capitol Hill
and with Washington regulators
when proposed rules threatened the
industry. His tenacious dedication
in all he did earned him the respect
10
A
U G U S T
and affection of NWPCA members.
Bruce’s most often repeated
quote was “creativity is merely the
insightful rearrangement of known
elements.” That concept was put
into practice on a regular basis.
Bruce was preceded in death by
his wife Elizabeth in April 2008. He
is survived by their son Matthew, sisters Nan Parker and Penny LaPorte,
and their husbands and children.
NWPCA board chairman James
Ruder has asked Sam McAdow
of Buckeye Diamond Logistics, in
South Charleston, Ohio, to act as
interim acting president to serve
2 0 1 2 / MO D E R N MATE R IALS HA NDL I NG
Bruce Scholnick
as a point of contact for staff and
membership. Sam will be operating in an advisory capacity and will
report to James Ruder.
mmh.com
GLOBAL TRENDS
Yaskawa America
expands in Brazil
MOTOMAN ROBÓTICA DO BRASIL
and Yaskawa Eléctrico do Brasil, divisions of Yaskawa America (YAI), have
jointly announced expansion plans
in the Sao Paulo area of Brazil. YAI’s
parent company, Yaskawa Electric
Corp., is the world’s largest manufacturer of AC drives, motion control
products and industrial robots.
The two divisions have outgrown
their current separate facilities and
will co-locate to a newly constructed,
larger manufacturing campus in Diadema, featuring total space of more
than 100,000 square feet.
“With expanded manufacturing
and demonstration floor space, new
training labs and additional office
space, the new infrastructure will
provide even closer cooperation
between our two divisions allowing
us to better serve our customers in
this growing market,” states Steve
Barhorst, President and COO of
Yaskawa America, Motoman Robotics Division.
Myers Industries acquires Brazil’s Plasticos Novel
MYERS INDUSTRIES recently announced that it has completed the
acquisition of Brazil’s Plasticos Novel
S.A. The purchase price was $27.5
million, subject to certain adjustments. Additional terms of the acqui-
VIEW VIDEO
sition were not disclosed.
Novel, with projected sales of
approximately $38 million for 2012,
is Brazil’s leading designer and
manufacturer of reusable plastic
crates and totes used for closed-
PROTECTING YOUR
MATERIAL MAKES ®
A LOT OF AUTOSENZ
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you want the best.
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Detection System to protect material from damage should a jam
occur. Other VRCs, based on a 40-year-old design, just can’t compete
with the product improvements available from Wildeck today.
Safety, efficiency and reliability — make your move to standardize on
Wildeck VRCs with advanced AutoSenz® technology built in. It’s a
level of quality and craftsmanship you won’t find anywhere else.
800-325-6939 | WWW.WILDECK.COM
©Wildeck, Inc. 2012
mmh.com
CAPACITY
EFFICIENCY
SAFETY
Get the most out
of your space
Move inventory
with ease
Protect your facility
S T O R I N G
WDK_AutoSenz_HalfPg_MMH.indd 1
*U.S. Patent No. 7,408,317
L I F T I N G
G U A R D I N G
WAZ 1207 - AD
U G U S T
2012
11
7/16/12 5:27 PM
loop shipping and storage in the
region’s fast-growing food and agriculture industries. Novel also produces a diverse range of plastic industrial safety products. With strong
relationships to major international
companies in its markets, Novel
complements Myers Industries’ existing materials handling business in
Brazil and aligns with the company’s
materials handling and geographic
growth strategy.
Crown opens first
direct sales and service
operation in Brazil
CROWN EQUIPMENT, one of the
world’s largest materials handling
companies, announced the opening
of its first company-owned Crown
Lift Trucks operation in Brazil. The
facility, which is in the Anhanguera
Logistics Center in Jundiaí, São
Paulo, is located to serve the
dynamic growth expansion of the
São Paulo region.
“This is an exciting time for Crown
Equipment as we expand our global
network of Crown Lift Trucks retail
operations,” said Jim Dicke III,
president of Crown. “Our customers
are strategically entering this growing
market, and it’s important that we’re
there with them. The corresponding
volume of goods distributed in
Brazil means opportunity for Crown
products and services.”
PACKAGING
RPA announces packaging award
THE REUSABLE PACKAGING Association (RPA) is accepting submissions
for its first annual Excellence in Reusable Packaging Award. The award
will recognize companies that have
developed, supported or implemented measurable and innovative
reusable solutions in a business-tobusiness supply chain. Non-members
and members of the RPA are encouraged to enter. Submissions will be reviewed by an independent committee of judges who are not members
of the RPA.
September 9-12
Park City, Utah
S C A
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S C A
THE KNOWLEDGE TO GIVE YOU AN UNFAIR EDGE
A 3 day educational conference developed to help you PROPEL
your thinking, people, and assets.
T Visit
H E Kwww.mhlc.com
N O W L E D G E T OforGcomplete
I V E Y O U programing
AN UNFAIR EDGE
and to register today!
Space is limited to end users only.
THE KNOWLEDGE TO GIVE YOU AN UNFAIR EDGE
2012 Keynote Speaker: Steve Forbes
Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Media
“We created this award to increase awareness and understanding
of the measurable benefits of reusable packaging and solutions,” said
Jerry Welcome, president of the RPA.
The deadline for submissions is
Sept. 1, 2012. The winner of the
award will be announced during Pack
Expo 2012 this fall in Chicago.
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lift truck TIPS
Fuel cells check milestone
off the list
Following impressive sales, forklift
fuel cell makers shift gears toward
the future.
By Josh Bond, Associate Editor
F
uel cell battery replacement units for electric lift
trucks posted a banner year in 2011, when both lift
truck suppliers and fuel cell providers saw growth in
interest and sales of fuel cell offerings. Plug Power alone
took orders for five times as many units as in 2010, according to Reid Hislop, vice president of marketing and
investor relations at Plug Power. However, although the
latest incarnations of the technology have reached the
tipping point for commercial viability, says Hislop, the
fuel cell industry must now adjust its focus.
Hydrogen infrastructure in a facility—whether it includes on-site hydrogen production or not—remains very
costly. This and other forces conspire to make the ideal
fuel cell customer a somewhat large one. While larger
companies have deeper pockets, they might also bring
more scrutiny and skepticism to emerging technologies.
Hislop says that more than 7 million hours of runtime data
and more than 2,500 units in the field have borne out the
promise of fuel cells.
“The commercial viability is there, as proven by the
number of customers with 100 or more lift trucks running
on hydrogen fuel cells,” says Hislop. “This stuff is real, it
works, and if it didn’t there would be a world of hurt.”
But although the average threshold for viability is a
multi-shift fleet of about 30 trucks or more, incremental
progress is being made to expand the availability of the
fuel cell alternative. The value proposition of fuel cells assumes the elimination of lead-acid battery swaps. Removing that process from the daily workflow creates huge
productivity improvements, says Hislop. Energy costs end
up being about equal between electric and fuel cells, but
big savings are found in productivity and reduced real
estate costs.
Customers who build a new facility with hydrogen infrastructure can see immediate savings from the first day
the facility opens its doors, says Hislop, who estimates
the removal of the battery room can reduce new build-
14
Au
g u s t
2 0 1 2 / M ode rn M at e ri als Han d li ng ing square footage by between 6% and 8%. Retrofits
can take as much as 18 months to produce the same
returns, but remain very attractive to some companies.
“If the removal of the battery room can enable a company to make better use of available space and postpone
investing as much as $100 million into a new building,
then there are even further savings,” says Hislop.
Hislop says that although the outlook is good for fuel
cell technology, it is still subject to lingering criticism from
the early 2000s, when fuel cells for materials handling
applications enjoyed a meteoric rise and subsequent
contraction.
“It’s still an emerging technology,” says Hislop. “But
we should expect more growth as the technology and
access to hydrogen improve.” M
Josh Bond is Modern’s associate editor and can be reached
at jbond@peerlessmedia.com.
mmh.com
YOU HAVE TO LOWER OPERATING COSTS.
THEN YOU HAVE TO LOWER THEM AGAIN.
WITHOUT SACRIFICING PRODUCTIVITY.
Lowering operating costs is what
the Hyster® Fortis line does best.
Hyster Company is proud to be
ranked #1 by current customers
in Total Cost of Ownership* among
several lift truck manufacturers. And
when you purchase a Fortis® lift
truck, know that each one comes
with the Hyster legacy of building
tough lift trucks. Lower costs.
Better ROI. Tougher trucks. Bring it.
For more information, visit
hyster.com/TCO.
*Peerless Media Research Group, 2011
12HST5231
© 2012 Hyster Company. Hyster,
and Fortis are registered trademarks of Hyster Company.
hyster.com
packaging corner
Government regulations for
food supply chain to affect
handling, pallet use
The packaging industry braces for new regulations
resulting from the Food Safety Modernization Act.
By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large
T
he coming changes to the food supply chain—prompted by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into law by
President Obama in July 2011—are weighing
heavily on the minds of companies involved in the
manufacture, production, distribution, importation
and marketing of food.
“This law requires the FDA to create at least
10 new regulations, with the bulk of the proposals
due over the next two years,” says David Deal,
senior director of marketing for CHEP Americas,
one of the world’s largest pallet and container
pooling companies. “Food facilities—from harvest
to production to transportation to consumption—will be required to develop hazard analysis
and risk-based preventive controls in response to
those regulations.”
Food-handling companies must identify potential
points of contamination and put in active countermeasures, adds Deal. “Our industry is going to have to
address the two types of materials defined by the FDA:
items that touch food directly such as packaging and nonfood contact articles such as pallets.”
Because the regulations have the potential to be
complex, and the need for companies to understand and
adhere to them is so critical, CHEP has partnered with
Kelley Drye & Warren, a Washington D.C.-based law firm
with a specialized practice in food safety. The law firm
is developing a CHEP-sponsored series of educational
presentations and whitepapers.
The first whitepaper, released in June, outlines the high
points of the FSMA. It touches on a variety of requirements: analysis and control, registration, FDA access to
records, new harvest safety standards, fee assessment and
16
A
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2 0 1 2 / Mo d e r n Mate r ials Ha ndl i ng
collection, recordkeeping and more.
Because most companies are already familiar with the
laws that pertain to packaging that touches food, future
topics will cover the new regulations affecting the inspection and control of food-associated pallets in general,
Deal adds.
“Everyone will have to be in compliance, and that will
include demonstrating that their pallets or pallet supplier
uses current good manufacturing processes (cGMP), particularly when cleaning and conducting inspections, then
providing the corresponding documentation to verify
pallet safety,” Deal says. “We want to help pallet users
understand what the food safety laws are today, as well
as how they will continue to develop going forward.” M
Sara Pearson Specter is an editor at large with Modern and
can be reached at sara@saraspecter.com.
mmh.com
Putting a
Lincoln Industries’ business is chrome
metal parts, but it’s the lift truck
program that really shines.
By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor
I
f materials handling equipment were like athletics, conveyor, sorters and automated storage systems would be like
the flashy quarterback who throws the winning touchdown
and gets the girls.
Lift trucks might be the center—you can’t win a game
without one, but few people notice his performance unless
he drops the ball.
There are no materials handling quarterbacks at metal
finisher Lincoln Industries. Instead, a fleet of 32 lift trucks
(Yale, yale.com) are the backbone of the materials handling
processes in the 334,000-square-foot plant in Lincoln, Neb.
There, lift trucks get the glory.
“We rely entirely on lift trucks to keep product moving
through the facility,” says Lincoln Industries’ vice president
of operations Bill Ellerbee.
At the end of last year, Lincoln worked with a local distributor (Riekes Equipment Co., riekesequipment.com) to
upgrade an aging fleet of 26 trucks. As part of the process,
Lincoln Industries not only brought in new equipment, it
18
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2 0 1 2 / Mo d e rn Mate r ials Ha ndl i ng
mmh.com
modern system report
on lift trucks
also added lift truck attachments, fleet management software and opportunity charging to improve the operation of
the fleet.
The result has been improved safety and productivity.
“We’ve had the new fleet in place since February 2012,”
says Ellerbee. “Since then, we’ve broken monthly sales
records in four of the last six months. At the same time,
we’ve kept up with the extra production with no additional
overhead.”
More importantly, adds Ellerbee, “We have the security
of knowing our team can do their work day in and day out
safely and productively. Our people have the right tools to
do their job.”
A unique culture
Based in Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln Industries is the nation’s
largest privately held metal finishing company, providing 29
different metal finishes to world-class manufacturers like
Harley-Davidson, Polaris, John Deere and PACCAR.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BLAINE FISHER/GETTY IMAGES
mmh.com
u g u s t
2012
19
MODERN system report
Family-owned, the company is as
well-known for its unique business
culture as it is for the quality of its
work. Lincoln Industries has been
recognized five times as one of the 25
Best Medium Size Companies to Work
For in America.
“We are a people-oriented company,” says Ellerbee, explaining
that Lincoln Industries doesn’t hire
employees, it selects people to be part
of its team.
The company culture includes a
focus on developing individual talent,
encouraging the health and wellness
of its people, providing opportunities
for education and career advancement, and maintaining a safe workplace.
Productivity and safety, both
related to the business culture, were
catalysts for the upgrade of the fleet.
The company had 26 trucks, and they
were all five years or older. A techni-
A fleet management software system has automated the paper operator
checklist. The system ensures that only operators with up-to-date licenses
can drive a truck.
cian was on site 8 hours a day just to
avoid downtime.
The fleet included three core truck
types, but was a hodge-podge of styles
and all had basic features. The mast
heights were different and the options
were different. One truck couldn’t nec-
essarily operate in all parts of the plant.
Safety was also a concern. To
accommodate the many different-sized
pallets and containers handled within
the plant, drivers had to frequently get
off their lifts to adjust their forks. That
was unproductive. Last fall, Lincoln
Industries called in local forklift providers and asked for bids.
The goal was to bring in a new fleet
with features that would improve productivity and safety. Lincoln Industries
also wanted to make sure that the
composition of the fleet matched the
duties of the operators who would be
using the trucks.
Selecting trucks
Lincoln Industries’ lift truck operators
were a critical factor in the selection
process. After all, they would be operating the vehicles and had a stake in
how the trucks performed.
As the bid process unfolded, drivers were included on the selection
team and were involved in every meeting with suppliers. Drivers were also
encouraged to test each of the lift
trucks brought in for evaluation.
Once a brand was selected, Lincoln
Industries not only replaced its trucks,
Reach trucks were outfitted with a laser positioning device that guides the
operator as he handles loads at the top positions of the racks.
it brought in a new mix of vehicles
with new features.
“We wanted to make sure that as
we changed the composition of the
fleet, we had trucks that matched the
operator and the operator’s duties,”
says Ellerbee. That included sit-down
and stand-up style trucks along with
some manual trucks. In total, Lincoln
Industries brought in 32 new trucks.
New fleet, new trucks
One of the first noticeable changes
in the new fleet was the style of truck
employed in the plant. The sit-down
trucks in the old fleet were comprised
of higher chassis trucks with cushion tires. The high chassis required a
three-step process to get on and off
the truck; because of the style of tire,
drivers felt every bump going over the
dock and every crack in the floor.
The new fleet includes low chassis
trucks with pneumatic tires and a zeroturn circumference. The trucks were
also equipped with a full suspension
seat. The combination resulted in a
truck that was easier to get on and off,
modern system report
easier to handle and more comfortable
to drive over a long shift. A full suspension floor was installed in standup
trucks to reduce operator fatigue.
Lincoln also added five manual
walkie reach trucks to the fleet.
“We used to spend a lot of time
moving raw material from the warehouse to the individual production
lines,” says Ellerbee. “To make that
more efficient, we installed storage
rack for high-volume products at the
line. With the walkie reach trucks,
our production people can get the
material they need without waiting
for delivery from the warehouse. That
saves time.”
The new fleet also included several new attachments and features.
For instance, side-shifting fork positioners were added to allow drivers to
automatically adjust the position of
the forks based on the size of the container and without ever getting off the
truck.
“In receiving, it used to take about
45 seconds every time a driver got on
or off a truck to change the position on
a fork,” says Ellerbee, adding that each
driver was getting on and off a lift 10
Intelligent side-shifting fork
positioners allow operators to
automatically adjust the position
of the fork to fit the container
being moved.
22
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to 15 times a shift. It also eliminates
driver’s risk of pinched fingers positioning the forks.
Similarly, automatic scales were
added to weigh product in the shipping department. That change not
only freed up space on the dock that
had been allocated to manual scales,
it also saved time since the weight
is automatically registered when a
driver picks up a load. The weights
are saved in memory until the driver
enters them into the shipping system.
The return on investment was less
than one year.
Finally, new reach trucks include a
laser to highlight where forks are going
to be placed on loads that are high up
in the air.
Lift truck scales have replaced manual
scales, freeing up space in the
shipping area. Weights are stored in
the memory of an onboard computer.
Managing batteries and the fleet
The upgrades in performance didn’t
end with the trucks. Lincoln also
implemented new battery and fleet
management systems.
Prior to the new fleet, operators spent 10 to 15 minutes each
shift swapping batteries in a battery
room that took up valuable production space. That system was replaced
with an opportunity charging system
that allows drivers to recharge during breaks or slow times. The space
devoted to the battery room is now
being used for production.
The last improvement was a fleet
management software system. It is
used to automate the vehicle check
list, a process that was done manually
before the drivers started their shift.
“If there is an issue with a vehicle, the
driver enters it into the system and
generates an e-mail to a service technician, which saves a telephone call,”
says Ellerbee.
Since each driver has an identification number, the fleet management
system ensures that only operators
authorized for that piece of equipment
can operate a truck.
The system also includes impact
management capability. This is a feature in the software that records when
a driver bumps into something or there
is some other jolt that could cause
damage to the truck. The software
highlighted a defect in the floor and an
opportunity to change operator behavior that is reducing damage to trucks
and product.
“We noticed that we were getting
a number of impact reads,” Ellerbee
says. “When we investigated, we
learned that drivers were traveling with
their forks extended when they were
moving loads of bumpers that were 8
feet long. Every time they went over a
particular crack in the floor, they were
setting off the impact sensors and they
were potentially damaging the fork
carriages.”
Since then, the crack has been
fixed and drivers have been retrained
to travel with the forks in a lower
position.
In the six months since the new
fleet was put into operation, maintenance costs have been dramatically
reduced.
“We have a technician who comes
in to do planned maintenance and
that’s about it,” says Ellerbee. More
importantly, lift truck operators have
the right tools to perform their jobs
safely and productively. M
mmh.com
Man
agem
e
ent
s
i
r
rp
e
t
n
E
You
Improve MES Connectivity Fast!
Fixing warehouse connectivity issues or improving data
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MODERN system report
The right truck for every application
Lincoln Industries’ new fleet of lift trucks includes six different
types of trucks. The fleet is comprised of:
SIZE:
electric sit-down counterbalanced rider trucks are used for
loading trucks in the shipping department and to move dunnage.
electric standup counterbalanced trucks operate in the receiving department and also move materials within the facility.
PRODUCTS:
SKUss
SKU
EMPLOYEES:
EMP
LOYEES:
electric rider reach trucks are used for handling dunnage and
odd-shaped material that isn’t easily handled with other trucks.
walkie pallet jacks move pallets from a staging area to points
of use on the production lines.
LIFT TRUCKS:
walkie reach trucks move raw materials from point-of-use
storage at the line to assembly stations.
LIFT TRUCK ATTACHMENTS:
internal combustion pneumatic trucks are used indoors and
in the yard at off-site facilities.
SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR/DISTRIBUTOR:
BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM:
Internal combustion pneumatic truck
Electric sit-down counterbalanced
Walkie pallet jack
Walkie reach truck
Electric stand-up counterbalanced
Electric rider reach truck
24
AU
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2 0 1 2 / MO D E RN MATE R IALS HA NDL I NG
mmh.com
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OUR PALLET BUSTER CART PROVIDES SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES OVER PALLETS.
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• Carts are safer and more ergonomic.
• Reduces chronic injuries associated with bending and lifting off pallets.
• Carts are not flammable - wood and plastic pallets can be toxic, or flammable.
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• More environmentally friendly, no additional wrapping materials needed.
• Carts are more secure, protects load from product damage and reduces product theft.
Ask us about our Pallet BusterTM and our automated cart loading machinery!
Critical Industry News
at Your Fingertips!
Modern Materials Logistics Management Supply Chain Management
CRITICAL TOPICS
Critical Topic areas help
you develop strategies and
expand your knowledge.
Each topic provides you
with the news, information,
and resources you need —
each day.
• Automation
Modern Materials Logistics Management Supply Chain Management
• Conveyors & Sorters
• Inventory & Picking
• Loading Dock
Equipment
• Mobile & Wireless
• Shipping Pallets
• Storage Systems
• Containers & Totes
• Energy & Sustainability
• Lift Truck & Fork Lift
• Handling & Warehouse
Ergonomics
• Packaging
• Software & Technology
www.mmh.com/criticaltopics
Sponsored by Toyota Industrial Equipment
Modern’s first comprehensive lift truck usage survey frames the decision-making process throughout the economic lifespan of a lift truck. How to
acquire and when? How and when to train, repair?
What data to collect, and what to do with it?
Conducted by Peerless Research Group, the survey captures revealing—and sometimes surprising—information about the many ways a lift truck
might make its way from the supplier’s showroom
to the warehouse floor. From corporate policies to
gut instincts, the results depict a real-world fleet
landscape poised for sweeping change.
Sponsored by:
mmh.com
Lift truck usage survey
modern special report
u g u s t
2012
27
How customers
acquire, maintain
and replenish
their fleets
T
he modern patterns of lift truck usage,
acquisition and maintenance would
be utterly unrecognizable to the facility manager of 1982. His fleet maintenance staff might be sufficiently qualified if they knew their way around an
automobile engine. His finance department, with whom he rarely communicated, might arrange for delivery of a
number of new forklifts every five years.
The new equipment would join old
equipment on the floor, on the dock,
and in the truck shop, for as many years
as it was on the depreciation schedule.
Modern facilities can now select from
a range of technologies to improve efficiency, capture data and drive process
improvement. That said, there are still
companies today that have found success
in the older, simpler ways of fleet management, as well as companies that did not
have a good experience when they finally
decided to give new solutions a chance.
From pen-and-paper safety checks to
wireless runtime data, the results of a
recent lift truck usage survey by Peerless
Research Group (PRG) illustrate the
modern lift truck landscape while capturing its rapid rate of change.
28
Au
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Lift truck usage survey offers most
comprehensive snapshot available of current
U.S. fleet management practices.
What type(s) of lift trucks are in use at your facility?
Electric-powered rider trucks, including counterbalanced, sit-down, and stand-up types (Class 1)
70%
Electric-powered narrow-aisle trucks, including orderpickers,
side-loaders, turret trucks, stackers, and reach trucks (Class 2)
43%
Electric-powered pallet trucks, including walkies, riders, low and high lift, and reach types (Class 3)
56%
IC-powered counterbalanced lift trucks with cushion tires (Class 4)
36%
IC-powered counterbalanced lift trucks with pneumatic tires (Class 5)
28%
Electric-powered and IC-powered rider-type tow tractors (Class 6)
8%
Rough terrain lift trucks (Class 7)
12%
Other
6%
Source: Peerless Research Group (PRG)
mmh.com
ment would expand the size of their fleet.
The survey also contains cautionary
data on how suppliers could lose business, with one in three respondents
indicating they have removed a supplier from their short list. About half of
respondents claimed to have such a list,
which consists of those companies they
find to be most competitive, responsive
and dependable.
“One of the messages here is that
when users talk about reliability, they’re
talking about it on two levels,” says
Aschenbrand. “One is the equipment
itself and the other is the company. If the
customer feels disappointed in either,
the supplier risks losing the business.”
For this article, we selected a few of
the most telling study results and asked
Michael McKean, fleet management
sales and marketing manager for Toyota
Material Handling, for his take on what
the numbers say about the past, present
and future of lift truck usage.
Designed to gauge activities and
trends in lift truck usage, maintenance
and management, this survey gives
insight into the usage of fleet management technology, the impact of the
economy on lift truck acquisition, and
the types of trucks in use. In June 2012,
a survey was sent by e-mail invitation to
Modern Materials Handling magazine
subscribers. A total of 348 qualified
responses were received from readers
who are personally involved in the evaluation and purchase of lift trucks in their
facility.
According to Judd Aschenbrand, director of research for PRG, the survey indicates a level of market activity that should
be very encouraging to lift truck suppliers.
Of the 64% of respondents who indicated
they would buy or lease a lift truck in
the next 24 months, one in 10 said they
planned to buy 20 or more, and the average number was slightly more than six
units. Exactly 30% said the new equip-
Types of trucks in use
According to figures from the Industrial
Truck Association (ITA), electric lift
trucks in classes 1, 2, 3, and 6 comprised 66% of shipments in 2009, a full
7% higher than in any year since the figures were recorded beginning in 1988.
The figure fell by a percentage point to
65% in 2010. Today, survey respondents
indicated Class 1 trucks alone make up
70% of their fleets, with internal combustion (IC) classes 4 and 5 at 36% and
28%, respectively.
“It’s an electric market,” says McKean.
“It used to be a 60/40 split between IC
and electric. Now it has flipped the other
way, and it’s never going back.”
More companies are moving away
from internal combustion, he says. The
recession prompted both increased
electric sales and a relative shift in
market share as electric applications
tended to center on more recessionresistant industries. Developments in
Current state of purchase vs. lease
Do you typically buy or
lease your lift trucks?
Reasons to lease
• Cash flow, capital conservation
• It’s a corporate policy
• Gives flexibility while reducing
upfront investment
• Less maintenance/service
in
ncluded in lease
• Allo
lows us to use current technology
Buy
60%
Reasons to buy
• Cheaper/cos
ost/financial
decision bettter ROI
• Corporate polic
licy
• Accounting purpo
rposes
• Low hour usage
• It’s what we’ve always done
Average percent of lift trucks bought
Average percent of lift trucks leased
Lease
21%
Both
19%
Reasons to buy and lease
Re
52%
48%
• Cost/cash flow
• Have a lease-to-buy program
• Depends on the situation–
sometimes lease, sometimes buy
mmh.com
u g u s t
2012
29
battery and charging technology as well
as government incentives helped stimulate that growth, says McKean.
“There are still and will always be
applications that can only be served
by IC,” says McKean, “But I see the
electric market continuing to grow in
coming years.”
Aschenbrand says the survey joins
a number of other data points in the
industry that illustrate the rise of electric lift trucks, but as with any single
data point the results do not necessarily
tell the whole story.
“For all we know, a large number of
respondents bought or expanded their
fleets right before the economy hit the
skids,” says Aschenbrand. “These numbers are interesting, but get even more
interesting when you combine and
cross-reference them. Then you can
put some qualitative meat on the quantitative bones.”
Purchase vs. lease
For instance, 60% of respondents indicate they typically buy equipment outright, although the average number of
units acquired through direct purchase
is 52%. However, the average number
of leased units is 48%, although just
21% of respondents say they typically
lease. McKean predicts the third group
of respondents, the 19% who said their
decision to buy or lease depends on the
lift truck and the situation, will likely
grow in coming years.
“Those are the companies that are
thinking as opposed to reacting,” says
McKean. Some respondents cited cor-
Impact of economy on acquisition
Influences to some extent
• Cash flow, available capital
“Budget constraints would hold us up
on needed acquisitions.”
Has little or no
impact on how
we acquire
47%
To
some
extent
30%
• Business conditions
“Depending on the business volume and activity,
the busier we are (the better the economy) the
more often we consider updating the fleet..”
“If
“ f the econom
my is sluggish and sales are
down
do
company wide then there is no revenue
to
o buy new lifts.”
To a
great
extent
23%
IInfluences to a great extent
• Cash flow, available capital
“When the economy is weak we
w tend to reduce our
capital expenditures even if we are not directly impacted.”
• Business conditions
“If business is down we need
d fewer trucks and
we will postpone replacement. If business is good,
we may get more.”
“In a down economy, we are more likely to retain
our lift trucks, and not replace them until we see
clear signs that the market is picking up. Also if the
market drops, the cost of lift trucks may drop with it.”
30
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porate policy to only buy or only lease
equipment, a practice McKean strongly
cautions against.
“One of the good things about
financing is it forces someone to plan
for an end, when each lift truck needs
to be retired, replaced or recycled,”
he says. “Buying does not require that
discipline and you can end up with
customers with equipment from companies that no longer exist. For some
customers, a lift truck might have
20,000 hours and $100,000 in repairs,
but if it is on a long-term depreciation
schedule then it is locked-in and those
numbers are irrelevant.”
As opposed to blanket policies,
McKean recommends customers with
more than two trucks establish a core
fleet. “They should be thinking about
planning in one way for the core fleet
and planning in a different way for whatever else might be needed to support
seasonal fluctuations in demand,” he
says. “There are not enough companies
looking at the concept of a core fleet,
which can save a lot of time and money.”
Pairing the right acquisition practice
to the right truck begins with improving
fleet visibility, which can often require
capital outlays, process improvements
and new technology. The study reflects
a tepid growth in customer interest in
fleet management technology, yet a
budding interest that McKean has also
seen among his clients.
“When a customer who has always
bought suddenly comes in and asks about
financing, something has happened
within their corporation,” says McKean,
who says these decisions typically follow the customers’ collection of new
fleet metrics. “In the past five years, we
have customers that are looking for data
beyond the hour meter for the first time.”
How far has technology penetrated
fleet management?
According to survey results, tracking
the hour meter or age of the lift truck is
third on the list of most popular uses of
fleet management technology. It follows
mmh.com
Current state of maintenance arrangements
Reasons to handle in-house
• Cost effective
Reasons to outsource
to service contractor
• Convenience
• Cost
• Expertise and reliability
Outsource to mainte
enance/
service contractor
or 15%
Other
Handled by
in-house staff
34%
4%
• Better control
“Having our own mechanic shop cuts down on downtime
and from inventorying extra equipment if we have to wait for
third-party firms to do repair.”
“Puts our lift truck back in service quicker.”
“Keeps employees involved with upkeep.”
“More consistent service; better coverage for multi-shift operations.”
“We have the capacity to handle ourselves.”
Outsource to
lift truck dealer
47%
Reaso
sons to outsource to lift truck dealer
• Less expensive
• More knowledgeable/expertise
“Consistency of service provided;
d Superior knowledge of equipment being serviced.”
“Don't have the manpower/knowledge/resources to handle in house.”
• Part of the lease contract.
maintenance history and cost in the top
slots, at 90% and 77%, respectively. Just
43% of respondents have implemented or
plan to implement some kind of technology to help manage their fleets; a number
McKean says is certainly on the rise, but
not at the pace he would have expected.
“Some companies are trying to
embrace technology, but some companies are making what might be irrational decisions,” says McKean. “If
a customer has technology, or a tool
to measure, then they can come to a
vendor and ask, ‘What can you save
me?’”
For those companies who have yet
to get into fleet management, not being
able to “see” the savings might be a
key reason why they do not explore it,
says McKean. Or, they might see marginal savings but question whether the
change in processes is worth it.
“It might not be that they lack the
mmh.com
time or resources to make that change,”
he says. “They simply don’t see the value.”
How does the economy impact
fleet acquisition?
Time is money, and, especially since
the recession, decisions based on
future business conditions can be difficult. The survey results grant some
insight into the impact of the economy
on fleet acquisition, with more than
half of respondents saying the economy
influences their decisions either to
some extent or to great extent.
“The economy is a barometer, and
it’s more about emotion,” says McKean.
Generally speaking, the lift truck market will grow or contract in direct proportion to the state of the economy.
But for those customers who claim the
economy has little or no impact on their
fleet acquisition, one of two things
might be happening. The customer
might be on a fixed replacement cycle
and is comfortable having idle trucks
during slow times.
“No one ever complains when the
lift truck is parked,” says McKean.
“They complain when it’s not there.”
Or perhaps the customer’s acquisition habits are based on fleet management data, or considerations of the core
fleet and seasonal fleet.
“Folks who fleet manage might not
make wait-and-see decisions or might
not consider the economy the direct
driver of acquisitions,” says McKean,
who says good data can prompt seemingly counter-intuitive buying decisions
in an economic downturn. “Say for
instance the maintenance costs are up
on a high-use lift truck when the economy suddenly slows. A wait-and-see
customer might have a hard time justifying the cost to replace that vehicle,
but a company with a well-managed
u g u s t
2012
31
How far has technology penetrated lift truck management?
What are you tracking?
90%
Maintenance history
Have you adopted or do you
plan to implement technology
to help manage your fleet?
77%
66%
62%
57%
56%
Cost to maintain
Age of trucks
Safety (including accidents, injuries, etc.)
Cost to operate (fuel/power consumption, training, etc.)
Level of utilization
40%
30%
28%
Up-time
Yes
No
Labor: Automated tracking vs. manual tracking
43%
Productivity levels
57%
How successful is your fleet management software implementation?
40%
46%
5%
Extremely
successful
Very
successful
Somewhat
successful
5%
4%
Not very
successful
Not at all
successful
fleet will be able to see the savings that
purchase can produce.”
Fleet maintenance practices
Fleet data can help inform equipment
buying patterns as well as help control equipment maintenance costs,
where the budget might lack the scrutiny applied to capital expenses. The
least common data points captured by
fleet management technology adopters
include utilization, up-time and productivity levels. Although a customer
might set out on the path of fleet technology with those specific purposes in
mind, it is instead the visibility into
maintenance costs that often proves
most rewarding.
Just 34% of respondents still primarily
service or maintain their fleets in-house.
According to McKean, it used to be that
job security, whether union or not, was in
the maintenance department.
32
Au
g u s t
“The shrinking of the truck shop came
at about the same time the word ‘outsourcing’ entered the business landscape,
say, 20 years ago,” he says. “At that time,
I’d estimate more than 50% of maintenance was handled in-house. It was a
part of how companies did business. And
lift trucks were easier to work on. Now,
the lift truck technology has changed so
much that well-trained technicians are
very highly valued.”
As a result, maintenance and service
contractors account for 15% of outsourcing, and lift truck dealers have managed
to capture 47% of the market, according
to the study results. Many customers
have made the move to eliminate the
maintenance bay and free up valuable
real estate in their facility. McKean says
companies often have difficulty keeping
technicians up to speed with current
technology, and so they have turned to
the dealer’s expertise for cost savings.
“Some folks say they can’t afford the
dealer technicians,” says McKean. “But
if their in-house tech is paid a third of
the rate and takes five times as long to
complete the repair, the customer is not
ahead.”
This scenario becomes more likely
as the complexity of lift truck technologies increases, he says. “Lift trucks have
evolved, and so has the process of maintaining them. The number of companies
outsourcing to dealers will grow in direct
proportion to the evolution of lift trucks.”
That process of evolution has been
more rapid in the past 10 years than in
the half century before. The lift truck
usage study affirmed the average lifespan of a lift truck is a little more than
seven years, meaning many customers
will soon be approaching a crossroads
between yesterday’s technology, maintenance, and acquisition practices and
those of tomorrow. M
mmh.com
to
Scan now ng your
ti
la
u
begin calcsavings.
fuel
We hate to brag.
So we’ll let the United
States Auto Club do
it for us. In recent
independent testing for fuel efficiency,
our 5,000 lb. cushion internal
combustion lift trucks came out on top.
In some cases, by a very wide margin.
How wide? Up to $6,200 in fuel costs
savings per year wide. So if saving
fuel and money, without sacrificing
productivity, are important to you, you
owe it to yourself to get the whole story
today at www.toyotaforklift.com.
800. 226.0009
Reference USAC Properties, Inc. Certification No. 11-CPC-249.
MODERN information management
The smarter
lift truck
Fleet management software is evolving
from a tool to track maintenance to a
platform for the smarter lift truck.
By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor
H
igh technology, automatic data collection,
sensors and software are probably not the
first words you associate with lift trucks.
Today’s lift trucks, however, are highly
sophisticated pieces of machinery.
“Over the last 10 or 20 years, the
technology within the lift truck has
evolved immensely,” says Mike McKean,
sales and marketing manager for Toyota
Material Handling USA. “The brains of
the lift truck have grown. The dashboards
display so much more information than in
the past.”
That technology is moving beyond the
dash. Thanks to sensors, microprocessors and CAN bus technology, today’s lift
trucks have the capability to collect and
communicate lift truck data in real time.
In turn, fleet management software
systems can use that data to manage
the maintenance of the truck or monitor how a driver is operating the vehicle.
It can perform that management for
an individual truck or driver, a fleet of
trucks, or team of drivers—in one location or across multiple locations. It’s possible to feed that information to other
management software systems, such as
labor management (LMS), warehouse
34
AU
G U S T
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modern information management
management (WMS) or enterprise
resource planning (ERP) systems, to
drive process improvements.
“We are not there yet, but we are
moving toward a smart truck platform,” says Phil Van Wormer, executive
vice president of sales, marketing and
business development for Total Trax,
a third-party provider of fleet management software for lift trucks.
This represents an evolution of
fleet management software over the
last few years.
Tracking maintenance
The earliest iterations of fleet management software were used to keep track
of maintenance. Indeed, that is still the
most common use of the technology,
aiding equipment manufacturers to
improve their products as much as end
users. “Using fleet management software, we know what repairs were made
on what trucks and at what intervals
of usage,” says Joe LaFergola, marketing manager of business and information solutions for Raymond. “If we see
a trend developing around the failure of
parts, we can do a root cause analysis
on the affected parts and implement
programs to reduce the cost there.”
For end users, maintenance systems
are used to schedule planned maintenance events and to track unplanned
and exception repairs. Those repairs
can also be compared against the hours
of use to see if a truck is getting more
or less hours between repairs than is
expected or if the truck is getting more
maintenance than is necessary for the
hours of operation. Together, they provide a snapshot of how the truck is performing and how it is being maintained.
Taken to the next step, the systems
can be used to automate the components of a maintenance transaction. With intelligent dispatching, for
instance, either the system itself or the
end user can provide information that
allows some problems to be solved without ever sending a technician. In the
alternative, the system may ensure that
a technician has the right tools and parts
to address an issue on the first call.
“This allows us to obtain as much
information as possible before a service call even gets to the dealer,” says
Pat DeSutter, who is with Yale’s fleet
management program. “We can then
make sure we’re dispatching a technician based on the skill required and the
availability of parts.”
Fleet management programs are used
to schedule and track all maintenance
events over the life of a vehicle.
Right sizing the fleet
With sensors tracking when a lift truck
is in motion, when it is at rest, or when
the forks are engaged in lifting and lowering, information is now available to
track the utilization of a fleet. “If you
measure how a truck is being used and
how much of the time it’s idle, you
might find that instead of 10 trucks in
the shipping department, you only need
Owens & Minor maximizes fleet with management software
Facing pressure to reduce costs and
improve its operations, Owens & Minor
turned to a forklift fleet management
program (Crown Equipment Corp.,
crown.com) to collect information being
generated at the forklift level. The goal
was to gain visibility into how many
trucks were in operation, how and when
those trucks were being used, and the
levels of productivity of the trucks and
their operators.
“We wanted a system that would
provide greater visibility into our forklift
fleet operation, allowing us to objectively determine the true utilization of
our fleet,” says Charlie Winnagle, director of corporate operations.
The software system was installed in
December 2010 on a fleet of 33 electric forklifts at a facility in Richmond,
Va. The fleet included stockpickers,
reach trucks and walkie riders.
By January 2011, just one month
36
Au
g u s t
after the installation, Owens & Minor
had begun to uncover opportunities
to increase efficiencies. For instance,
it determined that two stockpickers were not being used and could
be removed immediately with no
changes in productivity. Operations
managers were also able to determine that there was a narrow window
of time when most of the equipment
was in use. With a little tweaking of
processes, Owens & Minor was able
to eliminate an additional two trucks
only four months into the installation.
In addition to right sizing the fleet,
the fleet management system is also
being used to monitor workplace
safety regulations compliance and
impact from operator errors.
“With the system, we can permit
truck access only to those operators
with the required certification,” says
Ron Smarsh, general manager of the
Richmond DC. “Because inspection
checklists are integrated into the management console, we can ensure that
equipment is properly inspected every
day, and we can quickly produce the
proper documentation, if needed.”
The system also helps Owens &
Minor track impacts. “We set up the
truck so it automatically stops after
an impact occurs, and an e-mail alert
is sent to our management team,”
Smarsh says. “The truck can only be restarted by a supervisor, allowing us to
immediately find out what happened.”
Owens & Minor is so pleased with
the ongoing results from its installation that the company is currently
expanding the use of the system to
its Baltimore, Detroit and Louisville
facilities. The company is optimistic
the system can help reduce the high
maintenance costs the facilities are
experiencing with their fleets.
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eight,” says Toyota’s McKean.
In many facilities, managers assume
their fleet is being fully utilized throughout a shift because of the activity that
typically takes place within a plant or
distribution center. Facilities may also
have a mix of equipment based on how
work was once performed in the facility,
even if products, processes and lines have
changed. They might even have more
trucks than they realize. Fleet management software provides hard data to back
up or refute those assumptions.
“One of our customers told us
he needed more trucks,” recalls Jim
Gaskell, director of global Insite prod-
ucts for Crown Equipment. “When we
installed the software, he discovered he
had two more trucks than he thought
he had. They weren’t being used at all.”
In fact, it’s not uncommon for a facility
to learn that the fleet is only being utilized at 50% or so of capacity.
“For instance, we can learn how
many operational hours are being used
for lift and travel or how many trucks
are being used simultaneously,” Gaskell
says. “There may be peak periods when
New software applications can
automate the data collection process
and eliminate the need to hand scan
bar codes.
they are using all of their equipment,
but if that peak only lasts 10 or 20
minutes a shift, you can ask whether
they really need those trucks or if they
should change their processes.”
Operational information can also provide a real-time view of where in a facility trucks are being used. That allows
a supervisor to shift idle drivers in one
area to a busy area during peak periods.
Managing operators
The same tracking systems that monitor the performance of the trucks can
also be tied to the performance of the
operator. “The wireless tracking devices
38
Au
g u s t
mmh.com
“One of our customers told us
he needed more trucks. When
we installed the software, he
discovered he had two more
trucks than he thought he had.
They weren’t being used at all.”
—Jim Gaskell,
director of global
Insite products for
Crown Equipment
that monitor the usage of a truck also allow us to put operator check lists online, to manage operator licenses or to
monitor the hours required by a particular operator to perform a task,” says Raymond’s LaFergola.
If an operator is picking an order, for instance, the system
can track how much travel there was between pick stations or
how much time was required to lift or drop off a load. “If a task
should take 30 seconds and it’s taking longer, we can take steps
to increase productivity,” LaFergola says. “Among the customers that have implemented the system, we’ve seen 3% to 5%
increases in productivity.”
In addition to managing labor, the system can be used
to ensure that only qualified operators are on a particular
piece of equipment or working in authorized areas. If an
operator’s license is past its renewal date, for instance, the
system can lock that operator out of a truck. Similarly, if an
operator travels into an area where he isn’t authorized to
work or impacts something with enough force to damage
the truck, the product or a structure, the system can shut
down the truck and send an alert to a supervisor to address
the situation.
Similarly, the system can be used to control the performance of an operator. “If you have a new operator who is
learning to drive, you can limit the travel and lift speeds,”
says Gaskell. “No matter what truck he gets on, he’ll be at
that reduced performance level until he gets experience.”
Here today, used tomorrow
Despite those capabilities, fleet management software is not
yet widely used beyond a tool for managing maintenance.
The problem, say the experts, is that the available
data being collected by the trucks is like drinking from a
fire hose. “End users are overwhelmed,” says Raymond’s
LaFergola. “They don’t know where to start.”
Yale’s DeSutter concurs. “We expected that telemetry
and sensors would equip the customers to act on driver
accountability and training and to use the data to avoid
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U G U S T
2012
39
costs,” he says. “So far, we haven’t seen that.”
LaFergola sees an opportunity for the lift truck industry
to provide consultative services: Suppliers and distributors
can sift through and analyze the data to show their customers how they can alter their processes to make their operations more efficient. “Our heart and soul is in making lift
trucks,” he says. “But we recognize that there is this need.
We are working with dealers to move into this solution.”
One example of how this might be done is using data
from a customer’s labor or warehouse management systems
in combination with the data collected from the fleet management system to improve labor standards.
Toward a smarter lift truck
While few end users are ready to use lift truck data to
drive process improvements, lift truck software is already
evolving toward a platform for smarter operations.
A combination of software and hardware, for instance,
can automate the data collection process and eliminate
hand scanning. Available systems use optical scanning
technology to automatically scan and read pallet labels
when they are picked up by the truck, associating that specific pallet with that specific truck in the fleet management
software. Since the system is tracking the location of the
truck as it moves through the facility, the system can record
a putaway or drop location to within the inch without the
driver scanning the bar code. That information can then
feed the inventory management module in a WMS.
Fleet management software may also be used to improve
task interleaving within the warehouse. “Since we know the
real-time location of every truck and pallet, we believe we
can feed higher quality data to a WMS for better decision
making,” says Total Trax’s Van Wormer.
Meanwhile, Jungheinrich has developed several types of
Fleet management programs can also track the
performance of operators.
New applications combine fleet management with RFID
and GPS technology to automatically determine the
most efficient route to a picking location.
warehouse navigation technology for its lift trucks. “We’re
integrating the truck with the WMS to help drivers find the
most direct routes to get their work done,” explains Michael
Wiesenegg, product line manager of warehouse systems
for MCFA, which markets Jungheinrich trucks in North
America.
In these applications, the layout of the warehouse is programmed into the fleet management software. When the
WMS sends a task to an operator, it also sends a file to the
truck, telling it where it needs to go. Using the layout drawing, the truck provides turn-by-turn directions to the driver,
similar to the GPS system in an automobile.
For narrow-aisle guided truck applications, trucks
are outfitted with RFID readers that read transponders
installed in the floor in the aisles. When a truck passes a
transponder, it knows exactly where it is and calculates the
fastest combination of driving and lift speeds to safely and
productively get to the right pallet position for the pick. The
system is accurate to within 0.4 inches to 1.2 inches.
“We are seeing productivity gains of up to 25% in narrowaisle systems based on pallet moves per hour,” says Wiesenegg.
More importantly, he says, these types of advancements
ensure that lift trucks remain an integral part of operations,
even as automation makes strides further. “We are always
looking at how we can improve product flow in a warehouse,”
he says. “As software and lift truck technology advances, we
will incorporate more solutions into our trucks.” M
Companies mentioned
in this article
Crown Equipment: crown.com
MCFA/Jungheinrich: mcfa.com
Raymond: raymondcorp.com
Total Trax: totaltraxinc.com
Toyota Material Handling USA:
Yale: yale.com
toyotaforklift.com
TOP
Lift truck
suppliers
By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor
Continuing an upward climb, the
worldwide industrial lift truck
market is seeing orders and
shipments on the rise again.
mmh.com
I
t was onward and upward for the
2011 worldwide industrial lift
truck market. Once again, order
and shipment figures were up from
the previous year, despite economic conditions that remained
unchanged from 2010 into 2011.
To get an insider’s take on what the numbers tell
us about the last year’s lift truck market and what we
might expect going forward, Modern reached out to Jim
Moran. Moran, who recently retired as senior vice president of Crown and continues to serve as chairman of
the Industrial Truck Association (ITA, indtrk.org), said
he’s optimistic about the current state of the world lift
truck market, but still somewhat cautious about making predictions. “There are a lot of reasons to be very
cautious, and it’s tough to predict,” he says. “Everybody
knows the economy is growing, but at a slow pace.”
u g u s t
2012
IT’S 10 O’CLOCK.
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That said, Moran explains that the first five months
of 2012 saw lift truck market figures up 20% compared
to 2011. Moran expects the pace of growth to taper off
through the rest of the year, adding, “There’s all kinds
of uncertainty in the economy, and it would surprise
me if the growth rate was bigger than 7% to 10% by the
time all the dust settles.”
That sentiment is shared by ITA members, who are
surveyed each quarter about what they expect to happen over the current year and into the next. According
to feedback, members felt demand would increase
about 3% on average in 2012 over 2011.
Growth by region
While ITA member surveys currently reflect a conservative outlook, the lift truck market statistics of last year
reflect positive growth domestically and around the
world. According to ITA’s worldwide industrial truck
figures, orders were up 22.67% and shipments were up
27.15% in 2011. (See the “Worldwide lift truck market”
table.) Each of the five reporting geographic regions
also experienced growth in orders and shipments.
• The Americas were the stars of 2011, with shipments up 36.35% and orders up 24.12%. The region
went from shipping 152,160 units in 2010 to shipping
207,485 units in 2011. But the Americas weren’t the
only bright spot.
• Oceania had a shipment increase of 33.8%. After
shipping 14,468 units in 2010, the region shipped
19,359 units last year.
• Europe shipped 324,073 units in 2011, which
resulted in an increase of 28.45% over 2010’s 252,290
units.
• Asia shipped 373,697 units in 2011, up from
307,529 units in 2010. Shipping more units than any
region, Asia experienced a 21.51% increase over 2010.
• Africa reported a 20.71% increase, shipping
17,194 units in 2011, up from 14,243 units in 2010.
In total, worldwide shipments rose from 740,690 in
2010 to 941,808 in 2011 and orders climbed to 974,582
units ordered. And, while the worldwide lift truck markets experienced growth collectively, the Top 20 lift truck
suppliers experienced growth independently.
The Top 10
It’s like déjà vu all over again. This year’s top five suppliers are last year’s top five suppliers (See the table on
right for the complete list of Top 20 suppliers). Toyota
remains at the head of the pack, with $5.9 billion in
revenue. At the No. 2 spot, the Kion Group posted
Worldwide lift truck market
Orders
Region
2010
Europe (53 countries/territories)
267,436
330,616
Americas (55 countries/territories)
181,060
224,733
Asia (43 countries/territories)
315,449
15,534
Africa (56 countries/territories)
2011
Shipments
% Increase
2010
2011
% Increase
23.62%
252,290
324,073
28.45%
24.12%
152,160
207,485
36.35%
379,696
20.36%
307,529
373,697
21.51%
17,587
13.21%
14,243
17,194
20.71%
Oceania (29 countries/territories)
14,973
21,677
44.77%
14,468
19,359
33.80%
Total (236 countries/territories)
794,452
974,582
22.67%
740,690
941,808
27.15%
Source: These figures are provided by the World Industrial Truck Statistics (WITS) organization.
ITA’s lift truck classifications
45
Class 1, Lift Code - 1
Counterbalanced Rider Type,
Stand Up
Three Wheel Electric Trucks,
Sit Down
Counterbalanced Rider,
Cushion Tires, Sit Down
Counterbalanced Rider,
Pneumatic or Either Type
Tire, Sit Down
High Lift Straddle
Au
g u s t
2 0 1 2 / Mod e rn Mate rials Hand l ing mmh.com
Top 20 industrial lift truck suppliers in 2011
Rank
Company
2010
Rank
2011 Revenue*
World
headquarters
North American brands
1
Toyota Industries Corp.
1
$5.9 billion
Toyota, Raymond
Aichi, Japan
2
Kion Group
2
$5.6 billion
Linde
Wiesbaden, Germany
3
Jungheinrich AG
3
$2.7 billion
Jungheinrich (sold in NA by MCFA)
Hamburg, Germany
4
NACCO Industries
4***
$2.5 billion
Hyster, Yale
Cleveland, Ohio
5
Crown Equipment Corp.
4***
$2.1 billion
Crown, Hamech
New Bremen, Ohio
6
Mitsubishi Caterpillar
Forklift
6
$1.4 billion
Mitsubishi, CAT, Rocla, Jungheinrich
(NA only)
Sagamihara, Japan
7
Komatsu Utility Co.
7
$1.1 billion
Komatsu, Tusk
Tokyo, Japan
8
Nissan Forklift Corp.
8
$1 billion
Nissan, Barrett, Atlet
Tokyo, Japan
8
Anhui Forklift Group
10
$1 billion
Heli
Hefei, Anhui, China
10
Nippon Yusoki Co.
11
$879 million
Not available in North America
Kyoto, Japan
11
TCM Corp.
9
$746 million
TCM
Tokyo, Japan
12
Clark Material Handling
12
$677 million
Clark
Seoul, South Korea
13
Doosan Infracore
13
$532 million
Doosan Infracore
Seoul, South Korea
14
Zhejiang Hangcha
Engineering Machinery Co.
14
$381 million**
HC
Hangzhou, China
15
Hyundai Heavy Industries
15
$374 million
Hyundai
Ulsan, South Korea
16
Tailift
16
$152 million**
Tailift, World-Lift
Taichung, Taiwan
17
Combilift
17
$125 million
Combilift
Monaghan, Ireland
18
Hubtex
18
$91 million**
Hubtex
Fulda, Germany
19
Godrej & Boyce
Manufacturing
20
$64 million
Not available in North America
Mumbai, India
20
Paletrans Equipment
N/A
$58 million
Paletrans
Cravinhos, Brazil
*Fiscal year 2011 worldwide sales revenue - Figure based on foreign exchanges rates as of 12/31/11
**Figure based on industry estimate
Order Picker
Reach Type Outrigger
Side Loaders, Turret Trucks,
Swing Mast and Convertible
Turret/Stock Pickers
Low Lift Pallet and Platform
(Rider)
Low Lift Platform
mmh.com
Modern Material s Handl in g / A
u g u s t
2012
46
ITA class of trucks manufactured
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Class 4
Class 5
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
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x
x
x
x
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47
$5.6 billion. That represents a 23% increase in revenue
over 2010 and is closing the gap between the first and
second supplier positions. Jungheinrich, which holds
the No. 3 position again, reported $2.7 billion, up 13%
over 2010.
Holding on to the No. 4 ranking is NACCO Industries,
with $2.5 billion in revenue. Crown Equipment Corp.
rounds out the top five, reporting $2.1 billion in 2011.
Last year NACCO and Crown both reported $1.8 billion
and shared the No. 4 position.
The remaining top 10 suppliers include Mitsubishi
Caterpillar Forklift, which holds on to the No. 6 ranking
with $1.4 billion, up 19% over last year. Komatsu is also
in a repeat position at No. 7, with $1.1 billion.
Nissan Forklift and Anhui Forklift share the No. 8
position with $1 billion.
Rounding out the top 10, and moving up one position
in the ranking, is Nippon Yusoki, which was up 12% to
$879 million.
Changes to the list
This year’s Top 20 welcomes Brazilian lift truck supplier Paletrans Equipamentos at the No. 20 position.
Headquartered in Cravinhos, a municipality in São Paulo,
Brazil, Paletrans reported $58 million in revenue last year,
up from $56 million in 2010.
Off the Top 20 list this time around is China’s Hytsu
lift truck supplier, which manufacturers forklift brands
Hytsu and T&U. The company reported $38.48 million
in revenue last year, down from $69 million in 2010. The
decline was attributed to a decrease in its main European
market and a factory closing.
Making Modern’s list
For a lift truck supplier to make Modern’s top 20 list this
year, the company had to report at least $58 million in
revenue for 2011.
Together, the top five companies reported a com-
Low Lift Walkie Pallet
Tractors (Draw Bar
Pull Under 999 lbs.)
Low Lift Walkie/Center
Control
Reach Type Outrigger
High Lift Straddle
Au
g u s t
2 0 1 2 / Mo d e rn Mate rials Han d l ing mmh.com
How the suppliers are ranked
To be eligible for Modern’s annual Top 20 lift truck
suppliers ranking, companies must manufacture and
sell lift trucks in at least one of the Industrial Truck
Association’s seven truck classes: electric motor
rider; electric motor hand trucks; internal combustion engine; pneumatic tire; electric and internal
combustion engine tow tractors; and rough terrain
lift trucks.
Rankings are based on worldwide revenue from
powered industrial trucks during each company’s
most recent fiscal year. Revenue figures submitted
in foreign currency are calculated using the Dec. 31,
2011 exchange rate.
bined revenue figure of $18.8 billion in 2011, up
13.25% from a combined $16.6 billion figure in 2010.
The top ten 2011 lift truck suppliers reported revenue of nearly $24.2 billion, which is up from $24.17
billion in 2010 and $20.17 billion in 2009. Also on the
rise is the number of companies crossing the billiondollar threshold. Nine of the top 10 suppliers reported
revenue in the billions, compared to seven in 2010 and
five in 2009.
What to watch
While we watch to see if revenue figures continue to
grow, we’re also watching the green trend grow. “There’s
no question that there’s an ongoing interest in protecting the environment, and we’re seeing more people
using fuel cells,” says Moran.
Moran also says that end users are asking more questions about green initiatives and environmental impact
as they pursue requests for quotes, but there has to be
a balance. “Most green things end up making business
sense, meaning they take cost out of doing business, or
they don’t last. Users want to protect the environment
but keep their business hats on while doing it.”
Looking forward, the biggest industry news is the
merger between Nissan and TCM. When Modern
went to press, documents were slated to be completed
in August for the finalization of the merger which will
result in the formation of a new organization known
as UniCarrier. Next year, Nissan and TCM will report
together under the UniCarrier name, and Modern will
continue to watch and see how this business merger
affects the lift truck market and the annual Top 20 lift
truck suppliers list. M
ITA’s lift truck classes
The Industrial Truck Association
(ITA, www.indtrk.org) has defined
seven classes of lift trucks, or
forklifts, which are defined by the
type of engine, work environment,
operator position and equipment
characteristics.
Forklift classes include:
• Class 1: electric motor trucks with
cushion or pneumatic tires
• Class 2: electric motor narrow
aisle trucks with solid tires
High Lift Counterbalanced
mmh.com
• Class 3: electric hand trucks or
hand/rider trucks with solid tires
• Class 4: internal combustion
engine sit down rider forklifts with
cushion tires, suitable for indoor
use on hard surfaces
• Class 5: internal combustion
engine sit down rider forklifts with
pneumatic tires, suitable for
outdoor use on rough surfaces
• Class 6: electric or internal
combustion engine powered, rider
units with the ability to tow (rather
than lift) at least 1,000 pounds
• Class 7: almost exclusively
powered by diesel engines with
pneumatic tires, these units are
suitable for rough terrain and
used outdoors.
Since mostly classes 1 through
5 are used in materials handling
applications inside the four walls,
Modern has only specified those on
our supplier table.
Low Lift Walkie/Rider Pallet
Fork, Counterbalanced
(Cushion Tire)
Fork, Counterbalanced
(Pneumatic Tire)
u g u s t
2012
48
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modern productivity solution
By Noël P. Bodenburg,
Executive Managing Editor
Sortation
helps
speed
growth
Double-density tilt tray sorter
transforms order fulfillment for
Oriental Trading Company.
O
riental Trading Company (OTC), one of the
nation’s largest direct-to-consumer retailers and distributors of party supplies, needed high
throughput in a compact system footprint to keep
up with the exploding growth of orders and SKUs.
So it was appropriate when the company built a new
750,000-square-foot distribution center in LaVista,
Neb., that it used a new picking methodology that it
refers to as “explode and assemble.”
One key component of the system is a tilt tray
sorter (Beumer Group, beumergroup.com). The
system feeds 600 packout stations and was configured to support an increase in OTC’s product offerings—to up to 50,000 SKUs—and improve productivity and order accuracy. In 2011, the DC picked
and packed 79 million units, productivity increased
by 45%, and order accuracy improved from 99.25%
to 99.93%.
“The explode and assemble process enables our
system to explode customer order items into large
unit waves, and then reassemble these orders into
packout locations utilizing a high-speed unit sorter,” said Deon Wagner, vice president of fulfillment
center operations.
The double-density, split-tray design doubles the
mmh.com
sorter system capacity and was designed to use the
DC’s available space with optimal efficiency. And,
the chute width at the packout stations was optimized to enable more stations in the same footprint,
compared to industry standards.
Order processing works like this: To “explode”
the orders, four picking and packing subwaves are
created from the original wave coming; picking
tasks are assigned to an induction location on the
sorter, and orders are assigned to a chute leading to
the packout locations.
For the “assemble” part of the orders, items for
a single order are sent to a packout location. After
an order is packed into a shipping container, it is
scanned again. When the carton is 100% complete,
it is sorted to an automated tape-sealing machine
and the shipping sorter. Exceptions are conveyed to
an exception handling station.
According to Wagner, the sorter has enabled
OTC to sort more than 400,000 units during its
peak day at an accuracy rate of 99.8%. Since the
sorter can sort more than 43,000 units per hour,
OTC is able to leverage wave size to increase pick
density and reduce visits to pick locations to once
per wave.
u g u s t
2012
51
Conveyor handles
complexity
Trojan Battery improves
efficiency with minimum
pressure conveyor system.
T
rojan Battery is the world’s leading manufacturer of deep cycle batteries. The batteries are
built to meet the complex requirements of today’s
advancing applications for the renewable energy,
golf, heavy duty truck, serial/scissor lift, floor
machine, RV and marine industries. But when
looking to improve efficiency at its own manufacturing facility, the company realized it had some
close axle centers to maximize the system’s capacity
and maintain throughput. And, 1.9-inch diameter
rollers and heavy duty UHMV guarding were used
throughout the system for added strength in the abusive environment.
“The conveyors are robust enough for our harsh
environment and help us to be as efficient as possible
in our manufacturing process,” said Eric Rueter, the
company’s director of process engineering.
This new system increased Trojan’s battery production, reduced manufacturing costs, and created
additional shipping capacity.
Rising to the
challenge
Beverage distributor implements
a conveyor and sortation system
to process 200,000 bottles a day
out of two Michigan warehouses.
complex requirements of its own.
In its Lithonia, Ga., facility, the company was
looking for ways to move the battery cases through
machines during the pre-acid fill assembly process. Space was tight, the environment was harsh,
and battery weight varied from empty plastic shells
to 50-pound, lead-filled cases ready for acid filling
and sealing.
The solution (Conveyors & Drives, condrives.
com; Hytrol, hytrol.com) was a conveyor system
that uses tight radius curves to avoid columns
located throughout the facility and to keep the line
moving efficiently.
The minimum pressure conveyors are set on
52
Au
g u s t
W
hen the liquor distribution network was privatized in Michigan, National Wine & Spirits
became one of three authorized distribution agents
to receive deliveries from producers, warehouse the
liquor, accept and reconcile orders from more than
12,000 licensees and make approximately 8,000
weekly deliveries.
More than 350 suppliers of wine and spirits sell
their products to National Wine & Spirits. The company distributes more than 7,000 products through a
master warehouse in Brownstown, Mich., and a hyperterminal in Grand Rapids.
National worked with a supplier (W&H Systems,
whsystems.com) to automate the master warehouse
mmh.com
REACHING
NEW HEIGHTS
WITH HEAVIER LOADS
and hyper-terminal. High-speed conveyors and sortation systems handle thousands of cases per hour. All of the slowermoving full case and bottle SKUs are picked in Brownstown
and loaded onto the trucks so that when they get to Grand
Rapids, they can be properly sequenced with the Grand Rapids
goods.
"As our business in Michigan has evolved and grown,
technology has played a major role in managing the costs of
distribution and obtaining efficiencies within our warehouses," said John Baker, COO of National Wine & Spirits.
The system features a very large split case holding system
that holds more than 5,000 split cases that are queued up
around the clock, then released in sequence with the full
case in the evening when it is time to load the trucks. A warehouse control system manages all the equipment and activities, including order fulfillment from two buildings and one
consolidated delivery to the end customer.
BLESSING IN
DISGUISE FOR
FOOD SUPPLIER
New real-time manufacturing inventory
and pallet tracking solution helps improve efficiency and customer service.
R
ich’s Products, a global food supplier and solutions provider to foodservice and retail marketplaces, has 33 manufacturing locations on six continents. When the supplier of
Rich's logistical and material requirements planning (MRP)
technology in its North American plants went out of business, the company was forced to seek out alternatives.
Working with a new supplier (PEAK Technologies, peaktech.com), Rich's developed an RF solution that integrated
with SAP and real-time inventory and pallet tracking in all of
its facilities. The company needed a quick solution for autommh.com
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mated inventory tracking to ensure the oldest pallet of raw
materials was always used first. The solution: a unique identifier for each pallet of inventory.
“We were able to roll the system out without much effort,
and we haven’t had any downtime or any big issues,” said
Mark Draksic, Rich’s manager of ERP systems and applications support. “We have improved inventory and cycle counting processes, put-away processing, inventory management,
PO receipts handling. The list goes on.”
Rich implemented wireless hardware that provided fully
integrated, real-time updates to the plant. New pallet labels
contained the real-time data and could be scanned more easily. Finally, the company purchased bar code label printers
that linked to the system.
Before the go-live, the warehouse staff reorganized 3,000
pallets of raw materials in a span of 16 hours, over two days.
Then, they labeled all the pallets and used the mobile RF
devices to scan the information into the system. The entire
take-on process was completed ahead of schedule, during
the warehouse’s busiest season, without missing a customer
order.
After implementation, the receiving process has been a lot
faster. Once the materials arrive, a label is immediately cre-
ated for the inventory pallet. Rich’s associates can now track
raw material by vendor, product and lot code.
“There are so many improvements to technology and user
interface that morale and productivity are both way up,” says
Draksic. “Moving away from a paper-based system has been
well worth it.” M
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Au
g u s t
mmh.com
MODERN best practices
LABOR MANAGEMENT:
Beyond the
punch clock
While adoption remains low, savvy managers are
putting engineered labor standards and related
labor management systems to work to jumpstart
productivity and gain a new level of operational
visibility. Here’s how they’re getting it done.
By Maida Napolitano,
Contributing Editor
mmh.com
I
ntegration with warehouse management systems (WMS)…check. Integration
with time and attendance, radio frequency (RF), and voice systems….check.
Smart phone and tablet support…check. Web interface and access to cloud
computing and storage….check.
Clearly, today’s top labor management systems (LMS) are keeping up with
the times, evolving from basic stand-alone systems into sophisticated, packaged WMS-LMS solutions geared toward offering real-time visibility of tasks
occurring within the four walls of a warehouse or distribution center. In fact,
all of these functionalities have been developed just to make it easier for supply chain professionals to manage one of the most complex components of
the supply chain: its workforce.
As such, Tom Stretar, practice leader for enVista, a supply chain con-
U G U S T
2012
55
sulting firm and LMS integrator, sees
labor management as only growing in
importance primarily because of how
it improves overall performance. He
speculates that operations not using
any form of LMS are only operating
at 60% to 75% of their capabilities.
“Depending on how far you want to
go with your standards and incentives, you can get upwards of 115% to
120%,” says Stretar.
Given the costs of labor, Larry
Parker, principal for Aries Consulting,
another LMS firm specializing in the
development and maintenance of engineered labor standards, concurs that
LMS adoption will only increase. He
cites organizations that support Lean
and Six Sigma initiatives as other drivers of the technology.
With such promising potential, it’s
surprising that LMS hasn’t penetrated
a larger part of the market—reportedly
only 20%, if that. Crystal Welker, director of solutions design and continuous
improvement for third-party logistics
provider Genco ATC, says in the 50 sites
that she oversees in her business unit,
there are probably 30% where LMS
would actually not make sense.
“Those specific sites are simply too
small, and it’s relatively expensive to
install,” says Welker. “You have to identify all the interfaces and configure
it, and you need to do the engineering
standards, which take time.” She adds
a company typically doesn’t implement
LMS at a site unless the team can realize a return on investment within two
years. To achieve that, they generally
need to have a minimum of 30 to 35
variable employees at the site.
However, the experts we spoke with
agree that LMS is jumpstarting productivity when it’s put to its fullest potential,
going beyond punch clocks and engineered labor standards to track overall
performance. Here’s a closer look at
how savvy managers are now using the
systems to achieve operational visibility, shrink unproductive time, employ
incentive programs, plan workforce lev-
els, develop true activity-based costs,
and simulate what-if scenarios.
Achieving real-time visibility
Previous systems operated in batch
mode, with supervisors going over performance reports at the end of the day,
or even at the end of the week. Today’s
LMS providers have risen to the occasion, providing Web-based dashboard
technology to users in real time on their
smart phones and tablets.
These dashboards display information regarding labor performance on a
single screen and direct the supervisors and managers to where they need
to focus their attention. Configurable
reports may include the complete listing of tasks along with a measure of the
utilization and efficiency of each worker.
If performance isn’t up to par, the system can alert supervisors immediately
with a text or e-mail so they can initiate
action. “We’re moving from ‘we didn’t do
so well this week; we need to pick it up
next week’ to ‘we’re not doing well right
Genco ATC’s labor management edge
Genco ATC is the second largest
privately held, non-asset based
third-party logistics provider (3PL) in
North America. The company runs
distribution operations for a variety
of customers at more than 130 sites,
employing about 10,000 “teammates.” Until about four years ago,
each site was on its own in terms of
labor management, mostly tracking
workforce performance manually.
In 2008, this 3PL provider recognized the growing need for its customers to focus on more productive
labor and to identify opportunities
for improvement. It decided to invest
in a team that would be responsible
for overseeing the implementation
of labor management solutions at
sites driven to achieve higher levels of
workforce efficiency.
“Our process is to go to a facility, do an analysis of that operation,
and identify the opportunity to put
in an LMS,” says Melinda Laake, the
3PL’s director of labor management.
56
AU
G U S T
“For some of our smaller facilities, if
we find that cost prohibitive, we use
other technologies to help us systematically track performance.” On occasion, the team would bring in consultants (such as enVista, a supply chain
consulting firm and LMS integrator).
Since its formation, the team has
implemented LMS from three leading
software providers at 15 different sites
around the country. Many of the sites
have engineered labor standards in
place, some have gone a step further
with the implementation of incentive
programs.
Aside from tracking labor, sites use
the data from the LMS to primarily
reduce indirect or nonstandard time.
Supervisors run reports on a daily
basis, constantly looking for opportunities to reduce and eliminate this
nonproductive time. They also export
data from the LMS into an Excel format to create budget reports and
compare them to where they should
be on standard. Any gaps are immedi-
ately addressed.
“We’ve also used the LMS to
identify potential opportunities for reslotting,” adds Laake. “If we see that
picking has gone above a 75% travel
component, then it gives us an opportunity to re-slot that area and reduce
travel times.”
Genco facilities across the country
have been reaping the benefits of
LMS. On average, labor performance
at LMS sites has improved 10% to
25%—with incentives, it’s up 20% to
30%. Before, some sites used to bring
in additional temps to handle volume
fluctuations. Now, many operations
are able to keep the same number of
associates and equipment to handle
upticks.
Laake warns, however, that these
systems do not necessarily solve the
problems in an operation. “This is a
tool to provide the information to
solve the problems in the operation—
and that’s an important distinction,”
she says.
mmh.com
Labor management systems
(LMS) Usage/Plan to buy
100%
fabric structures
80%
Analysts speculate that
operations that are not using
some form of LMS are only
operating at 60% to 75% of
potential.
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this moment; let’s try to identify why,” adds Stretar.
This detail provides a critical layer of transparency to the
DC, allowing proactive managers to avoid any dips in productivity. So, what’s the challenge? Some host WMS have difficulty processing data in a near real-time environment, preventing potential corrective actions to be addressed immediately.
Identifying unproductive time
Pickers may be paid for eight hours, but with reports from the
LMS supervisors can see to the element level why there were
only six and a half hours of actual productive time.
According to Welker, this is where the LMS has been
invaluable to her team. “It gives us the ability to really capture that time where we’re not physically picking,” she says.
It’s not necessarily because workers are catching up on
last night’s game, for example. Pickers may be spending 10
unproductive minutes waiting for pick tickets, doing safety
check sheets, or waiting for product to be replenished.
“We can find those reasons that they’re not doing productive tasks and eliminate them, making them productive for
7.5 hours per day instead of only 6.5 hours,” says Welker.
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Implementing an incentive program
While implementing engineered labor standards may improve
mmh.com
U G U S T
2012
57
Levels of LMS performance
productivity by identifying those lagging
the curve, it’s the implementation of
incentives that sells LMS internally to
most workers.
Let’s say it takes a worker two hours
to complete a task. If he completes it in
only one hour, then he saves the company an hour of labor time, worth $20
per hour. With incentives, the company
takes that $20 and shares a percentage
of that with its workers, perhaps keeping $10 then giving the worker $10.
“Obviously with incentives, productivity increases,” says Welker. “What we
also find is that people then become
more creative, with many taking the
initiative to improve processes because
they want the incentive.”
Parker warns that incentive plans
may not be as effective in an environment where overtime is commonplace.
“Incentive pay must be more lucrative
than overtime,” says Parker. “One should
minimize overtime for several months
(Engineered Performance
Management)
>115%
95-115%
85-95%
75-85%
Incentive
compensation
Individual productivity reporting
with discrete engineered standards,
advanced productivity reporting
Workload forecasting/manpower
planning and individual productivity
reporting with multi-variable standards
Area productivity reporting and
historical standards
60-75%
No reporting and no
measurements in place
Performance targets that can be achieved
at different levels of LMS application.
Source: enVista
before implementing incentive pay.” He
also cautions that incentive pay should
never be tied to productivity alone.
“Quality, service and safety are also part
of an effective incentive pay system.”
Improving workforce planning
Demand volumes can fluctuate seasonally. LMS provide supervisors with a
scheduling tool that can define shifts
and work schedules. It also allows them
to evaluate current and future staffing levels based on both historical and
actual work assignment data.
“I know that I have 2 million cases
coming in next year,” says Welker. “I
know my teammates can pick about
200 cases per hour based on my LMS
data. I can then determine how many
teammates I need on the floor.”
Even when initiating a new process,
managers can use a combination of
historical data and predetermined time
standards from the LMS to project the
time it takes to complete a task and then
calculate the number of workers needed.
Developing more accurate costs
With an increasing number of value58
AU
G U S T
mmh.com
added services being performed at the
DC level, many don’t have a good feel
for how much they should be charging. More managers are using their
LMS to determine exactly how much it
costs to ship merchandise through their
warehouse and to determine what they
need to break even or to realize specific
profit margins.
“The system allows the operator to
apply cost values to the goal or standard
times, thereby calculating the true cost
of performing the task,” says Parker.
Parker notes, however, that most
LMS are still limited in their ability
to process this data within the system,
as providers have yet to build a solid
module around activity costing. For
now, many simply extract LMS data
and enter them into custom spreadsheets to develop detailed budgets and
costing reports.
Simulating what-if scenarios
With input from the LMS, operators
can simulate changes in equipment,
processes or layouts within a facility in a virtual mode to determine the
impact on productivity. “Before investing thousands of dollars,” says Parker,
“why not take those same orders,
reload them into a test environment
in the LMS, and compare how many
standard minutes it takes with your
new layout?”
By simulating within the LMS
environment, managers recognize the
credibility of the simulation results,
making it easier to get approval for
any upfront capital. However, Parker
notes that not many LMS providers
offer this option within their system.
“We typically have to extract the data,
mimic databases, and request assistance from IT personnel to help process the data.”
Tips for implementing
According to Stretar, LMS implementations usually involve working closely
with employees on the floor to improve
the operations. “We usually try to optimize an operation in conjunction with
mmh.com
implementing the software. We then
build and audit the standards for that
operation,” he says. Incentive programs
can then be initiated once the standardized operations have somewhat
stabilized—typically after two to three
months.
Parker believes that the most
important aspect of any LMS implementation is really its change management. “There’s going to be resistance,”
he says. “It’s important to educate
workers on the system from the very
beginning.” Integrated
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U G U S T7/26/2012
2 0 1 210:52:36 AM
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State of materials
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Industry experts discuss the state
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60
Au
g u s t
ore companies are looking to materials handling automation and technology to improve
processes and lower operating costs, but figuring out which solutions will work best in specific applications isn’t always easy. This year,
Modern Materials Handling’s virtual conference tackled this
issue, with the goal of helping companies make the best possible materials handling automation and technology decisions
for their organization.
Group editorial director Michael Levans, Modern’s executive editor Bob Trebilcock, and a select team of materials handling analysts, consultants and practitioners used the virtual
backdrop to put the state of materials handling automation into
perspective and share how today’s leading supply chain professionals are leveraging automation to improve facility operations
and corporate strategies.
The conference was divided into four different presentations, each of which delved into what the future of automation
might look like based on the products, developments and solutions of today. Here’s a rundown of the key points covered in
each session.
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Keynote State of materials handling automation
with his finger on the pulse of the
Trebilcock gave other examples of ing and piece picking, all in one facilindustry, Modern’s executive editor Bob firms that have achieved significant ity. “That requires automation,” said
Trebilcock said he suspects something results from their materials handling Trebilcock, who pointed to multi-shutis happening in the world of materi- investments. In the multi-channel retail- tles, mobile robotics, stationary robotals handling automation. Just look at the ing realm, he said many companies are ics, AGVs, and automated storage and
numbers: While the industry has not yet now looking for designs that can accom- retrieval as the “technologies to watch”
recovered to its pre-recession peaks, both modate mixed pallet building, case pick- over the next year or two.
the conveyor and automatic guided vehicle
(AGV) sectors posted impressive year-over- Session 1
year growth numbers, while the Material
Handling Industry of America (MHIA) is
anticipating 12% growth in 2012.
in this session, Norman E. Saenz, items. Goods-to-person, on the other
What’s behind the interest in materials senior vice president and principal hand, can increase productivity rates
handling automation and what might the at TranSystems, discussed the com- and enables recovery of lost space.
The goods-to-person concept is parfuture of automation look like based on monalities among various sales chanthe products and solutions in development nels, including direct-to-consumer ticularly relevant in store replenishtoday? In this keynote address, Trebilcock order fulfillment, store replenishment, ment models where orders are typically
shared his findings from recent inter- wholesale distribution, catalog sales, scheduled based on store volume, store
views with 10 of the leading automation television shopping networks and global deliveries vary dramatically by retail
and integrated systems suppliers. What distribution. Most retailers have to fill type, and volume is affected by weekly
he found was that investment in materi- orders in all of them, even though each ads or promotions. Direct-to-consumer
als handling automation has been on the has distinct order profiles, order quanti- works well in scenarios when there is
upswing since the recession. The materi- ties and inventory requirements.
fast order turnaround, small order proals handling industry grew by 17.1% in
Saenz kicked off his session by file, parcel carrier shipment, and “flash”
2011, with continued growth anticipated addressing the goods-to-person con- promotions that can cause significant
until 2013, when a leveling off is expected. cept, which relies on a system of bring- short-term spikes in volume.
In the meantime, the AGV and auto- ing a product to the order picker versus
“I would say that whether you have
mated storage and retrieval system (AS/ the traditional method of physically a dedicated place for a direct-to-conRS) sectors posted record years in 2011. walking to the product pick location. sumer in another facility or whether
Some of the key driving forces of The former often produces poor slot- you have it in your own retail, that
automation today include the need ting results and can lead to an even goods-to-person becomes fairly attracfor better labor management, down- higher percentage of time searching for tive for this channel,” said Saenz.
Other good applications
stream savings, accuracy and
for
goods-to-person
space, as well as the growth
include wholesale disin multi-channel retailing.
tribution, catalog sales
The top concern is labor, said
and television shopping
Trebilcock: “Labor drives the
networks.
decisions in automation.” He
Saenz said goods-togave real-life examples of
person solutions should
companies that have recently
be considered when the
invested in materials hanfollowing conditions are
dling automation, including
met: split-case pickSkechers’ consolidation of
ing with 5,000 or more
five conventional facilities
orders per day; a high
into one highly automated
number of slow-moving
facility, and Stihl’s $10 milSKUs; a need for prodlion investment in automauct security and a high
tion to double capacity in its Investment in materials handling automation has been on the
level of order accuVirginia Beach plant.
upswing since the recession.
Goods-to-person order fulfillment:
The multi-channel retailing effect
62
Au
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racy; and when the company is dealing
with space constraints and ergonomic
issues. “Goods-to-person definitely has
its place in a multi-channel environ-
ment under one roof,” Saenz added.
“The challenge is to justify it, to show
that it can handle the volumes and that
it can beat out a traditional approach.”
session 2 Software: Results of Modern’s
2012 software usage survey
for companies in manufacturing,
warehousing and distribution, information about the movement of goods
throughout the supply chain is as
important as the actual movement of
the goods. The challenge is harnessing all that information to its fullest competitive advantage. To gain a
better understanding of how Modern
readers are currently applying supply
chain management (SCM) software to
gather this data en route to optimizing
their warehouse and DC operations,
Peerless Research Group (PRG) conducted its 2012 Software Usage Survey
in the first quarter of this year.
The results were surprising. In this
session, technology thought leader
John Hill, director at St. Onge, put the
findings into perspective. Hill opened
the event by discussing the first questions that respondents were asked:
How would you best describe your
company’s adoption of technology for
your materials handling procedures?
Answers ranged from “innovators” to
“slow” and about half of the participants responded they’re “cautiously
embracing change.”
When asked how the current
economic climate has changed
their company’s approach to adopting materials handling management
software, the largest percentage of
respondents said they were either
holding off this year or taking a hard
look and thinking about moving forward cautiously. The average plan is
to spend $391,600 on such software
in 2012, as opposed to $397,000 last
year; 58% say they’re going to spend
less than $100,000.
64
Au
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“This tells me that warehouse
control systems (WCS) are gaining
ground as viable alternatives to the
more robust WMS,” said Hill, “par-
ticularly in mechanized operations.”
In response to the question, “How
has your company’s use of materials
handling software changed over the
past two years?” more than half of
the respondents (about the same as
2011), said that it stayed about the
same. Thirty-eight percent said they
increased their use of supply chain
software. “So it looks as if software
is very integral to people’s operations today,” said Hill. “They’re either
increasing or doing what they were.”
SESSION 3 Automation: The rise of
AGVs and AS/RS
anyone who assumes automatic becoming “more difficult to distinguish
guided vehicles (AGV) and automated between an AGV and a manual vehistorage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) cle.” Those mutations include the addiare only for big manufacturing plants tion of controls that are used to manage
should think again. Both industries are the vehicles and moving storage options
posting some of their biggest numbers like those produced by Kiva Systems.
ever as manufacturers and distributors
Looking ahead, Donnelly sees even
of all sizes are finding applications for more innovation in the cards for the
these technologies on the shop floor AGV and AS/RS industries. Expect
and in the distribution center.
more complete, system-based soluIn this session, Troy Donnelly, project tions, more niche market-focused soludirector at Peach State, highlighted new tions, increased standardization with
developments in the AGV and AS/RS facilities, and improved reliability.
industries that have resulted in equip“At the end of the day, everyone’s
ment that is more flexible and innova- goal is going to be to completely remove
tive than ever. He also looked at how manual fork trucks,” said Donnelly. “I
the lines are beginning to blur between think every industry and every market
AGVs and AS/RS. Donnelly kicked off is going to be looking at what can they
the session by discussing the evolution change in their operation to facilitate
of AGVs, which have advanced signifi- automation.” M
cantly—namely in their ability
to stand upright— over the last
few years.
“Once AGVs started to
reach up and store in racks,”
said Donnelly, “the application moved from what has
historically been a production
support role into a distribution role.” He said there’s an
AGV to match up with pretty
much every application, and AGV evolution includes the addition of
added that the equipment is controls that mange the vehicles and moving
mutating to the point where it’s storage options.
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A special supplement to
Safety first
68Infographic promotes safer
warehouse conditions
Free downloadable graphic aims
to cut productivity loss.
70Four steps to improve ergonomics,
productivity
Designing the job to meet the
worker can increase productivity.
76Mezzanine lift safety
Proper configuration, regular
inspections keep mezzanine
scissor lifts in tip-top shape for
safest operation.
SAFETY
mmh.com
u g u s t
2012
67
MODERN special report
Infographic promotes
safer warehouse
conditions
Free downloadable graphic aims to cut productivity loss.
www.storage-solutions.com/warehouse-safety-pg-172.html
W
that can be done to prevent those accidents—be
it education, purchasing special safety equipment,
or the configuration of the warehouse operation,”
explains Michelle Coleman, director of marketing,
online sales and business development at Storage
Solutions. “We felt this graphic could generate
awareness in hopes of providing a safe work environment.”
SAFETY
ith more than 145,000 people working in more
than 7,000 warehouses throughout the United
States, there are myriad opportunities for injury
and subsequent loss of productivity. That’s why
Storage Solutions (www.storage-solutions.com)
has developed the first of a quarterly series of free,
downloadable safety infographics: “Warehouse
Safety: The Dangers of Modern Warehouses and
How to Prevent Them.”
“There are a lot of opportunities for accidents
in warehouses, but there are also a lot of things
68
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2 0 1 2 / MO D E RN MATE R IAL S HA NDL ING
mmh.com
A s p e c i a l s up p l e m e n t to M ode rn Mate ri a l s H a n dl i n g
Coleman and her team collected key facts from
a variety of sources, including the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, Whole Building Design Guide,
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) and the National Safety Council.
Highlighted areas of concern—and suggested measures to prevent injuries—include lift truck safety,
pallet rack storage and ergonomic strains.
“There are a lot of risks that come along with
working in this industry,” Coleman says. “We hope
companies will use this graphic to better educate
their employees on how to stay safe in the workplace. Because we constantly work with our customers to ensure that their facilities are as safe as
possible, we thought the information would be
useful for the general materials handling industry
as well.”
If improving the safety of personnel isn’t a
compelling enough reason to implement some
of the tips, the graphic also cites statistics from
the National Safety Council, which estimates the
average work-related injury results in $38,000 in
direct costs and $150,000 in indirect costs.
The graphic can be found at: www.storagesolutions.com/warehouse-safety-pg-172.html.
SAFETY
mmh.com
u g u s t
2012
69
A S P E C I A L S UP P L E M E N T TO M ODE RN M ATE R I A L S HA ND L I NG
Four steps to improve
ergonomics, productivity
P
aying attention to ergonomics by designing the job
to fit the worker will pay off in increased productivity, says James Anderson, vertical market manager for Lista International (www.listaintl.com).
“Comfortable employees stay at their desks or
workstations longer, and complete more work in
a given shift,” says Anderson. “By adapting tasks,
workstations, tools and equipment to fit the
worker, improving ergonomics reduces physical
stress and eliminates many potentially serious,
disabling work-related musculoskeletal disorders.”
According to Anderson, an ergonomic workplace
can be achieved in four steps:
Step 1: Review tasks for risk factors
Predicting what might go wrong and modifying
tools and the work environment to make tasks
safer for workers is the first step to reducing problems. Table 1 lists the most common risk factors
and highlights the potential associated injuries.
Step 2: Implement risk factor controls
Once the risks have been identified, says Anderson,
it’s time to apply engineering and administrative
Table 1: Risk factors
Force
Exertion of excessive force can cause a variety of injuries.
Repetition
Excessive repetition of movements can irritate tendons and increase pressure on nerves.
Awkward postures
Positions that stretch physical limits can compress nerves and
irritate tendons.
Static postures
Positions that must be held for long periods of time can restrict
blood flow and damage muscles.
Quick motions
Increased speed or acceleration when bending and twisting can
increase the amount of force exerted on the body.
Grasping sharp edges (like tool handles) can concentrate force on
small areas of the body, reduce blood flow and nerve transmission, and damage tendons and tendon sheaths.
SAFETY
Compression/contact
stress
70
Recovery time
Vibration
Cold temperatures
Inadequate recovery time due to overtime, lack of breaks, and
failure to vary tasks can leave insufficient time for tissue repair.
Excessive vibration from tools can decrease blood flow, damage
nerves and contribute to muscle fatigue. Whole body vibration
can affect skeletal muscles and cause low back pain.
Working in cold temperatures can adversely affect coordination
and manual dexterity, potentially causing a worker to use more
force than necessary to perform a task.
Source: Lista International, adapted from “Ergonomics: The Study of Work, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA 3125, 2000.”
AU
G U S T
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SAFETY
“Employees should be able to rearrange their workstation components easily, such as
adjusting work surface and chair seat height, or changing the elevation of work shelves
and work surfaces,” according to James Anderson.
controls, as well as implement personal equipment, as a means to mitigate those risks.
“Engineering controls might include changing
the way parts and materials are transported, moving parts around to make it easier for workers to
reach them, or changing workstation layout, tool
design, access or assembly sequence,” he explains.
Equally important are administrative adjustments to work practices and policies, such as
implementation of rest breaks, job rotation or
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training to identify signs of ergonomic stress.
Outfitting workers with a variety of personal
equipment—such as wrist supports, back belts or
vibration attenuation gloves—may also reduce the
duration, frequency or intensity of exposure.
Step 3: Evaluate the workspace
A worker’s surroundings, including the task at
hand and the equipment used, should be carefully
evaluated. To do so, Anderson suggests asking a
series of questions:
• Does the work involve handling heavy, bulky
or awkward products?
• Is there a high product mix or frequent daily
changeovers?
• Will workstations be integrated with material
flow, such as racks or conveyors?
• Is there frequent job rotation, with employees
from different shifts or departments sharing a
work area?
• Will employees work alone, back-to-back or
in teams?
• Does a workstation need to include power tools,
computer equipment, supplemental lighting or
storage space?
“Frequent issues include work surfaces that are
the wrong size or height, uncomfortable chairs,
shelves and bins that are out of reach, and awkward hand tools,” says Anderson.
Step 4: Apply workstation design principles
When designing workstations, a number of principles (Table 2, on page 74) should be kept in mind,
Anderson says.
“Work is handled most efficiently when kept
within ‘primary reach zones’—approximately a
24-inch radius around the worker—to minimize
arm, head or trunk movement,” he says. “Anything
outside this range should be considered storage.”
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A s p e c i a l s up p l e m e n t to M ode rn Mate r i a l s Ha nd l i ng
Table 2: Workstation design principles
Make the workstation adjustable
Large and small people should be able
to fit comfortably and reach materials
easily.
Locate materials to reduce twisting
Give enough space for whole body to
turn.
Avoid static loads, fixed work postures
Avoid long periods of leaning, extending
limbs, tilting head, and supporting body
on one leg.
Set work surface according to type of task Above elbow height for fine visual work.
Below elbow height for tasks needing
downward force or heavy physical effort.
Provide adjustable chairs
Include adjustments to seat height, back
rest, lumbar support.
Padding shouldn’t compress more than
an inch.
Chair must be stable (five legs).
Allow workers to alternate between
standing and sitting
Floor mats for prolonged standing.
Support the limbs
Provide elbow, wrist, arm, foot, back
rests as needed.
Use gravity
Consider ways to move materials using
gravity rather than lifting.
Design for proper arm movements
Arm movements should be continuous
and curved.
Movements should pivot around the
elbow rather than shoulder.
SAFETY
Minimize movements or extensions
more than 15 inches.
74
Consider computer monitors
Should be adjustable to eye level.
Provide simple dials and displays
Make sure they are easy to read, reach
and operate.
Consider environmental conditions
Minimize excessive noise, heat, humidity, cold and poor lighting.
Source: Lista International, adapted from “Elements of Ergonomics Programs, A Primer based on Workplace Evaluations of Musculoskeletal Disorders, and from checklists developed by Applied Ergonomics Technology.”
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Mezzanine lift safety
from top to bottom
Proper configuration, regular inspections keep mezzanine
scissor lifts in tip-top shape for safest operation.
T
o maximize the use of overhead space, facilities often install a second-level mezzanine
platform for a more efficient cube. Mezzanine
scissor lifts offer a mechanical means to
transport goods and personnel up to that second level. Like all equipment, it’s critical to
follow guidelines both for configuration and
for regular inspections of the lifts to ensure
safe operation and protection of workers.
ANSI MH29.1 is the governing code for
industrial scissor lifts. A checklist of inspection items developed in alignment with these
standards is on p. 78.
The safest mezzanine scissor lifts include
the following elements:
SAFETY
Platform guarding: The platform should be
equipped with bevel toe guards and 42-inch-high
guardrails with mid rails and 4-inch toe plates.
Electrically interlocked gates should prevent platform movement unless the gates are closed.
76
Operation switches: Proximity or limit
switches should function for each level. For
lifts that transport riders (as well as materials), movement control must be a constant
pressure pushbutton. An emergency down
valve on the power unit lowers the lift if a
power failure occurs.
Smooth fascia: To eliminate shear points,
the entire surface of the mezzanine—adjaContinued on page 80
AU
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This diagram shows the mezzanine scissor lift at
rest (top) and in motion (bottom). The safest lifts
include platform guarding, operation switches,
smooth fascia, and an enclosure system.
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Inspection checklist for industrial scissors lifts for mezzanines
For use with inspection of both:
• Rider mezzanine lifts
• Non-rider (material only) mezzanine lifts
Prior to beginning inspection, refer to the American
National Standard ANSI MH29.1 Safety Requirements
for Industrial Scissor Lifts; items on this checklist meet or
exceed this standard.
Areas for Inspection:
1. General
A. The entire base frame of the scissors lift is sitting on a
flat and level surface, shimmed and grouted if necessary
for continuous support
2. Controls
A. Shall be clearly marked as to direction and function
B. Shall be protected from inadvertent operation
C. If pushbutton is momentary contact type (touch and
release to start), then the lift shall be clearly marked
“No riders allowed”
D. If momentary contact pushbutton, then it shall have
an emergency stop button
E. Controls shall prevent lift movement when any gate is
open
F. For rider lifts the control must be constant pressure
style and located on lift platform
3. System protection
A. Hydraulic systems shall be equipped with flow controls or velocity fuses for hose failure protection
B. If electromechanically actuated, the design shall
prevent movement if there is a power failure
SAFETY
4. Platform guarding (shear point protection)
A. Automatic operations with momentary contact controls shall be guarded with skirts, enclosures or other
means of personnel protection
B. Pit mounted installations shall have one or more of
the following:
a) 8-inch bevel toe guards
b) Solid skirts
c) Suspended indicator bar
d) Electronic toe sensor
e) Solid or mesh enclosure 8 feet high, or full height of
platform rise plus top of guardrail, whichever is less
C. Above floor installations must have one of the following:
a) 4-inch bevel toe guards
b) 3-inch vertical toe clearance
c) Electronic toe sensor
D. For all installations with more than 5.5 feet between
the landing and the bottom edge of the fully raised
platform, the following items are required:
a) Upper landings shall be equipped with enclosures
and an automatic landing gate or a landing gate
with interlock that prevents opening the gate unless the lift is present
b) The entire surface of the mezzanine adjacent to
the lift from ground level to top of the mezzanine
guardrail shall be equipped with a smooth surface
to eliminate shear points
c) Sides used for loading at lower landings shall be
equipped with an automatic landing gate or a
landing gate with interlock. These gates shall be 84
inches, or the full height of the lift, whichever is less
78
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2 0 1 2 / Mo d e rn Mate r ial s Ha ndl ing
d) S
ides at lower landings not used for loading shall
be provided with solid or mesh enclosures 8 feet
high, or to the full height of the lift rise plus guardrail, whichever is less
e) G
ates and enclosures will be positioned no more
than 6 inches from the lift platform
f) M
esh for enclosures shall reject a 2-inch ball and
a smooth surface shall be a solid surface or a flattened mesh that will reject a 0.325-inch ball
5. H
inged bridges shall conform to
the following:
A. At raised position, slant bridge back toward platform
approximately 20 degrees or lie back flat on the platform or provide chain, latch or other means of security
B. At lowered position, bridge angle can not hang more
than 45 degrees below horizontal unless shear risk is
eliminated
C. Bridge purchase on truck beds shall be at least 4 inches
D. Split bridge sections shall have 0.75 to 1-inch clearance between sections
6. Guardrail system
A. A
ll rider lifts must have guardrails on all sides with
interlocked access gates that prevent lift movement
when a gate is open
B. N
on-rider lifts shall have guardrails and chains or
gates across load access sides
C. G
uardrails shall be 42 inches high ±3 inches with midrail and 4-inch toe board
7. Maintenance device
A. A
securely attached maintenance device to hold the
empty lift open for maintenance is present
8. Markings
A. M
anufacturer’s nameplate with name of manufacturer,
model number serial number, lifting capacity and
edge or axle load ratings is present
B. Warning labels in compliance with ANSI Z535.4
9. There shall be an operating/maintenance manual that
contains:
A. S
pecial warnings, cautions or restrictions for safe
operations
B. Manufacturer’s name and contact information
C. Installation and start up information
D. Operating instructions
E. Maintenance recommendations and instructions
F. Replacement parts information
G. Owner’s/user’s responsibilities clearly defined
10. Capacity verification
A. The lift capacity shall be clearly visible to operators
B. M
aximum system pressure with lift fully raised and
cylinders fully extended against internal cylinder stops
(may require overriding electrical limits) is ±150 psi of
pressure labeled on the hydraulic pump and/or listed
in owner’s manual
-or C. F
rom fully lowered position, lift is demonstrated to lift
rated capacity
Source: Advance Lifts Inc. (800-843-3625, www.advancelifts.com). A copy
of this checklist (“AL-1020 REV1: Inspection Checklist for Industrial Scissors
Lifts At Mezzanines”) may be obtained at: advancelifts.com/SiteFiles/PDFs/
WhitePaper/MezzChecklist.pdf
mmh.com
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NATIONAL INSTALLATION
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SAFETY
cent to the lift from ground level
to the top of the guardrail on the
upper level—must be equipped with
a smooth face (such as wallboard,
polycarbonate sheets, fine mesh, or
interlocked doors and windows).
Enclosure system: Sides not
adjacent to the mezzanine must be
enclosed from ground to the height
of the topmost guardrail when the
lift is fully raised. The mezzanine
guardrail and the enclosure access
gates must be electrically interlocked
to prevent movement when gates or
doors are opened, and mechanically
locked so as to not open unless the
lift platform is present.
Maximum gap between the platform and the mezzanine should be
1 inch, and the gap between the
platform and other three enclosure To maximize the use of overhead space, facilities often install a
second-level mezzanine platform for a more efficient cube.
sides should be 3 to 4 inches.
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FOCUS ON Ergonomics
Lift multiple types
of loads with versatile
vacuum tube lifter
The JumboFlex vacuum tube lifter is
ideal for frequent and rapid movement
of light goods weighing up to 77 pounds.
Outfitted with a variety of grippers, the
lifter safely and securely handles different
styles of workpieces, such as cardboard
boxes, barrels, cans, buckets, sacks, solar
panels, or rolls of film and foil. Ideal for
use in areas with low ceilings, the lifter
features a quick-acting non-return valve
and large suction pad surface to prevent
the load from being dropped, even in a
power failure. Schmalz, 919-713-0880,
www.schmalz.com.
Compact stackers are
fully powered with
rechargeable batteries
Built on a short, stable wheelbase, Stackn-Go fully powered compact stackers in
fork-over and straddle models provide
maximum maneuverability in tight quarters. Ergonomic and ideal for use in light
manufacturing, warehousing, assembly
and retail facilities, the machines transport loads on pallets and stack loads up
to 7.5 feet high. They can also serve as
adjustable workstations for loading and
82
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unloading. Features include a narrow,
62-inch-high mast and offset control handles for a blind-spot-free view. To accommodate left- or right-hand operation, the
ergonomic handle includes forward- and
reverse-drive thumb switches on both
sides, while an auto-reversing belly switch
prevents injury when walking the unit
backwards. When the handle is released,
an automatic brake halts travel. The unit
is powered by two 12-volt batteries and
includes a 110-volt built-in charger standard. Southworth Products, 207-8780700, www.southworthproducts.com.
Two-wheeled device with
automatic lifting, lowering
The Lift’n Buddy mobile lifting device
combines two-wheeler durability and
functionality with automatic lifting and
lowering. Configured for proper operator ergonomics and safety in completing
moving and lifting tasks, the unit is fabricated of durable, lightweight, extruded
aluminum. Environmentally friendly,
the electric hand truck requires no oil,
gas, hydraulic fluid or maintenance.
Ergologistics, 701-499-5270,
www.liftnbuddy.com.
Manipulate 275 pounds in
low headroom applications
For maneuvering of payloads up to 275
pounds, the pneumatic LodeArm lightweight manipulator increases workers’
capacity to perform physically stressful,
repetitive lifting tasks. It is equipped
with pistol grip metering controls for
ease of lift and lower operations. Easily
adjustable to fit almost any work cell, the
device is ideal for low headroom applications with rigid support and reach-in
capability. It is offered in four models
and can be mounted in multiple ways,
including overhead, trolley, pedestal, wall
mount, column, machine or mobile/portable base. The unit lifts loads up to 54
inches high. For large work cell use, the
LodeArm II is a trolley-mounted version
of the same manipulator. Positech, 800831-6026, www.positech.com.
Customizable work access
lifts facilitate production
jobs
A line of work access lifts is offered to
facilitate production tasks. The lifts can
be used in welding, painting, assembly,
fabrication, inspection and maintenance
applications. Custom-designed to exact
requirements, options include multiple
sizes, cutouts, platform extensions, platform surfaces, controls, portability and
mobility features. Advance Lifts, 800843-3625, www.advancelifts.com.
mmh.com
Triple scissor hydraulic lift
table and up-ender
Fan controller app for iPads
The BAFWorks iPad app and controller
operates an unlimited number of the supplier’s fans from a single location. By eliminating individual controls in large facilities, the centralized controller saves both
time and money. The system provides
access to real-time fan speed and status
to maximize year-round energy savings.
For security, a lockout feature includes
password protection providing absolute
security and control. Included are an
iPad, the software’s gateway module and
a mounting bracket. Big Ass Fans, 877244-3267, www.bigassfans.com.
To elevate an operator in foundry
applications, a custom set of triple scissor hydraulic lift tables and up-enders
accommodates casting of diesel engine
blocks. The crane operator works from
the adjustable height lift table. With
the 25,000-pound capacity up-ender
positioned vertically, overhead cranes
stack sand molds upon it. When loaded,
the unit tips downward 90 degrees to
maneuver the mold into a horizontal position for transfer to an adjacent station.
Pentalift Equipment, 519-763-3625,
www.pentalift.com.
Position, lift heavy rolls into
packaging machinery
High lift scissor truck
handles up to 2,200 pounds
Outfitted with a single stage cylinder,
automatic stabilizers and ergonomic
handle for simple, comfortable operation
is the dual power tote lifter. The lifter
operates either by hand pump or 12-volt
DC power. The high lift scissor truck also
features a low center of gravity, built-in
charger and painted blue finish. It lifts
loads up to 2,200 pounds up to 31 inches
high. Vestil, 800-348 0868,
www.vestil.com.
mmh.com
A battery-powered roll handler helps
eliminate body strain caused by manual
lifting and positioning of 300-pound
rolls into packaging machinery. Simple
to use, the device incorporates a single
column mast for clear operator view.
Smooth, precise powered lift height
and positioning adjustment is enhanced
with built-in safety provisions.
Constructed of lightweight aluminum,
the handler sports a powered clamp for
manipulation of
rolls from a vertical load to horizontal unload positions as directed by
a push-button pendant. ErgotecH,
877-733-3746,
www.ergotechinc.
com.
Counterbalanced
manipulator features
working radius of nearly
10 feet
The Famatec Friendly ergonomic manipulator is fully counterbalanced and handles
up to 1,100 pounds. With a working radius of almost 10 feet, the pneumatically
powered manipulator allows an operator
to effortlessly suspend, rotate, tilt and
transfer loads with precision. The unit is
adaptable to the user’s preferred working
height and position to progressively place
the load during assembly, suspend it for
further processing or transfer it from one
location to another. When suspended, the
load can be moved manually or rotated
90 degrees under power. An intuitive control console adjusts the counterbalance
force, rotation, tilt, braking and parking. Mounting options include column,
overhead, tracks, wheeled, or with a free
standing, fork-truck transportable base.
Haeco, 513-722-1030, www.haeco.us/
materialhandling.
Copolymer resin vacuum
tube lifter has long lifespan
The stainless steel UniMove vacuum tube
lifter is offered with the Rhino Tube copolymer resin tube—replacing neopreneimpregnated cloth tubes—for improved
resilience and reliability. Capable of flexing at 0.039-inch increments, the copolymer material withstands temperature
ranges of -40°F to 240°F. It is impervious
to moisture and chemicals, and comes in
standard lengths of 9 and 10 feet for all
existing lift tube diameters. Integral fitted cuffs enable easy, fast mounting. For
safety, the tube comes in high-visibility
yellow. UniTech Industries, 610-8267855, www.unimove.com.
u g u s t
2012
83
FOCUS ON
Ergonomics
tect drum sidewalls during movement, a
cushioned belt cradle is included. A foot
pedal lifts loads up to 20 inches high in
1-inch increments (32 inches optional)
and adjusts lowering speeds. Liftomatic
Material Handling, 800-837-6540, www.
liftomatic.com.
Paper void fill system
for ergonomic small-cell
packing
By activating a footswitch, the FasFil
EZ paper void fill system dispenses
a continuous length of paper void-fill
material. The system is ideal for work
cell packaging environments and features an advanced crimping system and
programmed length output mode with
a timer that stops paper flow. A sturdy,
effortless, built-in cutting mechanism
allows for desired lengths of paper material to be dispensed without repetitive
motion injuries associated with tearing
paper by hand. Lightweight and portable, the system comes in tabletop and
stand-alone models that are simple to
load and fit easily into most packaging
areas. The dispensed crimped paper
pads are 100% recyclable and decrease
product shifting during shipping. Sealed
Air, 800-648-9093, www.fasfilez.com,
www.sealedair.com.
Double clamping
drum lifting
The Ergomatic 1000-DH-BC drum transporter uses the double parrot-beak
clamping mechanism for safe and effective handling of fiber, plastic and damaged steel drums. It is ideal for moving
drums to and from pallets, skids, scales
and spill or containment pallets. Capable
of handling capacities from 600 to 1,000
pounds, the transporter includes a
v-shaped straddle leg configuration with
telescopic adjustment settings. To pro-
84
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Manipulator’s two
different gripping tools
handle boxes, cases
A line of intelligent industrial manipulators
assist in handling, allowing operators to
pick boxes and cases effortlessly, safely,
quickly and easily. The device picks items
that are stocked tightly together, making it impossible to grip from the sides.
An aluminum overhead rail and bridge
structure supports a trolley that slides the
manipulator smoothly along the rails. Two
different gripping toolings can be used:
a vacuum gripper that lifts boxes from
the top with vacuum pads and a linear
chuck for cases. Features include a quick
coupling device that allows quick and easy
tooling exchanges, and an auto balancing
feature that accommodates picking cases
or boxes of different weights without
requiring the selection of a different load
presetting each time. Scaglia Indeva SPA,
+39 0345 59511, www.indevagroup.
com.
Lifts, positioners bring
operator to work
A line of operator lifts and work positioners bring the operator to the work,
instead of bringing the work to the operator. Each lift’s raised height is adjusted
for each operator’s stature, enabling
multiple workers to perform tasks in the
same location as shifts change. When
the operator work platform is adjusted,
the operator works more efficiently
while the risk of developing a repetitive
strain injury is reduced. Both pieces of
equipment are ideal for high-production
assembly line and manufacturing facilities. Verti-Lift, 502-361-0180, www.
verti-lift.com.
VRC’s control panel
accommodates multiple
input, output signals
To maximize user friendliness, a new control system has been added to the supplier’s line of vertical reciprocating conveyor
lift equipment. The AQLogic control
panel uses programmable logic relays for
simplified programming flexibility. One
controller can be configured to service a
variety of applications with multiple input
and output signals. Features include
numerous programming combinations for
signals, alarms, counters, timers, lights
and sensors, and expandable memory for
additional input and/or output signals for
use with any lift system. To communicate
system status, a digital display screen
facilitates diagnostics. Easier wiring and
installation is achieved through use of
compact relay components that provide
extra working space inside the panel.
Autoquip, 405-282-5872,
www.autoquip.com.
mmh.com
Automated
Vertical
Storage Systems
It All Adds Up
To VALUE
Position, tilt loads
at optimum height
To tilt containers, tubs, wire baskets and
boxes for easier, ergonomic access when
retrieving or placing parts into a container, the Max-Ergo Tilt is offered. Tilting
of 0 degrees to 40 degrees is achieved
by a manual pump. The unit handles
capacities from 2,000 to 3,000 pounds.
To secure the load, a 4-inch lip is included
standard on the hinged ends of all models. The base model has a lowered height
of 9 inches, while the adjustable base
frame version lifts from heights of 18 to
22 inches. For portability, fork pockets
are included, and casters can be added
optionally. Lift Products, 877-543-8776,
www.liftproducts.com.
Transport, elevate loads
to heights of 130 inches
Offered with manual or electric lifting,
the Logiflex Trans-Stacker and TransPositioner transports and elevates
loads on forks ranging from 23.5 to 60
inches long. Adjustable to the operator’s optimum working height, the
units include an ergonomic handle for
a relaxed hold. All control buttons are
located on the handle, and a transparent, impact-resistant safety screen is
incorporated into the mast. The devices
raise loads weighing 2,200 to 3,000
pounds to heights from 36 to 130 inches. Interthor, 708-345-1270,
www.interthor.com.
Transporter’s oversized
casters roll easily
Offered in either platform or fork configurations,
the versatile Lift Stik lifter transporter distributes
a load evenly over four oversized casters that roll
easily over thresholds and uneven floors. Each
transporter is equipped with a powered, continuous chain in a narrow, single mast. The unit incorporates a hand-held, push-button remote that
allows the operator to lift or lower the platform
from any side at dual speeds for safe, efficient control. A battery charge
indicator is mounted centrally on the push handle, while an auto-cutoff
function prevents overcharging. Offered in four models, the device handles
load capacities from 185 to 445 pounds to heights from 52 to 65 inches.
Presto Lifts, 800-343-9322, www.prestolifts.com.
Small parts are expensive. Traditional
shelving eats up valuable ßoor space
and exposes parts. WhatÕs more, parts
can be tough to Þnd and reach; keeping
accurate inventories a challenge.
The Lauyans Small Parts Storage
System (SPSS) is a USA manufactured
solution offering high density storage
utilizing vertical space for greater
footprint capacity, worker safety,
security, labor savings and the most
competitive pricing available.
Before you decide to buy any
Automated Storage System, go online
and check out our pricing.
www.SPSSonline.com
It All Adds Up To VALUE
Lauyans & Company, Inc.
1-866-LAUYANS (528-9267)
USA Manufactured
mmh.com
Product
Showcase
Beverage shipping system
prevents dents in cans
A line of beverage protection products
prevents damage to cans caused by
crushing under the weight of a pallet or
a toppled stack during transport. The
Beverage Cover and Beverage Spacer are
lightweight dunnage devices that protect
cans on pallets or in transit, reducing
the chance of damage while improving
loading times. Used when prepping shipments, the fully nestable Beverage Cover
measures 40 x 48 x 3 inches and supports
a static load up to 4,000 pounds. In the
the gate features
a reciprocating
barrier that is
interconnected
and can’t be
opened at the
same time.
When the outer
gate opens to
allow pallets to
enter the mezzanine level, the inner gate
automatically closes, keeping workers
out. After the pallet is received, the mezzanine-level workers open the inner gate
to remove the material from the work
zone. An exclusive link bar ensures that
both gates always work in unison, without
relying on chains or cables. Rite-Hite, 888841-4283, www.ritehite.com.
Track pharmaceuticals
throughout cold chain
To address stringent data recording for
cold chain product transport, a time/
temperature monitoring system enables
information to be viewed from different
locations. This makes it ideal for complex
pharmaceutical distribution networks.
Featuring an easy-to-use, Web-based
customer interface validated for U.S.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21
Part 11 compliance, the system is a full
turnkey solution for cold chain compliance. Incorporating three basic com-
On-demand air cushion
packaging
warehouse, it helps keep pallet packs
secure and stable, cushioning against
side-to-side movement or direct impact
when stacking. To fill the voids created
between cases as trucks are emptied
along the delivery route and to support stacks in transit, the lightweight
Beverage Spacer measures 33.5 x 34 x
7 inches. Two spacers can be combined
to fill larger voids. Reusable, the spacer
can absorb up to 4,500 pounds of force.
Paylode, 877-421-2914,
www.paylode.com.
Offered as an alternative to off-the-shelf
bubble wrap, the AIRplus Bubble is an
on-demand protective air cushion packaging system for wrapping products
that cuts storage and handling costs.
Manufactured on compact machines, the
material includes a convenient easy-tear
perforation for ergonomics and speed.
The perforation allows a packer to divide
the cushioning wrap intuitively without
searching. Features include narrow individual sections for the efficient wrapping
of small-sized items with less waste. A single section contains two rows with seven
round air chambers each. Storopack,
513-874-0314, www.storopack.us.
Control access to elevated
platforms, mezzanines
with safety gate
The GateKeeper safety gate creates a
controlled access area in which workers
can safely load and unload from the edge
of a mezzanine, pick module or other
elevated work platform. Installed on the
edge where pallet loads from the floor
level are regularly deposited for pick-up,
86
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ponents—temperature logging cards
(optional LED display), optional RFID
reader with or without integrated bar
code scanner, and the Internet—the software enables ordering, configuring, viewing, sharing, integrating and managing
data through a Web browser. TempTRIP,
303-895-3455, www.temptrip.com.
Galvanized pallet truck
chassis extends vehicle life
in wet environments
Three models of the supplier’s AC electric pallet trucks and walkie riders may
now be specified with a galvanized chassis option to protect the vehicles while
operating in wet environments. The
vehicles include the 8-Series AC electric
walkie pallet truck (6,000 pound capacity),
8-Series end-control walkie rider (6,000
to 8,000 pound capacity) and 7-Series
electric walkie pallet truck (4,500 pound
capacity). Ideal for use in salty, high-moisture and corrosive environments where
resistance to rust is critical, the vehicles
mmh.com
WORK ACCESS AD 1/4 PAGE 2012_MMH - ADVANCE LIFTS 1/30/12 3:42
WORK ACCESS LIFTS
may also be used in cold
storage facilities or where
frequent wash downs
are required. To further
extend the life of the pallet truck, other integrated
features include heavy
duty Teflon coated Polylube bushings that require no lubrication, and a traction motor controller splashguard that deflects
debris and moisture. Toyota Material Handling, 800-226-0009,
www.toyotaforklift.com.
Douse summer
heat with misting
fan system
For enhanced cooling in hot
facilities, the 8-foot AirGo
and Yellow Jacket fans may
be equipped with highpressure, filtered misting
systems to produce a cooling effect equivalent to 22
and 11 tons, respectively, of air conditioning. The systems feature
an ultra-fine atomized mist that absorbs heat in the air and allows
hot outdoor settings to provide a safe cooling zone. Big Ass
Fans, 877-244-3267, www.bigassfans.com.
SAFER & MORE EFFICIENT
THAN LADDERS OR SCAFFOLDING
• Advance work access lifts can elevate
workers, materials & tools to convenient
work heights at the push of a button.
• Applications include production, assembly,
inspection, maintenance and order picking.
we offer THe MoST LIfe Per $ SPeNT
1-800-843-3625 www.advancelifts.com
Durable floor labels stand up to traffic
With design, in-house manufacturing and a fully managed
installation service, a line of hard-wearing floor labels is offered
for facilities. Selections include embedded labels, framed
labels and high strength adhesive labels. Using a high strength
adhesive, a consumable label or floor sign can be applied
quickly and without extensive preparation. To help protect the
label, an optional metal frame may be added to prevent direct
impact with forklift trucks and other traffic in the warehouse.
ASG Services, 887-447-9798, www.asgservices.com.
Clip label holder onto wood,
metal shelving
Easy to install, the Clip-Eze label holder clips onto either
wood or metal shelving measuring 0.75- to 1-inch thick.
The holders are made of durable, non-glare, clear PVC and
do not damage the shelving’s finish. A 1.5 x 3 inch insertable laser label is protected by a clear plastic window that
presents the information at a highly visible 30-degree angle.
Each pack includes 25 holders and inserts. Aigner Label
Holder, 800-242-3919, www.aignerlabelholder.com.
mmh.com
u g u s t
2012
87
Product Showcase
Improve employee comfort
with wind block curtain
Power-and-free overhead
conveyor transports
hanging garments
A line of overhead garment on hanger
overhead rail systems is offered for use in
apparel manufacturing and warehousing.
Operating as an overhead conveyor, the
system moves trolleys filled with hanging
garments over long distances, changing
elevations and complex paths. For accumulation and positive control of trolleys
at all times and to enable multiple processes and functions, the system includes
power-and-free capability, enabling the
trolleys to be separated from the power
chain to non-powered lines for stopping,
switching or diverting to other paths.
W&H Systems, 201-635-3471,
www.whsystems.com.
Recycled pallet can be
made from purchaser’s
wood, fiber waste
Featuring dimensionally stable soliddeck, nine-block construction, the E-Core
Pallet is offered as a sustainable, reusable packaging solution. The pallet is
made from recycled engineered composite board material in combination with
a non-toxic environmental composite
adhesive material—both of which are
composed of 100% recycled wood and/
or paper fibers. Pallets can be made
from the purchaser’s own wood and fiber
waste stream to maximize sustainability
practices. The pallets can be custom
made to any footprint and height, and
are compatible with automated storage and retrieval systems. For use with
pallet jacks, the bottom deck may be
constructed of solid cruciform. Rehrig
Pacific Logistics, 800-792-0875,
www.rehrigpenn.com.
88
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To keep employees comfortable and safe
when loading dock doors are opened,
the Wind-Block Curtain installs easily
in distribution centers, manufacturing
plants, warehouses and other facilities
where loading docks are in close proximity to work areas. The modular panel
curtain acts as a barrier to separate open
dock areas from production lines or other
worker zones. This prevents cold winds
from reaching employees to maintain
worker comfort, safety and productivity.
Strong and flexible, the curtains can be
configured with a series of sliding or stationary, insulated or non-insulated panels.
For stability in high winds, they include
galvanized drop pins and floor sockets.
Zoneworks, 800-553-4834,
www.zoneworks.com.
Organize, store parts and
tools in bin cabinet
Offered as an alternative to standard
steel storage cabinets, the Ready-ToAssemble AkroBin Cabinet ships unassembled for lower shipping costs. It
assembles easily with basic tools and
securely stores and organizes valuable
tools and parts. Storage options include
four adjustable 100-pound-capacity
shelves and a louvered back panel.
Manufactured from 18-gauge steel with a
16-gauge steel base, the cabinet includes
a flush-mount handle with a three-point
lock and a durable powder-coated finish.
Options include a rooftop that prevents
potentially hazardous items from being
stored on top of the cabinet, and a dolly
that converts the
bin cabinet to a
mobile unit. The
cabinet is also
offered as a kit,
complete with an
assortment of AkroBins. Akro-Mils,
800-253-2467, www.akro-mils.com.
Scissor lift expandable with
options that accommodate
changing applications
The EnKon A1300 air scissor lift provides
flexibility by enabling later expansion
with additional, optional components
to accommodate changing applications.
Options include a platform, rotate, tilt
function and casters. The lift raises pallets
or containers to the perfect height—from
9 to 42 inches—so workers do not need
to strain and bend while unloading or
loading material.
Virtually maintenance-free, the lift
does not require
fluid or cylinder
replacement. It lifts
up to 3,000 pounds
with air bag power
that produces a direct one-to-one lift
ratio to eliminate stress on the scissors.
Herkules Equipment, 800-444-4351,
www.herkules.us.
Specialized rack for
barrel beer kegs
Ideal for storage of beer kegs, the
Keg-Flo storage system increases
the number of six-keg SKUs stored
in a single space. In addition to
increasing warehouse capacity, this
improves productivity by reducing the travel time required to pick
orders. A 96-inch wide bay outfitted with the system can hold up to
seven times as many six-barrel SKUs
as a standard keg storage system.
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U G U S T
2012
89
modern 60 Seconds with...
Jim Moran
Title: Chairman, Industrial
Truck Association (ITA); Board of
Directors, Crown Equipment
Location: Washington, D.C.
Experience: 45-year industry veteran who has held several industry
leadership positions and has presented at numerous conferences.
He is a 20-year member of the ITA
executive committee and a threetime president of the association.
Duties: As ITA chairman, Moran
works with the executive board to
determine the strategic direction of
the association. He is also responsible for building a consensus behind
that strategic direction and providing a voice to the association’s position on industry issues.
Modern: The lift truck industry has
had successful back-to-back years.
Where does the industry stand today
in comparison to the years prior to
the recession?
Moran: In 2005 and 2006, we had
demand for more than 200,000 trucks
in North America. In 2009, we had
demand for just over 91,000. Last year,
demand was back to 164,000 trucks,
but that’s still lagging pre-recession
demand by as much as 20%. If the
last half of 2012 is as good as the first
half, we’d be at roughly 180,000. It’s
certainly good compared to 2009, but
we’re not back to the good old days.
Modern: Have there been any significant shifts in the kinds of trucks
being purchased today? If so, what’s
driving it?
Moran: If you look across the market,
there have been slight changes in all
of the truck classes. I think the most
meaningful change has been in Class
3. That includes the smaller, lowerpriced units like walkies and stackers.
In 2005, Class 3 was about 25% of the
market and now it’s about a third of
the market. I think it’s a result of the
90
A
u g u s t
economy. Where people once just
added another lift truck to their fleet,
today they’re buying only what they
need. I also think that as logistics processes become more sophisticated,
customers are looking for task-specific
solutions. A department might buy one
of these Class 3 vehicles so they don’t
need to wait on a roving truck to bring
them their material. More thought is
going into lift truck selection and that’s
been a positive result of the recession.
Modern: In our Top 20 article, you
mentioned that end users are asking
questions about green initiatives and
the environment when it comes to lift
trucks. How is that playing out?
Moran: First, companies are connecting purchases to their own corporate
social responsibility initiatives. As part
of due diligence, they’re asking their
vendors about their sustainability
initiatives. They want credible information from their vendors. Beyond that,
there’s an increased interest in the
energy consumption of the lift truck
itself. It started in Europe, but you’re
seeing a lot of effort to make trucks
more energy efficient, whether it’s an
internal combustion truck or an electric. More importantly, I think there’s
going to be an interesting debate
2 0 1 2 / Mo d e r n Mate r ials Ha ndl i ng
about whether that’s the best way to
save energy or whether its more important to focus on the most efficient way
to move goods through your DC.
Modern: In our information technology
story this month, suppliers talked about
the move toward the lift truck as a platform for smart technology. How do you
see lift truck technology evolving?
Moran: The technology developments
in lift trucks over the last few years
have created tremendous value for our
customers and the industry. The controls on trucks today know when the
truck is making a very tight turn or the
forks are at a certain height to maximize performance and keep the operator out of trouble. We’re into regenerative braking and mast lowering
technology which is increasing efficiency and using less energy. When you
look at the future, you can think about
lift trucks connected in some way to a
customer’s warehouse management
system (WMS). This allows the lift truck
to be used as a labor management tool
because it knows what the operator
is doing between the time the WMS
issues a task and its completion. That’s
where the development work is being
done by many people in our business.
That’s pretty exciting. M
mmh.com
Grow your business by
leveraging market intelligence.
ms
t Syste
agemen
n Man taining Results
rtatioges
and Ob
Transgpo
llen
the Cha
Meetin
ge
nd Usa
a
n
o
i
t
s
op
The Ading Solutionling
k
d
c
i
n
P
a
of
erials H
in Mat tions
Opera
y
hnolog
ice Tec romise?
o
V
s
e
Do p to Its P
Live U
On be
ted
Conduc
red by
Sponso
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by:
half of:
ems
ent Syst
nagem
a
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M
su
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Re
btaining
ortatio
Transp e Challenges and O
g th
Meetin
Januar
y 2011
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wide range of custom and proprietary
research solutions to businesses,
consultants and advertising agencies
specializing in supply chain, logistics and
materials handling products and services.
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covering Internet and telephone
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August - Modern Materials Handling

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