MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
Across the country, new and innovative protective guarding products are being designed to protect personnel, equipment and inventory in industrial facilities. Recently, we spoke with industry leaders to learn more about new technologies around electronic guarding and how they can be used in conjunction with traditional guarding for a robust overall solution.
Aaron Conway, president of MHI member Mezzanine Safeti-Gates, knows firsthand the importance of using protective barrier and guarding equipment in the workplace. As a manufacturer of traditional guarding, he has seen several new technologies emerge. “Electronic guarding use will grow as more robotics and machines are deployed in material handling facilities. These products are starting to be used alongside traditional guarding, which is only going to increase. In 2016, expect to see more integration of the new and traditional technologies. The integration will open new ways for the equipment and workers to communicate with each other to make the overall facility safer for the humans that work there, the products being handled and the growing force of machines that are doing the picking or restocking,” Conway said.
The 20-year industry veteran sees electronic guards as essentially another layer of protection for people and product. “Electronic guards can be used in conjunction with traditional guarding to create a lot of options for ensuring the safest environment with maximum productivity. Since you don’t have to sacrifice productivity for safety, these practices will have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line,” Conway explained.
By Stephen Murdoch