Members of MHI’s Automatic Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) Product Group are the industry’s leading suppliers of automatic guided vehicle systems. Automatic guided vehicle (AGV) systems move parts and materials in many industries—automotive, chemicals, plastics, hospital, newspaper, commercial printing, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, warehousing and distribution and manufacturing. For manufacturers, however, AGV systems can do more than carry parts and materials ...

No doubt about it. The past year has been a huge one for the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics. Not only was it published and made available at www.mhlroadmap.org, but the Roadmap went on a tour of its own—coast to coast and internationally. Some of the cities it has visited include Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Trenton, Louisville ...

This year, MHI is kicking off two Solution Groups—Automation Alliance (AA) and Information Systems (IS)—as part of the association’s effort to tout more holistic solutions to end-users by positioning MHI and its member companies as authoritative resources on material handling and supply chain topics. “This represents an evolution of the market and the industry,” says Bill Leber, director, business development ...

Supply chain management is getting an adrenaline shot in the arm with emerging wearable and mobile technologies. From smart glasses, to voice-directed hands-free wearable scanners, to real-time views of every touchpoint within the supply chain via mobile devices, manufacturers, distributors and their partners are experimenting with various technologies to expedite processes, improve worker safety and increase transparency within the supply ...

On “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Captain Jean-Luc Picard often pondered the week’s signature conundrum over a cup of comfort. “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot,” he’d say to the Replicator, and a moment later it would materialize. We’re not quite there just yet, but at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we got one giant step closer with the ...

Predictions about the future of logistics often include scenarios of driverless trucks loaded with goods cruising effortlessly down the highway and flying drones departing from warehouses to make last-mile deliveries of consumer goods. Will such visions become a reality? Despite anticipated benefits to automated driving and delivery systems, technological, legislative and other barriers could slow their adoption. Assisted not autonomous ...

Cloud computing has played a critical role in the improvement of supply chain management by supporting an enterprise’s efforts to share data with multiple partners across many different locations throughout the world. While the benefits of cloud computing include improved collaboration among supply chain partners, cost-effective use of staff resources and the ability to adapt to changing business needs quickly, ...

When the U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics hosts its Supply Chain Workforce Summit at ProMat 2015, a series of speakers and discussion panels will explore best practices in how to find, train and retain the supply chain workforce of the future. The Roadmap devoted an entire section to the twin challenges faced by the industry: demographics and skill ...

These days, food and beverage is focused on fresh—and that’s not just in kitchens and restaurants. From farm to fork, the industry is under tremendous pressures that require new approaches. For a snapshot of the pressures on food and beverage, look to the category of non-alcoholic beverages, once dominated by a handful of carbonated beverage producers. These days, there are ...

It is generally recognized that companies around the globe are faced with an acute shortage of qualified supply chain talent at the early and mid-career levels. One of the ways to effectively address this shortage is through developing closer, more collaborative relationships between businesses and the colleges and universities that deliver such key talent, either through supply chain and logistics ...