Industry Trends

Automation doesn’t replace jobs. Instead, it allows companies to increase job satisfaction and productivity among their existing workforces. Here, experts share how to identify the optimal tasks for automation and the ideal solutions for the job. BY CAROL MILLER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, MHI As supply chain workforce shortages persist, operations are relying less on recruitment and retention incentives to cope ...

BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EVP OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI At manufacturing plants and warehouses plagued by high turnover, it might seem like employees don’t truly value their jobs and happily would jump ship to make a few bucks more somewhere else. That outlook tends to change, however, upon the first sign of new automated material‑handling solutions in the facility, as workers ...

Industry Focus   BY TOM GRESHAM   The consumer electronics industry supply chain is highly complex, with a set of unique challenges that require particularly sophisticated solutions. Those companies that operate in the field have no choice but to prioritize innovation in order to keep up with a field that evolves at a blindingly rapid pace. “The consumer electronics supply ...

Safer Handling Off/on pedals for a central lock brake are among the safety features used for some casters and wheels.    BY TOM GRESHAM   For casters and wheels, safety starts in part with how well they can stop. When mounted to the underside of a piece of equipment, casters and wheels make it easier for personnel or machinery to ...

Product Spotlight   BY SANDY SMITH Safety is at the core of the work of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA). However, this committee of “friendly competitors” does not merely replicate the work of federal regulators but rather sees its role as enhancing when it comes to understanding the nuances of overhead traveling cranes and gantry cranes. While OSHA ...

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The Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI) is proud to honor Donna Varner, a cornerstone of the supply chain industry, with the 2025 MHEFI Exceptional Contribution Award. Donna, affectionately known as “the heart and soul” of MHI and MHEFI, leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of service, leadership and commitment to advancing education in the material handling and supply chain fields. ...

Feature BY MARY LOU JAY ISTOCK.COM/JAY YUNO No matter where or how you want to deploy AI in your company, there’s one element that is key to successful implementation: the quality of the data that you input into your AI models. “The path from AI’s potential to its inevitability for a company is paved with data. That’s an underlying capability ...

Feature Collaborative robots (cobots) and autonomous vehicles are increasingly finding a home in warehouses and distribution centers (DCs). The success of those deployments, however, is not assured. Industry experts shared six best practices that can help achieve an effective implementation. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER ISTOCK.COM/ONURDONGEL Well entrenched in manufacturing processes, collaborative robots (cobots) and mobile autonomous vehicles (MAVs) have increasingly ...

Feature From charging forklift batteries and electric vehicles to running conveyors and keeping the lights on, modern, clean supply chains depend on an uninterrupted supply of power from America’s electrical grid. But demand for power and other factors are testing the grid’s reliability like never before, sending users scrambling for solutions to ensure access to the electricity they need to ...