Manufacturing/DCs

MHI Industry Group, the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association, has launched the ProGMA Protective Guarding Search Tool—a search engine for protective guarding equipment.

Product Spotlight BY MICHAEL SENECAL The key to understanding sustainability in any industry is understanding the direct relationship between efficiency and the environment—improvements in one also mean improvements in the other. As enterprises with material handling needs strive to become more productive and efficient, they turn to members of MHI’s Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS) Industry Group for tools ...

Solutions Spotlight BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT Sustainability within the supply chain is a hot topic these days across all industries—and very much on the minds of the members of the MHI Industry Group, Rack Manufacturing Institute Inc. For RMI members, the focus is not only on the environmental aspects of sustainability, but also on the social aspects: How to operate in ...

Safer Handling BY TOM GRESHAM Operators of factories and warehouses increasingly are seeking to integrate industrial lift devices with other components of their spaces. No longer do lifts operate in relative isolation. In that way, lifts are “a piece of the overall machine now,” said James Johnston, director of engineering at MHI member Autoquip and chair of Lift Manufacturers Product ...

Feature With end consumers more aware of the environmental impact of online shopping and the tremendous amount of packaging waste it creates, manufacturers and suppliers are responding with a variety of design and material innovations. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER PHOTO: STOROPACK Consumers who embraced the necessity of shopping online in 2020 due to the pandemic have continued to do so ...

Feature Companies are realizing the benefits of environmentally friendly warehouses and DCs and are embarking on both new builds and renovations that are earning LEED accreditation. BY SANDY SMITH ISTOCK.COM/GWYCECH The idea of environmentally friendly warehouses took off a few years back. Big brands announced plans—and many of them have since come to fruition. The United States Green Building Council, ...

New technologies could soon provide even more facility workers in manufacturing and supply chains with the opportunity to take on their job without being on site.

Case studies from organizations that have deployed AR or VR reflect futuristic, yet practical, applications, including training, remote assistance, compliance audits and order fulfillment.

Ergonomics—the science that designs environments, equipment, tools and tasks within the capabilities of people to maximize productivity, efficiency and safety—has been an important part of the material handling industry for decades.

Manufacturing companies are increasingly investing in data collection and analytics to create a competitive advantage.