Tag Archives: automation

MHI Solutions Community BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EVP OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI Maybe your manufacturing plant or warehouse was an early adopter of automation, but that original material handling equipment is now showing signs of age. Or maybe your automated systems were built for the business‑to‑business selling model, before the shift to business‑to‑consumer e‑commerce. Or maybe robust order growth and SKU ...

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 ...

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 ...

Is the lack of a clear business case preventing your operation from implementing automation? Use this guide to build a compelling justification. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER Every year, MHI’s Annual Industry Report queries supply chain leaders on a multitude of topics surrounding their adoption and deployment of innovative technologies—including automation. Survey questions ascertain budgets, operational challenges, investment plans, obstacles to ...

The 11th edition of the MHI Annual Industry Report found increased investment in human-centric, collaborative technologies that empower workers to be more productive and make better decisions. BY SARA PEARSON SPECTER Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation have dominated the supply chain technology adoption conversation over the past year. Recognition of their ability to enhance resilience amid unpredictability and improve ...

MHI Solutions Community BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP AND INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI When professional football players take the field in subzero weather conditions wearing short-sleeved jerseys and no extra layers, they’re touting their toughness. But in reality, they’ve got nothing on the dedicated warehouse workers who handle refrigerated and frozen products day in and day out. It’s ...

SOLUTIONS SPOTLIGHT BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT MHI’s Electrification and Controls Manufacturers Association (ECMA) rebranded in 2023 as the Automation, Controls and Electrification Association (ACE), signifying a new era of innovation in industrial automation and material handling. ACE members are at the forefront of delivering automation solutions across the globe, spanning significant manufacturing and distribution sectors. This includes a range of cutting-edge offerings ...

Executive Viewpoint BY JASON MINGHINI, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS, KENCO GROUP Back before COVID, our company, Kenco Group, was making investments in robotics and automation. We had an AutoStore Robotics Shuttle system. We had LocusBots. But we were just slowly adopting the technology. With COVID, we learned what many others did: We had to accelerate its use. We had to ...

BY TOM GRESHAM When automation first grew more widespread, the crane and overhead handling systems category was slow to adopt out of safety concerns. With time and more advances, however, that perspective has changed. Today, safety is the primary reason automation is being increasingly embraced in the field. “With the technologies that are out there now, you’re much more apt to ...