Tag Archives: MHI Solutions magazine

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 CHRISTIAN DOW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI Three years ago, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was at the forefront of many organizations’ agendas. Motivated to change their cultures and drive greater inclusivity, awareness of biases and the importance of embracing employees’ differences, companies committed to change. They launched DEI initiatives, sponsored employee resource groups (ERGs), hosted training ...

Attendees can expect inspiring guidance to help address today’s warehousing and logistics challenges, plus a fun venue in host city Dallas. BY MICHAEL MIKITKA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF MHI’S KNOWLEDGE VALUE CENTER AND WERC If you’ve got whiplash from the continuous and rapid supply chain changes that seem to happen daily, you’re not alone. Warehousing, distribution and logistics professionals have ...

BY DR. FABIO SGARBOSSA, PROFESSOR OF INDUSTRIAL LOGISTICS, LEADER OF THE PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT GROUP, HEAD OF THE LOGISTICS 4.0 LABORATORY, DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Efficient utilization of Material Handling Equipment (MHE) significantly impacts the productivity, profitability and flexibility of production systems. For instance, machine performance could be impacted when a forklift driver is ...

BY CHRISTIAN DOW, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP, MHI If you’ve ever noticed that your car gets substantially worse mileage per gallon than was advertised at the dealership, then you understand why predictive and preventative maintenance are so essential to warehouse operations. In the past, warehouses and distribution centers would rely upon scheduled and reactive maintenance to keep equipment humming, ...

BY JASON SCHENKER, PRESIDENT OF PRESTIGE ECONOMICS®, CHAIRMAN OF THE FUTURIST INSTITUTE® The year 2023 was one of twists and turns. There were significant tech layoffs, a banking crisis, slowing inflation, Fed rate hikes, elevated geopolitical risks and AI obsession. While some of these events were fortunate breakthroughs, a few took the world by surprise in not-so-welcome ways. This naturally leads ...

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 ...

BY KATIE KUEHNER-HEBERT The members of MHI’s Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems industry group, or ASRS, can help warehouses and distribution centers become more efficient, improve safety and better manage their workforces. To meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers and businesses, warehouses and distribution centers must constantly evolve their operations to accomplish these endeavors, said Mark Hasler, business development manager at ...

BY SANDY SMITH The twisting, the bending, the lifting—it’s all part of a typical material handling job. But that job doesn’t have to be done without help. Ergonomic products, particularly those that help an associate lift or position items at the right height to prevent bending, are widely available. Improving the use and understanding of these products is at the ...

Where Are They Now? Catching Up with an MHEFI Scholarship Recipient BY SHERYL S. JACKSON When Eric Gilbert, founder of Excel3PL, switched from a mechanical engineering degree program at Oklahoma State University to an industrial engineering (IE) program, he was not thinking about the supply chain industry as a career. His mix of school, work and personal experiences not only led ...