Archive for the ‘RFID’ Category:
Material Handling Shows on the Card in Coming Time
Things are well set for new material handling shows to be organized at South East and South West regions of the UK. The ShD South East and ShD South West are the second and third brand new material handling shows of regional importance organized by IMHX organizer, Quartz.
As the both shows as ShD South East at Maidstone’s Kent Showground on 17th September and ShD South West on 12th definitely would be going to be of great help for local firms which deals into any type of good and product commodities. There, many programs are scheduled during the course of both of the exhibitions. The most important of the events are free seminars and lectures delivered by leading members of the UKWA (United Kingdom Warehousing Association).
The issues as covered under seminar could are handling in-house theft, implementing energy-saving initiatives, strategies for avoiding the rate liability of empty warehouses, top tips for designing a successful warehouse and how to recruit the best logistics professionals. Presentation on each of the topic is set with time frame of 30 minutes with a question and answer session.
Both exhibitions have live demonstration areas for displaying innovative ideas to reduce cost and maximize supply chain efficiency. There a wide range of companies will be showcasing their inventions at the show like fork-lift firms Aisle-Master, Briggs Equipment, GC Hurrell & Co Ltd, Linde, Narrow Aisle, Nissan, Still, Translift and TVH, as well as traction battery specialist, Norco. Visitors with an interest in packaging will be able to talk to packaging specialists FROMM, Schoeller Arca Systems, Easypack, Sealed Air Ltd and Ranpak. Also present will be shrink-wrap machinery suppliers Shrinkfast and AETNA.The distribution network PalletForce will be represented, along with emissions reduction solutions provider Envirosafe and explosion protection specialist Pyroban.
For more info and registration, log onto http://www.shdregionalshows.biz.
Subscribe to the comments for this postKeeping Safe from the Ground Up
There always remains an opportunity for an accident in ware housing and material management handling from the floors to the loading dock. And companies irrespective of industry and location are required to give an appropriate and safe environment for their employees, especially in active warehouse and distribution centers. In a recent data as released by Bureau of Labor Statistics from the all occurred occupational accidents, one forth happened at jobs related to transportation and material handling jobs.
Recently, two New England distribution centers charged with fine of $100,000 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) when a worker got injured and repeated violation were found. There are many places that are prone to accidents in warehouses like unguarded conveyor, large unstable storage racks, open sided work platforms which led to falls, crushing injuries and electrocution as told by OSHA.
Ted Fitzgerald, OSHA spokesman for New England and New York, said in materials handling, keeping safe can involve a number of issues, including ergonomics, lift truck precautions, machine guarding and wiring. “It’s a matter of being aware of the hazards associated with work processes, equipment and the nature of the workplace and determining what the required safeguards are,” Fitzgerald said.
However, this fatality for ware house safety can be sorted out by keeping up in the mind a number of measures in the mind. The American Society of Safety Engineers and American society for Testing and Materials prepared a 200 page document give escape routes to the accident by giving ideas on slip, trip and fall prevention, floor choices, spill cleanup and layout can make a warehouse or other facility safer. Sometimes due to lack of attention on part of workers these fatalities occurs at ware houses and material storage centers.
Increase productivity by shifting pallets of racks in Warehouse
The magic words for productivity, that 80% of it comes from the 20% is correctly applicable for floor space in many warehouse and industrial operations. You can save ample space in your ware house while choosing for rack system with big open spaces.
You can choose racks for higher productivity items if your entire inventory does not get adjusted into the pallets. Could you move each-pick or case-pick operations off of floor pallets or static shelving into flow storage embedded in your racks?
The other goods that can be easily adjusted into the pallets without disturbing the entire set up are higher velocity items. For example by keeping free-standing products in flow storage instead of keeping them on the top of rack or on the floor you can save higher cost of packaging. This way you can increase picking productivity as well as accuracy. It puts away cartons from the ground, improves over ergonomics and frees up that floor space for other uses.
Further, completely removing rows of shelving by shifting their contents to flow storage in your racks you can find new space as well can increase packaging efficiency. This way a bit manipulation in shelving up to 20% can leads up to the improvement of productivity to the range of 80%.
According To A Report $200B Required To Switch To Hydrogen Fuel
There is vast possibility as according to the analysts of ending the dependence of United States as well as global countries on Petrol and switching to the mode of Hydrogen Powered vehicles, however, a recent report of the National Academics of Science has revealed realization of this hypothesis to be far from being achievable.
In the report entitled as, “Transitions to Alternative Transportation Technologies: A Focus on Hydrogen,” as according to the National Academics of sciences it would took nearly an exaggerated amount of $200 billion as for completely transforming from oil to hydrogen fuel on steps like R&D, vehicle deployment, and needed infrastructure. The share of said amount at $55 billion is put on government for time period spanning between 2008 and 2023 and the private investment is incurred around $145 billion for the same time frame and period of time.
Despite the initial level of research into the development of fuel cell and hydrogen production technology there are certain barricades like cost of vehicles and lack of infrastructure that are first required get solve for a proper distribution of it to a customer. Yet these problems can be overcome with the help of R&D and support of the automotive industry. As further stated in the report hydrogen-powered vehicles will make a positive impact within the warehouses and distribution centers for lift trucks, forklifts, and turret trucks, among other vehicles, yet there a lot of work is yet needed to be done.
Manufacturers Switching to IT to Maximize Their Profits
While in this period of global recession every company is trying to devise new methods to cut costs and remain competitive and survived, IT has emerged as a better way for companies to cut cost, build longer and more complex supply chains to accommodate it to respond faster to changing demand.
A manufacturer enabled with technology can communicate in better way with far flung suppliers can manage shorter product life cycles and collaborate more emphatically with its business partners. ARC Advisory Group a consultant in manufacturing technology predicted the growth of IT budgets in manufacturing sector is inevitable as more and more companies would use IT to support supply chain processes as to run their manufacturing operations in a better way.
But there also problem thrives for hundreds of manufactures globally as regarding containing algorithms for analyzing manufacturing processes. Now companies are paying attention on the example of Japanese company Toyota’s example where it adopted lean thinking by cutting out waste, put emphasized on making small regular improvements and focused more on customer service. They are facing one other problem as the analytical software have become cheaper though business analyst find it very difficult to handle flood of data to interpret pending before them.
Still big investment ERPs are with 40% of manufacturer’s but the interest is now declining towards relatively small projects with a payback of year or two. The new trend of getting software prepared on order bringing many industries to closer to the Information Technology. As manufactures now can get supplies at their facilities as soon as get an order by phone or on internet as they can inform to their supplier instantly.
Moreover, in present period of the competitive edge every company is trying to go ahead of others while using improving over their Supply Chain. All the modern and coming supply chains aims to keep the amount of produce as low as possible in chain while tracking it through all the possible locations and IT can solve their this problem in this regard to a greater extent. To handle these problem technologies like radio frequency identification (RFID), bar codes and voice recognition has evolved as a very appropriate solution to the problem. However, whatever may be the pattern and use of technologies IT would definitely help companies to gain profits.
Dangerous cargo transportation - need uniform consensus
Several issues has been raised after and it is still hot topic in debate in transport sector whether the recent changes in policies regarding the issuance of Container Packing Certificates (CPC) by the Port Klang, Malaysia is in line with international norms and regulation of United Nations regarding the cargo transportation.
There are so many safety issues as related to new norms issued by the Port Klang authorities, some concerned person expressed their opinion that certain security measures have not met the attention which they deserve in turn about of Container Packing Certificates. The core of this discussion is UN recommendation on the cargo transportation of hazardous goods.
At International level the transportation of dangerous good by sea route was viewed with a very serious note by the UN committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Good in Geneva, in December 2000. The recommendations during this meeting introduced International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) code as a universal guideline for the transportation of dangerous goods by sea as framed from the 1960’s International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (Solas).
Under the law, a number of safety codes were issued regarding the recommendations for individual substances and operations for the flow of the goods and practices like terminology, packing, labeling, stowage, segregation and emergency responses action. Under guideline, the objects put under the category of dangerous goods are explosives, gases, non-flammable, non-toxic gases, flammable solids, organic peroxides, toxic and infectious substances etc.
So, the recommendations of the 2000 summit expected from all the Contracting Governments to ensure best security as according to the ISPS Code. During the 2000 Millennium Summit Secretary General Kofi Annan said,
“We will not enjoy development without security, we will not enjoy security without development, and we will not enjoy either without respect for human dignity. Unless all these causes are advanced, none will succeed.”
Safety at sea is a matter of grave concern for all those who are, related to security of ship. There are instances when a ship had to be scrapped due to the toxic spill from containers and damage was beyond repair.
However LPK, one of the authorities to issue CPC (Container Packaging Certificate) that was earlier in practice of issuing the CPC certificate even by a dispatch clerk neglecting all the security measures of highest importance. Soon after realizing the importance of CPC, LPK started issuing of LPK by properly trained competent and independent surveyors. It organized examination and selected the best candidates to issue CPC and appreciated by other port authorities and soon as the ports, local insurance companies, shipping lines from all over the world began full support to LPK, is suddenly scrapped all new CPC issuing system and all the system went into futile, further issued grave security concern for the cargo security at Port Klang, Malaysia.
Mobile RFID Adds Efficiency to Warehouse Operations
– By Pushpa Sathish, Staff Writer
Mobile RFID is adding to the improvement and efficiency in warehouses and factories. Justin Hotard, director of product management for Symbol Technologies, says that with customers demanding more productivity and visibility, RFID readers on lift trucks and stretchwrap systems are being used to improve processes.
RFID readers on lift trucks allow users to read tags and capture information wherever the truck travels. Stretchwrap systems with the readers mounted on the stretch wrap masts allow distributors and manufacturers to check loads as they rotate on turntables. Anomalies can be rectified before the pallets are docked.
RFID helps in detection of human movement within buildings during emergencies!
Are you afraid of trespassers who could intrude into your confidential data at office? Or have you had the unfortunate experience of getting stuck amidst buildings during an emergency? If either of the above is true, relax. Go ahead to know what RFID technology can do for you in such situations?
Hitachi has uncovered the new AirLocation tag-w, a breakthrough in the field of RFID technology, which has assisted in detecting the human movement within buildings at times of emergencies. This release is a part of its initiative towards establishing wireless LAN with the help of Wi-Fi technology.
Read my previous post on the remarkable benefits of RFID technology to know more on RFID.
The remarkable benefits of RFID technology
As a retailer, are you aware of the revolution that is caused by the use of RFID technology in the retail industry? Do you know that the tollbooths are able to generate monthly bills for the vehicles passing through them by the use of RFID technology?
Read on to know the major benefits that this technology has brought into the retail industry.
- Misplaced items are notified to the inventory management staff.
- Stock run outs and excess availability is being notified to the management staff thereby preventing the unavailability and overabundance of stocks in the retail industry.
- Brings in inexplicable client satisfaction by avoiding security checks at the doorsteps of every shopping mall.
- Update of the payment to be done at the counter is being updated for the customers as they load items into the shopping cart.
- Fraudulent transactions can be avoided in the retail industry through the use of this technology.
- Price, warranty and expiration date can be provided in the smart screen attached to the cart through the use of this technology.
- Shopping trends can be recorded and discounts can be introduced as per the current trends recorded for the customers in the retail industry.
Click here to read more on how RFID has assisted in improving supply chain security.
RFID – a boon from customer’s perspective
Imagine yourself shopping in a shopping mall equipped with RFID technology! You start piling up your items in a cart provided by them. Imagine how will you feel when the screen attached to the cart instantaneously calculates the total sum of the items shopped and if the bill that you have to pay gets updated as and when the successive item is loaded into the cart? You will be astounded and remarkably satisfied to see the growth of today’s technology!
Imagine that you don’t find a particular item and you go to the helpdesk there to enquire on the item. If the staff there is able to get back to you regarding the location of the item within the mall within seconds, can you imagine how elated you would be and how interested you would become to visit the same shopping mall again!
Yes! This has been made possible with RFID technology which has assisted the retail industry in better stock tracking by avoiding stock run outs and improving customer satisfaction by reducing shopping time.
Read my previous post on how Wal-Mart has benefited by integrating the RFID Technology to its supply chain here.