Schweppes switches to Toyota forklifts
Toyota Material Handling feels that the Schweppes’ switch to Toyota forklifts ensures a promise of success. In 2008, Toyota Material Handling entered into a five year contact to supply Schweppes with a fleet of 200 of its forklifts. Toyota says that it won the contract out of an initial ten potential suppliers, because of the fact that it understood Schweppes’ needs.
Schweppes says that it entered into a partnership with Toyota Material Handling to reduce the forklift fleet operating costs. Schweppes needed a rental fleet large enough to cope easily with changing requirements as a number of its sites run six or seven days a week, but the seasonal nature of the beverage business meant it prioritized flexibility.
The companies are also working together to trial the introduction of vacuum layer picker attachments at some sites.
Although the forklift fleet rollout will not be completed until 2010, all rental units will have a common expiry date. Thus when Schweppes will have its next fleet replacement exercise in 2013, it will start all afresh.
Subscribe to the comments for this postAirgas Inc. and Nuvera Fuel Cell Inc. enter into agreement
Airgas, Inc. and Nuvera Fuel Cells, Inc., entered a five-year marketing, sales, and service agreement to provide Nuvera PowerTap hydrogen generators and stations to the North American material handling market. The agreement provides that Nuvera will manufacture the PowerTap systems and Airgas will provide distribution, installation, monitoring and maintenance of the equipment, as well as backup hydrogen, at customer sites.
PowerTap is a hydrogen generator and hydrogen station that uses steam reformation technology to produce hydrogen from natural gas. It is a part of the Nuvera Total Power Solution and includes PowerEdge, a fuel cell hybrid system that replaces standard lead acid batteries in material handling equipment such as forklift trucks.
Peter McCausland, Airgas chairman and CEO, said, ‘For customers who want to increase productivity while reducing their environmental impact, this sustainable technology lowers CO2 emissions while eliminating more costly, resource-intense battery installations and disposal. By combining Nuvera’s technology and manufacturing expertise with Airgas’ nationwide distribution capability, we’re able to provide the lowest total cost energy solution for these customers.’
Roberto Cordaro, Nuvera Fuel Cells CEO, added, ‘With this new distribution and service channel for our PowerTap systems, and source for backup hydrogen, the material handling market has a reliable, cost-effective and reputable source of hydrogen that will further the commercialization of Nuvera’s products.’
Minimizing your spendings on capital equipments
Times are tough and smaller firms are struggling hard to minimize their spendings on capital equipments. Engineers and technicians at these firms are having a tough time in trying to extend the lives of equipment on the shop floor without compromising on productivity and quality.
Eddie Silverberg, CEO of Flexible Assembly Systems, a leading integrator of torque screwdrivers, torque testers, and material handling systems, has laid out some simple techniques which have helped his customers reduce unnecessary spend on capital equipment.
The firms should ask the manufacturer tips and advices as to the proper use of the equipment and how to extend the usage life of the equipment. A thorough knowledge of the product as well as some background research can add many months and years to the life of heavily used tools and equipment.
Your browser may not support display of this image. Regular maintenance at regular intervals is a must for increasing the life span of the equipments. Manufacturing firms, large and small, can face significant issues around throughput and product quality if equipment isn’t properly maintained. Maintenance has to be done on a regular basis and not when the problem arises. This not only saves time, money and harassment but also improves the product quality.
The firms may also enter into a contract with some outside agency for regular maintenance of their capital equipment. There are many firms that specialize in maintaining and calibrating the equipment you already own
For the simple repairs, the firms can buy the spare part and fix it themselves. For this, when purchasing capital equipment, find a company that sells the equipment, knows how it’s put together, and sells the spare parts
Putting in a bit of effort and caution while purchasing equipments can go a run long in cutting costs, producing quality and doing away with quick replacements.
Emergence of integrated material handling systems
Some years back the Material Handling Industry was not like it is now. The equipments then traditionally consisted of trolleys, conveyors, forklifts, overhead traveling cranes etc. which had quite a few drawbacks like manual intervention, low speed, handling problems like scratches, chipping, breaking, difficulty to monitor material flow etc.
The times are changing now and the companies now need to be lean, agile and highly automated in order to meet complex customer demands and meet the pressure of increased competition and customized products.
With changing times, there has been an emergence of new material handling systems like automated storage & retrieval systems, carousels, rail guided & automated guided vehicles, intelligent flexible modular conveyors, pick & place units, gripper/holding devices for fragile / delicate / super finished components, etc.
The market has become complex and so has the logistics. With this have emerged integrated material handling systems which can not only communicate with each other but also with processing machines, inspection devices, assembly stations etc. The integration of various material handling devices into an efficient system is plant-specific, and can be done best by the organization itself. The integrated material handling systems have the advantages of better inventory control, faster throughput, less time for changeover, less defects during material handling, more utilization of space -floor space as the space up to ceiling and the capability to maintain them oneself
Opting for automated packing and pick verification
Most business houses tend to go for minimal costs when it comes to various choices in hand at performing a task. With the business scenario getting tougher each day, we require to do more and spend less.
That is why most businesses shy away from automation because of its high initial cost without realizing that it is going to yield cheaper and better results in the long run. In case of packing and pick verification, lots of people are needed when doing such tasks manually. An order is picked, a packer typically reviews the order and verifies contents, then will manually manifest the package with a scale, UPS computer, etc.
In this case, automation can be helpful as the use of either handheld or fixed position scanners along with packing software can provide both low cost and even provides proof of fulfillment.
Let us have an idea how a basic automated packing system works:
* First, the picker drops off the order to QC area or as an alternative, the order is conveyed to this area
* An empty carton is then placed by the packer on a scale which is a simple bench scale like used for UPS/FedEx
* The order number is then scanned by the operator and then is keyed into the system by him.
* Each item that was picked is scanned and placed into carton
* Every time the scale is triggered with a product, the system verifies correct weight of the SKU and takes a still shot of the box from overhead to prove the item went into the box
* As the last step, after all the items are scanned and weighed, the system prints a shipping label just like the typical pack stations use now.
Reducing wastes through returnable packaging
One of the best ways to reduce wastes in material handling business is the use of returnable packaging. Folding bulk containers, industrial totes, and metal storage bins are some items which can be used over and over again within a facility or between a supplier and a customer. These bulk boxes may initially seem expensive compared to cardboard boxes and wood crates, they are much cheaper in the long term and savings can be observed quickly through repeated use (the same bulk containers, metal bins, and totes are used over and over), labor (no more box assembly), material handling (fewer moves from stackable containers), quality (fewer rejects due to damaged packaging), and floor space (plastic and metal containers can stack very high).
According to an estimate from the EarthWorks Group, 30% of landfill waste is created by plastic and paper packaging, cardboard products and other one-time-use packaging products.
Container Exchanger is an online marketplace that offers manufacturing and distribution businesses an outlet for procuring or selling used returnable packaging. The product offerings include many standard and common reusable packaging solutions like plastic totes, plastic collapsible bulk boxes, metal containers, wire baskets, and plastic pallets.
David Madden, President of Container Exchanger, recently reported that, “Returnable packaging improves material handling by reducing the number of moves from stackable containers. This type of lean manufacturing and distribution metric is quantifiable and makes this environmentally sound decision a good business choice as well.”
Choosing a sack track or a hand track for your unit
Material handling equipments become a big necessity when it comes to moving heavy loads. There is a wide range of material handling equipments that can be used for such tasks as handling or moving merchandise, products, office equipment, different materials and so on. There are numerous options available in the market and while going in for a purchase one should consider the quality of the products, their prices and also the various features unique to every range. Some of the most popular ones include the sack track, or hand track.
A sack track is basically a L shaped manual device used to move around or handle heavy load. At one end there are handles, which are used to properly maneuver the sack track and at the other end it has wheels, which makes maneuvering the device much easier. When choosing the sack track for your unit, you should consider the material used to manufacture the equipment, the price of the product and the range that it covers. There should be a balance between the quality and the price of the product. One should also take into account the goodwill and the experience of the company in manufacturing of material handling equipments and also their good customer services and prompt delivery represent the selling point of the company. When choosing a manufacturer, one should consider the one that offers the broadest range of sack tracks, one that makes quality the top priority and whose products have competitive prices. There are various options with sack track including a parcel sack track, general purpose sack track, beer keg sack track and many others. What suits your needs best is to be given the top priority.
Again, while choosing a hand track take into account the materials used to manufacture the hand track, and also whether the hand track is temperature resistant and most importantly impact resistant. The aluminum sack track is the most common materials handling equipment sold on the market because of its good properties. You can also go for a magnesium alloy axel brackets hand track as they are the latest in the market.
While choosing a sack track or a hand track, above everything else, take into account the unique needs and requirements of your business.
Ensuring safety with the handling of equipments
Safety in a business environment is not just putting up a ‘Beware!’ and a caution notice on the wall before a hazardous machine. Safety is a value which needs to be ingrained in the culture of a company. Rather than a policy followed it should be a matter of habit.
However, when a new employee joins a business, he may take sometime to ingrain the concept of safety in his habit. At that time, he has to rely on the operating procedures, job tasks and his supervisor’s oversight. It is here that a good Enterprise Asset Management system comes into picture ensuring that all the operating procedures are available when executing a planned work order.
When a big equipment is installed, it comes along with all the operating and maintaining procedures with built in safety procedures. Also attached are document sets with the ‘Lock-out’ and ‘Tag-out’ procedure sequences that are used to isolate energy systems. The enterprises can take the help of these in planning their jobs and also building in preventive maintenance schedules in the asset management system. This will keep things in order when the experts installing the equipment leave.
With those jobs which have no preset working instructions available, the asset management system should provide for an energy view in the form of either hierarchical or network system along with lock-out and tag-out steps.
Another important aspect of the duty of a material handling management system is identifying ‘hot jobs’ and ‘cold jobs’ and then ensuring that no two ‘hot jobs’ are happening in the vicinity at the same time.
In a nutshell, safety is a habit and a culture. It is upon us how much importance we assign to this most important concept in our jobs.
TAL-Vartipark launched by TAL Manufacturing solutions
On 31st July, 09, TAL Manufacturing Solutions established TAL-Vertipark, a unique automated multi-level vertical car parking system at Tata Motors campus at Chinchwad in Pune. TAL is already known for its experience in automated material handling systems. This parking tower is designed to maximize parking area for a variety of cars using minimum ground space. The length and width of each tower is designed, such that the total ground space occupied is only for three vehicles.
TAL-Vertipark, as claimed by the company, is based on the original design from MP Systems Co. Ltd Korea, under a license agreement and is an ideal solution for India to cope up with prohibitive investments and increasing pressures on availability and usage of land.
TAL-Vertipark is being offered in two modules – a 20-level module for upto 40 vehicles and a 10-level module for upto 20 vehicles and is claimed to be a perfect parking solution for commercial, office & residential buildings, public utilities including malls and multiplexes, hotels, hospitals, railway stations, airports and also for the automobile industry including the car dealerships and warehouses. The conventional mechanised parking use ramps or raises are used to lift cars to different levels, but TAL-Vertipark requires vehicles to be driven at only one level. With an impressive stand-alone steel structure, TAL-Vertipark offers completely safe, damage-free parking with full security and yet quick retrieval.
Commenting on the launch, P.M. Telang, managing director -India Operations, Tata Motors, said, “India is one of the prime growth markets for automobiles and this growth can be well supported by timely establishment of a planned parking infrastructure using minimum possible space. We believe that TAL’s endeavour in developing this solution is quite timely, and offers an appropriate and cost-effective system.”
Atam P. Arya, managing director of TAL, said, “The launch of TAL-Vertipark is an innovative deployment of the company’s experience in automated material handling systems, as well as the expertise of our technical collaborators, MP Systems, South Korea. It offers a much-needed timely solution for the country’s limited urban spaces.”
Gravity conveyors are low-cost options for industries
With the increase in mechanization and the rise of industrialization, industrial conveyor systems have become indispensable for industries in handling materials. These conveyor systems do away with human labor and can be synchronized with all major operations in an industry that require material handling. They can be used for a number fo activities, viz. unloading raw materials and delivering them to the stores or to the manufacturing section. After production, they can be used to move the finished products around for inspection, packing and dispatching.
Conveyor belts consist of two end pulleys and a continuous loop of rotating material moving through them. Conveyors are used to transport materials such as coal, ores and grains. There are various types of conveyor systems in the market. Some of them include belt conveyor systems, mechanical conveyor systems, chain conveyor systems, screw conveyor systems, bucket conveyor systems, and pneumatic conveyor systems.
Gravity conveyors are also very useful as an adjunct to powered conveyor systems, providing a packing or ‘accumulation’ area. Specially designed gravity conveyors address to the needs of modern industries better and can be of great help in process of material handling. They can be used to handle skids, totes, pallets, boxes, drums, parts and raw materials in varied processes involved in production. Besides being economical, they have an added advantage of being almost maintenance-free.
These conveyors are made up of a series of parallel rollers attached to a metal frame supported at intervals which can be inclined slightly for gravity flow, but objects and packages may also be rolled along manually. Skate wheels replace rollers in gravity-wheel conveyors, which are ideal for handling lighter loads.
Being a low-cost alternative to high speed conveyors they can be used in industries like packaging, agricultural, automotive, canning, computer, electronics, food processing, aerospace, chemical, bottling and print finishing.