Modern Materials Handling - April 2010

» A Special Supplement to MODERN MATERIALS HANDLINGsystem can now self-regulate its speeddepending on the volume that’s inboundon the system,” says Ruehrdanz. Thewarehouse control systems (WCS) softwaremakes that decision using electronicsensors that’s constantly monitoringwhere all the cartons are andhow they’re flowing.A sliding shoe sorter diverts cartonsusing a parallel diverting method.2. Print and apply on the fly.When your supplier is a fancy designerfrom Italy who can’t be bothered withlabeling, you’ve got to be ready withPlan B. The use of print and apply systemsallow crossdock operators the flexibilityto deal with inadequately labeledcartons so that proper labels can beprinted and applied on cartons as theytravel along conveyors allowing them tobe immediately cross docked.“When they first started out, thesesystems could process 10 cartonsper minute (cpm) maybe,” says SteveHaskell, vice president for L.A.-basedSDI Industries, a designer, integratorand manufacturer of materials handlingsystems. “Now you can get 30 cpm reliablywith a tremendous range of printingand software capabilities.”3. Crossdocking with voice andRFID. With a scan of the pallet licenseplate, voice-directed operators on thereceiving dock can be instructed toquickly move their crossdock pallets toThis gapping conveyor creates minimumgaps between cartons. Minimumcarton gaps allow the conveying andsorting systems to accommodate morethroughput at a slower operating speed.the correct shipping doors without havingto look at a terminal.By attaching an RFID tag on a pallet,the simple act of moving the pallet froma tractor trailer through a receiving portalnot only acknowledges receipt, butallows the automatic download of criticalinformation so automatic crossdockallocations can be made.The next generation of RFIDenabledlift trucks go a step furtherby combining RFID data collectionwith optical real-time location systems(RTLS) to precisely record palletmovement without any operator typingor scanning. As adoption increases,users are investigating the feasibility ofusing RFID-based technology to eliminatethe need for some EDI communicationsby encoding the advance shippinginformation onto the RFID tag toreduce the number of EDI messages.Vision for the futureWith more trading partners sharingdata in real time along withgreater levels of systems integration,Manhattan’s Lamphier envisions more“dynamic crossdocks” that constantlylook for opportunities to flow-throughproduct, even while still in transit.SDI’s Haskell sees equipment improvingand becoming more affordable.Soon, you’ll simply be running out ofexcuses not to crossdock.50S A P R I L 2 0 1 0 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING m m h . c o m