TOP 20 - Modern Materials Handling

PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTIONS FOR DISTRIBUTION, WAREHOUSING AND MANUFACTURING 

SPECIAL REPORT 

Top 20 systems 

suppliers 23 

EQUIPMENT BUYING GUIDE 

Software basics 26 

BEST PRACTICES 

Packaging solutions 31 

mmh.com 

WMS: 

Fisher Nuts gets 

down to business 

page 16 

Tom Kirkham, director of 

systems implementation 

April 2009 

TOP 20 

WEBCAST 

SYSTEMS SUPPLIERS 

April 29 at 2 p.m. ET 

www.mmh.com/ 

top20 

( ) 

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Add a lower cost of ownership and even the most challenging of times are no challenge at all. 

When times are hard, 

Toyota lift trucks work the hardest. 

800-226-0009 • EarthsNumberOne.com

Mecalux/Interlake: It’s a done deal 

SPANISH STORAGE SYSTEMS 

provider Mecalux (www.mecalux. 

com) completed its $30 million 

purchase of the UFI/Interlake assets 

last month, which include plants in 

Pontiac, Ill.; Sumter, SC; Mexicali 

and Matamoros, Mexico. 

The company has changed 

its American division name 

CEMA to release unit handling 

conveyor guide 

THE CONVEYOR EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS 

ASSOCIATION (CEMA, wwwcemanet.org) will 

release a new publication on unit handling conveyors 

in June. CEMA’s Application Guide for Unit 

Handling Conveyors is an in-depth guide offering 

design details and application guidance for unit 

handling conveyors. It contains information on all 

unit handling conveyors, including pallets, cartons, 

totes, monorail, etc. According to CEMA, the 

content is arranged in chapters by product type 

first, followed by system 

design and component 

design. Wherever possible, 

each of the product 

chapters is subdivided 

into sections that provide 

comprehensive details 

about each product. In 

addition, the book will 

include graphs, charts 

and pictures to enhance 

the understanding of topics 

discussed. 

Blue Giant on the small screen 

to Interlake Mecalux, Inc. 

Representatives said this is a 

market opportunity that means 

growing its presence in North 

America further enhancing their 

global expansion plan. Mecalux 

will acquire the UFI/Interlake client 

base, which includes some of the 

largest companies in the U.S. 

BLUE GIANT EQUIPMENT CORP. 

(www.bluegiant.com) has been 

selected to appear on 21st 

Century Business Television Series. 

Headquartered in Ontario, Blue Giant 

designs, manufactures and distributes 

loading dock systems and will highlight 

its equipment on the program. “Some of our biggest 

orders are coming from areas of the world that are experiencing 

rapid industrial growth,” said Steve Greco, director of 

marketing and international sales. “Our dock systems are 

in the world’s largest shopping mall, the tallest commercial 

building and the busiest international airport in Dubai.” 

CONVEYABLES 

BREAKING NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW 

Economic calculator helps figure 

savings 

THE REUSABLE 

PACKAGING 

ASSOCIATION (RPA, 

www.choosereusables. 

org) has created an economic 

calculator to help 

you determine if switching 

to reusable packaging 

will save you money. 

“Now more than ever, 

businesses are trying to reduce operating expenses, 

and reusable transport packaging is a proven and 

effective way to reduce costs,” said Bob Klimko, 

chairman of the RPA board and director of general 

industrial marketing for ORBIS Corporation (www. 

orbiscorp.com). 

The Reusable Packaging Economic Calculator is 

based on a financial model that covers the key concepts 

in the comparison of the per container cost of both 

reusable and single-use packaging. The tool allows you 

to perform basic financial analysis to determine if your 

supply chain is financially conducive to reusable packaging. 

The calculator was developed in cooperation with 

StopWaste.org. 

mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / A PRIL 2009 3

CHE HE HEP – 

Pres es eserv r ing th the env nv nviro r nme me m nt 

an and yo y ur busin in iness. 

One ne pal p al allet 

at a a ti time. 

Thanks to its customers, CHEP saved 2.5 billion pounds of solid waste from ending up in landfills 

in one year alone*. To see just how, and to calculate how CHEP can help grow your company's profits 

and environmental profile, visit CHEP.com /onepallet. 

© 2008. CHEPUSA. All Rights Reserved. * Study by Franklin Associates. Based on 2007 total CHEP network volume versus one-way whitewood.

Tom Kirkham helped Fisher Nuts maximize its WMS. 

COVER STORY 

SYSTEM REPORT 

16 Fisher Nuts: WMS cracks into 

manufacturing success 

At its new manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters, John B. 

Sanfilippo & Son installed a warehouse management system to drive 

quality and productivity improvements. 

21 WMS in control 

At John B. Sanfilippo & Son, a warehouse management system drives 

manufacturing and distribution. 

FEATURES 

PHOTO: PETER WYNN THOMPSON/GETTY 


23 Top 20 systems suppliers 

Modern’s 12th-annual survey of top worldwide materials handling 

systems suppliers shows that 2008 was a year of stability for the top 

players. 


26 Supply chain software basics 

From the factory to the warehouse to the shipping department and 

beyond, software applications are enabling end-to-end supply chain 

management. 

BEST PRACTICES 

31 Reduce waste and labor and increase 

productivity 

These objectives are on everyone’s minds. Here are three examples 

of best practices in packaging that might make a difference in your 

facility. 

VOL. 64, NO. 4 

PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTIONS FOR DISTRIBUTION, 

WAREHOUSING AND MANUFACTURING 

PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTION 

35 Dock shelters increase 

comfort, decrease cost 

Select Comfort installs dock shelters that keep 

temperatures stable inside, weather outside, and 

lower energy costs all around. 


36 DC site selection 

In today’s economy, factors such as unpredictable 

fuel prices, shifts in global trade, new warehouse 

technologies and environmental sustainability 

weigh heavily on site selection decisions. 

DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS 

3/ Conveyables 

7/ This month in Modern 

13/ From the Advisory Board 

15/ Lift Truck Tips: Alternative Energy 

40/ Product Focus: Conveyors 

43/ Product showcase 

50/ 60 seconds with... 

NEWS 

8/ CEMA reports 2008 shipments flat 

9/ Boston Rack and Base Manufacturing 

complete merger agreement 

9/ Rockwell Automation announces global 

agreement with ProLeit 

10/ U.S. demand for rigid bulk packaging to 

approach $7 billion in 2013 

11/ Material Handling Society gives NJIT 

$3,000 scholarship 

12/ Psion Teklogix teams with Ingram Micro 

Modern Materials Handling® (ISSN 0026-8038, (GST # 123397457), is 

published monthly, except October when published semi-monthly by 

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80129-2345. Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier, is 

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Modern Materials Handling® is a registered trademark of Reed Elsevier 

Properties Inc. used under license. 

mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / A PRIL 2009 5 

®

Increase Capacity 

Reduce Labor 

Optimize Current Buildings 

Introducing Dematic Multishuttle - A Scalable, High Rate, 

Storage and Sequencing System for Optimized Order Assembly, 

Piece Picking & Replenishment 

And another innovative logistics result....from 

Dematic’s new Multishuttle is a scalable Automated Storage and Retrieval (AS/RS) solution for dynamic, 

high rate, product sequencing. Its high throughput rate, ability to accommodate load sequencing, and 

adaptability to existing buildings make the Dematic Multishuttle an ideal solution for goods-to-person 

order fulfi llment, mixed case palletizing, pickface replenishment, and short term buffer staging. 

The Multishuttle’s high throughput capability comes from having carrier vehicles on each level of each 

aisle in the rack structure traveling horizontally to access loads. Vertical lifts at the end of each aisle deliver 

loads to input/output conveyors. Load sequencing occurs as loads are retrieved in the order required. 

The modular carrier vehicles in the Dematic Multishuttle allow high uptime, system redundancy, and 

low power consumption, which translate into reduced overall order turnaround time for you. To learn 

more about Dematic’s Multishuttle, go to www.dematic.us/multishuttle. 

www.dematic.us 

1-877-725-7500 

Continuing the Tradition

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Member 

THIS MONTH IN Modern 

Getting more from your WMS MICHAEL LEVANS 

IT SHOULDN’T COME as a surprise to 

anyone that warehouse and DC managers 

are being pinched now more than ever 

to make the most of the resources they 

already have. 

Countless low-cost projects are currently 

underway to better optimize fl oor space, 

improve pick times, and increase throughput, 

while logistics teams are working 

diligently to reorganize their distribution 

networks to cut shipments and transit times 

en route to a greener overall supply chain. 

They’re making due with the hand they’ve 

been dealt—and, in many cases, with a 

quarter of the staff. 

Actually, it’s too bad that it takes a failing 

economy and a challenging transportation 

environment to push many supply 

chain operations to work smarter. You can 

label the current cost-slashing/emissionscutting 

trends any way you like, but a vast 

majority of the initiatives that are currently 

under way fall under the umbrella of 

“smart business.” 

In fact, a terrifi c example of a smart 

business making the most of its technology 

investment is John B. Sanfi lippo & Son, 

the maker of Fisher Nuts and this month’s 

cover story. As executive editor Bob Trebilcock 

points out on page 16, when the 

company recently opened its new 1.06 

million square foot facility it made conventional 

use of materials handling equipment. 

However, it unlocked the full breadth of 

functionally of its warehouse management 

system (WMS)—a move that’s yielding benefi 

ts far beyond the warehouse fl oor. 

Member of 

Winner 

Jesse H. Neal 

Certificates of Merit 

for Journalistic 

Excellence 

While its WMS 

manages inventory 

and directs warehouse 

activities as you would expect, the Fisher 

system also functions like a manufacturing 

execution system, synchronizing delivery 

of materials to the manufacturing line. This 

improved visibility also allows its WMS to 

act as the foundation of the company’s 

mission-critical allergen and contamination 

prevention program by helping to better 

keep track of raw materials. 

Fisher’s story aligns very well with a 

recent call from the analyst community for 

logistics professionals to make better use 

of their WMS in response to the pull-back 

on technology spending over the past 

year. In fact, Greg Aimi of AMR Research is 

conducting a session on this very subject 

(“Making the most of your WMS”) on April 

30 as part of the 2009 Warehouse/DC 

Best Practices Virtual Conference (mmh. 

com/warehousevc.com), and Trebilcock is 

working on a similar piece for Modern’s 

May issue. 

“Many companies have functionality in 

their WMS that they’ve never turned on,” 

says Trebilcock. And next month he’ll be 

running down a list of functions your current 

WMS can help you accomplish including improved 

supplier collaboration, billing, labor 

management and task interleaving, which 

eliminates “empty-handed” moves inside 

the four walls. 

Being pinched to cut costs and work 

smarter? A few of the solutions may already 

be at your fi ngertips. 

Official Publication of 

GROUP EDITORIAL 

DIRECTOR 


ECONOMY 

CEMA reports 2008 shipments flat 

AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, CONVEYOR EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS WERE HOPEFUL FOR A 

MARKET REBOUND IN 2010. 

BY BOB TREBILCOCK, EXECUTIVE EDITOR 

THE CONVEYOR EQUIPMENT 

MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION 

(CEMA, www.cemanet.org) recently 

reported that 2008 shipments in 

North America were fl at for the 

conveyor industry while new orders 

declined an estimated 15% last 

year. 

These results were delivered by 

Dan Fannin, CEMA president, at 

the association’s 76th annual meeting 

in Marco Island, Fla., in March. 

According to CEMA, conveyor 

shipments totaled $7.82 billion last 

How is the economy affecting 

spending on conveyor parts 

and accessories? 

8% 

will be spending more on 

conveyors in 2009. 

Source: Reed Business Information survey 

12% 

will be spending the 

same on conveyors 

as in 2008. 

year, an increase of $1 million over 

2007 shipments. That modest growth 

followed two strong years, with shipment 

increases of 4.98% in 2007 and 

5.9% in 2006. 

Orders for new conveyors, however, 

decreased by $1.22 billion in 

2008 to $6.89, a 15% year-over-year 

decline from 2007. 

CEMA members who attended 

the annual meeting expressed reservations 

for 2009 but were hopeful 

for a market rebound in 2010. Those 

same cautious sentiments were 

evident in a survey of 437 readers of 

Modern Materials Handling about 

17% 

will be spending less 

on conveyors in 

2009. 

their conveyor purchasing plans 

for the next 18 months. The survey 

was conducted in February by the 

research division of Reed Business 

Information, Modern’s parent 

company, and the results were also 

presented at the CEMA meeting. 

Asked how the economy is impacting 

their spending on conveyor 

parts and accessories: 

• 30% are taking a wait-and-see 

approach with no present plans to 

invest. 

• 27% reported their overall materials 

handling budget has been cut 

for 2009. 

27% 

reported that their 

overall materials 

handling budget has 

been cut for 2009. 

Di@blog 

best of Modern’s blogs 

Company Briefi ngs | Bob Trebilcock 

Supply chain management: Can the 

supply chain end global warming? 

www.mmh.com/blog/globalwarming 

Takeaways | Tom Andel 

Forklifts: train-out the pain 

www.mmh.com/blog/forklift-training 

30% 

are taking a wait-andsee 

approach with no 

present plans to invest. 

8 APRIL 2009 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com

• 17% will be spending less on 

conveyors in 2009. 

• 12% will be spending the same 

on conveyors as in 2008. 

• 8% will be spending more on 

conveyors in 2009, and 

• 5% will be allocating more to 

maintenance. 

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION (www. 

rockwellautomation.com) announced 

a global agreement with ProLeit AG 

that will allow ProLeit (www.proleit. 

com) to more tightly integrate its 

Plant iT industry solution with the 

Rockwell Automation Logix Control 

Platform. Specifi cally aimed at applications 

in the brewing, dairy and 

related industries, the agreement 

will provide users with faster startup 

and commissioning of applications in 

an open architecture development 

environment. 

And while those companies spending 

less expect to spend 38% less 

than they did in 2008, those investing 

in new conveyor equipment expect 

to spend 43% more in the next 12 

months than last year. 

How does that translate into dollars 

and cents? Respondents spent an 

STORAGE 

Boston Rack and Base Manufacturing 

complete merger agreement 

BOSTON RACK INTERNATIONAL 

INC. (www.bostonrack.com), a provider 

of warehouse storage solutions, 

is partnering with Base Manufacturing 

(www.basemfg.com), a full-service 

manufacturer of roll-form and structural 

storage products. The merger 

will create a fi rst-of-its-kind, full-service 

integrator and warehouse storage 

solutions manufacturer to provide 

customers with a host of services. 

“By merging with Base Manufacturing, 

we’ll be able to join forces and 

provide our customers the quality, effi 

ciency and depth of products that our 

competitors are not able to offer,” says 

Peter Murphy, Boston Rack’s founder, 

president and chief executive offi cer. 

Boston Rack and Base will operate 

as subsidiaries of a holding company, 

SOFTWARE 

Rockwell Automation 

announces global agreement 

with ProLeit 

Elite Storage Solutions (www.elitestoragesolutions.co.uk), 

to continue 

taking advantage of brand identities 

within their marketplaces. 

The merger comes as the result 

of months of collaboration between 

Murphy and Base president and chief 

executive offi cer Steve South. Murphy 

had long believed that combining 

Boston Rack with a manufacturer 

would be of great strategic value to 

customers. In Base Manufacturing, 

Murphy found the competitive labor 

force, the management team and a 

manufacturer that can produce rollform 

and structural storage solutions. 

In addition, to enhance customer 

service, the merger will provide both 

companies a larger sales force and 

network of resources, and a greater 

Field-proven in a large number 

of applications worldwide, ProLeit’s 

Plant iT software relies on a programmable 

logic controller (PLC)-based 

platform for production control and 

data acquisition. Under the agreement, 

ProLeit will develop Plant iT to 

more closely integrate with Logixbased 

programmable automation 

controllers (PACs) from Rockwell 

Automation. ProLeit will also use 

FactoryTalk VantagePoint software, 

formerly known as Incuity, a manufacturing 

intelligence product from 

Rockwell Automation. 

“ProLeit has established a strong 

reputation for providing PLC-based, 

industry-specifi c solutions, and we 

look forward to helping the company 

average of $249,000 on conveyors and 

$57,000 on conveyor parts and equipment 

in 2008; those same readers 

expect to spend $255,000 on conveyors 

and $76,000 on parts in the next 

12 months. While that represents only 

a modest increase in spending on new 

equipment, the trend is positive. 

Boston Rack and Base 

Manufacturing will operate as 

subsidiaries of a holding company, 

Elite Storage Solutions. 

reach into the warehouse materials 

handling industry which would otherwise 

be harder to attain. 

“Timing was very important to us, 

due to both our strengths exhibited 

in a declining market,” South says. 

“We felt the new combination would 

offer the industry a value that exceeds 

all others. In today’s market, only the 

strong survive.” 

expand on that effort,” says Steve 

Eisenbrown, senior vice president of 

architecture and software for Rockwell 

Automation.“ This agreement 

allows ProLeit users to take advantage 

of the fl exibility, scalability and 

multi-disciplined attributes of Logix, 

the industry’s most versatile PAC 

platform.” 

The Logix Control Platform is a 

fully integrated, multi-disciplined 

control system designed to help users 

optimize production and improve 

the fl exibility of their manufacturing 

operations. The platform’s open 

architecture design allows users to 

integrate data between multiple 

systems to help reduce programming 

time and ease future migration. 

mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / APRIL 2009 9

PACKAGING 

U.S. demand for rigid bulk packaging to 

approach $7 billion in 2013 

U.S. rigid bulk packaging demand 

(million $) 

$4,356 

$2,500 

$2,000 

$1,500 

$1,000 

$500 

0 

$6,275 

2003 2008 2013 

Source: The Freedonia Group 

ACCORDING TO Rigid Bulk Packaging, 

a new study from The Freedonia 

Group (www.freedoniagroup.com), 

demand for rigid bulk packaging 

is projected to increase 2.1% per 

year to $7 billion in 2013. Although 

a moderation in raw material prices 

after the sharp increases of the 

2003–2008 period will restrain value 

growth, unit growth will improve. 

places to go 

MAY 2009 

Material Handling Equipment 

Distributors Association (MHEDA) 

54th Annual Convention 

May 2–6 

Palm Desert, Calif. 

www.mheda.org 

RedShift: 2009 

May 11–14 

San Antonio, Texas 

www.redprairie.com/redshift 

$6,970 

Rigid bulk 

packaging 

demand 

Gains will be bolstered by an improvement 

in real manufacturing 

activity as well as a shift in the 

product mix toward larger, highervalue 

containers that offer enhanced 

performance and cost effectiveness. 

According to the report, the best 

opportunities will be found with 

containers offering a combination of 

total cost benefi ts, greater reusability 

and enhanced performance. Rigid 

intermediate bulk containers (RIBCs) 

will register the fastest gains, with 

demand increasing 4.2% annually 

through 2013 as a result of cost and 

performance advantages with smaller, 

single-use or shorter life packaging. 

Materials handling containers 

will also see above-average growth, 

driven by increased use of returnable 

and reusable containers. 

Drums will continue to be the 

leading rigid bulk packaging product 

type based on their relatively low 

cost, reusability and amenability to 

shipping hazardous materials. However, 

the report predicts that drum 

demand will advance less than 1% 

annually as a result of the maturity of 

steel and fi ber drums and a moderation 

in raw material pricing. In addition, 

competition from both rigid and 

fl exible intermediate bulk containers 

will restrain drum sales. 

Nondurable goods markets such 

as chemicals, food, plastics, rubber, 

fi ber, petroleum, lubricants, and 

agricultural and horticultural products 

accounted for more than 80% 

of demand in 2008. Chemicals, by 

far the leading rigid bulk packaging 

market, will advance at a below-average 

pace as a result of the maturity 

of many chemical product segments, 

the increased presence of imports 

and the movement of key customers 

to developing regions. Plastic is the 

leading rigid bulk packaging material, 

with steel and paperboard also 

signifi cant. 

10 A PRIL 2009 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com 

Drums 

Pails 

Materials handling 

containers 

Bulk boxes 

RIBCs 

Manhattan Momentum 2009 

May 19–22 

Las Vegas, Nev. 

www.manh-momentum.com 

EASTEC 2009 

May 19-21 

W. Springfield, Mass. 

www.sme.org.eastec 

Advanced Manufacturing Expo 

May 19–21 

Montreal, Quebec 

www.sme.org 

Plant Maintenance & Design 

Engineering 

May 19–21 

Montreal, Quebec 

www.sme.org 

JUNE 2009 

U Connect 09: Transforming Your Supply 

Chain for Extraordinary Times 

June 2–5 

Orlando, Fla. 

uconnect.gs1us.org

people to know 

Agility has appointed Colin Ricardo as 

managing director for the Philippines… 

The American Society of Transportation 

and Logistics has named Mark Holmes, 

vice president of global integrated 

solutions for OHL, chairman … CEMA 

has elected a new president, offi- 

Steven W. Strifler 

cers and board members. The posts 

include Todd Swinderman, director 

and chief technology officer for Martin 

Engineering, president; Bill Pugh, 

president of Ralphs-Pugh Company, 

vice president; George Huber III, 

vice president of Industrial Kinetics, 

secretary; Merle Davis, president of 

Kris Achterberg Automotion, treasurer; and board 

members Joe Forte, director of sales at 

Portec Flomaster; Michael Hoehn, president of Automatic 

Systems; Jim McKnight, vice president of system sales at 

company news 

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) has 

opened its largest North American distribution center 

in Jacksonville, Fla., which will supply tires and automotive 

parts to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North 

Carolina and supply the U.S. with tires produced in Latin 

America, Japan and other Asian countries… Diamond 

Phoenix has opened a new office in Sydney that will offer 

system design and integration, advanced warehouse 

software and a full suite of materials handling equipment 

focused on reducing their customers cost of doing business... 

Hillsdale Furniture has opened a 300,000-squarefoot 

DC in Louisville, Ky., that is geared to ship products 

to all 50 states; it’s equipped with 50 dock doors and can 

hold $10 to $12 million in inventory… Nestlé has begun 

Intelligrated; and Bill Casey, president and chief operating 

officer for SI Systems… Cisco-Eagle has named 

Steven W. Strifler chief executive officer… Diamond 

Phoenix has appointed Sean Ledbury managing director 

of its Australian/New Zealand business segment… Diba 

has appointed Z. Willie Michaely vice president of operations… 

Laminations, part of Great Northern Corporation’s 

Specialty Group, has hired Kris Achterberg as manager 

of purchasing and supply chain…Lucas Systems has 

appointed James Margaria and Chris Sweeney to its 

executive management team…NetSuite has announced 

the appointment of former New York Stock Exchange 

president Catherine Kinney to its board of directors… 

Remstar has named Michael Moore district sales manager 

for sales in the Los Angeles area… RFID Global Solution 

has hired Joe White as chief operating officer… The U.S. 

Postal Service has named Pranab Shah vice president and 

managing director, global business… W&H Systems has 

hired Austin Power as district sales manager. 

operations in the first phase of its $359 million, 880,000square-foot 

production and DC in Anderson, Ind., that will 

produce Nestlé Nesquik Ready-to-Drink and Coffee-mate 

liquid. The second phase, which will cost $170 million, 

is scheduled to open in 2011… Vanderlande Industries 

opened its new Louisville, Ky., Customer Center, which 

will serve the parcel and postal industry throughout North 

America… viastore systems has completed a two-phase 

project with CafePress.com in Grand Rapids, Mich., which 

includes the development of a system to address product 

flow paths and underutilized space in the facility and 

increased capacity by using the facility’s vertical space 

more effectively… W&H Systems has recently opened a 

new regional sales office in Chicago… 

EDUCATION 

Material Handling Society gives New Jersey Institute of 

Technology $3,000 scholarship 

THE NEW JERSEY CHAPTER of 

the Society of Material Handling 

has given the New Jersey Institute 

of Technology (NJIT) $3,000 to 

fund students studying materials 

handling or management. NJIT 

students who study this discipline 

are enrolled in the industrial 

engineering discipline offered by 

Newark College of Engineering 

(NCE). “We’re thrilled to receive 

the money because it allows us to 

encourage students to study and 

look into careers in this area,” says 

Layek Abdel-Malek, PhD, associate 

dean of engineering for administration 

and academic affairs at NCE. 

The career opportunities avail- 

able to materials handling professionals 

are enormous particularly in 

today’s global supply chains for both 

engineers and managers,” he adds. 

These opportunities range from jobs 

in the manufacturing sector, airline 

industry and retail services to couriers 

such as UPS, Fed Ex and DHL, as 

well as warehousing and shipping. 


© 2009 Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. THDSBSETXP09 

DATA CAPTURE 

Psion Teklogix teams with Ingram Micro to bring more 

value and business support to channel partners 

MAKING IT EASIER for channel partners to source and sell 

its rugged wireless computing solutions, Psion Teklogix, mobile 

computing solutions provider, announced a distribution 

agreement with technology distributor Ingram Micro. 

Under the terms of the new agreement, the Ingram 

Micro Data Capture/POS Division will support, market and 

resell Psion Teklogix’ full line of rugged computing solutions 

that includes a broad range of mobile handheld and 

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–From April 2008 issue of Modern Materials Handling. 

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FROM THE 

ADVISORYBOARD 

DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS that are required to 

ship product to the same location on a recurring basis 

can increase productivity with an order fulfi llment 

strategy referred to as “put.” Put systems offer a greater 

range of process control, increased order fulfi llment effi 

ciency and improved access to operator metrics. 

Retailers and wholesalers are prime candidates for 

using a put system in distribution operations since order 

fulfi llment is performed on a regular schedule with 

many of the same items being sent to all or a majority 

of the stores. Typical delivery schedules may range from 

daily, to every other day, three times a week or perhaps 

once a week. 

With put-directed order fulfi llment, operators put 

product to a location instead of picking product from a 

location. In most operations, the typical practice is to 

move through the warehouse and build an order. Instead 

of picking items as they are passed, a single product is 

allocated (put) to the orders that require this SKU. 

A put system is typically considered a “goods to 

the person” confi guration. A container of one product 

SKU is delivered to an order fulfi llment zone where 

an operator is stationed. The operator puts the SKU 

into shipping containers that will go to the retail store, 

industrial user or consumer. There is no wasted space 

in a container since the operators continue to put into 

the container until it is full. Specifi c carton contents are 

tracked. 

Put systems can be expanded to support the pre-pick 

of the SKUs and direct the putaway and cycle counting 

of residual product. 

Put systems have many benefi ts. The over-riding 

benefi t of the put confi guration is the elimination of the 

dedicated pick face. This means no need for slotting and 

re-slotting the warehouse. In most put confi gurations, 

all items are brought to the order selection operator; 

therefore, the order fulfi llment staff does not need to 

move through the warehouse. 

Pick rates for put systems are typically higher than 

Ken Ruehrdanz, 

market development manager, 

Dematic 

Why does a “put” strategy 

optimize order fulfillment? 

By bringing the product to a location, you can increase picking rates and accuracy. 

conventional “person to the goods” confi gurations 

where there is a pick face for every SKU. Systems that 

migrated to put order fulfi llment can increase picking 

rates from 1.5 to 3 times depending on the system 

confi guration. 

A general merchandise retailer redesigned its operation 

to incorporate put order fulfi llment. With 125 

stores, there is one pallet position dedicated to each 

store. A pallet of one SKU is moved on a pallet jack to 

the store pallet locations. Stores that require this SKU 

receive the required number of cases. Put instructions 

are provided to the operator with a wearable voice 

device. Pick rates in this application improved from 70 

cartons per hour per picker to 122, while providing real 

time tracking of product. 

An Internet retailer uses a high density staging 

device to store thousands of SKUs instead of providing 

dedicated pick faces. Multiple operator put stations 

are connected to the storage system with a conveyor 

network. SKUs required to fi ll orders are delivered to 

the put stations where operators put the items into a 

shipping container. When the single or multi-line orders 

are complete, the conveyor network takes the carton 

to shipping. In this confi guration, put operators obtain 

250 lines per operator per hour, a two-fold increase 

when compared to the previous system. Other benefi ts 

include reduced warehouse space requirements, controlled 

access to product and improved accuracy. 

An apparel retailer uses a zone put system. There are 

20 put zones in the system; there are 1,000 stores and 

50 store carton positions per zone. One operator works 

in a zone. Cartons containing one SKU are removed 

from storage and routed to put zones that require the 

SKU. A carton of one SKU travels only to the zones 

where the store has ordered that SKU. The zone put 

system enables 325 puts per operator per hour. 

Contact Ken Ruehrdanz at kenneth.ruehrdanz@dematic.com. 


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Fuel cells are a stimulus 

package 

Fuel cell powered lift trucks are getting 

hot, despite economy’s chill. 

COMPANIES SERVING MATERIALS HANDLING 

markets must not be reading the papers. Don’t they 

know the recession has slammed the brakes on putting 

a hybrid car in every garage and either a wind generator 

behind that garage or a solar panel array on top of it? 

Nope. In fact, the dire economic news is driving materials 

handlers to seek out solutions like fuel cells in their 

lift trucks. You have to move stuff, even in a struggling 

economy. Enough two- and three-shift operations exist 

where the time and space wasted on battery changing 

is making alternative power sources like fuel cells and 

hybrid power systems viable solutions today. 

If you’ve been avoiding the news, too, you might not 

be aware of another story with direct implications for materials 

handlers. Certainly you’ve heard President Obama 

talk about the stimulus package? Well, a number of tax 

incentives in it benefi t the forklift market and its customers. 

They’re related to fuel cells. 

First, there’s a new investment tax credit applicable to 

hydrogen refi lling stations. According to the American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the alternative 

refueling property credit for hydrogen dispensers is 30%, 

capped at $200,000. Bill Mitchell, vice president of Nuvera 

(www.nuvera.com), makers of fuel cell systems for lift 

trucks, told me that depending on the size of the application 

and how the trucks are used, that could take a year or 

more off of the payback. On the fuel cell side, each fuel cell 

box has a 30% tax credit, capped at $3,000 per kilowatt. 

Then, there’s the CO2 benefi t to using fuel cell lift 

trucks, especially if the administration’s talk about “cap 

and trade” gains traction. The plan would limit greenhouse 

gases by capping the emissions a company could 

emit and allowing relatively pollution-free fi rms to trade 

“credits” with others exceeding the limits. 

Data from Argonne Laboratories (www.transportation. 

anl.gov/pdfs/TA/537.pdf) show that the CO2 associated 

with a lift truck that’s running on a fuel cell using hydrogen 

made from natural gas has much less environmental 

impact than a lift truck whose battery was charged off the 

nation’s electrical grid. 

As Warren Brower, product marketing manager for Plug 

Power (www.plugpower.com), told me, “Fuel cells are here 

today and are a viable, commercial alternative to incum- 

LIFT TRUCK TIPS 

TOM ANDEL, 

COLUMNIST 

A number of tax 

incentives in the stimulus 

package can benefit 

the forklift market and 

its customers. They’re 

related to fuel cells. 

bent power technologies.” That’s good news not only for 

materials handling, but for U.S. energy consumers in general. 

The environmental and productivity gains achieved in 

the short term by warehouses and distribution centers will 

pave the way for fuel cell applications in power generation 

and automotive applications further down the road. 

Contact Tom Andel at tandel4315@aol.com. 


modern SYSTEM REPORT 

Fisher Nuts: 

WMS cracks 

into manufacturing success 

At its new manufacturing plant and corporate headquarters, 

John B. Sanfilippo & Son installed a warehouse management system to 

drive quality and productivity improvements. 

WHEN JOHN B. SANFILIPPO & SON Inc., 

manufacturer of the Fisher Nuts and various private 

label brands of nut products, reconfigured a 1.06 

million square foot complex in Elgin, Ill., for its new 

corporate headquarters, it made conventional use of 

materials handling technologies and unconventional 

use of its warehouse management system (WMS). 

Since most of the company’s raw materials 

and finished goods are palletized, lift trucks, pallet 

racks and a semi-automated stretch wrapper 

are the primary materials handling tools. In that 

sense, it’s a very conventional facility. 

But in addition to managing inventory and 

directing the activities of warehouse employees, 

the WMS (HighJump Software, 800-328-3271, 

www.highjump.com) performs two unconventional 

roles. 

Much like a manufacturing execution system 

(MES), the system synchronizes the delivery of 

a bill of materials to the manufacturing line. It 

includes the raw nuts, spices and oils, and packaging 

materials that go into a particular batch 

of product. The WMS also tracks the lot numbers 

of all of the ingredients and materials used 

to make a batch of product to meet traceability 

requirements. 

More importantly, the WMS is the foundation 

of the company’s allergen and contamination prevention 

programs. 

There have been several key benefits to this system, 

according to Jasper Sanfilippo, Jr., the compa- 

By Bob Trebilcock, Executive Editor 

ny’s president and chief operating officer, and Tom 

Kirkham, the director of systems implementation. 

Thanks to the WMS, inventory is 99.7% accurate 

in the warehouse and 99% accurate on the 

manufacturing floor. “As a result of that accuracy 

and the cycle counting functionality in the WMS, 

we have been able to eliminate two of four physical 

inventories a year,” says Kirkham. “That’s saving 

us nearly $2 million a year.” 

What’s more, the company believes it has one of 

the most comprehensive allergen control programs 

in the nut industry. “While it’s harder to quantify a 

benefit in dollars and cents, we know that our customers 

have developed a heightened awareness of 

allergens associated with nuts and the possibility 

of food contamination,” says Sanfilippo. 

A business built on nuts 

With $550 million in sales, John B. Sanfilippo & 

Son has a nearly 90-year history in the nut business. 

The company was founded in 1922 by Jasper 

Sanfilippo’s grandfather. Back then, Chicago was 

the center of the nation’s pecan industry, one 

built primarily by Italian immigrants. “My grandfather 

and his competitors would buy the pecans 

down south and truck them to Chicago,” says 

Sanfilippo. “Families would pick up a 20-pound 

sack of pecans and shell them at home, bring the 

nut meat back to the plant, and take home another 

sack to shell.” 

That was the standard operating procedure for 

the industry for the next 40 years. “The biggest 


PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER WYNN THOMPSON/GETTY

Tom Kirkham, director of systems 

implementation


As part of an allergan prevention 

program, the WMS system manages 

the storage of raw nuts by type. 

innovation was mechanical shelling, 

which was introduced in the 1960s,” 

says Sanfilippo. “That meant that fewer 

home-based families were needed to do 

the shelling.” 

In 1964, Sanfilippo’s father took over 

the company and diversified into other 

tree nuts, including walnuts, cashews, 

almonds and macadamia nuts. In the 

late 1960s, the company also shipped 

its first private label product, an 8ounce 

bag of pecans, to the Chicagobased 

grocer Dominick’s Finer Foods. 

As the private label business grew, the 

company expanded. In the late 1980s, 

Sanfilippo & Son built a peanut plant 

in Georgia and added walnut, in-shell 

peanut and almond processing plants. 

In 1991, the company went public, and 

in 1995, it purchased the Fisher Nuts 

brand from Proctor & Gamble. Today, 

the company processes an average of 

600,000 pounds of nuts each day, and 

ships 375,000 cases of nuts per week 

during peak season. 

The WMS brings together raw 

materials and packaging products 

during processing. 

By 2005, the company’s operations 

were spread across five different facilities 

in a 10-mile square area in suburban 

Chicago. “There are logistical 

challenges when you’re sending raw 

materials from two warehouses to three 

different manufacturing facilities,” says 

Sanfilippo. “Especially when you’re 

trying to control your inventory with a 

manual system.” 

What’s more, the company was 

bumping up against capacity constraints 

that would hinder its ability to continue 

to grow. “We needed space so we could 

increase the capacity of our existing line 

without increasing our overhead, and 

we needed to standardize processes for 

quality control reasons,” adds Kirkham. 

“If you’re operating in five buildings, it’s 

not hard to end up with five different 

processes.” 

The company had already purchased 

land and was working with consultants 

on the design of a new headquarters 

when a 1.06 million square foot building, 

formerly owned by Panasonic, 

came up for sale in Elgin, Ill., including 

400,000 square feet of office space and 

about 650,000 square feet of manufacturing 

space. In the end, reconfiguring 

an existing space was faster and more 

efficient than building a new space. 

Selecting a WMS 

From a materials handling standpoint, 

designing the new facility was relatively 

straight-forward. The manufacturing 

area relies on specialized and proprietary 

processes and equipment. 

When it came to warehousing, raw 

materials and finished goods are primarily 

handled on pallets with lift trucks 

18 A PRIL 2009 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com

and stored in pallet racks. As a 

result, determining how to best 

use the 450,000 square feet of 

raw materials and finished goods 

warehouse space was the most 

important aspect of the initial 

warehouse design. That included 

two cooler areas for the storage of 

raw materials, separate areas for 

spices, cans, jars and corrugated 

materials, and the finished goods 

warehouse. 

Sanfilippo & Son used its own 

engineers for the manufacturing 

layout and design and a consulting 

firm for the warehouse layout. 

The company was able to economize 

on materials handling equipment 

by re-using push-back and 

standard pallet rack left behind 

by the previous tenant along with 

equipment it brought over from its 

old facilities. Likewise, a horizontal 

carousel system used to store 

packaging materials for the production 

line was brought over from 

one of the other warehouses. 

While the materials handling 

was relatively simple, Kirkham and 

Sanfilippo say that from the start, 

they understood that a WMS was critical 

to the success of the new facility. 

The original goals for the system 

were to bring real-time system direction 

to the new facility, improve inventory 

accuracy, and increase throughput in 

the DC with the same or fewer associates 

than were presently being used in 

the other facilities. 

“We were using an inventory control 

module in our ERP (enterprise resource 

planning) system to run our other warehouses, 

but we weren’t real time and 

we weren’t as accurate as we needed 

to be,” says Kirkham. As a result, the 

company was spending $1 million each 

quarter just to do physical inventories. 

In addition to the traditional inventory 

management functionality a WMS 

could provide, Sanfilippo & Son wanted 

the ability to manage raw materials on a 

first-in/first-out (FiFo) basis, to do lot 

tracking and to manage the company’s 

Once nuts have been processed, the system 

tracks all of the ingredients by lot in a batch. 

allergen and contamination program. 

At any given time, Sanfilippo & Son 

is managing two different types of peanuts 

and up to eight different types of 

tree nuts. Because nut allergies can 

be fatal, peanuts must be segregated 

from other types of nuts. Since dust 

or broken pieces can leak from a container 

of raw nuts, only one type of tree 

nut can be stored in a bay. Cashews, 

for instance, can’t be stored on top of 

pecans or almonds. 

Likewise, the introduction of raw 

materials into the production area has 

to be controlled to prevent the spread 

of salmonella and other bacteria. 

“We needed a system that would 

prevent a lift truck driver from putting 

a nut in the wrong cooler or the 

wrong location within a cooler,” says 

Sanfilippo, “or from risking contamination 

by going from a raw area into a production 

area.” 

About a dozen WMS vendors 

were invited to tour the facility 

and explain how they would manage 

the allergen program. From 

that original group, six were sent 

a very detailed request for proposal 

(RFP) and invited to bid on 

the project. “We chose the WMS 

we ultimately installed because it 

could integrate to our ERP system 

and was flexible enough to 

adapt to our unique processes and 

requirements,” says Kirkham. 

WMS in operation 

In addition to the traditional 

receiving, putaway, pick and pack, 

and shipping functionality, the 

WMS has been customized to 

become the system of record that 

tracks any material that passes 

through the facility from the time 

it’s received on the raw materials 

side of the house until it’s put on 

a truck to be shipped as a finished 

good to a customer. 

When product is received, for 

instance, the system is recording 

the weight of the product, when 

that product was received, the pallet 

it’s loaded on for putaway, and a lot 

number associated with that batch of 

product. 

One of the goals for the new facility 

was to inspect all raw materials before 

moving them off the receiving dock. If 

un-inspected product is put away into 

one of the coolers, the system will put a 

hold on that product so it can’t be processed 

until it’s inspected. 

The WMS also manages the segregation 

of nuts by type and even lot 

number when possible. “If you put an 

almond on the first level of an empty 

bay, the WMS will prevent you from 

putting anything but an almond over 

top of that first pallet,” says Kirkham. 

Once the manufacturing process 

begins, the WMS is the system of 

record where all of the manufacturing 

transactions take place. It receives a 

work order from the ERP system and 

a bill of materials that includes all of 



the raw materials, seasonings, oil and 

packaging materials required for that 

work order. Raw materials are selected 

in part on a FiFo basis. The WMS then 

directs the delivery of those items to 

the right workstations in the manufacturing 

and packaging areas. It also 

tracks the item level, quantity and lot 

numbers of everything associated with 

that work order to meet tracking and 

tracing requirements. 

Once product has been manufactured, 

the WMS creates a new stock 

keeping unit (SKU) for the finished 

good. The system is used to direct palletizing 

operations and the delivery of a pallet 

to a stretch-wrapping system. Once 

it’s been stretch-wrapped, the WMS 

receives the new product into the finished 

goods warehouse, which is zoned 

by customer and then into full pallet and 

case picking areas. After that, picking 

and shipping functions are handled by 

the system similarly to any other system 

shipping food and snacks into the grocery 

or big box retail supply chains. That 

includes the management of any custom 

labeling requirements or advanced shipment 

notifications (ASNs). 

Robotic palletizers build pallets for 

storage in the warehouse. 

Down the road 

Having automated the information 

management functions, Sanfilippo & 

Son now plans to automate some of its 

materials handling processes. While 

most of the palletizing is still done 

manually, two robotic palletizing stations 

have been installed. Once those 

units are operating at full speed, the 

company plans to install more robotic 

palletizers in another area of the building. 

There are also plans to cut down on 

lift truck traffic by installing conveyor 

Palletized goods are stretch wrapped 

and stored on pallet racks. 

to deliver finished goods to one of the 

manual palletizing areas, and to install 

automatic guided vehicles to shuttle 

pallets from the palletizing area to the 

stretch wrapper and then into the finished 

goods warehouse. 

“We spend an inordinate amount of 

time moving pallets from one end of 

the building into the warehouse,” says 

Kirkham. “We want to use our materials 

handling in more productive ways. That 

will allow us to scale up the facility as 

we grow with our existing workforce.” 

Jasper Sanfilippo Jr., the fourth 

generation of his family to work in the 

business, says the new facility has been 

a success. That success can be measured 

in hard numbers: Inventory is 

now better than 99% accurate, which 

has allowed the company to eliminate 

two of the four physical inventories it 

performed a year, with a goal of getting 

down to one physical inventory a year. 

While harder to measure, there’s 

success as a result of the company’s 

allergen program. “Ultimately that will 

lead to more business,” says Sanfilippo. 

“That’s hard to quantify now from an 

ROI perspective, but we could not have 

done that without the systems we put 

in place.” 

20 A PRIL 2009 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com

WMS in control 

3 

At John B. Sanfilippo & Son, a warehouse management system drives 

manufacturing and distribution. 

Pallet racks 

Tree nut 

cooler 

Horizontal 

carousels 

6 

7 

Manufacturing 

2 

1 

Receiving 

docks 

Receiving 

area 

Palletizing 

8 

7 

Manufacturing 

3 

Pallet racks 

Peanut 

cooler 

The John B. Sanfilippo & Son new corporate headquarters 

has a conventional materials handling system and 

uses its warehouse management system (WMS) in 

two unconventional ways—it drives manufacturing and is 

the foundation of the company’s allergen and contamination 

prevention program. 

Receiving: Incoming raw materials 1 are palletized and 

staged in a receiving area 2 for inspection. The pallet 

receives a license plate bar code label that is tied to a vendor 

lot number, the product type, and the weight of the product 

for tracking purposes in the WMS. 

Raw materials putaway: After receiving 2 , the pallets 

are delivered by lift truck to one of two storage areas 3 : 

One is designated for tree nuts, including walnuts, pecans, 

cashews and macadamia nuts; another is shared between 

peanuts and tree nuts. Pallets are stored in three-deep pushback 

rack, single-deep pallet rack and in designated areas on 

the floor. Putaway is confirmed by scanning a location bar 

code. 

Stretch 

wrapping 

9 

Shared 

cooler 



5 

10 

Finished goods 

warehouse 

4 

Seasonings 

Packaging 

Pallet 

rack 

11 

12 

Shipping 

area 

Shipping 

docks 

John B. Sanfilippo & Son/ 

Fisher Nuts 

Elgin, Ill. 

SIZE: 1.06 million square feet, 60% manufacturing/40% warehouse 

space, including coolers 

SHIFTS: two shifts, five to six days, depending on the season 

EMPLOYMENT: 800 

PRODUCTS: Nuts, nut products and snack foods 

VOLUME: 375,000 cases per week during peak season 

Picking for manufacturing: Before nuts are roasted 

or processed in the manufacturing area, a work order drops 

from the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system into 

the WMS. 

The work order contains a bill of materials that includes 

mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / A PRIL 2009 21 

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the raw materials, salt, seasonings and oils called for in the 

recipe along with the cans, jars, lids or other materials that 

will be used to package the final product. 

The system then directs associates who pick and transport 

the materials to the manufacturing area 7 : Nuts are retrieved 

from the coolers 3 ; spices, oils and seasonings from a separate 

storage area; some packaging materials are pulled from 

storage racks 5 ; while other packaging materials are retrieved 

from a horizontal carousel system 6 . 

During the various stages in the roasting process, the 

nuts are converted to work-in-process (WIP) and tracked by 

the WMS. Once all of the manufacturing and packaging is 

complete, a new stock keeping unit (SKU) is created in the 

WMS, which includes lot information for all of the materials 

that went into that batch. Finally, the product is automatically 

put in trays, shrink-wrapped and labeled, and palletized 

8 . At that point, a finished goods label is applied to 

the pallet. 

Finished goods putaway: After palletizing, pallets 

are delivered to a semi-automatic stretch wrapper 9 . Once 

they have been wrapped, the system directs a lift truck 

driver to one of 38,000 pallet positions in the pallet rack in 

the finished goods warehouse 10 . As with raw materials, the 

driver confirms the putaway by scanning a location bar code 

on the rack. 

Finished goods picking: About 70% of orders are full 

pallets; the remainder are mixed pallets. In either case, the 

system directs a lift truck driver to a pallet location. Pallets 

are then delivered to staging areas 11 designated by customer. 

Finally, pallets are loaded onto a trailer 12 at the shipping 

docks. Loading is confirmed by scanning a bar code label 

next to the dock door. At that point, the order is released in 

the WMS. 

System suppliers 

WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: HighJump Software, 

800-328-3271, www.highjump.com 

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SYSTEM: QAD Inc., 888-641-4141, 

www.qad.com 

SYSTEM DESIGN: Tom Zosel Associates, Ltd., 800-229-3450, 

www.tzaconsulting.com 

LIFT TRUCKS: Crown Equipment Corp., 419-629-2311, www.crown.com 

ROBOTIC PALLETIZER: Kuka Robotics, 866-873-5852, 

www.kukarobotics.com 

CAROUSELS: White Systems Inc., 800-275-1442, 

www.whitesystems.com 

STRETCH WRAPPER: Lantech, 800-866-0322, www.lantech.com 

RACKING: Existing rack system from previous tenant 

HANDHELD BAR CODE SCANNING: Intermec, 425-348-2600, 

www.intermec.com 

PRINTERS: Zebra Technologies, 847-634-6700, www.zebra.com 


WEBCAST • April 29 at 2 p.m. ET 

www.mmh.com/top20 

SYSTEMS SUPPLIERS 

Modern’s 12th-annual survey of top worldwide 

materials handling systems suppliers shows that 

2008 was a year of stability for the top players. 

The more things change, the more they stay the 

same. At least that’s true with this year’s Top 

20 systems suppliers list, since 19 of this year’s top 

suppliers were also on last year’s list. The rankings 

are slightly different, but the names remain almost 

the same. 

The combined revenue of all the Top 20 systems 

suppliers was more than $15.3 billion. Companies 

had to report at least $219 million in revenue to 

make the cut this year. 

Once again, Schaefer Systems International 

holds the No. 1 position on the list, with $2.51 

billion in revenue, up from $2.41 billion in 2007. 

Schaefer attributes its growth in large part to currency 

fluctuations. Daifuku Co. Ltd. came in at 

No. 2 with $2.41 billion. The most important news 

from the leaders was the October acquisition by 

Schaefer of systems integrator and software provider 

Salomon Automation. 

Schaefer and Daifuku were not the only companies 

to experience growth in 2008. In fact, 17 of 

the Top 20 companies reported revenue increases 

for fiscal year 2008. 

New to the list 

Legris Industries bursts onto the Top 20 list in the 

No. 3 position this year, with an impressive $1.09 

billion in sales revenue in 2008. 

Because the bulk of Legris’ business is located 

outside North America, they have not been 

included on past lists. But its U.S. business 

units include Savoye Inc. in Lawrenceville, N.J.; 

Keyria Inc. in Littleton, Colo.; and Clextral Inc. 

in Tampa, Fla. 

TOP 20 

By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor 

modern SPECIAL REPORT 

Welcome back 

Dematic returns in the No. 4 position holding 

steady with $1 billion in sales. The biggest gains 

were reported by Vanderlande Industries (No. 

5) up 24%; TGW Transportgerate, now known 

as TGW Logistics Group, (No. 13) also up 24%; 

Murata Machinery (No. 8) up 16%; Kardex AG 

(No. 10) up 10%; and FlexLink Systems (No. 20) 

also up 10%. 

Vanderlande Industries, which moves up one 

notch in the ranking, attributes its steady growth 

to a geographical spread of activities including its 

fairly new organization in China that is starting to 

pay off across the Far East. 

Swisslog (No. 9) credits its 9% increase in revenue 

in part to the acquisition of Dutch company 

Ergotrans. The move expands Swisslog’s core 

product line of pneumatic tube systems for the 

healthcare market and is in line with its strategy to 

expand its presence in European markets through 

selected acquisitions. 

In the No. 10 position, Kardex AG saw a 10% 

increase in revenue. In 2008, Kardex AG, parent 

company of Kardex Remstar International, 

acquired the assets of U.S. competitor Kardex 

Systems Inc., which posted sales of about $21 

million in 2007. The acquisition accelerates the 

company’s pace of growth and expands its position 

in the market for automated storage and retrieval 

systems. 

Columbus McKinnon (No. 11) saw an increase 

of 6%, undoubtedly as a result of some give and 

take—divesting Univeyor in Denmark and acquiring 

Pfaff-Silberblau, European supplier of lifting, mate-

modern SPECIAL REPORT 

Top 20 worldwide materials handling systems suppliers 


Rank Company Web site 

rials handling and actuator products. 

Holding at No. 18 for the secondconsecutive 

year, HK Systems experienced 

a strong 2008, thanks in part to a 

number of large projects and the robust 

business of HK Production Logistics, 

which provides integrated warehousing 

and order fulfillment management. 

Based in Sweden, FlexLink is No. 

20 this year, with a sales increase of 

$20 million. The growth can be attributed 

partly to expansion into new markets 

like electronics and solar and the 

opening of three new U.S. offices, 

which brings the company closer to its 

customer, says Michael Hilsey, director 

of marketing and indirect sales. 

Rounding out the list at No. 7 is FKI 

reporting $784 million for 2008 sales. 

Making the list 

To be eligible for Modern’s Top 20, 

companies must have a presence in 

North America to be considered worldwide 

suppliers and must be suppliers 

of materials handling systems, not just 

equipment providers. Companies must 

manufacture at least two major handling 

system components. These equipment 

types include transportation devices, 

storage and staging equipment, picking 

units, sortation systems, data capture 

technologies, software and controls. 

In addition, companies must also 

employ full-time staff that design, 

install, integrate and implement materials 

handling systems. 

2009 outlook 

Looking ahead to next year, there are 

some companies that may be vying 

for a spot on the list. Keep an eye on 

Eisenmann GmbH. Its 2008 revenue 

was $200 million. Another one 

to watch: Wynright. Last December 

Warehouse Equipment Inc. (WEI) consolidated 

with six affiliated companies 

and changed its name to Wynright. Its 

combined revenue in 2008 was $182 

million—not enough to make this list, 

but enough to make it a viable contender 

for next year’s list. 

In March of this year, Mecalux completed 

its $30 million purchase of the 

UFI/Interlake assets, which includes 

plants in Pontiac, Ill., Sumter, S.C., 

Mexicali and Matamoros, Mexico. 

The company, which has changed its 

American division name to Interlake 

Mecalux Inc., says this is a market 

opportunity that means growing its 

presence in North America further 

enhancing their global expansion plan. 

Last year’s revenue was up, mostly as 

a result of projects already in the works. 

Many questions are yet to be answered 

about 2009, not the least of which is 

the impact of a challenging economy. 

Leading economic indicators for materials 

handling equipment manufacturing 

(MHEM) point to continued contraction. 

Here are a few MHEM predictions 

for 2009: 

• New orders will decline about 19% 

• Shipments will contract about 15% 

• Domestic demand will contract about 

15%, exports will decline as demand 

in the economy contracts. 

But once we get through this year, 

we expect some bright spots to appear 

in late 2009. 



Rank 

Worldwide 2008 

revenue (US) Headquarters 

1 Schaefer Systems International Inc. www.ssi-schaefer.us 1 $2.51 billion Neunkirchen, Germany 

2 Daifuku Co. Ltd. www.daifukuamerica.com 2 $2.41 billion Osaka, Japan 

3 Legris Industries www.legris.com N/A $1.09 billion Rennes, France 

4 Dematic www.dematic.com 4 $1 billion Offenbach, Germany 

5 Vanderlande Industries www.vanderlande.us 6 $911 million Veghel, The Netherlands 

6 Mecalux, S.A. www.mecalux.com 5 $888 million Barcelona, Spain 

7 FKI plc www.fkilogistex.com 3 $784 million Loughborough, UK 

8 Murata Machinery Ltd. www.murata-usa.com 8 $778 million Kyoto, Japan 

9 Swisslog AG www.swisslog.com 7 $744 million Buchs, Switzerland 

10 Kardex AG www.kardex.com 9 $681 million Zurich, Switzerland 

11 Columbus McKinnon Corp. www.cmworks.com 10 $635 million Amherst, N.Y. 

12 Fives Group www.fivesgroup.com 11 $500 million Paris, France 

13 TGW Transportgerate GmbH* www.tgw-group.com 12 $409 million Wels, Austria 

14 Beumer Maschinenfabrik GmbH www.beumer.com 17 $380 million Beckum, Germany 

15 Knapp Logistik Automation GmbH www.knapp.com 15 $323 million Graz, Austria 

16 Witron GmbH www.witron.com 13 $300 million Parkstein, Germany 

17 UFI (United Fixtures/Interlake)** www.interlake.com 14 $266 million Naperville, Ill. 

18 HK Systems Inc. www.hksystems.com 18 $262 million Milwaukee, Wis. 

19 Dearborn Mid-West Conveyor Co. www.dmwcc.com 20 $222 million Taylor, Mich. 

20 FlexLink AB www.flexlink.com 19 $219 million FlexLink Systems (Allentown, Pa.) 

*Will be reporting as TGW Logistics Group in the future 

**Revenue reported by Mecalux, will be reported as one company (Interlake Mecalux) in the future 

TOP 20 SYSTEMS SUPPLIERS

modern EQUIPMENT BUYING GUIDE 

Supply chain 

software basics 

From the factory to the warehouse to the shipping 

department and beyond, software applications are 

enabling end-to-end supply chain management. 


An important shift has taken place in materials 

handling over the last decade. Once, 

the focus was on the physical movement of 

goods. Today, the information about the movement 

of those same goods is as important, if not more 

important, as the physical movement. 

It’s not just tracking the movement of goods and 

enabling process inside a distribution center or factory. 

Across the supply chain, software enables suppliers, 

shippers and customers to replace just-incase 

inventory with accurate and timely information 

about the status of orders, inventory, shipments and 

events. That information might include the amount 

of inventory on a shelf or the fact that a truckload of 

anticipated inventory is stuck on the road. 

The aim of these systems is to capture that realtime 

information and make it visible to decision 

makers across the supply chain. These systems are 

the basic building blocks that enable management 

of the contemporary supply chain from end to end. 

Here’s a rundown of the most common applications 

being used by leading supply chain managers today 

to solve a variety of operational problems inside and 

outside the four walls of a warehouse. 

Think of them in three different categories: 

• Enterprise-level applications reside at the corporate 

level and serve as the information backbone, 

or the systems of record, of the supply chain. 

• Supply chain planning (SCP) applications also 

reside at the corporate level, but may also be 

used by plants and warehouses. These look at the 

Warehouse management systems (WMS) direct 

order fulfillment and replenishment activities. 

information about orders collected by systems of 

record and create plans to get the work done. 

• Supply chain execution (SCE) applications are 

assigned the job of executing the plans created 

by planning systems. 

ENTERPRISE-LEVEL 

APPLICATIONS 

Enterprise resource planning 

If you’re building a house, you start with a foundation. 

In the supply chain, an enterprise resource 


Illustrations by Steve Hussey

planning (ERP) system serves the same purpose. It is a packaged 

business software system that allows a company to: 

• Automate and integrate the majority of the business 

processes, 

• Share common data and practices across the entire enterprise, 

and 

• Produce and access information in a real-time environment. 

ERP systems reside at the host or corporate level. Think 

of them as the wiring and plumbing of a company: Typically, 

the core business processes managed by the ERP involve 

the manufacturing, distribution and financial needs of a 

company, including cost accounting, inventory, purchasing, 

customer orders, invoicing, vendor invoices and payments, 

customer receipt processing, general ledger and shop floor 

control features. 

The data created by those processes is maintained in a 

common file and in a common language understood by all 

the other systems in an enterprise, whether those systems 

are part of an integrated supply chain suite or linked together 

through interfaces. 

Order management 

Filling an order begins with an order management system 

(OMS). These systems capture order information from customers 

by phone, fax, EDI (electronic data interchange) or 

the Web. OMS systems were once a function of an ERP system: 

They checked credit, passed an order on to a supply 

chain execution system, and tracked the status of an order in 

batch mode. A company with multiple divisions—and multiple 

ERP systems—might have multiple order management 

systems. 

Contemporary systems, also known as multi-enterprise 

OMS, sit above the ERP and present one face to the customer: 

Place an order and the OMS will parse out the different 

line items of an order to the right division, the right 

manufacturing plant, the right third-party distributor or the 

right warehouse. The OMS then passes that information on 

to the other systems and partners in the supply chain to fill 

the order. 

SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING 

Supply chain planning 

Supply chain planning (SCP) software is an umbrella technology 

that enables you to do advanced supply chain planning 

and scheduling including decision support, optimization 

and cross-functional decision making. 

An SCP system usually resides at a corporate level, where 

it looks at the orders to be manufactured, picked and shipped 

as well as the constraints, or limitations, on the availability of 

capacity, materials, equipment and human resources. With 

that information, the system determines the best way to 

Manufacturing execution systems (MES) synchronize 

manufacturing processes across a facility or supply chain. 

schedule an order and plan for the future. Planning software 

may even determine that an order can’t be profitably filled 

under any circumstances and shouldn’t be scheduled. While 

there are many planning components, most attack a problem 

from one of three angles: 

• Strategic planning looks at capital asset allocation as well 

as market and sourcing decisions, like where to locate a 

warehouse or DC to serve a particular market. 

• Tactical planning asks the questions: Given my customers’ 

demand and my resources, what can I make that will 

produce the most profit for my company? 

• Operational planning takes the supply chain plan developed 

by the strategic and tactical planning programs and 

develops an operational path to execute those plans. 

First, it may develop weekly production and stocking 

schedules. Then, it might break the weekly plans into 

smaller units of time, right down to the day, hour, minute 

and even second. 

Multi-echelon planning 

This is an emerging application used to optimize the amount 

and positioning of inventory across the supply chain. 

Traditional inventory optimization is a little like playing 

checkers: These systems look at inventory in one dimension, 

such the inventory levels at a specific warehouse or 

parts depot. 

A multi-echelon solution is like playing Chinese checkers: 

It looks beyond the inventory levels at a single location 

and optimizes inventory positions in the equivalent of three 


modern EQUIPMENT BUYING GUIDE 

dimensions throughout a network of trading partners. 

For instance, it can take into consideration the inventory 

at multiple distribution centers as well as supplier warehouses. 

It can also consider inventory that’s already in-transit 

from a manufacturer or a distributor and product that’s about 

to be manufactured. 

Supply chain optimization and network design 

Another emerging application, these are planning tools that 

model and simulate complex supply chains. Using these programs, 

decision makers can decide the optimal way to source 

materials, locate manufacturing plants and distribution centers 

and set up transportation lanes. 

Once the network design is in place, the system can run 

a series of what-if scenarios to determine how the supply 

chain performs when changes are made. What happens if 

inventory is shifted from one DC to another? What happens 

if there is an increase in orders in Florida and a decrease 

in the Northeast? By simulating real world situations, the 

system can predict how the supply chain will perform and 

can look for potential opportunities to optimize the current 

network. 

SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTION 

Supply chain event management and visibility 

These systems monitor the supply chain for events that are 

out of tolerance for the plan, like a shortage of parts at a 

manufacturing location or the breakdown of a truck delivering 

an important order. When those occur, the system notifies 

a decision maker by e-mail, pager or fax who can then 

Labor management systems (LMS) work with a WMS 

to manage activities in a DC. 

While warehouse management 

systems have evolved over the 

last decade, at heart they are a 

software execution tool used to 

manage people, inventory, time, 

orders and equipment inside a 

distribution center. 

take an action to correct the problem. 

By building in work flow rules, the system can supply 

suggested responses that allow a manager to re-plan, like 

the best alternative in terms of cost and customer service 

requirements. Once stand-alone applications, event management 

and visibility solutions are increasingly integrated into 

other applications. 

Supply chain collaboration 

Supply chain collaboration systems go hand-in-hand with 

planning. In a global supply chain, where every participant 

has its own planning and execution systems, a collaboration 

platform enables the players outside of the enterprise to 

communicate, regardless of the systems they have, as if they 

were part of the enterprise. 

Once a plan has been created to fill an order, and the 

resources and parts required to execute that plan have been 

identified, the requirements are made available to all of the 

players across the supply chain through the collaboration 

platform. 

Each supplier will be asked to commit to whether they 

can provide all of the parts required in the time frame 

required. If a supplier can’t meet a deadline, that information 

can be fed back into a planning system to come up 

with an alternative. 

Once the plan begins to unfold, the collaboration system 

can monitor the progress using event management, which 

alerts a decision maker when something important hasn’t 

occurred. Finally, the system can serve as a repository of 

performance information from across the supply chain for 

historical analysis. 

Warehouse management 

Inside the four walls of a distribution center, a warehouse 

management system (WMS) is still the starting point for 

inventory management. While these systems have evolved 

over the last decade, at heart they are a software execution 

tool used to manage people, inventory, time, orders and 

equipment inside a distribution center. 

A basic WMS package supports the everyday functions 

that are central to warehousing: receiving, directed putaway, 


order fulfillment planning, picking and packing, and shipping 

the order. A more advanced WMS system may also 

support other important warehouse activities, like: 

• Replenishment: The WMS will constantly update 

inventory and call for the movement of material from 

reserved storage to the active pick area so order pickers 

are never out of inventory, or will notify when it’s 

time to place a re-order. 

• Cycle counting: Typically this is a process to systematically 

count inventory according to a plan, say once a 

year on fast-moving items. It is a support, or check, for 

the usual inventory accounting process. 

• Productivity: WMS systems communicate with workers 

through the use of hand-held radio frequency 

devices and voice recognition systems. The data from 

those communications also provides a way to monitor 

and report productivity. 

The most advanced systems will also support compliance 

labeling, and interface with other automatic handling 

equipment like automatic guided vehicles, automatic storage 

and retrieval systems, conveyors and carousels. 

Warehouse control 

A warehouse control system (WCS) is a layer of software 

that sits between a host system—an ERP or WMS 

—and automated materials handling equipment. While 

a WMS manages conventional activities performed by 

pickers and lift truck operators, a WCS synchronizes the 

activities of automated storage, picking and transportation 

solutions. 

A WCS not only determines the best way to route material 

through a facility’s automated systems, it also provides 

real-time control to re-optimize orders as business conditions 

change and communicates updates back to the host system 

to provide real-time visibility into warehouse activities. 

Labor management 

While a WMS directs the activities of operators on the floor, 

it doesn’t determine how many employees will be needed 

or where they should be deployed. That’s the role of a labor 

management system (LMS). 

These applications plan, manage, measure and report on 

the performance levels of warehouse personnel. They do that 

by comparing the work that has to be done in a warehouse 

against a set of engineered labor standards. That data is used 

to determine the number of employees needed for a shift. 

In addition, these systems monitor work throughout a shift 

and provide feedback in real-time to supervisors and associates. 

They also include business intelligence tools that provide 

upper management with the labor information it needs 

to proactively address problems before they become customer 

service issues and to accurately plan for the future. 

Supply chain management software providers 

Supplier Web site Telephone 

Aldata www.aldata-solution.com 404-355-3220 

Applied Materials www.appliedmaterials.com 408-727-5555 

CDC Software www.cdcsupplychain.com 770-351-9600 

ClickCommerce www.clickcommerce.com 312-482-9006 

Dematic www.dematic.us 877-725-7500 

Epicor www.epicor.com 949-585-4000 

HighJump www.highjumpsoftware.com 800-328-3271 

IBS www.ibsus.com 800-886-3900 

IFS www.ifsworld.com/us 888-437-4968 

ILOG www.ilog.com 800-367-4564 

Infor www.infor.com 800-260-2640 

i2 Technologies www.i2.com 800-800-3288 

JDA Software www.jda.com 800-438-5301 

Manhattan Associates www.manh.com 770-955-7070 

Microsoft www.microsoft.com 888-477-7989 

Oracle www.oracle.com 800-633-0738 

QAD www.qad.com 888-641-4141 

RedPrairie www.redprairie.com 877-773-7724 

SAP www.SAP.com 800-872-1727 

Sterling Commerce www.sterlingcommerce.com 800-876-9772 

Swisslog www.swisslog.com 757-820-3400 

Slotting 

Slotting is the science behind determining where to store 

individual products in a facility to enable the most efficient 

picking. The general rule is that the fastest movers 

should be located closest to the shipping area and in the 

golden zone that is easiest to pick from within that picking 

locale. Slow movers, meanwhile, are located further away, 

in reserve storage. 

Slotting software tools, which are available in most 

WMS packages and as stand-alone applications, look at a 

map of the warehouse along with the velocity of orders and 

order mixes to calculate which items will be picked most 

frequently and should be in the most advantageous position 

in the warehouse. In addition, the tool makes recommendations 

like putting the heaviest items at chest height to avoid 

back injuries or to separate similar parts to avoid picking 

errors. 

Manufacturing execution 

A manufacturing execution system (MES) manages the process 

on a shop floor much like a WMS executes orders in 

the warehouse. At least three characteristics are unique to 

an MES system: 


modern 


• It tracks products and orders on the plant floor, managing 

the workload and collecting transactions for reporting to 

ERP systems. 

• It electronically dispatches the orders or product requirements 

to shop floor personnel, allowing the schedule to 

change quickly in response to unexpected demand or to 

recover from equipment or material problems. 

• Finally, MES uses its tracking capabilities to provide other 

data services to the shop floor such as quality tracking, 

electronic work instructions and lot traceability, among 

others. 

Yard management 

Yard management systems (YMS) are the bridge between 

warehouse and transportation management systems. A YMS 

controls all the activities at the facility’s dock and yard and 

schedules dock appointments to reduce bottlenecks. In that 

sense, it extends a transportation management system. 

But if you think of a trailer as a warehouse on wheels, 

a YMS extends the view of the WMS. As soon as a truck 

checks in at the gate and scans the shipping documentation, 

the contents on that truck are considered available to promise. 

On the outbound side, a YMS allows you to coordinate 

your picking activities and wave planning around trailers that 

are going to be on hand to be loaded. As an analytical tool, 

a YMS provides information about the performance of your 

carriers because you know when they arrived at your location, 

not just when they were supposed to arrive. 

Transportation management 

Like a WMS, a transportation management system (TMS) 

receives a group of orders from an OMS, confirms the shipping 

dates required to meet delivery promises, checks rates, 

assigns carriers and establishes pick-up and delivery schedules 

before releasing the orders to the WMS for processing. 

Once the orders have been picked, packed and shipped, the 

TMS manages shipment tracking, consignee updates, freight 

payment and carrier performance measurement. 

The basic functions of a TMS system today involve mode 

selection, whether that’s truck, LTL, parcel carrier, intermodal 

or rail; route selection; and carrier selection. A TMS 

can also do load building, that is, look at ways to optimize a 

group of known orders by combining LTL shipments into full 

truck loads or multi-stop truck loads. It also aggregates parcel 

shipments to a specific geographic area, like a regional distribution 

center. TMS systems are offered as both licensed 

software that sits on a server and as a hosted, software-as-aservice 

(SaaS) solution accessed over the Web.

PACKAGING 

modern BEST PRACTICES 

Reduce waste and labor 

and increase productivity 

These objectives are on everyone’s minds. Here are three examples of 

best practices in packaging that might make a difference in your facility. 

Page 32 

Do it Best uses plastic containers to 

move products from its eight DCs to 

4,100 hardware and lumber stores in 

its network. 

Page 33 

Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak 

Co. saves on ink and labor by 

consolidating functions. 

Page 34 

Video Professor uses new shrink wrap 

to increase stick rate and improve 

product. 


PACKAGING 

Do it Best 

relies on reusables 

Retailer uses plastic containers to move products from its eight DCs 

to 4,100 hardware and lumber stores in its network. 

By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large 

Do it Best Corp. has used plastic reusable 

containers long before being green was 

trendy. The company uses them to safely 

and securely transport products from its eight distribution 

centers to the co-op’s 4,100 member-owned 

hardware and lumber retailers. 

On an average day, the Do it Best uses approximately 

1,000 detached lid containers (Buckhorn, 

800-543-4454, www.buckhorninc.com) at each DC 

to transport items ranging from light bulbs and tape 

to batteries and tools, says Brian Etzler, logistics 

operations manager at Do it Best. Etzler estimates 

the co-op now has 40,000 containers throughout its 

supply chain. 

“We’ve relied on the plastic containers for decades 

and have found no reason to use any other product 

to do the job,” said Etzler, who notes that strength, 

stackability and consistent size are the containers’ 

primary benefits. 

To transport larger hardware products—such 

as long garden tools—to its member stores, Do it 

Best still uses corrugated containers. But due to 

their short lifespan and the fact that they cannot 

be secured for transit, cardboard boxes have long 

since disappeared as a viable option for transporting 

everything else. 

Higher wall containers are used to accommodate 

the variety of products shipped. Once the plastic 

container is filled, a lid is attached with a specially 

colored packing slip and secured with a cable tie at 

each end. To ensure efficiency at the stores, the containers 

are filled with related products that end up in 

the same department or aisle. 

Containers are filled with heavier items in the 

bottom and lighter, more fragile items toward the 

top. However, no more than 50 pounds of product 

can be loaded in any one container so workers can 

easily lift the containers onto pallets or stack them 

in truck trailers. The same ergonomic consideration 

holds true for member store employees who handle 

Containers are filled with heavier items in the bottom 

and lighter, more fragile items toward the top. 

the containers in their own receiving departments. 

“A combination of the maximum weight allowed 

and the ergonomic handles built into the containers 

makes them easy to move when full,” says Etzler, who 

adds that some containers weigh out before cubing 

out. The co-op’s order picking system analyzes the 

shape of thousands of products and determines the 

right combination of products to maximize the space 

used in a container. 

The company prefers containers with detached 

lids versus attached lids, notes Etzler: “If a container 

lid becomes damaged, we simply replace the lid and 

send the damaged one to be recycled rather than the 

whole container.” 

He also notes that the plastic containers, which 

can be stacked up to six layers high, provide consistent 

product protection. “If damage should occur, 

it’s typically caused by the product packaging or the 

wrong mix of product in the container,” Etzler says. 

The company is currently looking into converting 

from corrugated boxes to larger, reusable plastic 

bulk containers for the larger products in the near 

future. 


PACKAGING 

Case printing 

Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co. saves on ink and labor by 

consolidating functions. 


The Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co., a 

niche manufacturer of Philly-style sandwich 

steak product, used to use a two-step process 

to code corrugated containers to ship its products. 

First, printing date and lot codes directly on 

the box with a dot-matrix ink jet printer, then using 

a print-and-apply labeler to place a UPC bar code on 

the corner of the box. 

The company consolidated those functions by 

switching to four large-character continuous ink jet 

printers (Videojet, 800-843-3610, www.videojet.com) 

in 2007. The change yielded tasty results, dramatically 

cutting coding-related downtime and eliminating 

the cost of labels. Further, the printers’ self-maintenance 

system continuously keeps printheads free 

of dust and debris for consistently clear codes, which 

the previous two-step process could not produce. 

“Crisp, clear codes are important to both our 

company and our distributors for tracking and tracing, 

warehousing and inventory, reordering, billing 

and order fulfillment,” says Jim Trivelis, president of 

Original Philadelphia Cheesesteak Co. “Clear codes 

set the tone for the entire supply chain process.” 

Orders are prepared and shipped from two processing 

facilities in Philadelphia: a 40,000-squarefoot 

facility that manufactures fully cooked product 

and an 80,000-square-foot counterpart for raw processing. 

According to Trivelis, the company’s old 

dot-matrix ink jet printers tended to print codes that 

would blur or bleed, and the print-and-apply labelers 

experienced extensive downtime, which required 

workers to hand-apply labels. 

Upon implementing the new printers the company 

saw results immediately. The printers provided 

consistently clear variable data such as date, lot code, 

product code and UPC bar code on up to 30 boxes 

per minute, translating to 12,000 boxes per eighthour 

shift and 60,000 boxes per week. 

“The print-and-apply labelers and dot-matrix printers 

just couldn’t keep up with those speed require- 


delivers tasty results 

ments,” Trivelis says. “The print-and-apply labelers 

required time for setup and would take several minutes 

to execute a code change.” 

With nearly 200 product SKUs, Trivelis says it’s possible 

for a line operator to change codes up to 10 times 

per day. A laptop computer maintains the database of the 

company’s product SKUs, all of which have been loaded 

onto the four printers. When a new SKU is added, it is 

The company consolidated printing and labeling 

with large-character continuous ink jet printers. 

created on the laptop and then transferred with a USB 

memory drive to the printers. From there, choosing the 

desired code takes less than a minute. 

Further, the printers’ self-cleaning and maintenance 

system eliminates wasted ink and downtime because 

line operators don’t have to stop a line to prime, purge 

and clean the printhead. Low-ink warnings allow 

operators to add new ink without stopping production. 

Trivelis expects the new printers to pay for themselves 

in about one year, due to savings on ink, labels and 

labor. 


PACKAGING 

Shrink wrap 


Nearly 11,000 people per day heed the 

call of “try my product?” from the Video 

Professor John Scherer during television 

commercials touting computer software tutorials for 

everything from Excel to eBay. Callers initiate a free, 

10-day trial period to review the programs and decide 

whether to keep them, what the company calls its 

“stick rate.” 

“About two years ago we made the decision to 

change our shipping package and go with a more 

branded, retail box,” says Chris Carpenter, warehouse 

and distribution manager for Video Professor. 

The company selected a shrink wrapper and shrink 

tunnel (Lantech, 800-866-0322, www.lantech.com) 

to provide a high-quality shrink wrap for its boxed 

CD-ROM sets. 

Prior to the change Video Professor inserted the 

discs into a long, thin book with pockets, labeled it, 

placed it in a sealable bag and mailed it. With the new 

packaging, not only did the sales volume increase by 

2,000 to 3,000 pieces per day, but Video Professor 

also saw a 4% increase in the stick rate, with a net 

effect on the company’s bottom line of more than 

$50,000 per day. 

“It’s amazing how the appearance of the package 

can affect program sales,” notes Carpenter. “It truly 

influences consumer perceptions about the package 

contents.” 

Video Professor’s order fulfillment takes place 

at its distribution warehouse. Program requests are 

received through a call center or online, and order 

information is input into a database which produces 

an order with mailing label. 

Orders are picked up at the main office each 

morning and taken to a distribution center where 

they are separated. Product is picked and mailing 

labels affixed. The boxes are then sent down a manual 

conveyor for shrink wrapping. On an average day, 

Video Professor shrink wraps 22 packages per minute—about 

half the 40-package-per-minute capabil- 


system makes the grade 

Video Professor uses new shrink wrap to increase stick rate and 

improve product. 

A shrink wrapper and shrink tunnel provide a highquality 

shrink wrap for boxed CD-ROM sets. 

ity of the shrink wrapper. 

The 11,000 orders per day are fulfilled in an 8.5 

hour shift, so efficient operation with little to no 

rework or downtime is critical. Most of the program 

boxes measure 5 x 8 x 1.5 inches, but there are a 

total of four different box sizes, making the shrink 

wrap system’s versatility an important factor. 

“At one point we were wrapping ‘The Peter Costas 

Putting Professor’ program on this machine. And, the 

box for that product was 4 feet long,” Carpenter recalls. 

To accommodate its various packaging sizes, the 

company uses 60 gauge film on 12-, 13- and 18-inch 

wide rolls. The film also protects the box throughout 

shipping and allows pre-printed box graphics to reenforce 

the Video Professor brand. 

The shrink tunnel uses soft convection to ensure 

uniform distribution of heat and eliminate hot or cold 

spots, producing attractive, consistent shrink packages 

with no bubbles or burn-outs. Equipped with an 

18-inch wide conveyor moving at a top speed of 70 

feet per minute, the tunnel’s chamber measures 51 x 

22 x 10 inches. 


DOCK SHELTERS INCREASE 

COMFORT, DECREASE COST 

Focused on employee comfort, national 

bed retailer Select Comfort installs 

dock shelters that keep temperatures 

stable inside, weather outside and 

lower energy costs all around. 

By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor 

WHEN IS A door not a door? When it’s ajar… 

and an energy hog. Even the smallest gaps 

at your dock doors can cost you big in energy bills 

and employee comfort, not to mention the cost to 

your DC’s appearance and company image. 

As an operator of a fully air-conditioned production 

and distribution facility in the Columbia, 

S.C., area, Select Comfort Corp. places a high 

value on employee comfort. They also understand 

the need to control the 110,000-square-foot 

facility’s energy costs, especially during hot, sticky 

southern summers. 

To achieve the best of both worlds, Select 

Comfort installed energy-efficient loading dock 

shelters (Rite-Hite, 800-456-0600, www.ritehite. 

com) in 12 of the facility’s 18 dock positions. The 

result is a cooler, more comfortable working environment 

for its 200 workers and annual energy 

savings of $12,000—with the potential for additional 

savings as more docks are upgraded. What’s 

more, payback of the new dock shelters is estimated 

at about two years. 

The Select Comfort shipping department is 

busy seven days a week, with employees working 

10- to 12-hour shifts. According to Darin Swiger, 

facility order fulfillment manager, the air conditioning 

system wasn’t keeping the loading dock 

environment at an even temperature throughout 

the day and was also suspected for high energy 

costs. 

“We took a look at the temperature fluctuation 

to see why it was happening, and more important- 

modern 

PRODUCTIVITY SOLUTION 

ly, what we could do to fix it,” said Swiger. 

Prior to installation, an analysis showed the 

old loading dock shelters were contributing to a 

potential energy loss of $40,000 a year. 

The solution called for installing new dock 

shelters that could seal off the exposed trailer 

door hinge gaps while providing full, unobstructed 

access to trailer loads and stopping the identified 

energy loss. 

The replacement dock shelters can also stand 

up to repeated impact from semi-trailers being 

backed in too quickly or arriving off-center. “A little 

bump here and there shouldn’t cost you $5,000 

worth of damage,” Swiger says. “However, the 

shelters we were using could be easily destroyed if 

a trailer backed into them.” 

mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / April 2009 35

modern 


DC site selection: 

Time to scrutinize 

the details 

By Karen E. Thuermer, Contributing Editor 

In today’s economy, factors such as unpredictable fuel 

prices, shifts in global trade, new warehouse technologies 

and environmental sustainability weigh heavily on site 

selection decisions. 

Mirroring today’s retracting economy, 

logistics and supply chain professionals 

charged with site selection for warehouse 

and distribution center locations are being increasingly 

challenged. With all aspects of today’s economy 

off, companies involved in purchasing and locating 

warehousing and transportations services must take 

a hard look at their physical assets—and dig deeper 

into the details of their network. 

In fact Dan Albright, vice president for supply 

chain management consulting at Capgemini, urges 

companies to spend less time adding capacity to solve 

immediate needs and more time upfront on network 

planning for near- and long-term requirements. 

“Firms should have a continually updated five 

to seven year horizon for distribution networks,” 

Albright advises. “In addition, firms should always 

include two elements in their site selection program: 

flexibility and resiliency.” 

Flexibility and resiliency are, without a doubt, two 

vital survival skills for today’s DC site selectors. In 

today’s weak economy, all spending or expansion decisions 

are being scrutinized more heavily than ever. 

“Shippers or suppliers may choose to hold off 

and operate from an existing facility, but outsource 

another facility as a means of reducing their fixed 

costs,” says Bill Butler, president and chief executive 

officer of Los Angeles-based Weber Distribution, a 

nationwide provider of logistics solutions. 

Although historic trends driving DC site selection 

have not really changed, those regarding DC development 

have. “Industry-wide, speculative development 

has all but halted,” says Mike Peters, first vice 

president at ProLogis in Denver, Colo. “Build-to-suit 

development, albeit at a much slower pace, is likely 

to be the status quo among the development community 

for the foreseeable future.” 

This means companies will have access to fewer 

readily available DCs and need to be more involved 

in the development of new DC space. And while 

most site selection decisions focus on minimizing 

transportation costs and proximity to customers, 

factors such as unpredictable fuel prices, shifts in 

global trade, new warehouse technologies, and environmental 

sustainability now also influence site 

selection. 

“Companies are planning for a different future 

than six months ago,” states Albright. “When com- 


panies consolidate to reduce costs, they use these factors to 

decide which sites to consolidate, then how to move inventory 

to satellite sites and remain nimble 

in their distribution.” 

These decisions can be challenging, 

particularly since it is unclear how much 

further the economy will drop, whether 

or not fuel prices will spike again, and 

how many and what companies will not 

survive this recession. 

Fuel effect 

Instability of fuel prices is of particular 

concern for companies that spend a 

considerable amount of their budgets on 

transporting goods. Although fuel costs 

have eased since last summer, most 

executives expect them to spike again in 

2009. “Firms now consider this compo- 

nent over others such as labor and real estate costs in making 

DC site selection decisions,” says Albright. 

Although most companies have already adopted the strategy 

of locating DCs close to transportation hubs and gateways, 

such fuel spikes still have a huge impact on transportation 

and distribution costs. Consequently, more firms are analyzing 

their network optimization strategies, which include proximity 

to key interstates, vehicle traffic patterns, state and federal 

infrastructure improvement plans, proximity to alternative 

transportation modes such as rail, and the potential impact of 

environmental legislation. 

Long haul shipping costs are not the only concern. Short 

haul transportation can also be masked with costs. “If you 

are going to locate a facility outside of congested cities like 

Atlanta or Washington, D.C., you are going to pay a lot for 

trucks to sit in traffic,” Albright warns. 

Another issue to consider is whether a location is primarily 

served as an outbound or inbound market. “For example, 

Memphis has more outbound than inbound trucking service,” 

states Jeffrey Brashares, president of the logistics services 

group at Pacer Distribution Services. “If you put a DC there 

then you’ll need truck services that are going in.” 

Of course, one of the best ways to optimize distribution 

costs is to make sure trucks are leaving DCs as full loads to 

single locations rather than less-than-truckload (LTL) to multiple 

distribution points, Peters suggests. 

Yet another concern these industry voices suggest is that 

the bad economy could result in increasing numbers of trucking 

company failures, which could cause capacity issues. “This 

could sway site selectors into considering locations close to 

intermodal options,” Brashares says. 

Already, many large companies that ship high volumes over 

distances longer than 500 miles are employing intermodal, a 

The ProLogis Kaiser Commerce 

Center, which comprises about 5.9 

million square feet in nine buildings, is 

now fully occupied with a recent lease 

agreement of 484,000 square feet to 

a leading 3PL. 

mode that combines trucking with the more economical service 

of rail. “Companies are looking at what railroads have to 

offer and co-locating near or on their 

property,” Brashares adds. 

Impact of global trade 

Shifts in global trade are also influencing 

site selection, particularly 

as more steamship lines from Asia 

call on U.S. East Coast seaports. 

Consequently, increasing numbers 

of companies find benefits in locating 

DCs or import centers at or near 

these ports to create increased distribution 

network efficiencies. 

On the West Coast, distribution facilities 

are locating inland from the heavily 

congested areas surrounding the Ports 

of Los Angeles/Long Beach. As a result, 

developers like AMB Property Corp. are continuing to see 

demand for infill-located, Class A facilities at core hub and gateway 

markets that have strong ties to trade flows. 

The benefits of going green 

Public opinion against companies that outsource and 

contribute to global warming can also influence DC and 

warehousing site selection. And it’s becoming readily 

apparent that organizations that make conscientious 

efforts to reduce C02 emissions will win favor. 

Simple efforts can improve your DC’s “green” footprint. 

These include considering traffic patterns and 

access to key roads and rail; locating a DC in temperate 

climate locations; and leasing space in a LEED certified 

DC versus a standard facility. 

“Green” construction products have also become 

available. These include white roofing to reduce heat 

island effects and indoor heat build-up, occupancy sensors 

on light fixtures to turn lights off when rack aisles 

aren’t being used; and solar hot water systems that use 

the sun to heat water for building use. 

“Location is one of the most overlooked factors in 

reducing carbon emissions,” says Timothy Nolan, vice 

president, customer development for AMB Property 

Corp. “If an energy efficient DC is 100 miles from the 

urban center it services, the benefits of its operational 

efficiencies are negated multiple times over by the 

transportation distances required for goods delivery,” 

says Nolan. “Selecting sites in close proximity to the 

distribution network reduces fuel cost and carbon emissions. 

Overall, the biggest impact on carbon emissions 

is to select locations in infill locations,” he adds. 


modern 


The cost of shipping from China, however, is causing 

some companies to move production closer to the United 

States to countries like Mexico and those in Central America. 

Consequently, Albright suggests that some West Coast DCs 

may be displaced to other regions of the country closer to customer 

regions. That’s because products made in Mexico can 

be directly transloaded to the DC. “This, of course, depends 

on the nature of the product and required transportation 

modes,” he says. 

Albright adds that consolidations among steamship companies, 

fewer volumes, and the trend toward mega-container 

vessels are all issues leading carrier operators to call on only 

seaports capable of handing these large ships. 

It’s the economy 

Despite the fact that many retail products are imported and 

therefore redistributed from import centers or DCs, retail 

store closings are not affecting DCs unless they are dedicated 

to a particular area that has been hit hard by store closings. 

In those cases, closures will add to the downward pressure 

on real estate prices and create opportunities for companies 

needing space in those specific areas. 

“If a supplier’s warehouse lease is soon expiring, they 

will have good leverage in renegotiating rates or have better 

opportunities in securing more desirable properties that 

have come on the market that were not available before,” 

says Butler. 

Depending upon the length of the recession, companies 

may choose to consolidate multi-facilities to help reduce their 

overall footprint and operating expenses. Reduced consumer 

demand could alter how retailers order shipments from large 

quantity purchase orders to fewer, smaller ones. “Retailers 

may choose to hold fewer inventories and replenish orders in 

shorter cycles,” Butler says. “Other sectors may decide to follow 

suit and hold less inventory in their own warehouses, thus 

adjusting their production volumes.” 

To save costs, many companies are already converting 

fixed costs into variable costs by outsourcing distribution and 

warehouse functions to third party logistics (3PLs) providers, 

a practice that has been ongoing for 20 years. “Right now the 

market is seeing a lot of pursuits, but it remains to be seen 

how this will play out,” says Peters. 

Meanwhile, as more and more domestic manufacturers 

consolidate their production/manufacturing sites, they, too, 

are outsourcing their overflow to 3PLs. This has resulted in 

increased demand by 3PLs for DC and warehouse space. “In 

fact, contract logistics providers are one of the strongest growing 

segments of industrial space demand at the moment,” 

says Timothy Nolan, vice president of customer development 

for AMB Property Corp. 

Companies are still considering either large and small 

DCs or a combination of both. “I’ve watched customers go 

AMB Tres Rios in Mexico City is located near a major highway 

network to facilitate effi cient transfer and transport of goods 

through the distribution channel. 

to where they now have smaller DCs or actual crossdocks 

to get closer to their ultimate customer,” says Brashares. “If 

you’re trying to get as close to your customer as possible, 

you probably are going to want more DCs rather than less.” 

Technology’s new role 

Warehouse technology especially plays into today’s DC mix. 

“Companies must be able to predict and react to demand 

more quickly, otherwise they will find themselves in a poor 

position very rapidly,” Capgemini’s Albright says. 

For the auto industry, for example, Albright imagines the 

day where giant lots full of cars will be obsolete. “We’ll go to 

the European model with only a handful of cars in a showroom,” 

he states. This, however, requires better demand 

planning, and product lifecycle and inventory management. 

“Companies have to get serious about inventory control technology,” 

he says. “Their risk is too great.” 

Some firms are already consolidating large facilities while 

“forward deploying” quick turning inventory in satellite locations 

to handle heavy customer geographies. “Technology 

plays a major part in demand planning, inventory, transportation 

and labor management,” Albright says. “Firms operating 

advanced systems can do more with less space.” 

While you can’t predict how long this economic down 

turn will last and the final impact it will have on warehouse 

and DC site selection trends, one thing is for certain: Those 

firms that remain flexible and resilient in determining their 

DC needs will be more capable of addressing company needs 

once confidence is restored to the economy. 

Karen E. Thuermer covers air cargo and site selection for 

Modern’s sister magazine Logistics Management. 


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Holjeron 

Hyster 

Intelligrated 

Intermec 

Interroll 

Jacobs Carter Burgess 

Jungheinrich 

Lightning Pick 

LXE, Inc. 

MHIA 

MTC Worldwide 

RedPrairie 

Rehrig Pacifi c 

SATO 

Schneider Electric 

SJF 

Southworth Products 

Toyota Indus. Equipment 

UNEX 

Wildeck 

Witron 

Zebra Technologies

Conveyors 

Modular, expandable 

conveyor system 

Offering improved carton control, 

quiet operation and low energy consumption, 

the modular conveyor system 

increases operational flexibility 

due to scalability and easy configuration 

changes. Conveyor modules are 

built on a universal side channel and 

include roller or belted straight sections, 

curves, inclines/declines, right 

angle transfers and steerable wheel 

diverters. The modules use common 

components so unique parts 

are minimized for easy maintenance. 

The system can also be retrofitted 

into an existing conveyor system. 

Configuration options include motorized 

rollers, standard AC drives or 

variable frequency drives. Dematic, 

877-725-7500, www.dematic.us. 

Motorized roller conveyor 

The MR200 motorized roller conveyor 

provides 24-volt motorized 

rollers, zero-contact accumulation 

and a control module for straight- 

forward programming without additional 

tools. The system includes 

pre-programmed zone control 

options with an on-conveyor zerocontact 

and zero-pressure accumulation 

logic control that can be 

changed using simple switch settings. 

For additional customization, 

a zone director performs higherlevel 

control actions with a built-in 

zone control. The conveyor features 

run-on-demand logic and all-electric 

configuration to increase energy 

savings. Integral wiring and hardware 

LED status indicators simplify 

diagnostics and troubleshooting. 

FKI Logistex, 877-935-4564, 

www.fkilogistex.com. 

Dual zone accumulation 

To control product flow and optimize 

throughput while reducing product 

damage, the IntelliQ dual-zone, 

minimal pressure accumulation conveyor 

sends signals to preceding 

zones when a product is stopped to 

prevent items from touching. The 

conveyor requires only two sensors 

and one control module in a 12-foot 

intermediate section for a reduction 

in energy usage, installation 

costs and maintenance. The unit is 

DIP-switch configurable, and line 

pressure accumulation density and 

throughput rate can be controlled. 

Intelligrated, 513-701-7300, www. 

intelligrated.com. 

Powered rollers run quietly 

Offering non-contact, zero-pressure 

accumulation, the 24-volt powered roller 

conveyor is quiet, safe and requires 

little maintenance. Configurable with a 

variety of components, curves, merges, 

transfers, inclines and declines, the 

system is modular and flexible. The 

conveyor operates at 65 decibels or 

lower—comparable to ambient office 

noise. Other features include run-ondemand 

functionality, enabling products 

to advance through a zone when 

sensed. Once the zone is cleared, the 

conveyor deactivates the zones not in 

use to generate energy savings of 20% 

to 40% over conventional conveyors. 

Precision zone control eliminates accumulation 

back pressures that cause 

product misalignment leading to jams 

and product or equipment damage. 

HK Systems, 800-424-7365, www. 

hksystems.com. 

3D unstacking, singulation 

The three-dimensional Accord 

unstacker singulator arranges polybags, 

flats, packets and cartons into a 

single-file stream. Capable of singulating 

more than 100 items per minute, 

the unit is ideal for applications that 

require products to be single-file and 

gapped prior to the downstream 

automated induction line systems. The 

system is 50 feet long and has a builtin 

recirculation line to maximize item 

singulation. Completely automated, 

the unit requires no manual intervention. 

Cinetic Sorting, 502-636-1414, 

www.sorting.com. 


Pop-up roller transfer 

conveyor 

Generating seamless, 90-degree 

sortation, the ProSort MRT medium 

roller transfer conveyor incorporates 

multiple narrow belts to transport 

items. Right-angle pop-up rollers 

between the belts transfer items off 

the unit. Ideal for handling and transferring 

medium-sized objects, the 

conveyor handles packages as small 

as 8 x 6 inches wide and as long as 

28 inches. It can move packages 

weighing up to 75 pounds. Useful for 

two-sided transfer of items, products 

can be transferred off either side of 

the conveyor to other right angle 

conveyors, workstations, packing 

operations, ticketing stations or shipping 

departments. Hytrol Conveyor 

Company, 870-935-3700, www. 

hytrol.com. 

Belt-driven conveyor 

offers 3 on-the-fly 

configurations 

The belt-driven live-roller narrow 

belt conveyor is configurable 

with push button controls that 

set logic modules in the field for 

zero-pressure contact accumulation, 

non-contact accumulation and 

transportation conveyor using the 

same frame and drive components. 

This versatility reduces the cost 

of equipment, installation as well 

as ownership. A single drive powers 

up to four curves and spurs off 

either end of the conveyor. Other 

features include curves that accumulate 

product, true-taper rollers 

with close-pack roller centers and 

direct drive belts with 97% efficient 

gear motors. The standard frame 

includes a built-in guardrail configuration. 

TGW-Ermanco, 231-798- 

4547, www.tgw-ermanco.com. 

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Conveyors 

Belt curve system 

For complex applications with continuous, 

high-speed operations and 

limited space, the CurveTrack belt 

curve system is ideal for loading 

and unloading loose cargo. Features 

include a guidance system for precise 

belt movement. Belt changeover can 

be accomplished quickly and efficiently 

with minimal tools to reduce 

downtime. A lightweight extruded 

aluminum profile ensures low noise 

levels. Mounting options include 

side guards and flow control sensors. 

Caljan Rite-Hite US, 800-338-1751, 

www.caljanritehiteus.com. 

Handle 100 cases per minute 

With the ability to reach conveyor 

speeds of 350 feet per minute and 

sortation rates of 100 cases per minute 

and higher, the multi-belt sorter 

is fast and accurate. Offered in three 

widths—18, 25 and 32 inches—the 

conveyor sorts cartons weighing up 

to 75 pounds each. Employing multiple 

small belts, the sorter efficiently 

transports products over their surface. 

Each belt includes an individual 

spring take-up, creating proper 

tensioning across all the belts. Roll 

formed belt tracks use ABEC-1 precision 

bearings to reduce belt pull for 

longer belt life, quieter operation 

and a reduction in necessary horsepower. 

Automotion, 708-229-3700, 

www.automotionconveyors.com. 

Continuous vertical lift 

conveys in a Z-pattern 

The Model 

180 continuous 

vertical 

lift accepts 

loads 

horizontally, 

conveys 

them vertically, 

and 

discharges 

them horizontally 

in a Z pattern. The unit runs 

in a single vertical direction—up or 

down—or can be configured to be 

reversible on-demand. The chaindriven 

system offers 6,000 pound 

unit load capacity and with chain 

speeds up to 120 feet per minute 

it can deliver up to 35 loads per 

minute. Fully automatic, the unit 

lifts loads to heights over 100 feet 

with a lift platform using a synchronized 

powered conveyor that loads 

and unloads items to any compatible 

conveyor system. No operator 

intervention is required, except for 

routine maintenance. TKF, 513-241- 

5910, www.tkf.com. 

Motor controller with fault 

indicator light 

For easier fault recognition and a 

shorter commissioning phase, a new 

motor controller with fault indicator 

light is now included on each of 

the supplier’s conveyor systems. By 

placing an indicator light on each 

conveyor, operators can quickly 

and easily locate a problem area in 

the conveyor line. Each conveyor 

can be reset at the motor controller 

once the fault has been cleared. 

With this new configuration, motor 

controllers located on each conveyor 

are linked in a chain to each other, 

instead of linking each one to a centralized 

controls box. This reduces 

the cabling needed and the time 

required for installation. Westfalia 

Technologies, 800-673-2522, www. 

WestfaliaUSA.com. 

Powered drive curve 

component 

Featuring 

power 

transmission 

over 

the total 

width of 

the unit 

and powered 

by a 

non-skid 

drive drum, 

the belt 

curve conveyor component has a 

high load capability and very low 

noise levels, even at high speeds 

up to 13 feet per second. The curve 

offers low height, as well as low 

maintenance and service costs. Belts 

can be quickly replaced, while t-slots 

in the aluminum profiles allow for 

easy attachment of leg supports, 

ceiling hangers and sensors. The 

technology may be incorporated in 

either incline or decline versions, up 

to multi-level spiral curves. Axmann 

Conveying Systems, 812-284-9285, 

www.axmannusa.com. 


High-volume industrial bar 

code imager 

Ideal for 

high-volume 

mobile 

industrial 

applications 

at short and 

long range 

reading distances, 

the 

PowerScan 

PBT1700 

handheld 

linear imager features an ergonomic, 

robust IP65-rated enclosure. The 

scanner provides visual confirmation 

of a good read for use in noisy environments. 

An over-molded case covers 

likely drop points, prevents the 

scanner from slipping off counters 

and resists multiple drops, strong 

shocks and repetitive tumbles. The 

decoder reads up to 390 scans per 

second and decodes hard-to-read, 

poorly printed and damaged bar 

codes. For complete coverage of at 

least two 8-hour shifts, a replaceable 

Li-ION battery scans more than 

22,000 transactions in 16 hours. 

Datalogic Scanning, 800-695-5700, 

www.scanning.datalogic.com. 

Industrial fan with 

heavy-duty gearbox 

The Powerfoil X industrial fan features 

a heavy-duty NitroSeal Drive 

gearbox to accommodate load 

requirements. Precision gearing 

provides low friction between gear 

teeth for reduced heat and 50% less 

backlash than a standard gearbox. 

The drive is filled with nitrogen 

and hermetically sealed to ensure 

zero moisture, contamination and 

maintenance. Onboard controls in 

a weather-resistant enclosure are 

pre-wired to the motor, eliminating 

special wiring and reducing installation 

costs. For floor-level control 

of multiple fans, a lightweight, wallmounted 

keypad connected to a 

standard junction box is included. 

Big Ass Fans, 877-244-3267, www. 

bigassfans.com. 


Portable safety barrier stops 

200 pounds of force 

To separate and define large work 

areas, long walkways and interior 

loading docks, or to protect openings 

in the floor, the SpanGuard 

safety barrier stops 200 pounds of 

force with minimal deflection. It 

provides a 48-inch high visual barrier 

and is offered in 30- or 60-foot 

spans connected between two steel 

mounting posts. Easy to operate, 

one person can position or remove 

the barrier in less than 2 minutes. 

For opening widths less than the 

available spans, excess curtain can 

be stored in the storage cylinder. 

Constructed of black PVC-coated 

vinyl mesh, the barrier has two 4inch 

high black and yellow polyester 

straps and fiberglass rods on 10 

foot centerlines. Rite-Hite, 800- 

456-0600, www.ritehitedg.com. 

High-capacity lift truck offers 

two engine choices 

Offered in 8,000 to 11,000 pound 

capacities, the Platinum GO4 lift truck 

series may be specified with one of 

two engine choices: a TB45 LP/dual 

fuel or TD42 diesel-powered model. 

Both six-cylinder, in-line engines 

deliver high torque while maintaining 

fuel economy and cleaner exhaust 

emissions. Features include engine 

and transmission protection systems 

that reduce truck speed if excess heat 

or low oil pressure are detected, and 

PIN access to prevent unauthorized 

use. To protect employees in surrounding 

areas, an adjustable maximum 

travel speed setting is included. 

Nissan Forklift, 815-568-0061, www. 

nissanforklift.com. 

Drum motor saves energy, 

reduces carbon footprint 

The high-performance, 8.5-inch 

diameter 220 series drum motor for 

belt conveyors is offered in two versions 

to handle medium and heavy 

unit load applications. An internal 

gearing system operates at 97% 

efficiency and uses less power than 

conventional drives. When fully loaded, 

the motor uses 32% less power 

than equivalent gear motor drives, 

reducing energy costs and carbon 

footprint. Motor, gearbox and bearings 

are enclosed in a steel shell for 

use in harsh environments. The unit 

is IP66/67 food grade approved. 

Interroll, 800-830-9680, 

www.interroll.us. 

Split pallet rack beam 

permits easy order picking 

For easy access of hard-to-reach 

cartons on lower shelf levels, the 

Ergo Beam structural steel pallet 

rack creates an opening between 

pallet locations through which an 

order-picker can enter and comfortably 

reach rear cartons. The racking 

reduces product damage and 

worker injuries by splitting the front 

shelf beam into two separate curved 

beams that attach to the rear horizontal 

beam. Intended for use with 

48 x 40 inch pallets, the structure 

is offered in three options: curved 

beam with the channel flange 

facing inward or outward, and a 

model that protects bar code labels 

and anchor bolts from damage. 

Standard pallet supports accommodate 

the system. Frazier Industrial, 

800-614-4162, www.frazier.com. 

Platform vehicle for 

overhead maintenance 

The MPV maintenance platform 

vehicle provides flexible operation, 

comfort and 

stability for 

overhead maintenance 

and 

repair at elevations 

up to 371 

inches. Features 

include an 

enclosed operator 

platform 

that allows 

travel at its fully elevated height. An 

embedded system regulates speed 

relative to elevated height at a speed 

of 1 to 6.5 miles per hour when fully 

elevated. Ideal for very narrow aisles, 

the truck is perfect for maintaining 

light fixtures. It includes a 750-pound 

capacity platform with ample room 

for the operator, tools and supplies. A 

lock on the entrance gate ensures the 

gate is closed before the vehicle will 

operate. Raymond, 800-235-7200, 

www.raymondcorp.com. 


LED lamps save energy at 

the loading dock 

To save energy and costs without 

sacrificing light output at the loading 

dock, E-Saver LED lamps provide 

maximum illumination throughout 

the truck trailer with an extra long 

life expectancy for a rapid return 

on investment. The lamps include 

a PAR38 base that fits into most 

existing dock light housings. Using 

only 27 watts, the LED bulbs reduce 

energy costs by 80% compared to 

traditional 150 watt incandescent 

bulbs. They also have a 50,000 hour 

lamp life for utility, maintenance and 

replacement cost savings. Durable, 

the lamps withstand impacts at the 

dock and remain cool to the touch. 

APS Resource, 262-518-1000, 

www.apsresource.com. 

Mobile device offers 

real-time access to voice, data 

For mobile workers, the MC55 

enterprise digital assistant combines 

a cell phone, two-way radio, bar 

code scanner, digital camera and 

mobile computer into one compact 

and lightweight unit. The device 

improves productivity, response 

times and customer service by bringing 

business-critical voice, data and 

applications to the point of activity. 

Featuring a 3.5-inch display, it supports 

the GSM/GPRS/EDGE standard 

for wireless wide-area networks and 

has an integrated GPS. It is offered 

in two models and multiple configurations. 

Motorola, 866-416-8545, 

www.motorola.com/mc55. 

High capacity storage and 

retrieval 

The 

MaxTriever 

mini-load 

storage and 

retrieval 

machine 

efficiently 

handles totes, 

cartons, 

boxes and 

other items. 

Generating 

high capacity 

and high speed throughput, the 

single mast crane operates in cold 

storage, coolers and ambient warehouse 

temperatures. A hoist carriage 

and guidance system allow for 

tight positioning tolerances, while 

fast performance is achieved with 

both horizontal and vertical drives. 

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Offered in single and double deep 

configurations, the system may be 

built up to 60 feet high. For easy 

maintenance and reliability, the system 

is constructed of standardized 

subsystems. Diamond Phoenix, 888- 

233-6796, www.diamondphoenix. 

com. 

Economic lift tables 

Featuring a robust design that 

complies with ANSI codes, E-Series 

economy lift tables include a platform-centering 

device that triples 

the life. Wide, large diameter 

wheels and roller pins add to the 

increased usable life. It plugs into 

any 110V, 15-amp outlet for easy 

installation. To reduce noise, the 

table includes a four-pole, 1,725 

rpm motor. A safety leg is built into 

the unit for stabilizing during maintenance. 

Advance Lifts, 800-843- 

3625, www.advancelifts.com. 

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Biodegradable void fill 

air cushions 

Made of 100% recyclable material, 

CELL-O void fill air cushions 

can be reused indefinitely and will 

biodegrade completely within 9 

to 60 months when thrown away. 

The bags eliminate humidity and 

rodent problems that are associated 

with starch-based packing options. 

Incorporating a special additive that 

promotes decomposition, biodegradation 

only occurs in the presence 

of microorganisms present in landfills 

and composting. The bags will 

biodegrade in aerobic (with air) and 

anaerobic (without air) conditions. 

No special handling is required to 

load, use or store the cushions. FP 

International, 800-888-3725, www. 

fpintl.com. 

Carts contribute to 

green workspace 

For handling medium to light loads 

with human power rather than 

motorized equipment, the ProFlow 

Lite series of industrial carts generate 

less noise, lower overall emissions 

and reduced energy usage. 

Standard carts offer formed and 

welded steel panel design and feature 

low deck heights, ultra-light 

tare weights and quiet operation. 

Additional standard features include 

a four-bend ergonomic handle, floor 

lock, simple hook-and-eye coupling 

system and green powder paint finish. 

Offered in 1,000 pound capacities, 

the cart may be specified in 

two different deck sizes and include 

four-wheel caster steering. Kinetic 

Technologies, 440-943-4111, www. 

ktecinc.com. 

Adjustable performance 

saves energy 

Incorporating application-matched 

functionality and operator comfort 

features, the ERC-VG electric rider lift 

truck generates internal combustion 

engine performance without emissions. 

Powered by battery technolo- 

gy, the truck cuts energy consumption 

with adjustable performance parameters, 

extended shift functionality 

and increased productivity. Industrial 

grade critical components used in the 

vehicle’s construction increase overall 

productivity and life of a truck. Yale 

Materials Handling, 800-233-9253, 

www.yale.com. 

Attachment handles 

rolls and coils 

For printing and packaging applications—including 

lifting and hauling 

rolls of film, foil, label stock and 

other coiled materials—the arbor 

attachment for the Mule all-in-one 

lift, stacker, transporter and work 

bench is offered as a factory-installed 

option. The arbor is 14.75 inches long 

to match the length of typical rolls 

and coils. Lifting a maximum of 350 

pounds of material up to 48 inches 

high, the Mule’s 22-inch footprint and 

36-inch turning radius make it ideal 

for use in narrow aisles. It may also 

be used as a work positioner and 

customizable workbench. Beyond 

Products, 866-813-3751, www. 

beyond-products.com. 

Vertical lift tray dividers 

Durable vertical lift tray dividers fit 

any pan dimensions and are offered 

in heights from 2 to 20 inches. With 

dividers spaced on 2-inch centers, 

the trays can be configured into cells 

measuring from 2 x 2 inches to 12 x 

12 inches to accommodate a variety 

of product sizes. Weighing less than 

comparable metal dividers, the dividers 

allow for more products to be 

stored. Corner clips lock the dividers 

together, while an optional lock bolts 

the dividers to the tray to prevent 

small part migration. Accessories 

include bottom pads, foam pads, cup 

inserts and a height-extending perimeter 

collar. Flexcon Container, 908- 

871-7000, www.flexcontainer.com. 

Behind-the-head headset 

for mobile workers 

Ideal for employees performing 

fast-paced mobile tasks who cannot 

wear typical over-the-head headset 

models due to hair style, religious 

headwear or comfort issues, the SR- 

15 behind-the-head headset offers a 

less obtrusive form. Unlike over-thehead 

models which require a strong 

clamping force, the set gently positions 

itself on the ears with very little 

force and is adjustable for either 

right or left ear. The headset offers 

high-quality voice recognition and 

operates with the supplier’s voice 

devices and handheld mobile computing 

devices from affiliated manufacturers. 

Vocollect, 412-829-8145, 

www.vocollect.com. 


Heavy-duty capacity in mid-size truck 

The Fortis H170-190FT line 

of heavy duty lift trucks 

accommodates larger loads 

without a dramatic increase 

in truck size or expense. 

Models offer a longer 

wheelbase, more powerful 

drive train, and a mast that 

handles loads up to 19,000 

pounds. The truck features 

a heavier VISTA mast for load support during lifting and 

lowering. A turbocharged, intercooled Cummins QSB3.3 

turbo diesel engine provides 110HP at 2,400 rpm and 

305 foot-pounds of torque. The series is outfitted with 

an upgraded drive axle and an oil-cooled brake design, 

plus larger hubs to increase stability. Hyster, 252-931- 

5679, www.hyster.com. 

Turnkey fast charge battery 

management service 

The Total Power Solution program for PosiCharge fastcharge 

batteries includes a selection of services including 

customized charger and battery configurations, asset leasing, 

guaranteed service and maintenance, and asset disposal. 

The service provides a single point of contact to help 

companies optimize the energy component of fleet management. 

As a turnkey program, the details of the batteries 

and chargers are left to the supplier, helping users manage 

costs and resources more efficiently. AeroVironment, 626- 

357-9983, www.avinc.com, www.posicharge.com. 

Case erector for over-size corrugated blanks 

The Model 

340 case 

erector for 

large and 

over-sized 

corrugated 

cases erects 

and bottom 

seals blanks up to 45 x 42 inches at speeds to 30 cases 

per minute. Offered in both tape and adhesive-sealing 

models, the erector has an ergonomic, low-level case 

magazine for easy loading. The case feed accommodates 

warped or band-marked cases, while a mechanical, walking 

beam case transfer squares the cases. Simple, colorcoded 

commands for setup and operation are integrated 

into the line-side controls. All operating data is captured 

for production reports, analysis and trending, with complete 

production history available to pinpoint operational 

or maintenance issues. A-B-C Packaging Machine, 800- 

237-5975, www.abcpackaging.com 

Ergonomic pallet handling 

For pallet handling, UniLift enables transport and ergonomic 

positioning of a standard 40 x 48 inch pallet without 

straddling it. A worker can pick up a pallet or skid, 

transport it to the work area, and ergonomically position 

the load. An electronically deployable outrigger gives 

the lift handling and steering characteristics similar to a 

pallet jack. The pallet can be raised up to 34 inches off 

the ground. Bishamon Industries, 800-358-8833, www. 

bishamon.com. 

System restores motive batteries 

A one-hour process of sulfation elimination restores leadacid 

motive batteries to like-new condition. Restoring 

previously unserviceable batteries eliminates waste and 

replacement cost while reducing recharging expenses by 

10% to 25%. The portable system may be used without 

requiring the battery to be sent off-site. The process creates 

a voltage spike by switching on and off a DC current. 

Using an instrument panel, the operator matches the 

signal’s peak amplitude to the characteristics of each battery, 

making it useful for individual motive battery cells of 

2-volts, or an entire battery bank of up to 80-volts. 

Batt-Recon, 951-928-0595, www.battrecon.com. 

SAM 

Shown with Optional Pedestal Mount 

Transfer Arm 

Your Complete Lifting 

Solution 

ReactionArm 


LodeArm 

Shown with Optional Trolley Mount 

Taurus 


Visit www.positech.com 


AC reach trucks in 3 models 

The 8-Series AC 

reach lift trucks 

include a single 

reach version 

in 3,500- and 

4,500- pound 

lifting capacities 

and a 3,000pound 

capacity 

double reach 

model. Features 

include an AC-powered drive system, 

AC power hydraulic system on 36volt 

models, and maintenance-free 

electric disc brakes for faster travel 

speeds, reduced maintenance costs 

and extended life cycle. For operator 

comfort, the truck integrates an 

11.25-inch diameter steering wheel 

with adjustable steering. An adjustable 

battery-side, gate-retaining 

system minimizes battery side-toside 

movement. To maintain the 

truck’s position for maximum control 

in push-back rack applications, the 

truck includes a standard auto-position 

hold feature. Toyota Material 

Handling, U.S.A., 800-226-0009, 

www.toyotaforklift.com. 

Bottle infeed handles 

lightweight bottles 

To handle the decreased weight and 

compression sensitivity of environmentally 

friendly lightweight PET 

bottles traveling through packaging 

equipment, the Zero-Gap II infeed 

creates smooth bottle laning, ensuring 

balanced lines and jam-resistant 

operation. Installed between the 

upstream product conveyor and 

the original infeed of the packaging 

machine, the system distributes 

product from a nested pattern into 

multiple lanes. As lanes fill and 

product accumulates in the low 

pressure area, electronic population 

sensors signal the conveyor 

to increase its speed, maintaining 

balance. By monitoring the product 

lanes and controlling the conveyor 

speeds accordingly, the unit allows 

product to enter these lanes with 

very low pressure and no gaps. 

Standard-Knapp, 860-342-1100, 

www.standard-knapp.com. 

Rotate, lift and dump 

55 gallon drums 

Accepting 55 gallon drums containing 

non-free flowing powders, the 

drum dumper discharges contents 

into a hopper at 122 inches above 

floor level. The dumper features a 

lift-and-seal system for dust-tight 

operation, and a patented controllink 

rotation system for carriage 

rotation. For hygienic operation, 

product contact surfaces are made 

of stainless steel. The unit is offered 

with discharge heights up to 40 

feet and rotation to 180º for any 

size drum or container. Material 

Transfer & Storage, 800-836-7068, 

www.materialtransfer.com. 

Casual, steel-toed footwear 

Ideal for workers in warehouses, light 

manufacturing and industrial occupations, 

the Bridge series work shoe 

marries younger consumers’ lifestyle 

choices with protective footwear 

requirements. The shoes take design 

cues from popular casual styles, 

including skate and on-the-court profiles, 

allowing them to also be worn 

outside of work. Features include 

steel toe protection, rubber toe overlays 

in two patterns for durability and 

a padded tongue and heel. Low profile 

soles offer high surface contact 

while being slip-, oil- and abrasionresistant. 

The Timberland Co., 888- 

802-9947, www.timberland.com. 

Executive Offices 

225 Wyman Street 

Waltham, MA 02451 

781-734-8000 Fax 781-734-8076 

Mark Finkelstein, President - Electronics & 

Manufacturing Division 

Brian Ceraolo, Group Publisher 

Dorothy Buchholz, Group Production Director 

Geri Patti, Production Manager 

Sales Offices 

AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, 

NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT, WV, 

Eastern CAN 

Steve McCoy, National Sales Director 

508-261-1120 Fax: 508-261-1121 

smccoy@reedbusiness.com 

IA, IL, IN, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, SD, WI, 

Central CAN 

Bob Casey, District Sales Director 

847-223-5225 Fax: 847-223-5281 

bobc@caseyreps.com 

AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, LA, MS, MT, NV, OK, OR, TX, 

UT, VA, WA, WY, Western CAN 

Jay Gerson, District Sales Director 

972-393-5462 Fax: 972-393-5492 

jay.gerson@reedbusiness.com 

EUROPE 

Mike Hancock, VP International Sales 

Reed Business Information 

Quadrant House 

The Quadrant, Sutton 

Surrey SM2 5AS UK 

Tel: 44-181-652-8248 Fax: 44-181-652-8249 

Web Operations 

Clive Purchase 

Director, Web Operations 

781-734-8273 

clive.purchase@reedbusiness.com 

Director of Online Sales 

Paul Zampitella 

781-734-8541 

paul.zampitella@reedbusiness.com 

Custom Article Reprints 

Reprint Management Services 

The YGS Group 

(800)290-5460, ext. 100 

modernmaterials@theygsgroup.com 

Magazine subscriptions 

FREE magazine subscriptions 

available at www.getFREEmag/com/MMH 

Direct all magazine subscription 

inquiries to: 

8878 Barrons Blvd 

Highlands Ranch, CO 80129-2345 

Phone: 303-470-4445 

Fax: 303-470-4280 

E-mail: subsmail@reedbusiness.com 

eNewsletter subscriptions 

Keep up with the latest industry news and resources. 

Sign-up for our FREE eNewsletters at 

www.mmh.com/subscribe.asp 


advertiser index 

Page # Phone 

BuyerZone C-3 866-623-5565 

www.buyerzoneindustrial.com 

CHEP USA 

www.chep.com 

4 

Dehnco Equipment Co. 

www.mmh.dehnco.com 

25 847-382-1579 

Dematic 

www.dematic.us 

6 877-725-7500 

Diamond Phoenix 

www.diamondphoenix.com 

41 888-233-6796 

Industrial Netting 

www.industrialnetting.com 

22 800-328-8456 

LXE Inc. 

www.lxe.com 

45 877-710-8919 

Matthews Intl Holjeron 

www.holjeron.com 

30 503-582-0820 

Page # Phone 

Positech Corp. 

www.positech.com 

47 800-831-6026 

PowerPusher 

Div.of Nustar, Inc. 

www.powerpusher.com 

22 800-800-9274 

Remstar International 

www.remstar.com 

C-4 800-639-5805 

Simpson Strong-Tie 

Company 

www.simpsonanchors.com 

12 800-999-5099 

SpanTech 

www.spantechllc.com 

43 270-651-9166 

Toyota Industrial 

Equipment 

www.toyotaforklift.com 

C-2 800-226-0009 

This index is an additional service. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors or omissions. 

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Load Transfer Systems 

Top 20 

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MODERN 60 SECONDS WITH… 

Greg Cronin 

Seegrid 

LOCATION: Pittsburgh, Pa. 

TITLE: Executive vice president 

EXPERIENCE: Nearly 40 years in 

warehousing, logistics and supply 

chain technology. 

PRIMARY FOCUS: Customer support. 

From WMS systems to supply chain 

visibility to RFID, during his 40-year 

career, Greg Cronin has been one of 

the early proponents of many of the 

supply chain technologies the industry 

takes for granted today. Now, 

he’s interested in robots. 

FEEDBACK: gcronin@seegrid.com 

What do warehouse 

management systems (WMS), 

supply chain visibility, RFID 

and robotics share in common? 

They’re all real time. When I first got 

into the business, it was not possible 

to track product because cargo 

moved faster than the paper associated 

with it. Most warehouses in 

those days had huge staging areas 

for goods while they waited for the 

paper. So, when I saw a WMS with a 

bar code scanner for the first time, 

I was just amazed. I could see the 

vision of how accurate you could be if 

you could capture information in real 

time. Everything I’ve done since then 

is related to capturing data and connecting 

that information to the realtime 

movement of goods. 

How has the role of technology 

in warehousing and logistics 

evolved over the last 40 years? 

The first important evolution was 

from batch mode to real-time data 

collection. I remember the big issue 

in the 1980s was that there were 

batch WMS and real-time WMS. If 

you had a real-time WMS, you were 

ahead of the game because the system 

could direct what happened on 

the floor rather than Murphy’s Law. 

The next change was the move to visibility, 

event management and exception 

handling. Now, you can manage 

as things are happening. 

Why are you so excited by 

robots? 

Again, it goes back to being able to 

react in real time. A robot is locally 

intelligent. It can take direction from a 

central computer, but thanks to artificial 

intelligence, it can handle exceptions 

without a human running in and 

getting involved. That’s exciting. 


Want to save 

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Where Smart Businesses Buy and Sell 

A division of

Turning Slow & Medium Movers into Profit… Simply! 

• Order Picking 

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For a FREE ROI, space and productivity analysis in your facility… please call or visit our website to see 

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North American Sales & Service Offices: 

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TOP 20 - Modern Materials Handling

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