An open forum for the readers and writers of Modern Materials Handling to share ideas, problems and solutions. en-us http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470.html?nid=4135 Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use July 18, 2008 http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1810029781.html?nid=4135 Supply chains are being sullied by our dirty carbon footprints. That’s what the newspapers tell me, anyway. They’re quoting the talking-head environmentalists who make a living being quoted. Many in this quote choir are scientists. But there’s another choir of scientists singing in… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1740029374.html?nid=4135 These are not easy times to find a lot of good talent to work in your distribution center. As we’ve discussed in this blog before, kids in school aren’t drawn to distribution as a career. Some people are though, because they see it as a lucrative source of cash. I’m talkin… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1270029127.html?nid=4135 I had lunch last week with a distribution manager for a major grocery chain in the Northeast Ohio area. We got to talking about his use of sophisticated technology, and he told me he’s concerned that it’s a mixed bag of blessings for users like him. On the positive sid… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/750028875.html?nid=4135 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hasn’t been getting favorable media coverage lately—at least from the Wall Street Journal. An article appeared last week stating that many workplace injuries go uncounted. It cited a professor of medicine at Michigan State who note… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/330028433.html?nid=4135 My fellow blogger, Bob Trebilcock, just posted a Briefing on load building. It’s all about making best use of space and transportation dollars. I have a similar story to tell about space efficiency and transportation dollars, but the transportation I’m talking about goes on inside your b… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/840028084.html?nid=4135 If you want to see true craftsmanship in making silk purses out of sows’ ears, look to a logistics pro. The sow’s ear I’m referring to is the trend of carrying more and more inventory. This used to be a sign of weakness and cause for shame because it indicated you didn’t have… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/170027617.html?nid=4135 Although I’m still feeling a little jet-lagged after returning from my trip to Germany to attend CeMat, I had enough energy to file a news report on our site. I also had a leftover tidbit to share. While walking through one of the exhibits featuring a miniload AS/RS, one of the exhibi… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1710027171.html?nid=4135 My last couple blogs dealt with the quality of young people who’ll be making up tomorrow’s workforce. I didn’t want to leave this topic without recognizing the power of today’s workforce. As I mentioned last time, many organizations get lost in their pursuit of Six … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/70026807.html?nid=4135 There’s been a lot of brilliant discussion going back and forth lately, both electronically and in print, about the value of information being poured into young kids’ heads today. In the current issue of Modern, John Usher, professor of industrial engineering at the University of Louisvi… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1530026553.html?nid=4135 There’s a new book out called The Dumbest Generation. Author Mark Bauerlein argues that today’s school-age kids may be technologically savvy about using gadgetry, but the software that counts—their brains—is getting mushy by participating in online social websites rather than… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1220026122.html?nid=4135 I was tempted to blow off Stephen M. R. Covey’s talk on “The Speed of Trust” at this week’s Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Annual Conference in Chicago. How mushy can you get? But this was a luncheon talk and I was hungry. Turns out, there was more n… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1770025977.html?nid=4135 We’ve all seen those old science fiction movies where the mad scientist vows that his creation “will change the world!” Well, changing the world was the topic of a webcast I just moderated and is now available for viewing on Modern’s website. The theme was “Trends that … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/900025690.html?nid=4135 Any time a writer receives reader input, whether critical or complimentary, it’s a cause for celebration. First, it proves people are reading your stuff. Second, it gives you a topic for another blog. Consultant and trainer Bill Smalley made my day when I received his recent e-mail. It was in … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/960025496.html?nid=4135 The NA2008 Material Handling Show is over, but its memory lingers on. Good ones too. In fact I shared a few with someone whose e-mail I found in my overloaded inbox when I logged back onto my computer. It was from someone researching the supply chain management software market. They wanted my though… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1630025163.html?nid=4135 I’m finishing off my recent series of OSHA blog entries with a wrap-up of what Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., the agency’s assistant secretary of labor, told members of the Industrial Truck Association at ITA’s recent spring meeting. His visit was part of a renewal of the Alliance agreement… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/370025037.html?nid=4135 A few days after posting my blog about OSHA’s “voluntary compliance” programs, a spokesperson from OSHA contacted me and gave me a gentle lecture, using his best “Good Cop” manners . “Voluntary compliance” is how OSHA’s critics (many of … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1210024921.html?nid=4135 Last week I told you of the Industrial Truck Association’s efforts to spread the word about OSHA’s Onsite Consultation Program, a free and confidential way to get help in solving safety problems. Companies can request a facility safety assessment addressing a single concern or a variety … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/200024620.html?nid=4135 You know the old joke: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you"? It's a punchline that carries a little extra irony at tax time—WHICH IS NOW! When it comes to paying your dues from a safety perspective, some companies have paid dearly in lost days, lost faith, and … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1060024306.html?nid=4135 Partnership isn’t always all it’s cracked-up to be. In fact cracked-up is an appropriate term for many famous partnerships in history: Henry VIII & Ann Boleyn; Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde; Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis; Elizabeth Taylor & husbands 1 through 8; The Beatles; I could … http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/330024033.html?nid=4135 I hosted a webcast on Distribution Center Survival strategies this week. It didn’t require much work on my part. Ian Hobkirk, senior analyst for Aberdeen Research, did all the heavy lifting—talking, I should say. His presentation on the economy and advanced picking strategies re… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/870023887.html?nid=4135 Having written for a magazine that serves the paperboard packaging industry, I try to stay up on how trends in that market will affect its customers—most of whom are Modern Materials Handling readers. One thing I came to appreciate in covering the world of brown boxes is how important becoming… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1440023744.html?nid=4135 Lots of scary things happen around inventory. There’s carnage in the warehouse trying to store it and there’s carnage on the roads trying to deliver it. I heard some interesting things in the last couple days about both those occupations, so allow me to connect the dots. First the ware… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/140023414.html?nid=4135 It’s hard to find people who want to work in a textile plant. Not only is this perceived as a dying industry, but it can be physically unpleasant to work in such a plant's environment. It’s dirty and in the summer months down south, it’s downright hot. Philip Henson should know.… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/1610023161.html?nid=4135 I had an interesting discussion with Jennifer Karlin, assistant professor in the Industrial Engineering Department of the South Dakota School of Mines. We were both sitting in on a meeting of the College Industry Council of Material Handling Education (CICMHE) during the Material Handling Industry o… http://www.mmh.com/blog/700000470/post/470022847.html?nid=4135 Materials handling has cornered the market on industrial applications. It has even made itself known in the entertainment world, with AGVs as the foundational technology for some amusement park rides. What other worlds are left for MH to conquer? Healthcare beckons. Some of that same AGV te…