The manufacturing and distribution industries in North America continue to evolve and remain driving forces for innovation, jobs, and prosperity. Manufacturers and distributors today seek solutions that will allow their businesses to take advantage of a favourable economic climate.
Material Handling can be a critical piece of this modernization effort, especially as companies try to increase throughput and productivity. Production efficiency is dependent on material handling and optimizing this particular application can positively impact the supply chain as products are moved quickly and safely through facilities.
Materials can often be heavy, bulky and sometimes hard to handle. They need to be lifted for storage or processing, moved for shipment, or transferred to other processes within the plant. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are ideally suited for material handling because they can handle repetitive tasks, saving the more detailed work for human workers. They can also improve the safety of the plant floor and average a less than six-month payback on investment.
Other material handling applications involve storage, conveyance and handling systems that can significantly reduce costs, increase productivity, and create a safer, more ergonomic production environment. These solutions include package handling systems, pallet handling equipment, lifting and tilting equipment, and truck loading equipment.
In addition, fast-moving inventory, SKU management, and a wide array of products create material handling challenges. For distribution environments, sortation systems can be designed for smaller order sizes and shipping accuracy while improving efficiency. This is an ideal solution for separating products from conveyor systems into shipping lanes or other packaging applications. Several sortation devices are available to suit both low and high-speed requirements, for an extensive variety of product types.
Making the material handling function more efficient can help to reduce costs and create a safer production environment, as well as increase productivity. To learn more, contact JMP Solutions to find out more about how our material handling solutions can help you optimize your supply chain.
John Murdoch
Director, Material Handling Division