Logistics articles

  • Open Roads

    April 21, 2015

    President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderón met in March to negotiate a solution to the border discrepancy affecting commercial transportation flow between both countries. Stipulations, made between the trucking industries of both countries in the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), were not implemented by the U.S and after a period of unrest, both presidents agreed that the solution needs to be based on a program of reciprocity, safety and efficiency of the system.

  • The Weakest Link

    April 21, 2015

    In the last decade, numerous pandemics have walloped the logistics field. Preparing a supply chain to be flexible for any challenge the market bears is a multi-pronged strategy not only to subvert breaks in the chain, but also to weigh options between delivery speed and cost.Multi-sourcing one’s supply chain is not a new idea, and despite the assurance that disasters will eventually strike, many companies remain undecided on the best way to divide and hedge their suppliers.

  • Never make the Second Hand the First Option

    April 20, 2015

    Smaller companies in the United States see the used marked as their first option when outlifting storage installations. While used racking might make sense if all components are in perfect condition, there is never guarantee of a used rack´s calculated strength. Apart from knowing in advance aspects of the rack such as what connector should be used, what is the maximum weight it was made up to resist, etc., aspects like the structural length of the components have changed over the years and should be taken into account. Nevertheless, among the advantages of buying used rack, we find that their price is right if they are in good condition; they are more readily available with shorter lead time, and better for the environment.

  • Inside the margin of success

    April 5, 2015

    Even considering the fact that logistics is the blackbone of the supply chain and it focuses on performance and costs, feww companies make it their firsti priority when it comes to take critical decisions. The two main forms of logistics are described: Production logistics and management logisitcs.

  • Smarter warehouses save energy and money

    April 5, 2015

    The energy saving strategies used in automated storage mean lower electric bills and many solutions are simpler than one may think. Automatic warehouses save energy in many ways; from using efficient, lighter engines in the AS/RS systems, intelligent motion calculations and regenerative power supplies to the simplest of all energy saving methods: turning off the lights.

  • Product Spotlight: Selective Pallet Racking

    March 24, 2015

    Advertising feature on the Pallet Racking System, backbone of the Mecalux products. The most popular product exemplifies how minor features provide huge advantages: ideal for any warehouse, offers direct access to each pallet, simple stock management and adaptation to any product volume, weight or size. It is resistant over time, too. Among other advantages, it is worth hightlighting the unique design of the racking uprights with extra bends, their painting process called cataphoresis, and so on.

  • The dueling promise of 3-D printing

    March 24, 2015

    In a in a mass production-led world, those inside the material handling industry have thus far not felt the tug of urgency from additive manufacturing (AM). 3D printing is when 3D solid objects are made from a model on a computer. 3D printing is done by building up the object layer by layer. The trajectory of 3-D printing suggests that the manufacturing process will eventually create replacement parts for weapon systems, marine products and land and air vehicles.

  • Fueling Sales of Fuel Cells

    March 22, 2015

    Fuel cells are leading the way in alternative energy innovations. American industries have started deploying fuel cell technology. Though it will almost certainly be automobiles that eventually bring fuel cells into the homes of average consumers, it has so far proven to be the warehousing and manufacturing industries bringing fuel cells to the automotive industry.Part of what makes lift trucks a more viable outlet for fuel cell technology is that lifts are smaller, carry less daily risk and are not produced in the same quantities as automobiles.

  • The Clouds Roll in

    March 9, 2015

    With third-party computing, all actions are performed through the Internet on the host’s website and then saved to the third-party’s massive hard drive, rather than the user’s personal computer memory. The implementation of third-party computing (known as "the Cloud") in the material handling industry has developed in the form of warehouse management software. While clouds offer clients lower operating costs and increased availability of programs, the lack of privacy remains the biggest deterrent for customers weighing the pros and cons of cloud computing, apart from other items such as the delay in troubleshooting and the question of data ownership within the cloud. Nevertheless, alternative solutions as Software as a Service (SaaS) make the difference since they allow working in a shared server but it permits to store private information separately. Similarly, Interlake Mecalux offers a subset version of its EasyWMS, EasyWMS Autoinstall as a SaaS, that allows multiple warehouses to have a centralized point of connectivity and data storage, which gives the client the ability to access data from multiple warehouses, rather than simply the warehouse they are in.

  • Rising to the top

    February 15, 2015

    Vertical lift modules (VLM) are incorporated as strategic implements that address specialized storage needs, reducing labor costs and optimizing warehouse floor space. Among the AS/RS modules produced by Interlake Mecalux, the Clasimat Vertical Lift Module is climbing to the top as the eminent member of the VLM family, taking advantage of a warehouse's vertical space. Among its advantages can be counted in the higher placement at a lower cost; the safety of its use and the reduction of personnel footprint thanks to the combination of EasyWMS + Clasimat, among other items. .

  • The Guiding Force Within

    February 15, 2015

    The adoption of automated warehouses has sought to mitigate human-error factors. Automated systems require guidance in order to execute their functions precisely. The Mecalux Group’s Galileo control software may be the companion of the Automated Storage/Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), and its reliable presence helps get the job done. Within a Warehouse Control System (WCS), Galileo acts as a general coordinator, establishing a control hierarchy enabling AS/RS units to carry out their tasks according to the protocols established by the Warehouse Managing System (WMS). The WMS — such as the Mecalux Group’s Easy WMS — assigns a series of orders to Galileo, which helps it determine a take-off order and regulates the object task once they are in the air.

  • Fire Works

    January 18, 2015

    The most important fire protection a warehouse can have is a well-designed, fully functioning and properly installed sprinkler system.Fire grows three times faster in vertically stored commodities than those stored horizontally. This makes extinguishing warehouse fires extremely challenging because they spread quickly. So, matching the right storage facility with the right fire prevention system can make the difference between scorch and soot. The wet pipe system, the Early Supression Fast Response (ESFR), the In-frack Fire Sprankler System, the Quell Fire Sprinkler System, the Dry Pipe Fire System and the Ecoogical Five systems´advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

  • High Efficiency in Low Temperatures

    January 18, 2015

    The refrigerated logistics sector is increasingly looking for ways to optimize industrial freezer storage units. Designing or maximizing an automated refrigerated storage space relies heavily on the type of goods being stored, the weight that will go on the shelves, input/output flows and equipment already in use in the facility. Among other advantages, automating cold stores offer several advantages, such as: goods accessibility, personnel reductions, comfort and safety and integration of all warehouse systems through the Easy WMS.

  • Painting to Protect

    January 18, 2015

    To ensure long lasting protection of its products, Interlake Mecalux uses the most advanced methods of paint coating. Protecting the environment from the harmful effects of paint pollutants is also a concern for the company. To do so, Interlake Mecalux uses cataphoresis, a painting process based on electro-chemical technology which produces smaller amounts of volatile organic compounds than in other coating methods. Mecalux also uses powder coating and water soluble paints, an advanced method of painting used for a wide range of materials and products, very usable against corrosion and other damaging factors, and a very profitable and ecologic paint.

  • Atlantic Rack: Triple Threat

    January 11, 2015

    Atlantic Rack is a multi-million dollar warehouse equipment and supply distributor. that distinguishes more as a solutions company than a racking distributor. Mecalux was both the first and second company to extend Atlantic credit to Atlantic in its very beginings, and Atlantic positioned itself as a destination to which customers turned, not just as simple suppliers of rack, but as a source for strategic solutions to their specific needs. Incorporating old rack with new systems, orchestrating machines to fit with new rack, and detailing how quickly customers will see a ROI – among other procedures -customer satisfaction is the Atlantic´s goal.

  • The well-slotted warehouse

    January 2, 2015

    A well-organized warehouse saves money in labor, space utilization and inventory control. The economic benefits of a well-sorted warehouse have helped warehouse owners and facility managers recognize slotting as an often misunderstood and overlooked building block of warehouse optimization.It is indeed a very important component of storage design, and although there is not a one-size-fits-all method, there are some basic rules and considerations that make the process easier and more effective. Apart from those rules, fully explained, an excellent software such as the Easy WMS is the best way to set up them all.

  • Country Spotlight: Brazil

    December 14, 2014

    While the United States and Europe have been reeling with a cumbersome economic recovery, the South America’s largest country has steadily become the eighth-largest economy in the world.The history of Mecalux in Brazil begins in 2005, when it incorporated its 290,500 square foot production plant in Sao Paulo to meet the challenges of a booming economy,and becoming one of the fastest growing industry leaders to the South American region. The warehouse solutions Mecalux provides run the gamut to a wide array of industries throughout the country: wholesale, food and beverage, textile, construction, pharmaceuticals, transport, international logistics operation services, etc.

  • Nearshoring trends show offshoring

    December 14, 2014

    Nearshoring, the act of maintaining production or IT in a country in close proximity to your own, minimizes some of the logistics and problems associated with offshoring, such as product quality and the enhanced risk of miscommunication. Inexpensive land and labor forces are not as lucrative as they were in the last decade, so companies are reconsidering to relocate their factories and logistics centers back to near their home.

  • Product Spotlight: Cantilevers

    December 14, 2014

    Ideal storage system for optimizing storage space when large or bulky items are being handled: versatile (can also be mounted on mobile bases), reliable, secure, long-lasting usable, and economic, the cantilever system is perfect for industrial and consumer purposes.

  • Rash of earthquakes boosts demand for seismic resistant warehouses and racks

    December 14, 2014

    The number of “big box” stores in the United States has increased dramatically. Besides, a rash in natural disasters such as earthquakes has boosted the demand for seismic resistant construction. Although there are disaster elements beyond our control, stricter building codes for spaces in a facility’s architectural designs, could mean the difference between life and death. In this sense, manufacturers such as Interlake Mecalux strive for the highest level of safety when designing a seismic resistant facility and take many elements into consideration.