A growing emphasis on JIT and flexibility imposes ever-greater pressure on the material handling area. "Traditional material handling tools simply cannot compete in a manufacturing world that wants on-demand answers," according to Jeff McNeil, marketing manager at Gorbel Inc, yet "total automation lacks the intuitiveness to meet the growing need for flexibility. For example, an automated system for palletizing tire rims is ideal, assuming every tire rim that needs to be picked up is in precisely the same spot each time. Can a completely automated system compensate for rims that are shifted a few inches from where they are expected to be?" McNeil proposes an answer -- focusing "less on hard automation and more on human guidance," with solutions providing the "repeatability of automated solutions, plus the variability and responsiveness of a human solution, without the risk of injury that comes with totally manual options." (For more, click here.)

Integrating Material Handling

The MH sector can also meet today's demands "by providing a higher level of integration between their information systems and factory floor automation," notes Ken Thouvenot, vp project management & marketing at FKI Logistex Alvey Systems. "Final assembly of manufactured products can be postponed until actual orders are received," he continues. "Components can be manufactured and held in buffer storage systems at minimal inventory levels." Once orders come in, this information "can be downloaded to the factory floor material handling system (MHS). The MHS can then automatically select the components required to meet the order and convey those components along with the packaging materials for the product to a final assembly and packaging line." (For more, click here.)

MH equipment can have a 10-20 year lifespan. "One certainty is that a facility will be significantly different in 10 years," observes Mark Longacre, marketing manager at FMC Technologies Inc. "Selecting material handling equipment that can be easily reconfigured and expanded will produce the most cost-effective long-term solution." (For more, click here.)

The shifts in auto manufacturing put an additional strain on the MH area, Dr. Hedge Hornis, intelligent systems manager for Pepperl+Fuchs, tells IEN. "First, a batch size of 'one' must be implemented on the overall production control system. Secondly, the visibility of the car needs to be improved . . . This is where ID systems come in. By tagging and tracking every subcomponent, the required visibility can be achieved." (For more, click here.) Topper Industrial's Jim Klenke envisions an auto industry where sequencing centers deliver "subassemblies to the assembly plant 'just in time,'" with parts "delivered by AGVs/AGCs to a robot with visual enhancement." (For more, click here.)

TKF vp sales Jim Walsh sees "an increased need to sequence product flow to meet JIT production scheduling . . . Multiple and/or redundant bar code scanners or RF readers are often installed throughout the system to allow this type of tracking." (For more, click here.) Embedded microcontrollers allow designers to "create, adapt, and revise their 'intelligent' application reliably," states Cheri Keller, product marketing manager/at Microchip Technology Inc's Advanced Microcontroller and Automotive Div, "improving flexibility and lowering overall system costs." (For more, click here.)

"Modular robotics with easy-to-use control systems are also becoming available in the form of easy-to-combine linear axes," says Kevin Gingerich, director of marketing services/linear motion and assembly technologies at Bosch Rexroth Corp, making it simpler to "deploy various types of robots in a plant without having to shell out extra cash for controls." He explains: "The key again is the modularity of such systems, because the user can get exactly what he or she needs now, and add to or reconfigure the system later. If payload needs increase, for example, it may be possible to exchange one axis only, rather than an entire robot." (For more, click here.) (Rexroth's CMS Cartesian Motion Systems, pictured, are available in two or three axes for various positioning tasks.)

Innovations -- RFID & More

Tom Woodson, regional sales manager, Murata Machinery USA, believes that the "wave of RFID technology will represent the largest innovation for these users for many years to come." The final step -- combining applications and "tying complete supply chains together." Industry must jump several hurdles before this is accomplished. "Challenges of a shared database, competitive pricing and Internet security will all need to be overcome. Each of these steps will create tremendous knowledge, in turn creating efficiencies in local, national, and global operations unheard of today. Every organization will need to implement this technology at some level to compete against those that already have." (For more, click here.)

Demag president John Paxton points to embedded computers in hoists that can "collect runtime, loading, and cycle data, which can be retrieved via a laptop or a PDA, and this information can be used for preventative maintenance on the equipment." (For more, click here.) Modularity is the rule. "We have seen an increased need for small 'organization kits,' says Tom Matyas, president/CEO of Equipto. Companies may need 20 or 30 kits comprising shelves, drawers, and workbenches, but they "no longer require 100 units of shelving for a now nonexistent large inventory."

On the software side, "supply chain execution and planning systems" continue to "evolve into visibility tools that provide actionable information to increasing higher level elements of manufacturing and distribution organizations," according to Ed Melville, business area manager/MH solutions at Lockheed Martin Distribution Technologies. "As for equipment and systems, the incessant drive to greater performance at lower cost continues to yield innovations that can be used to an organization's advantage. Product identification and inspection technologies like vision system and radio frequency identification (RFID) are a couple of examples. If you don't take advantage of them, your competitor will," Melville cautions. (For more, click here.)

Remstar International marketing director Ed Romaine notes an "increased emphasis on ease of use and reduced training initiatives by introducing greater pick-to-light technology, intuitive (5 minute training or less) inventory management systems, faster and lower risk installations and commissioning of systems, and faster deliveries." (For more, click here.)

Longacre describes a "new breed of semi-automated vehicles [that] can automate the long distance travel (which is simple to automate) while leaving the movements at a loading dock as a manual operation. These vehicles focus on automating the processes which are repeatable, but it also allows for the instantaneous flexibility of a human using a forklift or pallet jack."

"In terms of flexibility, we can also talk about printer emulation," states Gene Korzeniewski, manager/product development at Avery Dennison Printer Systems. "New printer/applicators can now operate in different legacy environments without requiring a change in the hardware or software system interface. This allows customers to take advantage of leading edge technology like 16 in./sec print speeds or ribbon saver and not be restricted to the product offerings from a single supplier. Regarding functionality, more intelligence is being designed into the system to accommodate accessories like online bar code verifiers or to provide direct interfaces to control modules in the application. This latter capability improves system efficiency and many times can eliminate the need and cost associated with intermediate PLCs." (For more, click here.)

Interroll DC product manager Kenneth Bobick expects "more integration of the activity in the material handling function to the business system function from package recognition and preventative maintenance capabilities that this increased technology can provide." (For more, click here.)

What about plant floor connectivity? "Ethernet, Ethernet, Ethernet," notes John Lesnick, SBA manager/automotive & material handling at Danfoss NA Motion Control. "This simple TCP/IP hardware platform will finally allow ease of use and standardized connectivity while providing improved setup, startup, and diagnostic capabilities of the complete system. A simple browser interface will provide easy and instant access to system status data." (For more, click here.)

Mike Nager, industry marketing manager at Phoenix Contact Inc, adds Internet, wireless, and modem control to that mantra. "Knowing exactly where material is within the supply chain both internal and external to the company is expected," he emphasizes. "Products can't disappear into a 'black hole' only to reappear at some unspecified time later." The availability of ruggedized components is problematic, Nager comments. "One of the bigger challenges for the industrial market is the relative scarcity of industrialized connectivity products like Ethernet switches and RJ45 connectors. A warehouse can be a challenging location to place sensitive electronics so physically and electrically hardened really are a necessity." The additional expense "barely makes a blimp on the balance sheet. In contrast, if a line goes down, the costs are immediately realized." (For more, click here.) (Phoenix Contact's Modular Managed Switch, pictured, needs no complex IT programming for quick Ethernet setup.)

Observes Erica Rice, marcom specialist at Production Basics: "Equipment such as carts, worktables, shelving, and mobile storage is becoming both 'wired' and 'wireless.' These products are changing to meet these needs and create a wider bridge to plant floor connectivity." (For more, click here.)

I.D. Systems' Greg Smith notes that the "major application in the news, of course, is RFID-based tracking of case- and pallet-level merchandise throughout the retail supply chain, as championed by Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense." His company focuses on 'smart' RFID-based systems for controlling, tracking, and managing vehicle fleets. "For example, we provide a system that enables Ford to better command and monitor its fleets of material handling equipment -- forklifts and the like -- to improve safety, increase productivity, and reduce operating costs. We are delivering a similar system for the Transportation Security Administration to enhance command and control over aircraft ground support equipment, like fuel trucks, in the interest of national security." (For more, click here.)

R & D efforts are going into both software and equipment. Patricia Curry, HHP's marketing services manager, points to "direct part mark readers that can read very low-contrast codes imbedded on the parts and read them from distances never achieved before." (For more, click here.)

"RFID, Internet security, and PLC software platform development are the three main R & D hurdles today," says Woodson. Smith cites "intelligent wireless tracking and control of high-value assets, from fixed machinery to containers . . . we plan to capitalize on our customers' existing RF communications infrastructure to develop new solutions for them that will improve the visibility of and reduce costs associated with many other types of assets." And Bobick sees moves to eliminate the "traditional mechanical transport methods in favor of automated motion controls."

Wireless Spreads

Wireless continues to spread. Woodson lists present applications -- "automated storage/retrieval machines, AGVs, forklifts, route trucks, bar code/RFID scanners, RFID active tags, personal computers, telephones, thermometers" -- and predicts even greater use. "Low-cost RF-enabled handheld image readers will allow data collection in the warehouse without the restrictions of cables," Curry forecasts, and "point-to-point and networked handheld imagers will become more commonplace in these applications."

Downtime should become less of a problem. For example, carousel and vertical lift module downtime can be "virtually eliminated using web-based monitoring and a normal maintenance program," notes Romaine.

Safety remains a pressing issue. "As customers strive to streamline their operations, they want to not only be safe, but also maintain a high throughput," Tom Knauer, vp/marketing at STI, tells IEN. "Safety suppliers are being asked to provide more innovative solutions that protect the workers (and equipment) while minimizing the impact on production. Recent generations of machine safeguarding products have emerged as a result of this need -- laser scanners, hydraulic press brake guarding systems, safety networked interlocks/switches." Innovations include "safety networking, safety cameras, and remote device setup/programming," says Knauer. (For more, click here.)

"Electronic and infrared sensing devices are making great strides in creating a safer work environment and making safety systems easier to understand and work with," adds Randy Jennings, business development, at Transbotics. (For more, click here.)

The technological transformation of the MH sector impacts safety and security. Lockheed Martin's Melville observes a reduction "in touch labor with a corresponding increase in decision-making, machine controls tasks. The shift is translating into safer manufacturing and distribution operations. On the security front, access control, more precise product tracking, and more effective quality control borne of technological advances are all having very positive benefits."

And manufacturers continue to turn to 3PL providers. "In some instances, the 3PL is receiving the raw materials and supplying them to the manufacturer as required as well as handling the finished product coming out of the manufacturing facility," Thouvenot explains. "The 3PL is moving closer to the core manufacturing operations. This may mean that the 3PL is actually receiving single cases of product and handling the palletizing operations that have traditionally been part of manufacturing."

Adds Warren Eck, vp/Yale Fleet Management & Financial Services: "Lift truck fleets are the one key area that companies identify for cost savings. Third party logistics providers, like Yale Fleet Management, offer customers a reliable partner that thoroughly analyzes current operations and identifies areas for immediate cost savings. Typically, Yale Fleet Management will provide at least 15% cost savings the first year, and improved productivity over the life of the relationship." (For more, click here.)

Meanwhile, with the increase in wireless applications "there will be an excellent opportunity for third-party logistics vendors to increase the value they add and become more important for end-users," Smith tells IEN.