IEN: What are the major machine and worker safety issues facing industry? How can they be addressed?
Berg: Through one-on-one and focus group discussions, we''ve determined that many of our users are facing ergonomics and lifting issues as they relate to back strain, repetitive motion injury, and danger to extremities -- i.e., pinch points as an example. We address and continue to research those issues through several means. Because we operate in the material handling industry, our staff works first and foremost to eliminate manual lifting amongst our clients wherever possible. The Parrot-Beak clamping system eliminates the need for the operator to have physical contact with a drum -- a package that can often weigh nearly half a ton!
Transportable devices for single-drum applications like this counterbalanced drum lifter allow the user to lift, move, and position a drum without ever having to rely on brute strength or endanger themselves from poor lifting practices. For repetitive tasks, we''ve found that optimizing features in the product line such as electric assist lifting or hydraulic assist lifting are also very helpful at reducing repetitive motion injuries. Those options have become very popular with customers during the past 3-5 years. Additionally, through proper labeling, operator training, and sound mechanical engineering of products, we''ve found that the avoidance of pinched or broken extremities can be nearly eliminated. The key is to get the operators on board early, get their feedback, and provide proper training methods and materials to allow them to perform their jobs productively while lessening or eliminating risk.
IEN: Where are strides being made: In ease of integration? Flexibility and scalability? Safety management? Personal injury prevention? Risk management? Safety design? Emergency response? Hazard controls? Elsewhere?
Berg: Modular design in products allows for tremendous integration potential. The onset and true implementation of computer design allows us as manufacturers to do wonderful things for customers. Existing operations that require minor changes in a product to work in a specific environment were only a dream 10 years ago. Today, it is virtually possible to have 1, 2, 3 or more changes to a "stock" product that allow a customer to use a particular device in a particular area that would have at one time been impossible.
Flexible or "modular" manufacturing techniques are a true benefit to the customer. Older manufacturing and warehousing facilities throughout North America often have obstacles and facility layouts that are challenging for modern equipment. With modular design, we can satisfy some pretty difficult requirements without costing the customer tens of thousands of dollars in redesign and prototype manufacturing.
Safety in design is getting more and more attention all the time with material handling products and systems. Redundancy is a given where safety is involved. As manufacturers, we all are assigned the task of recognizing that many different operators may be using our equipment during its useful life. Some of those operators will be equipped with more training than others. Our job is to incorporate the common denominators, eliminate the blind spots and potential hazards, and produce products that can be used at a moment''s notice with little or no training required in a safe and productive manner.
IEN: What innovations are in store for users in machine safety, protective technology, ergonomic design, safety equipment and systems, environmental equipment, software, training, and other areas?
Berg: I truly believe that the next 10 years will bring rapid advancements in these areas beyond what we''ve already discovered. We have recently worked with several major customers who are testing a device for us, which attaches to our products, that collects safety and handling data for the customer and records maintenance and usage information -- right on the product! No more guesswork on safety inspections, maintenance and repair status requirements, or a possible broken component leading to downtime and lost productivity. The information is simple to collect and subsequently upload to a PC, MRO software program, or even a PDA!
It is virtually certain that in a few years, detection equipment for hazards -- both environmental and technical -- will be compact and cost-effective enough to allow for "smart machinery" that will alert the users to potential hazards before they occur. There are many areas of material handling where this is being designed and implemented right now and I believe you''ll see tremendous gains in user-friendly and interactive machinery and systems in the very near future.
IEN: What are the R & D hotspots, and which R & D areas are closest to commercialization?
Berg: In mature manufacturing and distribution economies like those in the United States, much of the traditional equipment and services offered by manufacturers in our industry have already been widely deployed within the user community. Today, the applications our sales and project groups are being asked about in material handling arenas are often much more "application specific" or "project specific" and require a much more flexible and customized approach to product manufacturing. The situation is often more "solution based" than product based.
One example I can give is a current project that my company is working on with a large government contractor who is involved in an enterprise that collects, handles, unitizes, and packs material for long-term storage and with long-distance distribution requirements in a very specific range. This project has taxed every one of our capabilities from discovery, design, safety, installation, training, and even accounting functions. The mere fact that applications are becoming more and more specific today forces us as providers of equipment and systems to be more adaptable, more flexible and more able to customize products and services to suit an unlimited number of possible handling situations.
While we strive to maintain some "constants" in our manufacturing technique and in our product lines, we all have to recognize that the realities of current business require us to be agile enough to respond to opportunities on a custom basis when necessary. Some of these ideas and the products that subsequently come out of them have more than a one-time application and can support some market depth. Some have led to nice additions to our product line during the past 5-10 years. The key in my mind is recognizing the difference between a "product" and a "project." There is an awful lot of mileage between those two words. Customization can be tricky but when undertaken properly and with the involvement of all critical departments, it can be the perfect solution for clients and a profitable endeavor for the supplier as well.
IEN: Will the web and/or wireless play greater roles in safety? If so, how?
Berg: Both technologies will play an increasingly vital role in safety, productivity, and efficiency in industry. Imagine a plant safety director who wants to in-service his or her staff on a particular handling requirement or safety issue. One option would be to call the manufacturer of the product, get them to send information, videos, training aids, etc., while waiting possibly several weeks for the materials. A second option would be to visit the supplier''s website where video and still images can be found, training and operating materials downloaded readily, and a presentation put together in no time (click here for an example).
Additionally, with Wi-Fi technology, many materials can be downloaded and accessed from remote locations even to handheld devices, making training and safety meetings much more immediate in their impact and application. Web capabilities today offer users immediate answers. Our company sells products regularly in more than 40 countries and it is not at all uncommon to have a prospect in Malaysia or Pakistan or South Africa visit our website, find a possible solution, email us with concerns for specification, safety requirements, etc., and for us to respond with answers, more technical details, and a quotation within 12 hours! Ten years ago these functions would have potentially taken a week or more. Now, they''re handled within hours. The faster implementation can be accommodated, the safer operations become.