The descriptions are right out of the personal ads: they're smart, they're sensitive, they're adaptable. But the ubjects aren't single men or women; they're today's high-tech conveyors.
David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the group editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.
Until science figures out a way to beam products from one point to another, a la Star Trek, distribution centers will rely on conveyors for transport. But no one's waiting around for the teleportation revolution. In the meantime, conveyor makers are introducing design improvements that make their systems more efficient and versatile than ever before. You might even say that modern conveyor technology is on a roll.
Compared to their predecessors, today's conveyors are faster and more flexible, thanks to their modular designs. They're smarter too, owing to advances in the sensors used to control starts and stops, and relay critical information to their human overseers. New materials used in the manufacture of rollers, bearings and conveying surfaces have reduced noise and wear. And at a time of spiking energy costs, they're drawing less juice through the use of DC drives and improved sensor design.
Sense-sational
Among the most significant changes in conveyor design is the move from mechanical sensors to electronic sensors. Electronic sensing has many advantages. It allows for higher speeds, reduces noise and lessens the need for maintenance because there are no moving parts to wear out. It also extends the range of items that can be handled via conveyor. With mechanical systems, cartons need a certain amount of heft to depress a sensor. The new electronic sensors, by contrast, can be tripped by cartons weighing less than one pound.
And electronic sensors can be made with a brain. "Sensors now have microprocessors that make them 'smart sensors,'" says Boyce Bonham of Hytrol Conveyor Co. "Because you can put as much intelligence in them as you want, you can make them very efficient."
Bonham reports that electronic sensors are replacing mechanicalstyle sensors to accumulate small cartons. Accumulation zone lengths are no longer based on how far apart the sensors are, but are instead determined by the size of the cartons conveyed. That allows for smaller gaps and means that more cartons can occupy a given footprint.
Smarter sensors, like the 32-bit variety commonly used today, can also provide diagnostic information. They can indicate exactly where a jam has occurred, for example, or identify which drives have failed.
"Intelligence can provide diagnostic feedback on the health of the system that allows maintenance crews to do more accurate repairs," adds Bonham. Even schematics can be stored within the system, so that a maintenance technician with a laptop can call up repair information directly from the facility floor.
Other maintenance tasks have become easier as well. Belts that used to take an hour to change out can now be turned around in 5 to 10 minutes.
"We are also seeing more snap-in components, as opposed to those that had required nuts and bolts before," adds John O'Brien of equipment supplier HK Systems.
Conveyor speeds have also increased. Some conveyors are approaching rates of 500 feet a minute, with sorters actually attaining blazing-fast speeds of up to 700 feet per minute. Of course, that's not an advantage if the rest of the operation is unable to keep up. If you can't pack and load at those rates, ultra-fast conveying and sortation will create bottlenecks that offset any gains achieved through greater velocity. Speed can have other drawbacks as well. "The faster you run, the quicker components wear out and the more noise levels increase," cautions Tim Kraus of system supplier FKI Logistex.
Roll on
Not only are they speedy, but new conveyors are also versatile, designed to handle a wide range of products. Placing rollers that are 1.9 inches wide a mere two inches apart gives the rollers greater surface contact with products and allows them to carry an unprecedented variety of items. Being able to put lightweight and oddly shaped items on a conveyor reduces the need for relying on other means of moving those products, humans included.
That's good news for DCs in regions where labor is in short supply. "The problems of finding labor for distribution centers is not going away," says Susan Rider of conveyor manufacturer Intelligrated. "There is a need to reduce the amount of non-conveyables to eliminate additional manual handling."
Beyond their spacing, the rollers themselves offer advancements. Powered roller designs, in which small motors for driving product are actually contained within individual rollers, are gaining favor. They are easier to maintain and allow for a good deal of design flexibility, as the power and intelligence are self-contained within small conveyor sections. And they're getting better all the time. "As we move forward with this technology, we should expect to see costs go down and roller capabilities go up," says Bob Barnes of HK Systems.
Though power rollers can cost up to 30 percent more than shaft and belt drives, their lower energy consumption can lead to long-term savings. But that's not always an easy sell. "Many people look at only those initial costs," says Don Kloosterhouse of conveyor manufacturer TGW-ERMANCO, "but these rollers can save energy, maintenance and preventative maintenance. It is best to look at costs over the life of the system. There could be real savings."
Powered rollers achieve these savings by operating only when product is available for transport. As a carton or tote approaches the zone, the roller kicks on to carry it forward to the next zone. If no other cartons are present, it turns off. For this reason, powered rollers tend to be used for applications that feed specific work zones like picking areas, value-added work zones and packing stations—areas where the conveyor is not constantly running. But that same feature makes them less than ideal for transporting items long distances, such as to and from docks or storage, where product is nearly always present on the conveyor.
Powered rollers are also less costly to install in the field than shaft and belt drives. That's largely a reflection of their modular design. The more pre-wiring that can be done in the factory, the faster these systems can be up and running when they reach the DC.
Modular design also means that it's no longer necessary to tear out the conveyors when requirements change. Technicians can simply rearrange the modules in a different path. "Conveyors then become reusable assets," explains Ken Ruehrdanz of Dematic (formerly Siemens Logistics & Assembly Systems). "Modular 'plug and convey' designs allow conveyor sections to be moved and reconfigured to another location or building and into a different application."
Today's conveyors even look better than their predecessors. Newer systems that hide all of their components from view have been popular in Europe and are now showing up on this side of the Atlantic as well. Wiring, drives, controls and pneumatics are mounted within the conveyor frame or hidden behind shrouds or plastic windows. Not only does this present a more attractive appearance, but it also reduces noise and fluid leaks. And although the components may not be visible, conveyor manufacturers say, they're still highly accessible for repair purposes.
One word: plastic
Where is conveyor design headed in the future? Most experts agree that systems will continue to get faster, smarter and more efficient. We may see a greater reliance on composite materials not only for bearings and drives, but possibly for the conveyor structures themselves. Escalating steel prices may eventually result in plastic conveyors that will also be quieter to operate.
Designs will also be simpler, with greater emphasis on making the conveyor part of an integrated system. "We are going to see more modularity that will allow a designer to build from building blocks using standard components," predicts FKI's Kraus. But the focus will continue to be on integration. Future conveyor systems will not simply connect pieces of equipment; they'll be the glue that holds them all together.
less damage, more dough
At the King's Hawaiian DC, the days of squashed bread loaves and flattened rolls are over. After years of manual distribution operations that relied largely on forklifts, the company, which makes sweet breads, rolls and other baked goods, made a wholesale changeover to automation. The move was at least partly prompted by its desire to cut down on damage and waste. "We had a lot of problems with forklifts damaging the racks and also the products," says David Schat, the company's manager of technology.
All that goes a long way toward explaining why King's Hawaiian decided to rethink its entire distribution process when it began planning for a new bakery and adjoining DC it would open in Torrance, Calif., in 2004. Forklifts would have a greatly reduced role in that new process. Instead, the new DC would rely on about 1,000 feet of conveyor to route products in and out of short-term storage and to prepare shipments for delivery to points nationwide.
Of course, conveyors can't do all the work alone. The Torrance facility also features an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) and robotic palletizers. Both the AS/RS and the palletizers are fed by the conveyors, which are mostly 22-inch wide roller units supplied by Hytrol Conveyor Co., through its distributor McCombs-Wall.
Today, the facility's daily operations require little human intervention. Once they leave the bakery, the loaves of bread and rolls are packed into bar-coded cartons and transported to the DC via the facility's three conveyor lines (one is a dedicated line and the other two merge together). The merged lines employ smart conveyors that start and stop to provide proper gapping for the merges.
The conveyors next carry their loads to a Fanuc robotic palletizer that automatically stacks cartons upon three staged single-SKU slave pallets, each bearing an RFID tag to aid in tracking lot numbers. Once palletized, the slave pallets are conveyed to the AS/RS. This system, located within a freezer, is four levels high and consists of 600 storage positions. Its single aisle holds products six pallets deep on one side and four deep on the other. Dwell time in the freezer is anywhere from one to seven days.
When products are needed to fill orders, the AS/RS crane retrieves the pallet from storage and loads it onto another conveyor. This unit feeds a second robot charged with depalletizing tasks. The robot removes cartons from the pallets and places them onto an additional conveyor that feeds shipping. When the cartons arrive at the docks, small wheels on the conveyor surface turn at an angle to sort outbound cartons down four shipping lanes. Telescoping conveyors at the end of each divert extend into trailers at each dock position to facilitate fluid loading of products.
How has the new process worked out? Since it opened the automated facility, the company has seen a reduction in its labor requirements and an overall improvement in distribution efficiency. Best of all, product damage has plummeted, saving King's Hawaiian a lot of bread.
E-commerce activity remains robust, but a growing number of consumers are reintegrating physical stores into their shopping journeys in 2024, emphasizing the need for retailers to focus on omnichannel business strategies. That’s according to an e-commerce study from Ryder System, Inc., released this week.
Ryder surveyed more than 1,300 consumers for its 2024 E-Commerce Consumer Study and found that 61% of consumers shop in-store “because they enjoy the experience,” a 21% increase compared to results from Ryder’s 2023 survey on the same subject. The current survey also found that 35% shop in-store because they don’t want to wait for online orders in the mail (up 4% from last year), and 15% say they shop in-store to avoid package theft (up 8% from last year).
“Retail and e-commerce continue to evolve,” Jeff Wolpov, Ryder’s senior vice president of e-commerce, said in a statement announcing the survey’s findings. “The emergence of e-commerce and growth of omnichannel fulfillment, particularly over the past four years, has altered consumer expectations and behavior dramatically and will continue to do so as time and technology allow.
“This latest study demonstrates that, while consumers maintain a robust
appetite for e-commerce, they are simultaneously embracing in-person shopping, presenting an impetus for merchants to refine their omnichannel strategies.”
Other findings include:
• Apparel and cosmetics shoppers show growing attraction to buying in-store. When purchasing apparel and cosmetics, shoppers are more inclined to make purchases in a physical location than they were last year, according to Ryder. Forty-one percent of shoppers who buy cosmetics said they prefer to do so either in a brand’s physical retail location or a department/convenience store (+9%). As for apparel shoppers, 54% said they prefer to buy clothing in those same brick-and-mortar locations (+9%).
• More customers prefer returning online purchases in physical stores. Fifty-five percent of shoppers (+15%) now say they would rather return online purchases in-store–the first time since early 2020 the preference to Buy Online Return In-Store (BORIS) has outweighed returning via mail, according to the survey. Forty percent of shoppers said they often make additional purchases when picking up or returning online purchases in-store (+2%).
• Consumers are extremely reliant on mobile devices when shopping in-store. This year’s survey reveals that 77% of consumers search for items on their mobile devices while in a store, Ryder said. Sixty-nine percent said they compare prices with items in nearby stores, 58% check availability at other stores, 31% want to learn more about a product, and 17% want to see other items frequently purchased with a product they’re considering.
Ryder said the findings also underscore the importance of investing in technology solutions that allow companies to provide customers with flexible purchasing options.
“Omnichannel strength is not a fad; it is a strategic necessity for e-commerce and retail businesses to stay competitive and achieve sustainable success in 2024 and beyond,” Wolpov also said. “The findings from this year’s study underscore what we know our customers are experiencing, which is the positive impact of integrating supply chain technology solutions across their sales channels, enabling them to provide their customers with flexible, convenient options to personalize their experience and heighten customer satisfaction.”
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.
Krish Nathan is the Americas CEO for SDI Element Logic, a provider of turnkey automation solutions and sortation systems. Nathan joined SDI Industries in 2000 and honed his project management and engineering expertise in developing and delivering complex material handling solutions. In 2014, he was appointed CEO, and in 2022, he led the search for a strategic partner that could expand SDI’s capabilities. This culminated in the acquisition of SDI by Element Logic, with SDI becoming the Americas branch of the company.
A native of the U.K., Nathan received his bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Coventry University and has studied executive leadership at Cranfield University.
Q: How would you describe the current state of the supply chain industry?
A: We see the supply chain industry as very dynamic and exciting, both from a growth perspective and from an innovation perspective. The pandemic hangover is still impacting decisions to nearshore, and that has resulted in a spike in business for us in both the USA and Mexico. Adding new technology to our portfolio has been a significant contributor to our continued expansion.
Q: Distributors were making huge tech investments during the pandemic simply to keep up with soaring consumer demand. How have things changed since then?
A: The consumer demand for e-commerce certainly appears to have cooled since the pandemic high, but our clients continue to see steady growth. Growth, combined with low unemployment and high labor costs, continues to make automation a good investment for many companies.
Q: Robotics are still in high demand for material handling applications. What are some of the benefits of these systems?
A: As an organization, we are investing heavily in software that will allow Element Logic to offer solutions for robotic picking that are hardware-agnostic. We have had success deploying unit picking for order fulfillment solutions and unit placing of items onto tray-based sorters.
From a benefit point of view, we’ve seen the consistency of a given operation improve. For example, the placement accuracy of a product onto a tray is far higher from a robotic arm than from a person. In order fulfillment applications, two of the biggest benefits are reliability and hours of operation. The robots don't call in sick, and they are happy to work 22 hours a day!
Q: SDI Element Logic offers a wide range of automated solutions, including automated storage and sortation equipment. What criteria should distributors use to determine what type of system is right for them?
A: There are a significant number of factors to consider when thinking about automation. In my experience, automation pays for itself in three key ways: It saves space, it increases the efficiency of labor, and it improves accuracy. So evaluating which of these will be [most] beneficial and quantifying the associated savings will lead to a “right sized” investment in technology.
Another important factor to consider is product mix. With a small SKU (stock-keeping unit) base, often automation doesn’t make sense. And with a huge SKU base, there will be products that don’t lend themselves to automation.
With any significant investment, you need to partner with an organization that has deep experience with the technologies that are being considered and … in-depth knowledge of the process that is being automated.
Q: How can a goods-to-person system reduce the amount of labor needed to fill orders?
A: In most order picking operations, there is a considerable amount of walking between pick faces to find the SKUs associated with a given order or set of orders. Goods-to-person eliminates the walking and allows the operator to just pick. I have seen studies that [show] that 75% of the time [required] to assemble an order in a manual picking environment is walking or “non-picking” time. So eliminating walking will reduce the amount of labor needed.
The goods-to-person approach also fits perfectly with robotic picking, so even the actual picking aspect of order assembly can be automated in some instances. For these reasons, [automation offers] a significant opportunity to reduce the labor needed to fulfill a customer order.
Q: If you could pick one thing a company should do to improve its distribution center operations, what would it be?
A: Evaluate. Evaluate the opportunities for improving by considering automation. In my experience, the challenge most companies have is recognizing that automation is an alternative. The barrier to entry is far lower than most people think!
Toyota Material Handling and its nationwide network of dealers showcased their commitment to improving their local communities during the company’s annual “Lift the Community Day.” Since 2021, Toyota associates have participated in an annual day-long philanthropic event held near Toyota’s Columbus, Indiana, headquarters. This year, the initiative expanded to include participation from Toyota’s dealers, increasing the impact on communities throughout the U.S. A total of 324 Toyota associates completed 2,300 hours of community service during this year’s event.
The PMMI Foundation, the charitable arm of PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships to students pursuing careers in the packaging and processing industry. Each year, the PMMI Foundation provides academic scholarships to students studying packaging, food processing, and engineering to underscore its commitment to the future of the packaging and processing industry.
Truck leasing and fleet management services provider Fleet Advantage hosted its “Kids Around the Corner Foundation” back-to-school backpack drive in July. During the event, company associates assembled 200 backpacks filled with essential school supplies for high school-age students. The backpacks were then delivered to Henderson Behavioral Health’s Youth & Family Services location in Tamarac, Florida.
For the past seven years, third-party logistics service specialist ODW Logistics has provided logistics support for the Pelotonia Ride Weekend, a campaign to raise funds for cancer research at The Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center–Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. As in the past, ODW provided inventory management services and transportation for the riders’ bicycles at this year’s event. In all, some 7,000 riders and 3,000 volunteers participated in the ride weekend.