Editor’s Note: This is the first of two articles about the Materials Handling Institute’s upcoming report on industry trends. The second article will be published Friday, November 15. Forecasting the future of the materials handling industry, an industry trade group recently unveiled what it believes will be the 10 guiding trends of the next decade. … Read more
EcoVadis, one of Europe’s largest and most respected environmental watchdog groups, recently awarded Toyota Materials Handling Europeits Gold Level ranking, it’s highest award for environmental safety, according to a news release. The group recognized the manufacturer of forklifts and other heavy equipment for its performance in four key areas: Environment, Labor Practices, Fair Business Practices, … Read more
Qantas, the Australian airline best known for having the industry’s best safety record, announced recently that it is closing its maintenance facility in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The closing will result in the loss of more than 300 jobs, according to news reports. The facility had been used to service the airline’s fleet of 14 747 … Read more
An increasing number of states and municipalities are limiting or banning indoor smoking. According to the Nonsmokers Rights Foundation, as of April of 2013, about 81.3% of all Americans live under a ban on smoking in “workplaces, and/or restaurants, and/or bars, by either a state, commonwealth of local law.” For owners of manufacturing and warehousing facilities, … Read more
Workers are sometimes reluctant to use hard hats, even though their use is required in any type of construction area. But if you can do a good job of communicating to your employees why hard hat safety is essential, it’s often possible to reduce this resistance and get all of your employees on board with … Read more
Terex, a leading manufacturer of materials handling vehicles and heavy equipment, recently unveiled its newest product, the Terex Hi-Ranger TM100. The vehicle is a non-overcenter, telescoping material handling aerial device that has been redesigned to include several new improvements, according to a news release. Among the changes are a decreased travel height and a lower … Read more
Toyota Material Handling recently donated a hand pallet truck to a British charity that provides meals for poor children in Africa. According to news reports, the donation of the pallet truck to Mary’s Meals, a Glasgow-based charitable organization which provides backpacks full of food products which are sent to impoverished schoolchildren in Malawi and Liberia. … Read more
Packaging hasn’t changed all that much in the past 50 years, with cardboard and plastic playing a central role in packaging materials. But over the course of the next few decades, at least one expert says there could be radical changes ahead. During a recent presentation at the Material Handling and Logistics Conference, in Park City, Utah, … Read more
Columbus McKinnon, one of the leading manufacturer of materials handling products in the US, announced recently that it has named Jon Adams as its new treasurer. Adams previously served as finance leader for the Silanes business for Momentive Performance Materials, according to a news release. He also worked at Ernst & Young and has an … Read more
Four students from Montana State University finished in second place at the recent national Materials Handling Student Design Competition. It was the second time in three years that students from MSU took one of the highly-competitive event’s top three spots. Participants were asked to design the most efficient addition to the product lines and square … Read more
