The popular clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters is building a new distribution center that will handle both store replenishment and direct-to-consumer orders from the same inventory. Typically, these two functions are handled by different operations, but the new AEO distribution center currently under construction in Hazle Township, Pennsylvania, will be a streamlined, fully-automated facility that … Read more
Commentary and Opinion Regular readers of this blog may recall when I facetiously pitched an idea for a reality show based on the growing popularity of forklift rodeos. Well, apparently a television production company in New Zealand had the same idea because the “World Forklift League” TV show currently is filming in locations throughout the … Read more
In today’s Thursday Feature, we examine the lingering effects of the West Coast port labor problems, which created a logjam at cargo container ports from Seattle to San Diego that some are saying could take months to clean up. Even though the union representing West Coast dockworkers and port owners finally reached a new contract … Read more
A UK-based company has combined a few common sensor technologies to create a new safety system for trucks that can alert drivers when they are in danger of colliding with cyclists and other obstacles. The Bike Hotspot, developed by Sentinel Systems — a family-owned business based in Gloucestershire — features sensors located at the front … Read more
Proposed new work rules that would prevent trucking companies from using “coercion” to encourage truckers to drive more hours than legally allowable are being opposed by some shippers. In a brief filed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC) said the agency’s proposed new rules — which were … Read more
When the 30th annual ProMat materials handling trade show is held March 23 to 26 at Chicago’s McCormick Place South convention Center, it will feature more than 800 exhibitors and is expected to set all-time attendance records. The event is presented by the materials handling trade group MHI. In addition to the exhibit hall, ProMat … Read more
Editor’s Note: In today’s Thursday Feature, we travel to upstate New York, where a pair of enterprising sisters have turned what some would see as a symbol of a declining industry and spun it into gold … or at least golden waffles and delicious fluffy pancakes. The town of Greece, located in upstate New York … Read more
Editor’s Note: The following is the latest in a series of periodic articles examining business trends and their effect on industries in the future. By now, most everybody has seen something about three-dimensional printers — a news article, a YouTube video, perhaps even a live demonstration at a trade expo. 3D printers work much the … Read more
After more than nine months of contact talks and a work slowdown that snarled cargo container ports up and down the West Coast, port owners and dock workers finally reached a tentative five-year contract agreement over the weekend. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union’s leadership has agreed to a five-year contract with the Pacific Maritime … Read more
Editor’s Note: In this week’s featured article, we are going to be “kicking it old school” by taking a look at a handful of simple, low-tech tools that provide more productivity than other complicated high-tech devices that cost exponentially more. Companies that produce materials handling products are always trying to outshine each other with the … Read more
