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MHI Updates
In 2017, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its final rule on Walking-Working Surfaces and Personal Fall Protection Systems. The ruling was intended to help update regulations to meet advancements in best practices, but the 513-page document was… confusing, to say the least. Given the critical role that guardrail plays in helping warehouses and distribution centers achieve compliance with this regulation, we thought we’d help you out and dig into the ruling and explain how you can comply with the regulations with essential protective equipment.
   
With the cost of real estate and rents still high, a lot of manufacturing and distribution facilities miss out on an easy way to optimize their existing structure’s space while simultaneously improving workflow: overhead lifting equipment. By adding cranes, hoists and monorails to an operation, a company can take advantage of the overhead space in their buildings, achieving spatial and throughput gains that floor-based transport and placement equipment cannot.
Transportation
Sustainability
Toshiba America Business Solutions’ product packaging didn’t allow for the double stacking of the packages in shipping containers because the top stack would be two inches too tall to fit in a container. As a result, containers would have to be shipped nearly half empty. But reducing the height of the casters and pallets the packages were placed on allowed for double stacking – lowering costs and in the process lowering the carbon going into the atmosphere from the ocean container ships because you’re doubling what’s going onto these ships. You’re saving money and it’s also better for the environment.
Supply Chain Trends
With the recent media focus (both traditional and social) on pollution, global warming, resource depletion, landfill limitations and food waste, the concept of zero waste is creeping increasingly into the public’s awareness. Likewise, companies worldwide are feeling both internal and external pressures to operate more sustainably as both materials costs and consumer expectations for better corporate citizenship rise.
Workforce
As more and more warehouses and fulfillment operations explore opportunities to add automation to their processes, they’re also recognizing that not everyone in their current workforce possesses the skills to work with and/or maintain those systems. That’s means—as the repetitive tasks previously performed by employees shift onto the automated system—workers who are most comfortable with touchscreens, digital displays and control systems will be at an advantage over those who aren’t. To address those skills deficits, here are six recommendations for staffing automated distribution centers.
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