Tag: material handling trends

Material Handling Job Site Launched to Attract Workers

NA 2008 recently wrapped up in Cleveland. One of the more interesting developments to come out of the annual trade show sponsored by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) was increased industry interest in worker assist devices. “We’re finding a renewed interest in looking at the worker rather than just the workplace,” said MHIA Vice President Tom Carbott. “Companies that can find talent want to keep their employees safe and productive in the workplace.” Carbott said he expects more exhibitors to mirror this interest at next year’s show in Chicago.

In a related development, in response to industry concerns about attracting workers to careers in material handling, the first job posting website dedicated solely to recruiting students to the material handling industry was introduced. Designed and launched as a cooperative effort by the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA), MHIA and the College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education the website is meant to serve as a bridge or gateway between students and industry professionals. Dubbed by MHEDA the Gateway Program, the website is located at www.mheda.org.

“The website was developed to attract and recruit students seeking employment in the industry, as well as to strengthen relationships between academia and industry,” explained MHEDA Executive Vice President Liz Richards. “We encourage all professionals in the industry to take full advantage of the resources on the Gateway site, as it is meant for industry-wide use.”

The site targets three groups: students, advisors and industry professionals, providing customized resources and publications of specific interest to each group. Free searchable databases allow users to review resumes and job postings. The site can be used by students and industry professionals to find/fill internships, co-op work opportunities and full-time employment. Employers can also indicate their availability for guest lectures and site visits.

Integration of Material Handling Components Lags

To the frustration of many, the material handling industry stills seems a long way from achieving the plug and play capabilities of common home electronics. The day when all material handling components will interface with each other still appears to be in the distant future. Material handling manufacturers remain focused on producing dedicated components that require purchase of their particular system. The goal of integrated components that can be easily and quickly installed and used in any setting with any material handling system lags far behind the profit-driven motives of the current marketplace. 

While integration isn’t the bug-a-bear it was a decade ago, it still “typically takes between 8 and 12 weeks to install a piece of material handling equipment in a distribution center,” said Steve Martyn, CEO of GRSI, a systems integrator. Even products that bill themselves as “plug and play” generally require that specific coding instructions be written for at least 40% of the integration before successful installation can be completed.

The problem, say experts, appears to be a lack of interest in creating industry-wide data-exchange standards that would allow for instant interface of varied material handling components. “The only way to have true plug and play is if you have a body of industry leaders that define a standard,” explained Daniel Ahrens, client support manager at Fortna, Inc., a material handling consulting firm. That would require that hundreds of companies come to agreement as the electronics industry did in choosing the USB as the standard interface device — a difficult, but not impossible, task. “The trouble with standards is you have to get hundreds of companies to agree,” said material handling consultant Sam Flanders, president of 2wmc.com. “You have to have a driving force to make this happen. And nobody thinks it will result in extra revenue.”

At present there’s no pressure on the industry for anyone to step up to the plate; however, that’s expected to change as small providers of warehouse management software fall to the giants like SAP and Oracle. “The big ERP (enterprise resource planning) guys probably will eventually set standards,” said Martyn. Until they do, beware the material handling supplier that advertises “plug and play” components — they probably won’t be what you’re expecting.

Managing a Multicultural Workforce

America’s workforce is becoming increasingly multicultural. At this year’s MHEDA convention, keynote speaker Steven Little predicted that changing demographics will redefine material handling workers and change the way we do business. As Baby Boomers retire and the U.S. workforce shrinks, industry will need to turn increasingly to foreign and immigrant workers. Within a decade, Little said, Spanish will be the primary language spoken in 20% of U.S. homes. Overcoming the language and cultural barriers presented by a multicultural workforce is expected to present a significant challenge for many industries, including material handling, warehousing and logistics operations.

As they have since the founding of America, immigrants bring with them a wealth of diverse languages, cultural traditions and customs. However, communication, productivity, and worker morale can suffer when differences are not addressed. This problem is already being experienced by businesses in the West and Southwest who employ Hispanic workers. Hispanics are one of the fastest-growing groups in the U.S. workforce. Unusually high injury rates and on-the-job deaths among foreign-born Hispanic workers prompted business owners to ask OSHA for help. In response OSHA is starting to offer classes on the social hierarchy of Latino and Asian cultures, both of which are more highly structured and rigid than American culture.

Accommodating the language, customs and social structure of foreign workers is necessary if immigrant workers are to be effectively integrated into the U.S. workforce. Material handling, logistics and warehousing firms that are proactive in accommodating language and cultural differences into their workplace routine will be able to profit from the increasing diversity of America’s workforce.

Webcast: World-Changing Material Handling Trends

The challenges facing American business and our world are mind boggling: recession, labor shortages, global warming, war, the brain drain. Politicians are ranting, people are discussing, and everyone is worrying about what to do. Solutions run the gamut from fantastic to ludicrous. Given the realities of moving and managing resources, surprisingly few of the ideas being bandied about in the press seem realistic. Modern Materials Handling magazine suggests that the most realistic solutions are coming from the world of logistics. The magazine has assembled a panel of experts to discuss some of the most promising solutions to the world’s problems and the trends in material handling that will make them possible.

Trends that will change materials handling — and the world is the subject of an upcoming webcast sponsored by Modern Materials Handling magazine. The live webcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, August 29. Click here to register for the material handling trends webcast.

Editor-in-Chief Tom Andel will moderate a panel that will include:

  • John Hill, TranSystems/ESYNC, who will discuss enticing new talent to the logistics workforce through supply chain execution technology.
  • Ron Giuntini, OEM Products-Services Institute, will provide insight into the material handling implications of the service vs product model and its effect on both the economy and environment.
  • Col. Alan Will of the U.S. Marine Corps will share logistics best practices learned on the front lines in Iraq.
  • Dr. John Usher, PhD, a professor with the University of Louisville Department of Industrial Engineering, will describe a future in which Direct Digital Manufacturing will redefine material handling in production environments.