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By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2001

50 years ago

Much has been written about the Industrial Revolution, which was ushered in on a practical scale with the factory system around 1840. Little has been said, however, about the fact that processing operations have greatly outdistanced handling operations in the years that have elapsed since then. Yet, materials handling labor today accounts for roughly 40% of the labor payroll in American manufacturing industries. From a feature on internal transportation

It used to take 24 hours to get supplies through the Kelly Field Air Material Command warehouse. Now, thanks to an integrated materials handling system which actually uses less equipment and less manpower, supplies reach the hands of the user in 30 minutes. From a feature on mechanized conveyor belts

25 years ago

During the next few months, something new is going to appear on your receiving dock. It will signal the start of a genuine revolution in automatic identification and flow control of incoming materials. Briefly summed up, it will be a linear bar code symbol that will enable you to automatically identify, with a scanner, the contents of corrugated cases no matter who ships them to you-one supplier or thousands. From a feature on incoming materials flow

The acceptance of stretch-film wrapping systems is so great in the less than 3 years since their introduction in the U.S.-that new installations are being made at a better than three-to-one ratio as compared to the older shrink-film systems. Recent developments in stretch wrap equipment and materials have changed the economics of protecting unitized loads. From a feature on stretch wrap

10 years ago

In today's competitive distribution environment, error-free delivery, round-the-clock, isn't the exception anymore. It's the rule. For some companies, that just means business as usual thanks to a new generation of equipment designed for high-speed picking of individual items. Known as automated order selection systems, or automatic item picking machines, these mechanical pickers do much more than pick quick. From a feature on automated item pickers

Behind pharmaceutical wholesaler Reichelt's success is a mix of orderpicking equipment unique in the world. The center combines order-dispensing A-frames for the fastest moving items, man-abroad computer-controlled orderpickers for mid-speed movers, and mobile orderpicking robots for the slow moving items. From a feature on a world first in orderpicking