New Media

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 6/1/2000

Crane controls at your fingertips

Crane controls can now be at your fingertips when you use the redesigned Web site, www.drivecon.com . The site is designed to better serve the materials handling industry by providing more information about the company's products and services and the latest company news.

End users will find detailed information about the company's Director series of pendant pushbutton stations and the full range of AC variable speed flux vector and DC controls, including the Crane Commander series for cranes, hoists, monorails, and the Commander series for general purpose applications.
Drivecon Corporation
847-918-1406

Track forklift fleet usage

Need to improve your management of a fleet of lift trucks? Check out www.topfleet.com . The site is said to be the first-of-its-kind online service that allows a fleet manager to use the site just like a desktop computer to capture information.

By providing operations data on forklift usage, the fleet manager can get a clear picture of scheduled maintenance, equipment utilization, operating costs, and other vital information online. The information can be shared readily with multiple plant sites and warehouses, as well as with lift truck dealers during the equipment selection process.

By equipping forklifts that already have a radio frequency terminal aboard with the Universal Data Logger (UDL), fleet managers can collect lift truck usage data automatically and wirelessly.
Remote Equipment Systems
877-855-7374

Computer simulation

Quick response is a key distinguishing factor in business today. With that in mind, a pallet rack design, simulation, and quotation program has been developed.

By specifying the number of bays, tiers, load sizes, and other configurable parameters, end users can generate a 3-D visualization of a racking system that meets their needs. A bill of materials and quotation can then be developed in minutes. The program can even create an animated version of a system if needed. What's more, requested changes to the drawings and quotations can be made in minutes as well.
Unarco Material Handling, Inc.
615-384-3531

CD-ROM evaluates ergonomic solutions

The Ergonomics Toolbox, a new interactive CD-ROM, uses text, pictures, analytical tools, and AVI video to help end users integrate various ergonomic assist devices that may reduce the risk of injuries.

The program is aimed at anyone interested in identifying and quantifying the ergonomic risk of various manual materials handling tasks, and then finding alternative solutions. There are four key components: an over-view of ergonomics and materials handling; an educational section that identifies potential ergonomic hazards; a task analysis tool that provides immediate results; and equipment recommendations based upon the criteria generated in the task analysis section.

Copies can be purchased from Material Handling Industry of America for $75.
Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment, a Product Council of Material Handling Industry of America
704-676-1190

Stage more, store less

A new video presentation covers the changing landscape of logistics and how the emphasis these days must be on staging and throughput of inventory, not storage.

Company products, such as Loadbank and XpressLane systems, enhance unit load throughputs by combining innovative conveyor technology with aisle-free storage racking. They deliver a high return on investment in such applications as staging, cross-docking, orderpicking, and production buffering.

The video shows how various systems can be teamed up with robotics for picking individual orders for single customers as well as pulling and building pallet loads for major retailers and their stores.
LB International
407-957-4000