First

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 12/1/2000

Shopping online this holiday season?

Despite the fact that it's now tougher than ever to buy dog food over the Internet, consumers will spend an estimated $12 billion ($9 billion retail, $3 billion travel) online this holiday season. For the period Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, this represents a 66% growth above the $7 billion generated during the 1999 season, says Jupiter Media Metrix.

Jupiter believes that merchants must re-focus their efforts to reach profitability this season by narrowing their estimation of their natural market-the audience of consumers that already appreciate the merits of a merchant's product, have the means to purchase it, and are willing to buy it online.
For more information, visit www.jup.com .

Get the latest container testing guidelines

Seven container testing guidelines are now available online from the Reusable Plastic Container and Pallet Association (RPCPA). Developed by the RPCPA member companies of the Material Handling Industry of America, the guidelines are advisory only and are meant to offer guidance to those considering such container testing.

The seven guidelines are: 1) Pallet free-fall test drop; 2) Maximum allowable load for plastic pallets in static storage rack applications; 3) Static floor stack and fork tine deflections for plastic pallets; 4) Stacked dynamic load capacity of thermoplastic and thermoset containers; 5) Container free-fall drop test; 6) Testing requirements and acceptance criteria for thermoplastic and thermoset pallet containers; and 7) Column yield strength of thermoplastic and thermoset containers.

To view the guidelines, visit www.mhia.org/rpcpa . Click on the drop down window and select literature and resources, then click on guidelines for container testing. A brief abstract on each of the guidelines is provided plus information on how to purchase copies of each.

IT spending to increase 5% in 2001

While some in the manufacturing and services industries believe that IT spending will soon level off or decline, AMR Research predicts that IT budgets among U.S.-based companies in those industries will increase in 2001 by 5%.

The Boston-based firm's survey also expects that application spending will show particular growth among suppliers and customers facing e-commerce applications. In addition, trends consistent with current spending patterns are detailed, as well as new trends in emerging e-commerce areas.
For more information about the report, Application Spending and Penetration by Vertical Market, 2001-2002 Report, visit www.amrresearch.com .

EPA moves to curb emissions from forklifts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new, national regulations on exhaust emissions from spark-ignited, internal combustion engines used in lift trucks. Reducing harmful health effects of ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter created from forklift exhaust is EPA's goal.

As expected, EPA will be following the lead of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in the limits it sets. Engine makers will have to use electronic fuel injection and catalytic controls to meet emission standards. These standards may be more stringent than CARB's in such areas as in-use deterioration of controls, transient engine operations, and reduction of evaporative emissions from gasoline-fueled forklifts, EPA says.