While you were on vacation

By Gary Forger, EXECUTIVE EDITOR -- Modern Materials Handling, 8/1/2000

By now, I hope you have had a chance to get away for a few days this summer and move at a much slower than normal pace. You know, sit in the sand, take a swim, spend time with family and friends. But while you were on vacation, the world of materials handling didn't exactly slow down.

Just start with a couple of items on our First page. One is about the acquisition of radio frequency data communication supplier Teklogix by handheld terminal supplier Psion. Just a month earlier two other automatic data capture (ADC) technology suppliers, Hand Held Products and PSC, got together. Consolidation among suppliers of ADC and materials handling started some time ago and shows no signs of letting up. Many expect further deals before the end of this year. A major one has been rumored for some months now, but nothing official has been announced. Stay tuned.

The other item of note in First is a projection that the number of Web-based business-to-business transactions within the next year. No matter how many times I see various measures of the Internet's rate of change, they still amaze me. For many companies, it's gotten to the point that a daily reality check is essential just to see how they have to change their operations to keep up with the Web.

Something else moving quickly is third party logistics (3PL) providers. Once known best for their transportation services, these companies are expanding their warehouse services offerings at a 20% annual clip. Which raises a question-is outsourcing of distribution operations in your future? For more and more companies the answer is a definite "yes."

In the Special Report , Rick Blasgen of Nabisco explains that 3PLs help his company to increase flexibility, customer service, organizational agility, and cost effectiveness. It works so well that Nabisco spent more than $200 million last year on 3PLs.

And then there's our cover story about Mission Foods . The company's new materials handling system has improved picking efficiencies so much that productivity jumped 700%. But I guess that's what you have to do when you're the world's largest supplier of ever more popular tortilla-based products. By the way, Americans consume more than 75 billion tortillas a year.

Although it's not mentioned in the Mission Foods story, moving fast is nothing new to their man on our cover, Vance Brack. Before doing great things for Mission Foods, Vance made a bit of a name for himself as a cornerback for Texas A & M. In fact, he played on the 1967 team that won the Southwest Conference and went on to beat one of Bear Bryant's Alabama teams in the Cotton Bowl.

Come to think of it, the new college football season is just about here. Where exactly did the time go this summer?