NA 2006 education program set

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 1/1/2006

March is not that far away. Which means it's not too early to make your plans for NA 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.

This year's show, set for March 27-30, offers a bevy of new materials handling solutions, technology advancements and educational seminars.

Leading the docket of activities is the free Executive Forum—open to all attendees and exhibitors. The forum features vice president of operations at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Jon Wettstein, who will speak on his operation's successful extended supply chain. Paul Matthews, senior vice president of Limited Logistics Services Inc., The Limited, will discuss moving supply chain management into the boardroom and how maximizing efficiency can drive profitability.

Finally, the president of supply chain networks at Lucent Technologies Jose A. Mejia will provide insight on how Lucent was able to emerge from a tumultuous time with a revamped supply chain.

NA 2006 visitors can look forward to the RFID Education Center, which will detail the latest developments, technology, strategies and trends for enterprises facing the challenge of deploying RFID solutions into their supply chain. The center will explore new standards being developed in the industry as well as methods undertaken by companies having taken the RFID plunge.

As in past years, attendees can take of advantage of free show floor seminars. The highly focused, half-hour seminars are hosted by industry experts in materials handling and logistics solutions, and will be conducted in specially designed theaters on the show floor. The seminars are scheduled to explore everything from lean manufacturing to warehousing management.

A strong response has brought back the supply chain short course. Representatives from The St. Onge Company will explain methods of network optimization and critical factors in site selection.

Using case discussion and methods developed by Richard Muther & Associates, attendees will learn how to integrate the five components of an industrial warehouse—layout, materials handling, communications, utilities, and building design—into a cost effective facility.