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Modern's 60th Anniversary - The '80s

-- Modern Materials Handling, 5/1/2006

Modern Materials Handling Turns 60

Modern Materials Handling - 60th Anniversary - The '80s


Integration makes just-in-time happen

Systems were the topic of conversation in the 1960s and "systems integration" was the buzz phrase of the 1980s. Computer networks and improvements in automatic identification made company-wide integration possible, and companies managed that integration using theories such as distribution resource planning (DRP) and computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM).

The most influential practice of the decade was just-in-time (JIT), which slashed inventories across the country in an attempt to raise productivity and keep up with Japan. By the late '80s, personal computers (PCs) and robots were also popular features of warehouses and factories.

Computers

1983 - National Wood Pallet Container Association unveils computer program to design pallets

Wood pallet production reaches 300 million units

   
Dock Doors

1983 to 1985 - Docks get renewed attention

Industry places emphasis on dock doors, sealers, shelters, levelers and lifts for a variety of reasons:

  • Deregulation of the trucking industry increases the variety of truck sizes
  • Emphasis on JIT leads to more frequent shipments that must be cleared from docks quickly
  • Concerns about energy costs heighten the need to keep out the elements
   
Automated Storage

1983 to 1985 - Automated storage makes small parts handling faster

Mini-load AS/RS systems and vertical carousels make for quicker picking and assembly in electronics and other small-parts industries.

   
Monorail

1984 to 1986 - Technology makes true integration possible

  • Local area networks (LANs) connect data systems
  • Improved monorails, AGVs and towline conveyors connect physical systems

 

   
Robots

1985 - Materials handling robots become a reality

After years of excitement and speculation, robots finally gain acceptance in materials handling. They pick and place, load and unload, assemble, palletize and unitize.

 

   
Auto ID

1986 - Automatic identification becomes vital to warehouses, makes gains in manufacturing

Advances include cross-hatch scanners, ink-jet printers, handheld laser scanners, optical character recognition (OCR), magnetic stripe, vision and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

   
Industrial Trucks

1986 - Everybody is implementing just-in-time

The JIT philosophy takes a firm hold on American business, precipitating a move toward centralized warehousing and influencing activities large and small:

  • Small inventories and frequent deliveries lead to a rise in returnable containers
  • More repetitious handling of parts leads to greater use of positioners, such as lift tables and manipulators, and to greater emphasis on ergonomics
  • Storage is a dirty word, so warehouses become known as "distribution centers"

 

   
Computer get smaller and more sophisticated

1985 to 1989 - Computers get smaller and more sophisticated

  • Industrial use of PCs grows phenomenally
  • Better graphics aid computer planning and simulation
   
DCs built with superflat floors

1989 - Distribution centers are built with superflat floors

Flatter floors mean narrow-aisle lift trucks won't bang into racks and can operate at maximum speeds.

 

Alphabet Soup: The acronyms of the 1980s

In Management
DRP Distribution Resource Planning
CIM Computer-Integrated Manufacturing
CIW Computer-Integrated Warehousing
MRP I Materials Requirements Planning
MRP II Materials Resource Planning
JIT Just-In-Time
FMS Flexible Manufacturing Systems
QR Quick Response
GT Group Technology
SCM Short Cycle Management
TQC Total Quality Control
   
In Computing  
CAD Computer Aided Design
LAN Local Area Network
PC Personal Computer
RFID Radio Frequency Identification
PLC Programmable Logic Controllers
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
MAP Manufacturing Automation Protocol
TOP Technical and Office Protocol
OSI Open Systems Interconnection

1940s  |  1950s  |  1960s  |  1970s  |  1980s  |  1990s  |  2000s

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