rollouts
NEW LOGISTICS PRODUCTS & SERVICES
EDITED BY ERICA MAC DONALD AND SEAN MALONEY
Taking charge: Crown Equipment Corp.,
a manufacturer of forklifts and related
products, unveils its new V-Force brand V-SCR Battery Charger. This silicon-con-trolled rectifier battery charger delivers
reliable, controlled power to industrial
batteries, such as those used to power
electric lift trucks. The V-Force V-SCR
Charger has the versatility to work
with any industrial battery and
provides safe charging that extends
the battery’s life.
The V-SCR Charger is designed to reduce the amount of heat
generated during charging, minimizing heat-related battery damage. Charge termination is determined by the change in voltage
over time, preventing over- and undercharging. This termination
mode also forces all acid from the battery plates, which reduces
corrosion. In addition, the V-SCR Charger includes an AC failure
recovery option that eliminates the need to restart the charging
process if AC power is interrupted.
The start rate is 20 percent less than typical Ferro chargers,
reducing peak demand, the company says. A start-delay timer
enables charging to occur when off-peak electricity rates are in
effect.
For safety, the V-SCR Charger features a five-second delay at
start. Also, the entire exterior of the cabinet is grounded. Protective
timers monitor each stage of the charging cycle to prevent overcharging.
The system display includes lights to indicate when the battery
is charging, when charging is 80 percent complete, when charging
is complete, when equalized charging is selected, if a fault has
occurred, and when the start-delay timer is activated. The display
also includes an ammeter to measure and display current during
each stage of the charging process. (Crown Equipment Corp.,
www.crown.com)
China road: OD-Global, a division of Old Dominion Freight Line,
has expanded its Pacific Promise service to include seven additional ports in China. Launched last year with service from Hong
Kong, Shanghai, and Shenzhen/Yantian, Pacific Promise is now
available from the Chinese ports of Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou,
Ningbo, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Xingang.
The service provides businesses with standard guaranteed transit times and simplified rates from the 10 origin ports in China to
nearly any domestic destination. The offering also includes port-to-door tracking of all shipments.
Using this fast, efficient service, importers can shave 10 days or
more from their standard LCL transit times. Rates are expressed as
a simple single rate per cubic meter. While it is slightly higher than
standard LCL, the rate is up to 75 percent lower than air freight.
The service is targeted to importers of high-value products, time-sensitive goods, and seasonal or promotional items. It is also
geared toward companies shipping from a single origin to multiple
destinations. (Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., www.odfl.com)
Pharm aid: Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) offers a new,
premium-level pallet rental service designed to meet the unique
needs of the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. The new
service, iGPS bios, provides a superior level of pallet hygiene and
security.
The iGPS bios program consists of several elements. First, each
iGPS pallet is inspected to ensure that its condition is pristine. Next,
each pallet is individually washed and sanitized at an iGPS facility,
then immediately enclosed in protective wrapping to maintain its
hygienic condition. This wrapping will prevent bacteria, pathogens,
and chemical contaminants, whether airborne or on supply chain
surfaces, from contaminating the bios pallets.
The iGPS bios pallets are lightweight, robustly constructed,
hygienic, made of inorganic material, and discretely traceable
across the supply chain. Pharmaceutical companies that utilize the
iGPS bios program can be confident that the pallets they receive
from iGPS are new or like-new and are free of paint and toxic pesticides and fungicides.
Each iGPS pallet has four RFID tags embedded in its frame,
which enables tracking and tracing throughout the supply chain. In
addition, iGPS has begun deploying Spider AT tags throughout its
pallet fleet. The Spider AT is a battery-powered GSM/GPRS/GPS
wireless tag that can transmit critical information about iGPS pallets, including iGPS-defined alerts, notification of specific events,
and highly accurate pallet location data. (Intelligent Global Pooling
Systems (iGPS), www.igps.net)
Paper, please: As demand for eco-friendly products continues
to grow, Ranpak is now offering its paper packaging materials
in two easy-to-use products under the Upak brand name –
Pakit for void fill applications and Padit for added cushioning.
Pakit, which is available in 200 or 1,000 linear-foot
options, crumples paper as it is dispensed through
the top of a box. The 350 linear-foot Pack & Wrap
two-in-one void fill system dispenses the same
way, but also includes a smooth-paper dispenser for
wrapping bottles or other objects. Pakit and Pack & Wrap use
Ranpak’s fan-folded paper and dispensing system, which minimizes the storage space required for packaging. Pack & Wrap also
has as an easy-tear feature for wrapping applications.
The Padit cushion pack is as effective as bubble but requires 50
percent less material, the company says. Like all Upak products,
Padit uses 100-percent recyclable and biodegradable paper.
(Ranpak, www.ranpak.com)
Tight focus: Pepperl+Fuchs’ GLV18 Series photoelectric sensors
are now available in Background Suppression models. The sensors
in this series are suited for use in material handling applications,
primarily as conveyor sensors for the reliable reflector-less detection of cartons, totes, or cases through the side-wall of a conveyor.
The primary benefit of background suppression models is their
ability to ignore objects that appear beyond the object to be
detected. This means more precise and reliable sensing without
the need for a reflector or the need to frequently readjust a sensor’s sensitivity. (Pepperl+Fuchs, www.pepperl-fuchs.us)
