Maximizer container: Buckhorn, a maker of reusable plastic
containers, is introducing a new class of pallet-sized, collapsible
containers that feature an integrated pallet and lid system.
Unlike short-lived corrugated bulk containers that are awkward
to assemble and knock down, the Maximizer container is easily
erected by one person and can be reused hundreds of times, the
manufacturer says.
The container is made from durable, moisture-resistant plastic
and can be stored indoors or outdoors. Its integrated locking system provides strength and stability in transport.
Buckhorn’s Maximizer unit is 100-percent recyclable. It has a
footprint of 48 by 40 by 41 inches and holds up to 1,000 pounds.
It weighs approximately 30 percent less than traditional plastic
bulk boxes and can be stacked three high for added storage space.
One assembled unit can store eight collapsed containers inside.
The Maximizer also folds flat and fits within its own footprint,
offering a 5: 1 return ratio. In other words, approximately 300
collapsed containers fit in a 53-foot trailer. (Buckhorn,
www.buckhorninc.com)
LP Mobile app: Lightning Pick Technologies has released a new
LP Mobile application, which provides Lightning Pick users with
real-time productivity views, operations management controls,
and system diagnostics through their mobile or smart phones. LP
Mobile is a Web application, compatible across all popular smart
phone platforms.
LP Mobile gives managers a competitive advantage by keeping
them connected to their Lightning Pick systems even when not in
close physical proximity to the pick area or a Lightning Pick software workstation. The mobile app offers managers access to a
real-time area overview, updates on order progress and pick rates,
and access to other facility statistics directly through their phones.
Besides key performance indicator data views, LP Mobile actually allows managers to execute operational changes through
their phones. Users can create work plans, log employees in or
out of the system, and examine order details or box contents
with the appropriate order number or bar-code label. LP Mobile
can even run system diagnostics within specific areas of the pick
operation, should an error occur. (Lightning Pick Technologies,
www.lightningpick.com)
EcoSystem Packaging Solution:
StarchTech, a developer of loose-fill
packing peanuts made from plant starch,
now offers its EcoSystem Packaging
Solution to multi-channel merchants and
other shippers.
The StarchTech EcoSystem Packaging
Solution enables users to produce loose-fill packaging peanuts on site where and when the peanuts are
needed. One trailer load of the company’s starch-based resin pellets (each about the size of a grain of rice) is equivalent to 23
trailer loads of expanded polystyrene. The starch pellets are
expanded on site with an easy-to-operate, low-cost machine.
Because the Starch Tech resin is made from plants, not oil, the
manufacture of the starch-based resin has comparably lower
CO2 emissions than polystyrene packing peanuts— 37 pounds of
CO2 less per cubic meter. StarchTech starch-based packaging
peanuts are certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products
Institute to the ASTM 6400 Standard Specification for
Compostable Plastics and made from renewable resources.
(Starch Tech, www.starchtech.com)
36BR plastic container: A new lightweight
4.25-gallon rectangular plastic container is
now available from Plastican Inc.
Designated the 36BR, the container is
designed to provide better cube efficiency
and volume packaging of goods for the
food, consumer, and do-it-yourself markets.
Suitable for liquids as well as moist, dry,
and frozen goods, this rigid, yet lightweight container tolerates a wide range of
temperatures. In addition, it provides 20
percent better cube efficiency than a round pail of the same
capacity, according to the company.
The container is produced using high-density polyethylene
(HDPE) or propylene and scores high on environmental sustainability scorecards. Customers can choose hinged lids, which are
easily resealed and feature a tamper-evident tear strip. Bi-direc-tional handles make the container easier to pick up and move.
(Plastican Inc., www.plastican.com)
Improved Super Power Pusher: NuStar Inc. introduces a new
handle and improvements to its Super Power Pusher pedestrian-operated, battery-powered pusher. The Super Power Pusher is a
significantly more powerful version of NuStar’s standard Power
Pusher. It has the same ability to push, pull and maneuver virtually any heavy industrial load on wheels and uses its own modular range of attachments.
The Super Power Pusher is designed to allow one person to
move wheeled loads weighing up to 150,000 pounds up a 5-
percent grade without forklifts or other ride-on vehicles. It
increases productivity by reducing the number of employees
needed to move heavy objects. It also creates a safer work environment by reducing the risk of injury and by keeping the load
under control. In addition, the pushers are less expensive and
easier to store than forklifts or tractors, plus operators do not
need a license.
The new ergonomically designed, standard equipment handle
encircles the hands for greater protection. This helps protect the
operator when maneuvering a load or turning corners. The new
handle also has fingertip speed control and a built-in belly kill
switch. (NuStar Inc., www.powerpusher.com)
FuelCheck trailer monitoring system: Carrier Transicold’s new
FuelCheck ultrasonic monitoring option for Vector and X2 Series
trailer refrigeration units is designed to help reduce operating
costs and protect the integrity of the cold chain by alerting drivers when low-fuel situations could lead to a system shutdown. It
also enables fuel consumption tracking, helping to improve fuel
management across an entire fleet.
The FuelCheck software tracks the fuel level via the DataLink
data recorder of the refrigeration unit’s Advance microprocessor
control. If the fuel level drops below 15 percent for more than 30
seconds, the refrigeration unit’s LED light bar glows a cautionary
yellow to warn the driver, and the control unit’s message center
displays a “low fuel warning” message. If the fuel level drops
below 10 percent for more than 60 seconds, the refrigeration
system automatically shuts down to prevent loss of prime in the
fuel lines. (Carrier Transicold, www.trucktrailer.carrier.com) ;
