Intelligrated Technology Repair
Services Lab: Intelligrated, a
North American-owned automated material handling solutions
provider, has opened the
Intelligrated Technology Repair
Services Lab at the company’s
Customer Service and Support
(CSS) center in Cincinnati. The lab
features five workstations dedicated to electronics and computer
repair services, as well as a hands-on troubleshooting environment that helps engineers resolve issues up to 50-percent
faster than the traditional, manual-based support method, the company says.
The lab provides in-house repair services for Intelligrated’s Real Time Solutions
pick-to-light devices, industrial BOSS controllers, enterprise-class InControlWare
servers, and various other system components.
The lab’s troubleshooting environment gives Intelligrated’s technical support
staff hands-on access to fully functional system components, such as variable frequency drives (VFDs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). This setup allows
a support engineer to replicate a troubleshooting situation. When a customer
calls, the technical support engineer can simulate systems or networks that mirror
the customer’s operations and provide faster step-by-step guidance.
The lab also fabricates custom cables for replacement or retrofit field projects,
and features a programming service to load custom firmware and site-specific programs into industry-standard field devices such as I/O interface boards, touch panels, and PLCs. (Intelligrated, www.intelligrated.com)
Gemini R12.0c data collection suite: Take
Solutions recently released an upgrade to its
data collection suite. Gemini R12.0c allows
process and discrete manufacturers to automatically collect data using radio-frequency
(RF) devices and increases the availability of
real-time information on receiving, shipping,
manufacturing, and inventory activity.
According to Take, these capabilities reduce
the potential for errors, improve control, and
increase visibility of key processes as they
occur. The new release also includes transactions to automate batch manufacturing, quality sampling, and lot traceability.
Gemini R12.0c operates not only with Take’s
other solutions but also with Oracle’s warehouse management system and Mobile Supply
Chain Application (MSCA) products. (Take
Solutions, www.takesolutions.com/scm)
640 Container for cheese
products: Buckhorn, a provider
of reusable plastic packaging
systems, is now offering a
reusable plastic container for
use in producing, shipping, storing, and processing bulk natural
cheese. This new product is a
result of Buckhorn’s acquisition
of the tooling assets and intellectual property
of Material Improvements.
The new plastic 640 Container has a 24 x 30
x 37-inch footprint and a 710-pound fill capacity. It is intended to replace the wood boxes
typically used by the cheese industry, which can
splinter and contaminate cheese during the
handling process, according to Buckhorn.
Buckhorn says its 640 Container offers other
advantages over wood boxes. According to the
company, the container does not require refurbishment between uses and is designed for
easy cleaning by industrial washing. Its smooth,
polished surface enhances the ability to clean
the container, while the plastic resin resists
deterioration caused by temperature, sanitizers,
washes, or lactic acid. It is also an estimated 20
pounds lighter than wood alternatives. The
container does not require any horizontal banding, and it has fewer parts than wood boxes,
which makes it easier to disassemble.
The design of the 640 Container is compatible with industry manufacturing processes,
including dolly and forklift transport, automation, packaging, and weighing. It is interchangeable and stackable with plywood boxes.
The 640 Container can be stacked six high, and
470 collapsed containers will fit in a 53-foot
truck (versus 363 wood containers). (Buckhorn,
www.buckhorninc.com)
