NEW LOGISTICS PRODUCTS & SERVICES
EDITED BY SUSAN LACEFIELD rollouts
Electric lift trucks: Cat Lift Trucks has introduced a new series
of 4,500- to 6,500-pound capacity electric four-wheel, cushion-tire lift trucks. The EC22N2 – EC30LN2 Series is designed to work
in a variety of applications and industries, such as food and beverage, textile, general warehousing, and logistics.
These new electric lift trucks are equipped with three-phase
AC technology and are designed to be energy efficient and perform well. They have separate
drive, hydraulic, and steer
motors that are tailored to deliver the exact performance level
required while minimizing overall
energy consumption.
The forklift trucks have been
designed with the operator’s
comfort in mind. The trucks’
The trucks’ major components can be accessed easily, which
reduces the time needed for periodic inspection and servicing.
Users can choose from a wide range of options, such as LED
work lights, four-stage “quad” masts, sideshifters, and foot
directional control. (Cat Lift Trucks, www.cat-lift.com)
Automated guided vehicle: Swisslog has begun manufacturing the second-generation version of its AGVPick automatic
guided vehicle. The AGVPick is designed for case order fulfillment in large manual distribution centers.
The AGVPick is a class-II electric pallet truck that uses laser
guidance to automatically move from pick location to pick location. Instead of having to get back in and out to drive, the order
filler stays in the picking zone at the pallet-end of the truck and
focuses on selecting cases and building stable and dense order
pallets or carts.
The vehicle can also function as a manual truck when there are
long distances between picks. At those times, Swisslog’s order
management software will recommend via a voice command that
the order filler drive the truck instead of walking in front of it.
The AGVPick Gen 2 incorporates a series of enhancements in
response to feedback from Swisslog customers. These include a
narrower design to better allow for passing, additional noncontact obstacle avoidance sensors, improved diagnostics that are
tablet- and data device-enabled, and an increased speed of up to
4. 5 miles per hour. The newer version also has more status lights
and audible signals for operators.
The AGVPick is available in single, double, and triple pallet models. It can be easily integrated with the user’s warehouse management system and with voice or RF solutions, the company says.
Swisslog reports that AGVPick typically increases pick performance by 40 to 60 percent by eliminating steps and often provides
payback in less than two years. (Swisslog, www.swisslog.com)
Customized cartons: Suitable for e-commerce applications,
Freebox is a new packaging system that produces customized
cardboard packs. The system, which was developed by System
Packaging, produces completed boxes (folded, glued, etc.) in real
time for all product types. Each box is matched to the contents’
volume, reducing shipping costs as well as the need for dunnage.
Freebox was developed to provide the flexibility needed to
accommodate real-time size changes from one box to the next.
After the dimensional parameters of the product to be packaged
have been entered into the system, Freebox instantly transforms
a plain, flat sheet of corrugated board into a box that is fully personalized in terms of dimensions and graphics. Once the Freebox
process is complete, the user simply fills the resulting box, and
the package is ready for shipment.
Freebox technology allows complete customization of the carton thanks to a monochrome or multicolor printing system that
personalizes the box with logos, trademarks, and product information. (System Packaging, system-freebox.com)
Flexible zone control: Intelligrated, a North America-based
automated material handling solutions provider, has released
ZoneFlex, a flexible zone control for the company’s Accuglide
and IntelliQ zero-pressure accumulation conveyors.
Designed to handle packages of varied sizes and
weights, ZoneFlex creates
high-density accumulation,
while its multiple release
modes enable high-capacity
throughput. With built-in
logic and selectable release
modes, ZoneFlex is designed
to move previously accumulated product downstream quickly by monitoring and automatically responding to accumulation conditions. This capability simplifies control logic and increases available product for downstream applications.
According to Intelligrated, the new system improves material
handling efficiency while providing superior carton control, gentle product handling, and increased conveyable cartons.
Clip-in mounting, simple switch configuration, and LED diagnostics allow operators to quickly replace, modify, and monitor
zone controllers. This design feature simplifies maintenance and
increases system flexibility. (Intelligrated, www.intelligrated.com)
Cloud-based voice solution: Voxware, a provider of voice solutions, has updated its Cloud Voice Management Suite (VMS) for
the enterprise. Cloud Enterprise VMS enables organizations of all
sizes to migrate to a cloud-based voice management system. In
addition, Voxware has now folded its complete VMS into the
cloud-based version.
Voxware says the cloud-based approach can be up and running more quickly than the fastest full-fledged voice solution. It
is available as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering. (Voxware,
www.voxware.com)
