Material handling market forecast to
hit $148 billion in five years
Global revenues in the global material handling equipment
industry will rise $33 billion by 2021 to reach $148 billion a
year as businesses ramp up their investment in equipment
to accommodate an increase in consumer spending and the
fulfillment operations supporting it, according to a forecast
released in mid-July.
Material handling investments will also be stimulated by
efforts to improve workplace safety, operate more efficiently, and rein in rising labor costs, according to the analyst
firm Research and Markets. Demand will be strongest for
automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and automated storage/
retrieval systems (AS/RSs), according to the report.
The Asia-Pacific region will be the largest market during
the forecast period, led by high growth rates in China and
India, the report said. Although businesses in Europe and
North America were the early adopters of material handling
equipment, they have now fallen behind in terms of demand
for new products, Research and Markets said. After Asia, the
next biggest markets by 2021 will include the Europe, Middle
East, and Africa (EMEA) and the Americas regions.
A. Duie Pyle was honored with the Northeast
Regional Platinum Award by Echo Global Logistics
for its performance in the “excellence,” “
responsiveness,” and “client satisfaction” service areas.
… Manhattan Associates Inc. has received retailer
Floor & Decor’s annual IT Vendor of the Year award
in recognition of its commitment to excellence and
dedication to providing best-in-class solutions. …
Transplace’s Southeastern Center of Excellence has
been named Novolex’s 2015 Supplier of the Year.
Novolex selected Transplace for delivering outstanding transportation management services and
technology. … Yale Materials Handling Corp.’s
ESC030AD three-wheel standup forklift has been
honored with a bronze Plant Engineering Product
of the Year award. The forklift was recognized
in the material handling systems category for its
ability to perform in extreme environments while
maximizing operator comfort and productivity. …
Manhattan Associates Inc. has presented PetSmart
with its third annual Shipper Partner of the Year
award. PetSmart was selected out of 15 finalists,
including top-tier retailers, grocers, manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. … Redwood
Logistics was named 2015 Dry Van/Intermodal
Carrier of the Year by Ingredion Inc.’s U.S. logistics team. … The Harting Technology Group has
won the Hermes Award for the second time with
its Harting MICA (Modular Industry Computing
Architecture), the company’s mini-industrial computer. … The Crown RT 4000
Series rider pallet truck won the
prestigious IFOY Award in the
“Warehouse Trucks Lowlifter”
category at CeMAT in May.
… Spend Management Experts
has been named a 2016 recipient of the Atlanta Business
Chronicle’s Pacesetter award, marking the second
year in a row the company has received this honor.
… Navistar International Corp. has recognized
XPO Logistics Inc. for achieving Diamond Supplier
status as one of its top-performing suppliers. XPO
also earned top honors in eight categories in
the 2015 Mastio “LTL Carrier Customer Value &
Loyalty Report.” … The Raymond Corp. has recognized 19 engineers for their contributions to 32
patents awarded by the United States Patent and
Trademark Office since 2012.
accolades
CROWN
time, shippers and receivers have no incentive to value
truckers’ time,” she said. “It is the biggest inefficiency in
trucking.”
A December 2014 study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), the subagency of the Department
of Transportation that regulates motor carrier safety among
its various functions, found that drivers, in general, encountered detention times on 10 percent of their stops and were
held, on average, for 3. 4 hours, or 1. 4 hours beyond the
accepted two-hour window. Midsized carriers—fleets with
51 to 500 tractors—experienced twice as many incidents of
detention as larger carriers, though the average length of a
detention was about the same, according to the study.
The FMCSA study further found that while the operation type likewise had little impact on the average length
of a detention, it did influence how frequently drivers were
forced to wait at the dock. The odds of a for-hire truckload
driver being detained were nearly five times greater than for
private carriers and 2. 6 times greater than for for-hire LTL
carriers, the study found.
Ironically, the FMCSA study concluded that the odds of
a driver for a temperature-controlled carrier being detained
were 6. 3 times greater than for dry bulk carriers, even though
the contents of a temperature-controlled trailer would be
more susceptible to spoilage due to long wait times.
—Ben Ames
