EDITED BY SUSAN LACEFIELD
rollouts
Drive system: Hytrol Conveyor Co. Inc. is now offering an
affordable Unified Drive System with standard leadtimes.
According to Hytrol, its Unified Drive is a quiet system with great
design flexibility that requires few spare components. A major
advantage of the system is that it requires little to no maintenance, and the compact drive assists with lower elevations and
obstacles.
Hytrol’s Unified Drive System eliminates drive chains, sprockets, chain guards, and vent plugs. As an added benefit, it does
not require lubrication, alignment, or tensioning.
This system is available in various models and drive configurations. A product focus sheet with specification information can
be found on Hytrol’s website, www.hytrol.com/web/media-cen-ter/ literature-request.html. (Hytrol Conveyor Co. Inc.,
www.hytrol.com)
Warehouse control system: Forte has released the next generation of its warehouse control system (WCS) solution, the Smart
Warehouse Suite. Designed to handle the complex requirements
of today’s highly automated multichannel fulfillment operations,
the Smart Warehouse Suite provides supply chain managers with
performance metrics and analytics delivered in a new, easy-to-use graphical user interface with remote monitoring capabilities.
Companies have been using Forte’s WCS for more than 20
years to efficiently manage people, processes, and material handling automation in their DCs. This next-generation release provides managers with actionable intelligence to support tactical
and strategic planning.
Smart Warehouse Suite includes the following modules:
Automation Director, Warehouse Director, Operations Director,
Intelligence Director, and Integration Director.
Automation Director manages the distribution center’s fulfillment requirements, from the basic automation of manual processes through advanced automated material handling systems.
Warehouse Director augments or extends warehouse management system capabilities, such as inventory tracking, receiving, putaway, replenishment, and location control. The module
allows customers to configure these capabilities to meet specific
requirements.
Operations Director provides event monitoring, incident
management, and visibility into the effectiveness of the delivery systems.
Intelligence Director provides operational performance metrics and predictive analytics. It can be used to check current
operational effectiveness and provide guidance for future
improvements.
Integration Director eliminates the need for multiple complex
integrations within the WMS as new automation is introduced.
The most recent version of this module includes real-time information sharing among the WCS components.
According to Forte, its Smart Warehouse Suite can be configured to users’ requirements, eliminating the need for a customized warehouse management system and integration services. (Forte Industries, www.forte-industries.com)
LED light/fan: The Big Ass Fan
Co. has created the world’s
first LED-equipped industrial ceiling fan. The
Powerfoil X LED delivers
as much light as a massive 400-watt metal
halide light while using
less than 175 watts, according to the company.
The unit’s tempered glass lens is
designed to provide excellent optical properties, which minimizes
glare. The light is easily installed and ties directly into an existing
lighting grid for simple control.
The LED is connected to a Powerfoil X industrial fan, which
generates huge volumes of gentle air movement using small (1-
to 2-horsepower) motors. With the integration of the LED, the
new Powerfoil X LED eliminates any need to rearrange lighting
grids to avoid the shadowing effect that may occur with very
large (8- to 24-foot diameter) ceiling fans. Most importantly, the
Powerfoil X LED directs the light where it’s needed most—
beneath the fan where people are working. (Big Ass Fan Co.,
www.bigassfans.com)
Store fulfillment software: Manhattan Associates’ new Store
Inventory and Fulfillment solution helps to transform store locations into omnichannel fulfillment centers. The solution helps
companies fulfill e-commerce orders from the store and manage
omnichannel store activity. It also boosts the store’s inventory
accuracy and provides managers with intelligence and insight
into store operations, according to Manhattan.
Manhattan’s Store Inventory and Fulfillment solution enables
a store associate to execute pick-up-in-store, ship-from-store,
and store-to-store-transfer tasks entirely on a mobile device,
while interacting with customers on the store floor. It also
allows store associates to use a mobile device to receive and
hold deliveries for online customers who have chosen to pick up
their orders in-store.
The new release also includes the Store Operations Intelligence
module, which provides store managers with real-time information about the fulfillment and inventory activities occurring in
their store. (Manhattan Associates Inc., www.manh.com)
Rail intermodal management system: Aljex Software, a
provider of hosted management applications for brokers, third-party logistics providers, and transportation providers, has
launched a rail intermodal management system.
The new Vision Intermodal solution tracks each step of the rail
intermodal process. Each leg of a trip is color-coded so a user can
instantly see if there is a problem. A red cell means nothing has
happened yet, a yellow cell shows that a move is in process, and
a green cell indicates that that portion of the move is completed. The system also sends automated e-mail alerts when a problem arises. (Aljex Software, www.aljex.com)
