It’s Simple Math
Pickers Travel Less = You Save Money
START
END
01 02
F G
FG EF DE CD BC AB HI IJ JK KL
HI IJ JK KL
EF DE CD BC AB
21 31 33 V V 01 11
01 11
02 12
WW
XX
01 11
02 12
XX
YY
01 11
02 12
YY
ZZ
Comparison
Path Optimization 305.2 feet - 33.3%
Location Sequence 457.7 feet 0.0%
Pick Location
Pick Path
AA
AA
Drive-in racking: Steel King Industries Inc.,
a manufacturer of material handling products and systems for improving operational
efficiency, has announced the availability of
its drive-in rack systems. Drive-in and drive-through racking deliver cost-effective storage
in high-density storage applications.
Requiring fewer aisles and providing better
cube utilization than selective racks, drive-in
and drive-through racking allows users to
store up to 75 percent more pallets than with
selective racking, the company says. Forklifts
drive directly into the rack, allowing pallets to
be stored two or more deep. Flared drive-in
support rails help drivers enter the pallet rack
by guiding the pallet into the bay. A drive-in
pallet rack system uses the same entry and
exit point for each storage
bay, providing last in, first
out (LIFO) access. A drive-through pallet rack system
is loaded on one side and
unloaded from the other, for
first in, first out (FIFO) flow.
Because they are often used in high-turn-over areas and operated in close proximity
to forklift traffic, drive-in and drive-through
racks are subject to greater wear and tear
than other rack structures. Steel King’s drive-in rack system is engineered and manufactured to better stand up to this wear.
Steel King’s drive-in racking features unlimited storage depth and is ideal for high-traffic
and cooler/freezer installations, the company
says. In addition, Steel King offers an optional
offset leg design for easier handling of pallets.
The welded frame construction delivers high
rigidity and strength, while other optional
features, like protective railings and seis-mic-safe designs, deliver even greater safety
and stability in demanding applications. (Steel
King, www.steelking.com)
Alternative power source: Maxwell
Technologies Inc., a developer and manufacturer of energy storage and power delivery
solutions, has introduced its 3.0-volt ( 3.0V)
product platform, which includes small-cell
ultracapacitors. Unlike batteries that store
energy by means of a chemical reaction, ultracapacitors store energy in an electric field.
The company says that with the introduc-
tion of these next-generation ultracapacitors,
users have the ability to increase energy and
power in the same form factor as the 2.7-volt
product line and can cost-optimize their sys-
tem designs by using fewer ultracapacitor cells
or modules. Alternatively, users can upgrade
to a 3.0V solution to extend the expected
life of their products. The 3.0V platform is
designed for both single-cell applications and multicell complex module systems.
Maxwell’s 3.0V platform addresses energy storage requirements driven by trends
in renewable energy, industrial electrification, and smart grid. For the material handling industry, e-commerce has sparked the need for ultracapacitors in warehouses
to provide automated guided vehicles (AGVs) with high power and fast charging
capabilities. Whether used alone, integrated into a module assembly, or used in a
hybrid configuration with fuel cells, Maxwell’s 3.0V platform of products can help
reduce the overall cost and weight of the system while improving return on investment for customers, the company says. (Maxwell Technologies, www.maxwell.com)
