PROMAT 2009

Held in January at Chicago’s McCormick Place South, ProMat 2009 attracted a record number of exhibitors for the 35,000 show visitors to peruse over the four days. These numbers confi rm ProMat remains the most extensive and comprehensive materials handling and logistics event in North America.

“It is particularly exciting to note that in spite of the current economic uncertainty, this is the largest edition of ProMat ever,” said George Prest, director of business development for Unarco Material Handling and chairman of the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) at the show opening.

But in spite of the healthy numbers, several senior level managers at companies with a global presence said they were already looking beyond 2009 to mid-2010 before they expected business to turn around. The reason: existing projects would be wrapped up in the next four to six months, and there was little in the pipeline to follow. Given a 12- to 18-month sales cycle, you come up with 2010 before the seeds planted in Chicago really bear fruit.

ROI has also never been more important. The projects getting funded today are those that can deliver a quick return (6-12 month payback) that can be used to fund the next project. In this environment, those are projects that allow you to do more with less labor.

One materials handling solution that predominated (and one that delivers an ROI), was picking solutions, in particular, automated goodsto- person solutions – new microload, mini-load, unit load, carousel storage, and automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) that automatically deliver product from storage to a picker. In addition, there were new software solutions to improve picking.

ProMat 2009 also saw smart carts gaining traction. Smart carts are essentially stripped down automatic guided vehicles (AGVs), and not that long ago, Jervis Webb was the only game in town. Now, it seems like everyone, including Toyota’s lift truck division, is getting into the smart cart business.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
A new line of electric lift trucks was introduced by Hyster. Offering improved ergonomics and enhancements for easier operator use, the AC-powered E45-70XN was showcased in several special inbooth demonstrations.

A remodeled operator compartment off ers increased foot and leg room. It has also been improved ergonomically with a relocated dash display for better visibility and pallet control. Additionally, a new hood makes it easier for the driver to enter and exit the truck. Other features include a removable floor plate for quick maintenance and maximum battery service access to reduce downtime.

Yale Materials Handling introduced the ERC-VG, the next generation of electric rider trucks. These energy-saving vehicles are designed for a variety of applications, from short shuttles to long runs and ramp usage. The extended shift functionality provides a balance between battery run time and truck productivity.

The trucks are also designed with a focus on “human engineering” to minimize operator strain and fatigue. Controls are positioned for easy, intuitive operation. The floorboard is open and spacious. The steering wheel and operator’s seat are offset to reduce fatigue and improve efficiency.

Toyota Material Handling unveiled a line of AC-powered reach trucks designed for DCs, retail operations, refrigerated warehouses and 3PL applications. The new line is available in three models: a single reach lift truck in two lifting capacities and a double reach truck.

While AC-powered trucks are not new to the market, the new line is distinguished by an AC-powered drive system, an AC-powered hydraulic system (on 36 V models) and maintenance-free electric disk brakes. Because the AC system contains no motor commentator, brushers or springs, maintenance costs are lower. The drive system enables operators to handle more pallets per hour and per shift forincreased productivity.

“The new series was designed with the specific needs of our warehousing customers in mind, including product travel speeds that are up to 17 percent quicker than previous models, and fewer service intervals,” said Brett Wood, president.

Toyota also debuted a hybrid concept lift truck that uses the same hybrid technology used in the Toyota Prius. The truck combines the best of electrical and internal combustion engine technology, allowing the vehicle to shift between battery and engine mode to operate with optimum fuel and emissions efficiency. Toyota is also exploring concepts that may use compressed natural gas, fuel cells, biodiesel and ethanol.

While there is no date set for production, “the concept vehicle demonstrates our global charter to develop innovative technologies and products that are environmentally responsible and economically viable,” said Wood.

ProMat 2009 also saw lift truck maker Raymond Corp introduce iWarehouse, an optimization system that provides real-time information and enables warehouse and DC managers to improve performance of operators and lift trucks.

iWarehouse connects to the lift truck vehicle manager with a single connector and offers a constant data flow through a wireless network. Access to realtime information can result in moreproduction from operators and technicians; reduce the potentialfor accidents; diagnose truck issuesremotely; benchmark performanceto develop best practices; optimizefleet capital and maintenanceexpenses; and move product moreefficiently and profitably.

“We’ve entered a new age. We view our trucks as more as than transport vehicles, they’re also vehicles that will provide data and information to the user. Inside every truck is a computer with a tremendous amount of data. Capturing the information in real-time helps users to be more productive and ultimately more profi table,” explained Raymond president Jim Malvaso.

“True, we’re in a recessionary environment, but material handling is the heart and soul of the supply chain. The need for our products and services is still there; it’s fundamental to our culture. We understand our contribution is larger than just providing fork lift trucks,” he said.

Materials handling users with long cartons can now take advantage of the lower energy and maintenance costs provided by motorized driven roller (MDR) conveyor, according to Jim McKnight, vice president, Intelligrated, thanks to long carton logic technology.

This feature, which has been integrated with Intelligrated’s conveyor control software, enables cartons, totes and products to be accumulated and conveyed properly even if they are longer than the zones established by the MDR conveyor system.

“Prior to this software development, if product was longer than the zone on the MDR conveyor, it would most likely cause a jam at the photo eye because the product was spanning two zones,” McKnight said. “That would require someone to physically remove the product, causing a major disruption in operations and resulting in downtime and lost productivity.”

FKI Logistex showcased the Logistex case conveyor product family. The conveyor loop on display demonstrated the Logistex RT200 right-angle transfer, NB200 narrow-belt and MR200 motorized roller conveyor, as well as the robotic palletizing and depalletizing capabilities.

The company also demonstrated solutions for high-speed sortation, including the energy-saving tilttray and cross-belt sorters, and the UniSort XV sliding shoe sorter, which provides throughputs of up to 400 cartons per minute.

Dematic displayed the Multishuttle, a flexible AS/RS staging solution for applications that require dynamic, high rate, product sequencingto support applications such as order assembly, goods-to-thepersonpicking, and pick-facereplenishment.

“The Multishuttle solution is ideal for supplying product-to-piece pick order fulfillment modules or mixed pallet building operations,” said Ken Ruehrdanz, Dematic market development manager. “It can also be applied as a short term buff er storage system or as a parts support system for production operations.”

The system consists of multiple levels of AS/RS rack structure, carrier vehicles, conveyor and software. Each level of the rack structure includes a carrier that travels horizontally to access stored loads, typically totes or trays. A shuttle device on each carrier accesses the loads in the rack. Since a carrier is captive in each aisle and on each level, ultra high throughputcapacity is achieved.

Diamond Phoenix introduced two new products at ProMat. The SMARTdepot VLM (vertical lift module) is designed to meet additional customer needs where a single bay, rather than a multi-bay, is requested. It can handle loads of up to 1,100 pounds per tray and reach heights of up to 50 feet.

And the new MaxTriever MiniLoad storage/retrieval machine (SRM) is a stacker crane that handles totes, cartons, boxes and other items to help organizations realize high capacity and high speed throughput. The crane operates in cold storage and coolers as well in ambient warehouse temperatures.

The Schaefer Case Picking System (SCP) automates all processes from receiving, de-palletizing, selecting, sequencing and palletizing of mixed case pallet loads. Initially created for use in high-SKU environments like grocery and consumer electronics handling, the system generates savings through advanced computersimulation of pallet-load building.

“The system has the capability to handle anywhere from 30,000 to 300,000 cases per day with higher performance and fewer errors than traditional distribution centers,” said Cory Flemings, executive sales manager. By removing labor from the process, users are expected to attain a drop in cost-per-unit shipped by up to 30 percent.

The software that controls the order-picking and sequencing system starts with order information and builds cube-optimized pallets in virtual space first. It then tells the systems which trays to deliver to the pick station and in what order. This results in palletizing robots receiving products in the correct sequence, allowing the SCP to build cube-optimized, store-ready pallets by family group.

For the first time since Jervis Webb was acquired by Daifuku in 2007, Webb and Daifuku America Corp jointly exhibited at ProMat 2009, showcasing AS/RS and AGV solutions.

Solutions featured at the booth included the SmartLoader Model 3000, Webb’s latest automatic trailer loading/unloading AGV, which can move loads up to 3,000 pounds and is available with single, double or single-side shift forks. And the SmartCart Model 300 is a counterbalanced fork automatic guided (via magnetic tape) cart that can be used in a variety of applications, including transporting loads to and from a stretch wrapping system.

HK Systems introduced a new AS/ RS designed to handle micro-loads – cases and totes weighing up to 75 pounds – in applications requiring dense storage and high throughput. The system can execute up to 500 putaways and retractions per hour.

Key features of the micro AS/RS machine include high speeds and accelerations, scalable design, multiple and flexible extractor options, and dual and independent lift carriages. The system relies on dynamic shelving – warehouse management software (WMS) technology – to maximize the use ofshelf space.