Lean manufacturing is one of the most prominent trends in production, and is essential to any successful manufacturer. 5S is a key component in achieving lean manufacturing - it is a workplace organizational philosophy that makes operations cleaner,...

The core idea of lean manufacturing is to maximize customer value while minimizing waste. Simply, lean means creating more value for customers with fewer resources. The term "lean" was coined to describe Toyota's business during the late 1980s by a...

How to decrease speed of cartons to reduce damage and breakage and increase safety and productivity.

In a fast paced world where speed is everything, sometimes it may make sense to slow down the flow in carton flow.

When replenishing, heavy cartons...

What is WIP and How to Reduce It

Work in Progress (WIP) is any inventory that has entered the manufacturing process but is not yet a finished product. Reducing WIP is one of the most important steps in achieving lean manufacturing, leading to...

Amazon has done it again. When we just got used to two-day shipping, now they have introduced one-day shipping for Prime members. Amazon’s new one-day delivery window is putting pressure on other retailers. Now Walmart and others are trying to match...

ProMat 2019 has come to an end. Our feet are tired from standing in our booth for four days of exhibition to the thousands of ProMat attendees. Our ProMat booth was jammed with new prospects, old friends, industry partners and customers. We had a...

Do you remember the toy Stretch Armstrong? It was very popular in the 70’s. It’s arms, legs and body were filled with gel and you could stretch it to all kinds of lengths. The toy was reintroduced in 2016 and is still available today.

UNEX Span-Track is a patented solution for storage and order picking. The Span-Track carton flow rollers are the most reliable and durable carton flow solutions in the industry. Span-Track is unique because it drops into existing structures – making...

As the e-commerce market continues to boom, distribution centers are being stretched to carry more and more SKUs. Warehouse space is expensive, so building a new one is often out of the question. Plus, rents have continued to rise and vacancy rates...

The Easter Bunny will be here very soon. He’s making sure every gift shop, supermarket and convenience store has all the candy and gifts needed to fill Easter baskets. That is a lot of candy. The National Confectioners Association says that candy...