Modern Materials Handling Magazine Archives

Gap Inc.’s renovated distribution center near Columbus, Ohio, uses automation technologies present in other Gap Inc. facilities, but at a completely new scale.

In conversation after conversation, we continue to learn of the deep changes that e-commerce has ushered into warehouse and distribution center operations, from implementing game-changing automation, robotics and software to tightening up labor and inventory management to elevating the importance of final-mile delivery and returns processes—and everything in between.

The retail leader gave new life to an existing facility that sets the standard for e-fulfillment at Gap Inc. What’s more, it brought the 1.2-million-square-foot facility online two months ahead of schedule during a pandemic.

From smaller, more irregular packages, to new market segments like micro-fulfillment automation, the change driven by e-commerce is reflected in the conveyor and sortation market. Add in the need to offer systems that are faster to put in and more adaptable over time, and you see multiple reasons for these trends.

Best known for its ability to identify and track inventory, data capture technologies of all types are being swept into a far more powerful information web. The idea is to use the technology to improve processes through improved deployment of people and assets.

The pandemic stressed supply chains, including how much inventory to plan for and hold at the network level, as well as how to best manage it within the four walls of DCs. Using fresher, short-term demand data, by adjusting slotting, or simply by gaining greater accuracy though solid data capture and verification processes in WMS, should help keep inventory under better control.

Wholesaler of building materials turns to AS/RS technology and software to pick order more efficiently, ergonomically.

Modern's editor sat down with John Paxton, Chief Executive Officer at MHI

Packages can arrive in less than great shape if the taping process was botched in any of several ways. Here are some tips on what to look for in a tape head that can consistently do the job.

Proper, regular maintenance will help performance of any electric lift truck, even as Li-ion choices expand for DCs drawn by advantages like elimination of battery swaps and battery rooms.

As retailers rebuild their distribution schemes as quickly as possible, they are still behind the curve when it comes to how the role of stores is changing and the enormous surge in e-commerce. A little empathy is actually in order, even when you can’t buy exactly what you want when you want it. Patience remains a virtue.