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Thoughts, Articles, and Outlooks on the Industry

Industry Outlook

The Need for 1B+ Sq Ft of Warehouse Space, pt 1: Rattled Supply Chains

Before the coronavirus pandemic, online shopping was rising steadily. Adjusting fulfillment strategies to match that pace was a challenging but obtainable goal. The year-over-year growth between 2018 and 2019 of 14.9% was respectable. However, it did not prepare companies, or their supply chains, to meet the 93% growth seen in May of 2020. While the shift toward eCommerce has been…
February 9, 2021
ppeAdvanced Equipment

Preparing for Government Mandated Stockpiling of PPE

The first case of the novel coronavirus in the US was reported to the CDC on January 22, 2020. By April, the Strategic National Stockpile was nearly depleted of medical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), despite having delivered only a fraction needed by essential workers. Storing and managing the quantity of supplies needed to guard against global or national pandemics is…
November 18, 2020
Automation processIndustry Outlook

A Contradiction of Needs: Order Fulfillment in a Global Pandemic

Before March, 2020, automation in material handling had been on a slow rise for decades. Serious players were making investments both in infrastructure and research, but in most industries automating was a game of incremental gains. The workforce had been getting the job done, and the pace of automation was largely determined by its ROI when compared against an already…
July 30, 2020
Tote WasherIndustry Outlook

Hobart’s CL64T Tote Washer: A Higher Standard for Cleanliness

As industries adjust to the new normal of COVID-19, changes to everyday operations will have to be made. Cleaning and sanitization are now higher on the list of priorities than they ever were before. To that end, we at PeakLogix want to highlight a product from our partners at Hobart that will help keep employees and customers safe. The latest…
June 20, 2020
Industry Outlook

Micro-Distribution: Fulfillment’s Next Revolution

For 25 years, the competition to win e-commerce consumers has driven innovation in distribution. E-tail giants like Amazon and Alibaba have dominated the market by having unmatched throughput, consistency, and timing. They achieved this first through vigorous use of available technology, and later through the creation of technologies that hadn’t existed but were needed. Nevertheless, modern fulfillment is imperfect. Particularly…
May 1, 2020
Aethon AMRIndustry Outlook

Aethon’s AMRs on the Front Lines of COVID-19

At a time when COVID-19 is straining the capacity of hospitals the world over, we at PeakLogix wanted to highlight some of the amazing work from one of our partners, Aethon. For more than 15 years, Aethon has developed and produced autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) designed specifically for hospitals. These robots deliver medications, lab specimens, and meals, as well as…
April 14, 2020
conveyor maintanenceAdvanced Equipment

A Survival Guide to Conveyor Care and Maintenance

The sounds of a once-smooth system now vibrating and squeaking. The distinct smells of overheated metals and oils. The drips of oil or metal shavings on the floor, and the discolored or warped parts due to excessive heat. All of these are signs that your conveyor system may be overdue for some TLC. All of them can be detected by…
March 24, 2020
Boxes on conveyor beltAdvanced Equipment

7 Key Factors in Selecting the Right Conveyor

Because of their ubiquity across many industries, there are many types of conveyor, each with unique abilities and peripherals. Choosing a conveyor from among all the possible options can seem a herculean task. Modern conveyors do more than move material. They are integral parts of complex material-handling systems. The right system can sort items quickly and efficiently, can buffer those…
March 17, 2020