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While consumer products demand high energy density to obtain slim and elegant designs, industry focuses on durability and reliability. Industrial batteries are commonly bulkier than those used in consumer products but achieve a longer service life. 

A point of sales (POS) system is at the hub of every retail business and typically the largest single technical investment. Mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) technologies are transforming the brick-and-mortar retail, hospitality and events industries. While mobile POS (mPOS) has gained popularity with tech and fashion retailers, others consider a hybrid mobile POS solution offer as many benefits. Transactions and processes once tethered to traditional, fixed cash registers at the front of a store are being shipped to showroom floors, product aisles, and outdoor venues.

Improving the productivity and safety of your warehouse through ergonomics

While OSHA requires the training and means for employees to maintain ergonomic safety, the controversy surrounding OSHA's development of ergonomics standards and guidelines unveiled in 2002, gave ergonomics a bad name.

Poorly understood, warehouses sometimes define ergonomics as a black hole into which they pour money. Good ergonomics, however, can prevent injuries in the first place, and can facilitate return to work after an injury. The point of ergonomics in the warehouse is to minimize bending and reaching. Doing so reduces the risk of back injuries, while improving pick rates.

In 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. warehousing and storage industry reported a total recordable rate of 5.2 injuries per 100 full-time workers. Serious injuries - those involving days away from work, job restriction or transfer - occurred at a rate of 3.7 injuries per 100 workers. Musculoskeletal injuries occurred twice as frequently in the warehousing and storage industry as in general private industry. Additionally, in 2012, injuries in exposure categories such as falls, slips and trips and overexertion (including overexertion in lifting or lowering) were higher in the warehousing and storage industry than in general private industry. Incidences of strains, sprains and tears in the warehousing and storage industry were 80 per 10,000 full time workers.

Conveyor systems have been an integral part of material handling for over 100 years, and their origins can be traced back even further than that. Transport of bulk materials by conveyor belts dates back to around 1795, although the vast majority of these early iterations were used to move grains over very short distances.

We get pretty excited about what portable powered workstations do for warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing plants. Today we are going to turn to those who use the portable power and Newcastle Systems' specially designed mobile carts.  As with most companies, we prefer to keep the personal and company contact information confidential. Below you will hear feedback surveys have provided over the last year.

Accuracy is important in any distribution operation, but it is critical for companies that have a large number of SKUs. High SKU counts require that the right inventory is always in the right place – and that process of accountability starts in receiving. An efficient and accurate receiving operation provides the ability to accurately identify products wherever they may be within the facility. It also helps to assure that customers are correctly and quickly shipped the products that they order.

Recently the first shipments from MSC Industrial Supply Co.'s (MSC) newest customer fulfillment center in Columbus, Ohio. MSC is a leading value- added distributor of industrial supplies across North America. Among the new material handling equipment installed in the 400,000-square-foot facility are 12 mobile carts with integrated power from Newcastle Systems. The carts help MSC efficiently receive the more than a quarter million SKUs the company expects to eventually stock in Columbus.

Mobile Powered Workstations are designed to hold and power up to (4) pieces of hardware for 8 - 24+ hours of normal use. Ideal for POS systems, tablets/laptops, barcode printers, scanners, scales and much more.

Why Mobile Power?

Performing tasks at the point of activity saves time, improves accuracy and keeps sales personnel on the floor - ready to help your customers. 

Make your employees’ workplace mobile and free from stationary power sources and data cabling.

Recruiting order pickers can be a challenging task, especially if your business is one with high seasonal business fluctuations.  There are simple ways to recruit order pickers by posting job openings online. You most likely know of these resources but in case you are not familiar, here are options for you:

Picking carts are key for warehouse efficiency, but if your picking carts aren't equipped with the proper accessories, you could be doing extra duty.  You want to make sure your picking carts have the best and brightest accessories to make sure you're getting the most out of your pickers' time.

Warehouse pickers have a significant impact on how smoothly and efficiently the facility runs. These ten ideas will help keep them motivated throughout the day and encourage them to perform their best at all times.