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When shippers mix 3PL's elements of process efficiency, technology, and expertise in their supply chain, the results are powerful – it yields stronger, more cost-effective and efficient logistics operation. The relationship between third-party logistics providers and shippers is made up of a variety of elements that come together to make up the whole.

With warehouses and distribution centers (DC) doing more inventory and SKUs work, businesses are required to address orders for various channels. As a result, building a good inventory management system is becoming crucial and doing so becomes more complex. Here are some critical areas to focus on to deal with the multi-channel era.

DC managers are under constant pressure over the past few years to meet the growing e-commerce. In such a speed obsessed era, it is not about reducing the inventory, but control. 

The term lean thinking was coined by James P. Womack and Daniel T.Jones to capture the essence of their in-depth study of Toyotaʼs fabled Toyota Production System. 

Lean thinking is a new way of thinking any activity and seeing the waste inadvertently generated by the way the process is organized by focusing on the concepts of:

1. Value
2. Value streams
3. Flow
4. Pull
5. Perfection

The complete details can read in

The Essentials of Lean Manufacturing eBook.

Lean thinking was born out of studying the rise of Toyota Motor Company from a bankrupt Japanese automaker in the early 1950s to todayʼs dominant global player. At every stage of its expansion, Toyota remained a puzzle by being capturing new markets with products deemed relatively unattractive and with systematically lower costs while not following any of the usual management dictates. 

"Lean thinking was born out of studying the rise of Toyota Motor Company from a bankrupt Japanese automaker in the early 1950s to todayʼs dominant global player."

While it’s important for lean consultants to stay on top of current trends in lean manufacturing, it is difficult to keep up with advances in technology and new opportunities. For instance there is new warehouse cart technology available that reduces waste. Here are five new trends in lean manufacturing we believe you will want to know about:

Get the free "NEW TRENDS IN LEAN MANUFACTURING THAT
WILL IMPACT THE FUTURE" White Paper Here.

1. Strength-Based Lean Thinking

Most applications of lean thinking begin with an assumption that there is a theoretical “perfect state” for each organizational process and that the current state deviates from the perfect state due to inefficiencies and waste.

The strength-based approach to lean has a different focus. Instead of focusing on what is not working and inefficient, it teaches how to identify what is already working efficiently and generates value in existing processes and systems (this is called “strength focus”).

The strength-based approach to lean is more natural to work with and more sustainable in the long term.

Leveraging current or past knowledge, and accessing experiences and successes from within the system, are great resources for the next generation of improvement initiatives. They also provide motivation for everyone to face the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Stock picking carts are an essential part of factory and warehouse operations. Order picking is the most labor intensive and error prone process in the warehouse. Newcastle System's offers a NEW solution that is ideal for single line items, batch order picking, manual and RF picking as well as “Pick & Pack”.

Once you understand how adding the latest technology from Newcastle System's includes portable power, you begin to think quickly about the possibilities. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the advantages of eliminating wasted steps with a power supply integrated with a mobile stock picking cart station. 

Lithium batteries stand apart from other batteries in their high charge density (long life) and high cost per unit.  What are the major differences between the battery you are familiar with, the Lithium Ion (LiCoO2) and the new kid on the block, Lithium Iron (LiFePO4)?  

Below we break down the differences between the two types of batteries:

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.