This Website and Blog are Purely Informational With Topics Intended to Address the Various Aspects of Material Handling Equipment and Warehouse Automation Systems Design Considerations. These Topics Hopefully Address Common Concerns When Planning a New Distribution Center or Warehouse. Technical Aspects of Conveyors, Sortation Systems, Automated Robots, Goods to Person and other Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems are Addressed. No Equipment or Services are Intended to be Sold. However, If You Have a Material Handling Equipment or System Need, Please Visit the Contact Page and a Material Handling Expert Will Contact You Promptly. Also, Feel Free to Comment or Contribute to All Posted Blogs. In an age where industries are looking for better means to carry out their warehousing, fulfillment, production, distribution, and consumption of products and materials in a more controlled, efficient, and less costly manner, automated material handling equipment (MHE) remains pivotal for success. Through the use of thoughtfully designed and engineered warehouse automation systems, industries are able to promote consistent and improved handling of their materials and products to enhance production, reduce cost, and properly manage each distribution center process. To better handle each stage of production, material handling consists of various equipment and systems that are either automatic, manual, or semi-automatic. These systems are able to carry out complex operations seamlessly, and when properly integrated make the supply chain flow smoothly. Every warehouses or distribution center faces the same primary challenge; to move product in and out as quickly and efficiently as possible. There are many means to this never-ending end, but the primary one utilized across most industries is with a simple piece of material handling equipment called a ‘conveyor’. Similarly, in a manufacturing or assembly environment, conveyors are used to move materials to their single or multiple points of assembly until the finished product is produced. In simple terms, conveyors are mechanical systems used for transporting materials, loads, and products from one point to another. They may be horizontal, vertical, or inclined to facilitate the movement of the load. Usually, the load moves atop belts or rollers fixed to a frame traversing the designated start and end points of the process. Conveyor systems can be either powered or non-powered with the main benefit of reducing the non-value travel time between workstations to lower labor costs and increase throughput capacity. Although the concept of a conveyor is easy to understand, there are so many different types and configurations of conveyor, some more suitable for specific applications than others, that understanding the basics of this type of material handling equipment could prove to be extremely beneficial for your operations.