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Do warehouses still need 8-hour work shifts?
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingNot long ago, the typical warehouse operated eight hours per day and five days per week. That was a normal business schedule, and nobody expected warehousing to be any different. Today, many distribution operations operate with a 24/7 schedule, and warehouses that work only 40 hours are increasingly rare.
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Self-directed work teams in the warehouse
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingGroups of people working together in a warehouse have typically been called a crew, a shift or a workforce. More recently, we have called them teams. What is the difference between a team and an ordinary warehouse crew?
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Chinese outsourcing may lead to textile resurgence in Carolinas
Stephanie McKenzie ManufacturingNorth and South Carolina were once the center of the American textile industry. This changed completely by the late 1990s, when the textile mills closed, moving their operations overseas where labor and raw materials were cheaper.
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Is the future cargo-free at JFK Airport?
Matt Falcus Transportation Technology & AutomotiveAn audacious proposal by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has stirred emotions in the area as he plans to shift John F. Kennedy Airport's cargo operations to another airport miles from the city. Stewart Airport, a former U.S. Air Force base some 60 miles north of JFK, has been chosen by Cuomo because of its capacity to expand and grow into a significant commercial airport.
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Retailers shoring up supply chains to avoid last year’s holiday mess
Piyush Bakshi Distribution & WarehousingAs the holiday season approaches, retailers are working diligently to get right the crucial elements of logistics and supply chain so that customer expectations of timely delivery and customer service are met. Why so much extra effort?
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Designing tomorrow’s distribution centers today
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingAt a time when the warehousing industry is relatively prosperous, it is natural for operators to be working on acquisition of new facilities and/or expansion of old ones. Your expansion could either be a construction project or the adaptation of an existing building to meet both today's and tomorrow's needs.
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Asian LNG: Demands for an end to oil‑indexed contracts moves east
Lucy Wallwork Natural ResourcesGas prices in Asia now stand 50 percent higher than those in Europe and three times those in the U.S. A wave of enthusiasm for market-led, hub-indexed pricing models for natural gas has been sweeping eastward from the U.S. since the 1990s, as more traditional oil indexation becomes unfashionable. Now, it is taking hold in the Asia-Pacific region.
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How to choose a mezzanine system for your warehouse
Piyush Bakshi Distribution & WarehousingMezzanines allow warehouses and distribution centers to increase usable area without leasing additional space or moving operations to larger warehousing facilities. Your business saves on rent, moving costs and also possible property taxes.
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Management by asking good questions
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingThe concept of "management by wandering around," or MBWA, was created by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard. He believed that the best managers do not spend the majority of their time behind their desks; rather, they move around the factories and warehouses, talking to those working there, learning about their problems and ideas.
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The critical importance of warehouse floors
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingThe single most important element of warehouse construction is the quality of the floor. As stacking heights have increased, floor quality has become even more critical. Imperfections in floors are magnified when product is stored up to 30 feet high.
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