New Mqtericrls Hondling ldecrs qt Deoler Show

NRLDA Exposition to lntroduce Storfling New Developments And the lotesf Techniques

An entirely new concept in shipping lumber, hailed as the lumber car of the future, will be one of the major attractions of the materials handling demonstrations and clinics to be held in connection with the second annual National Retail Lumber Dealers Association Exposition in Cleveland, October 11 to 14.

The car has bulkheads on each end to keep lumber packages from telescoping ofi the ends. All lumber on the car is to be strapped into units and wrapped with reinforced waterproof paper or polyethylene film.

point from which to see the demonstrations.

In order to acquaint dealers with the progress which is being made in packaging and shipping other building products in unit loads for fork truck handling, the materials handling exposition committee plans to have shipments of unitized hardwood flooring, asphalt roofing, insulation board and sheathing, gypsum board and lath and other building products come to the exposition siding for mechanical unloading and handling.

Clinic sessions on important materials handling problems are sch,eduled every afternoon at three o'c1ock. Dealers and industry experts will cover such important subjects as Warehouse Trends and Design; How to Lay Out a Lumber Yard for Mechanical Handling; and How to Select and Choose Mechanical Handling Equipment. At certain designated hours each day, selected motion pictures of materials handling operations and equipment used in lumber yards will be shown in a special theatre set up for that purpose.

One day of the show is set aside for Yard Foremen. Dedicated to the man who is in direct charge of yard equipment and handling methods, Yard Foreman's Day will feature special demonstrations for foremen, together with a panel discussion on foremens' problems. Foremen in attendance rvill be invited to submit problems and join in the discussion.

Improved Lumber "Tree" Planned

Each wrapped unit is unloaded from the flat car and placed into storage without any handling by hand.

Because the units are protected from the elements, they can be stored outside indefinitely. Several such cars are to be shipped from mills to tl-re exposition, rvhere they will be unloaded at specified times.

In addition to the flat cars of .lvrapped lumber there will be a four-day planned program of materials handling activities designed to acquaint dealers rvith the latest procedures in the mechanical handling of building materials. A printed schedule of events will make it possible to select as much of the program as a dealer cares to take in. Key materials handling functions are scheduled so as not to interfere with a dealer's attendance at other clinic sessions on merchandising, financing, etc.

Special periods each day are being set aside for unloading of both flat cars and box cars of lumber of various types, so that dealers planning to mechanize or improve current handling programs will be able to see just how lumber is handled and stacked mechanically. Handling equipment, such as fork trucks, straddle trucks, delivery trucks and steel strapping, which is being exhibited by major equipment manufacturers at the show, r,vill be used in the demonstrations.

trncoming cars of lumber, of rvhich there will be at least three every day, will be unloaded, sorted, graded, bundled ancl strapped. Many of these units will be wrapped to show how this is done in the dealer's yard. All the unloading and handling activities will be on an outside dock area adjacent to the rail siding serving the exposition.

A balcony along the whole area provides a good vantage

Typical of the hundreds of practical handling and storage ideas to be presented at the Exposition in Cleveland will be a "lumber tree" type storage rack engineered and built especially for lumberyard use, based on specifications and suggestions submitted by dealers themselves.

The decision to feature the rack was inspired by its increasing popularity among dealers all over the country for use in order assembly and for storing lumber specialties that must be readily accessible.

The tree rack at Cleveland will be a completed development based on the roughly fabricated one exhibited at the New York show last year. Designed by a leading timber (Continued on Page 27)