SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY
With Pick-Plank on our pallets, we’re seeing
significantly higher productivity.” Jim Thibeault, Capital Candy Company Inc.
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pallet pickers. To help transform standard pallet storage into dynamic pallet storage, UNEX Manufacturing Inc. invented Pick-Plank, an easy-to-use order-picking device designed to improve productivity, space utilization and ergonomics on the pick floor. “After installing Pick-Plank, in one aisle alone, we gained room for 24 additional pallets of product,” says Jim Thibeault, operations manager at Capital Candy. “We also reduced the amount of reaching and bending required to pick the bulkier items in the coolers, and improved rotation of perishable SKUs. Pick-Plank was a big hit with our pickers. “With Pick-Plank on our pallets, we’re seeing significantly higher productivity,” he continues. “The ergonomic benefits are also a real advantage. The product pulls from the front, so the picker doesn’t have to reach in 48 inches, drag the cases forward and bump his head along the way.” The order picking device attaches easily and quickly. “You set it on the pallet, use a couple of bolts and it’s installed in about five minutes,” says Thibeault. Once the worker picks the items closest to the aisle, the picker simply disengages a latch and, in one smooth motion, slides the back half of the pallet to the front position, making all products on the pallet accessible from the aisle. Traditionally, when a pallet is empty, it is removed from the area and restocked. But with PickPlank, a material handler can easily restock the pallet within the pallet rack and experience the same ergonomic advantages that Pick-Plank offers during picking. One of the biggest benefits of Pick-Plank is that the device allows Capital Candy to stack more product onto the pallet and reduces the need for empty overhead space. To withstand the toughest warehouse conditions, Pick-Plank is made of
FOOD LOGISTICS | JULY 2016
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galvanized steel and rides on steel roller bearings. The device can handle 1,500 units of product per pallet. The maximum pull required is 30 pounds or 3 percent of the product pallet load. The unit can attach to any standard 40-inch by 48-inch pallet with lag screws, which are provided, or the unit can be purchased pre-installed on a heavy-duty, blockstyle pallet. UNEX can configure Pick-Plank with a right-handed or left-handed pull mechanism.
InfinityQS Enterprise Quality Management Software Drives Improvement InfinityQS International’s enterprise quality management software, ProFicient, is designed to improve product quality, decrease costs and make smarter business decisions. Powered by a statistical process control engine, InfinityQS ProFicient proactively monitors, analyzes, and reports on data and processes in real time from disparate data sources across the globe. This creates a complete view of manufacturing operations—from the plant floor through multi-tiers of suppliers. ProFicient on Demand, a cloud-based deployment of the software, streamlines global data collection and analysis with a unified data archive. Its real-time alerts enable corrective actions to prevent recalls, like the recent Dole spinach recall for possible Salmonella contamination and
Capital Candy Company Inc. stacks more product onto the pallet and reduces the need for empty overhead space using the UNEX Pick-Plank solution.
the extensive cumin recalls due to undeclared peanut proteins. The resulting manufacturing intelligence promotes continuous improvement and optimizes overall operations. Moreover, ProFicient helps food manufacturers comply with the FSMA by providing farmto-fork traceability and ensuring accurate documentation for audits. “Globally, food and beverage manufacturers are facing increased pressure to improve quality, maintain compliance and traceability, and increase productivity,” according to Michael Lyle, president and CEO. “At the same time, supply chains are stretching further around the world, and consumers are more involved in advocating for safety precautions and healthier foods and beverages. To address priorities for each stakeholder, manufacturers from the C-suite to the plant floor must embrace available tools and technology, and adopt best practices to deploy advanced systems to their fullest extent.”
Compact Smart Camera Provides PC-Level Performance Cognex Corporation’s In-Sight Micro 8000 Series delivers vision tool performance at PC speeds in
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