Dan St. Peter

There will be no disruption to our support of the supply chain industry. We are maintaining our support of the Supply Chain, Logistics, and Material Handling industry.  Many companies within these industries are essential to providing products or services in response to the current global pandemic.  If your facility is operational we are here to support you.  Many states have, and others may, enact lock down protocols.  As these are announced, Systems in Motion Group will continue to monitor and adjust how we can provide support for your operations.  If you need Facility Improvements, Material, Maintenance, Spare Parts, or projects to increase the efficiency of your operations, we are able to help. In a letter to the Systems in Motion group, Scott Lee (President) said, \”In summary, there are sections of the Order which define the types of businesses classified as “essential”. Fortunately, for all SIM companies, we are classified as “essential”. This is mainly because we supply, service, and perform projects for other companies also defined as “essential”. For example, shortly after receiving a copy of the Order, we received a spare parts order from a medical company requiring these components to insure uninterrupted service of their products. \”Maintenance and spare parts are available and will continue to be ordered and processed as usual. There will be no disruption to our support of the supply chain industries.

Fitness Program put together for students and parents for staying fit I wanted to pass this on as an opportunity.  Below is a modified statement from G.W. Mix.  GW has a number of roles at our local high school.  Parent, Varsity Lacrosse Coach, Student Advocate and Family Liaison to Administration and Teachers, \”Challenge Success\” Parent liaison, etc.  This was rolled out to the CDM Lacrosse team last week. \”As gyms and other workout facilities have been forced to close, we realize that everyone at home could use a fitness plan suitable for the entire family. In my role as Student Advocate and Family Liaison, I (GW Mix) asked Pat to put together a program we could share with the CDM community. Over the past few days, Pat and his colleague Kyle Eastman have worked tirelessly to build a simple and easy-to-manage program for all of you. We are excited to announce the CDM Challenge Success Family Fitness Project, a collaboration with Cuirim Sports Recovery. The program that Pat and Cuirim Sports Recovery has put together includes daily workouts, at several different levels of difficulty, that can be effectively done at home by everyone in the family. Just click on the link below to get started. I sincerely hope you find the program helpful. Be sure to stay healthy and make the best of the newfound time you have with your family.\” The Link to Family Home Workout Program is working, just not blue.   Click here to START!

The Modex2020 Booth is set up and ready to go!! System in Motion is ready in Atlanta for Modex2020!  Modex2020 is the one of the largest events for our industry.  Due to the concerns for our friends and families, the Leadership Team has reduced the number of employees we are sending to the show to a minimum.   We are supporting  MHI on following the guidelines to keep everyone safe.

Can you Bowl a strike? Stop by our booth and bowl a strike in our Wii Sports competition.  Every Strike gains an entry into our daily draw for prizes.Have a question about automating your Warehouse?  As part of the Systems in Motion Group, we will have Equipment, Service, Controls and Installation experts in our booth to answer any question you may have. Set up an appointment with us to reserve your time. Click Here for an appointment. Not sure about how to bowl a strike?  This link may help you prepare to win!

Free Webinar on Best Practices for Conveyor Safety by Boyce Bonham, Chair of the CEMA Safety Committee (Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association) With so many warehouses and distribution centers utilizing conveyors to facilitate load movement and transport, they’ve almost become part of the landscape and easy to take for granted. And yet, as safety is a top priority when integrating any automation — including conveyors — into a warehouse operation, it is critical to exercise caution in both their use and maintenance. REGISTER HERE FOR THE FREE WEBINARIn this 30-minute webinar, moderated by Alpine Supply Chain Solutions’ Michael Wohlwend, conveyor guru Boyce Bonham will detail the industry standards and best practices that are both important and useful for safely integrating conveyors into an operation. Bonham will share a collection of tools available to help with training operators and maintenance personnel to safely interact with conveyors. Participants will also learn what standards should be followed when utilizing conveyors, how to safely operate them, and the proper procedures for safe conveyor maintenance and repair. This session is ideal for operations teams currently using conveyors (or thinking of implementing new conveyor systems), as well as for persons responsible for equipment maintenance and operator training. The webinar is part of the formal, two-year alliance formed by OSHA and the Midwest WERCouncil. The two organizations are working together to provide training, outreach and education to WERC members and industry stakeholders on reducing and preventing exposure to common safety and health hazards found in our industry. Among the areas of focus are material handling, forklifts, loading docks, conveyors, machine guarding, machine safety procedures and struck-by hazards. Presented by: Boyce Bonham, Chief Engineer, Hytrol System in Motion Company Boyce Bonham’s career in the conveyor industry spans 35 years, during which time he has served in multiple engineering functions including equipment and system design. An active member of the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA), Bonham has served in multiple positions including Chair of the CEMA Engineering Conference and Chair of the CEMA Safety Committee.

Come see and hear the exciting announcement at our Booth #1707 We\’re packing up and heading to MODEX 2020 March 9-12 in Atlanta Georgia. As the speed of manufacturing, supply chain and transportation operations continues to accelerate, the future of our industry depends on today’s forward-thinking decisions. From illuminating education to next-generation technology and equipment in action, MODEX lets you see what’s coming – and take advantage of it to power your supply chain with endless possibilities for years to come. MODEX 2020 will allow you to make new contacts, discover cutting-edge solutions, and learn the latest trends that are sure to give you a leg up on the competition. Here, you’ll encounter the best our industry has to offer. Modex 2020 Appointment Request at Our Booth-#1707 Link to Free Online Attendee Registration 

Salvation Army Coat Drive by System in Motion Employees  Our Culture Committee asked the local Salvation Army what they needed the most this year.  The answer was children\’s winter coats.  An email was sent to all employees with the request for New Children\’s Winter Coats.  Three boxes were set out by the front entrance to collect the coats as they came in.  Thank you to all the employees who donated coats this year.  For more information on how you can help the Salvation Army, go to https://satruck.org/ to learn more.Again, Thank You to everyone who helped with the coat drive this year!!

Holiday Traffic have you feeling Aggressive? Link to Driving Safety Course With the Thanksgiving Holiday comes the Thanksgiving Traffic.  Perhaps some of us (or someone you know) could use this course from MHEDA?  More likely the person in the car behind you?  Thanks to MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Distributor Association) for making this available.

With the busy season fore E-Commerce and Store Replenishment upon us, CSI-Aftermarket Service Team thought a few reminders for maintaining the equipment in our facility would be a good idea. Reducing Equipment Downtime Many teams within a facility have a positive impact on keeping the equipment operation as intended.  This is not just the maintenance crew making repairs fast.  Typically, the equipment will tell you there is a problem way before it fails.  (Like a toddler dancing just before they go to the bathroom, if you catch it, you don’t have to change their clothes…) The CSI Aftermarket Service Team put these together as a good baseline to start with. Don’t hammer in a screw.  Use the equipment as intended.  Double stacking product on a conveyor is a very typical situation we see in the busy season.  This may overload many parts of the drive train and cause early failure rates. Train for Success.  Procedures for human interaction with the equipment need to be recorded and operators trained on.  Stopping the conveyor by using the ESTOP is not the best practice.  Controls are designed to stop the sequence of operation in a safe manner for operators and equipment.  The ESTOP may lock down certain aspects which will cause wear that is not needed. Look, Listen, Feel.  The production team relies on the equipment to make their job easier.  Watching the equipment to see if something just doesn’t look right, listen for abnormal noises, feel for vibrations or excessive heat…  All these steps will help the maintenance staff determine if the equipment needs some attention.  A great practice we see in many facilities is a white board or clipboard that operators on all shifts can make notes on.  If an incident occurred, make notes, explain anything of abnormal operations.  The case that came down the line in the wrong direction caused a jam in the sortation area.  No apparent damage to the machine.  Still something that can be noted, and solutions found for these situations. Make time for Scheduled Maintenance.  Whatever you call it, Planned Maintenance, Scheduled Maintenance, Strategic Care, Predictive Maintenance, Preventative Maintenance, etc. these plans are designed to maintain and replace components before a failure.  MTBF- Mean Time Between Failure, is a common theme in maintenance departments for any type of equipment.  From a motor to a VPN router, equipment has a given life span.  Replacing it before it fails is key.  Like replacing the ink cartridge in your printer when low vs. after your half-printed document comes out and you have to scramble to find the cartridge, figure out how to open the machine, replace the cartridge, reprint the document and get to the meeting on time. Keep Paper in Stock.  Similar to the above paragraph, what would happen if the printer ran out of paper and there was no more paper on hand?  You could not print the information until more paper was delivered.  If a bearing fails and the machine is down, you turn a 20-minute repair into a 3-4 hour downtime.  Identify all critical spare parts.  This is based on several factors, including how long it will take to get a spare part on hand.  If a part takes more than 24 hours and is a critical part to the operation, you should have those on hand.  If a part can be delivered in less than 24 hours, but you need 2 or 3 a week, have 5-6 on hand and reorder when low. Document Maintenance Procedures.  There are many ways this can be done.  From a simple set of notes to fully automated and customized software platform.  Which ever are used, follow them.  Conveyors, Carousels, Sortation equipment, Air Compressors, Lift tables, even simple pack tables, should all have documents to follow for Daily, weekly, monthly, annual maintenance.   The links above will take you to simple best practices for some of your scheduled maintenance.

Carousels come in a variety of different models and sizes. To maximize efficiency for any carousel, proper and routine maintenance is key.   Best Carousel Maintenance PracticesHere are our top 9 best practices for maintaining a carousel: Proper Track Sizing – The length of the track needs to match the length of the chain of bins, or you may be at risk for a derailment.  *Tip from our Service Manager – To verify track sizing, run the carousel manually so that one castor is dead center of the nose end. Lock out the carouseland lay on the floor shining a bright light towards the leading side of the castor to verify the center of the castor is properly aligned with the center of the track. Chains – Lubricate chains check tension, and check for excessive wear or rust RPM readings – Ensure that RPM’s for motors match – Different RPM rating will create a push pull effect causing a mechanical failure. DC Motor Brushes– Severely worn brushes won’t make proper contact with the motor, causing the motor to operate erratically causing mechanical failure. Carousel Tracks – Grease carousel tracks.  An unlubricated track can cause damage to the motor and wear out tracks. Tracks need to stay properly greased. V-Belt Integrity – V-belts should run smoothly with proper tension and no cracks or dry rot. Loose belts can cause inconsistent RPM readings. Reducers – Unsealed reducers need their oil changed yearly, and the oil level checked regularly. The correct amount of clean oil will prevent the reducer from overheating and failing. Setscrews – Check for loose setscrews on bearings and sprockets to prevent these items from moving out of place. Link Assemblies – Check for bent or damaged links. Damaged or broken links creates the risk of a carousel derailing.  Tip from our Service Manager: Using a very bright light check where the links attach to verify that they are in good working order. System in Motion offers maintenance packages include our 20-point planned maintenance plan. (Click here for more information)  (Contact us today)