Big news in the Material Handling Industry last week when Amazon announced they will be buying Kiva Systems, a maker of robots that service warehouses, for $775 million (cash) to improve the efficiency of its warehouses and order fulfillment centers by using robots and automated warehousing technology to improve their order fulfillment times. The acquisition comes as Amazon aggressively adds distribution centers to service its growing consumer base. Last year, Amazon said it planned to add 17 warehouses, bringing its total to 69.
Amazon to buy Kiva Systems…..
March 29th, 2012
UPDATE: Bob and Ron AREN’T off to Germany!
April 19th, 2010
On Friday, as newspaper headlines read “Europe Faces More Air Travel Chaos” and “Flight Disruptions in Europe Get Even Worse,” Bob and Ron found themselves grounded in Richmond. Southern Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH’-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) glacier began erupting for the second time in a month on Wednesday, sending ash several miles into the air. Winds pushed the ash south and east across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, and into the heart of Europe. Millions of people have been affected; Bob and Ron, itching to get to the Hanover Fair, were among them. Maybe next year…
Bob Giberson visits United States Coast Guard here in Virginia.
January 6th, 2010
While visiting the Coast Guard with Rick Barden to look at a recently installed project, Bob got the grand tour from our troops guarding our coast line. Jeremiah (SK1) took Bob on the latest craft, which cost around 3 million dollars. This craft will do around 60 miles per hour and is used for sea rescue in the ocean under light sea conditions (defined as 10- to 15- foot swells). It has all of the latest technologies: for example, there are joy sticks for steering instead of a typical steering wheel. The boat has a crew of just 8 sailors. As you can see in the photo below, Bob had to be rescued by the gallant crew while taking the tour, but lo and behold, he came out high and dry!
Extension of Tax Incentives For New Equipment Purchases in 2009
March 25th, 2009The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act extends a 50% bonus depreciation allowance for new machine tools and other equipment ordered and placed in service during 2009. Firms should also be aware of an increased Section 179 expense allowance for small business equipment purchases.
The first-year 50% bonus depreciation allows firms to write off an additional 50% of the cost of new equipment purchased and placed into service in 2009. Qualifying firms can receive the 50% bonus depreciation if the new equipment purchased has a recovery period of 10 years or more, takes more than one year to produce, and costs more than $1 million. Provided that these criteria are met, firms are allowed until the end of 2009 to place the equipment into service.
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A Review of ProMat 2009 by Mike Holler, Systems Engineer, PeakLogix
February 13th, 2009While overall attendee traffic may have been leaner at this years ProMat, the show proved to be valuable once again. It was apparent that a good portion of attendees were the decision makers within organizations, walking the floor with specific goals to achieve. The right people combined with less foot traffic allowed for in depth discussions about practical solutions to real time challenges.
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE MATERIAL HANDLING INDUSTRY by Shawn Sanders, Systems Engineer, PeakLogix
February 13th, 2009During my recent trip to ProMat, I discussed the subject of project management with several of PeakLogix’s major vendors. My goal was to learn how other companies in our industry tackle the very important task of project management. The vendors included manufacturers of wire decking, pallet rack, modular cabinets, carousels and in-plant offices.
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PROMAT 2009: Vendor Interviews by Rick Fehan, Director of Procurement, PeakLogix
February 13th, 2009A multitude of vendors were at ProMat this year. The show was very well received, and the majority of people in attendance were upper level decision makers. I invested my two days in vendor interviews.
Most everyone had a very successful 2008 – a number of companies reporting record profits for 2008. Vendors that offer commodity product lines (carts, shelving, etc.) were the first to experience the economic downturn.
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