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Wake up and smell the coffee
Written by Richard Howes   
Thursday, 13 November 2008 10:48

Plant and facility managers across the USA, Mexico and Canada are jeopardizing safety, wasting money and hampering productivity.  End users need to be given a better picture of the materials handling movement within their plants.

Too often is there a reluctance to embrace technology and where it is employed, there's a lack of understanding of the equipment and the demands placed upon it.

According to the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), back injuries cost American industry $10-14bn in workers' compensation costs and about 100m work days annually.

Installing a lifting and moving solution that limits the amount of manual handling is a good measure to prevent physical injury.  But even where this notion is shared, education is lacking.

There are clear advantages of, say, bridge, gantry, jib cranes and hoists over alternative forms of ‘lifting and moving’ materials handling: reduced lifting accidents; improved workplace health and safety; reduced product damage; improved workflow; lower costs; a green solution that reduces environmental impact, to name just a few.  But lift trucks remain the dominant force in the market.

Two booths at ProMat, which takes place January 12-15 - the Overhead Alliance (362) and OCH (252) - will challenge this mindset (indeed, ignorance) head-on.

The newly formed Overhead Alliance (OA), a Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) group entity, will exhibit for the first time at Chicago’s McCormick Place South, and will also stage two educational workshops.

The OA was formed to serve member companies organized under certain MHIA affiliated trade associations, namely CMAA (Crane Manufacturers Association of America), HMI (Hoist Manufacturers Institute), and MMA (Monorail Manufacturers Association).

Discover the potential lean and green benefits of overhead lifting and the positive impact it can have on your business.  Consider your options; don't just buy the first forklift truck you stumble upon when walking the aisles at McCormick Place South.

Richard Howes, Editor