Material world

Whatever product you manufacture, whatever position you hold in the supply chain, one thing is certain – the efficient flow of goods around the factory and warehouse is crucial to business success. So, a trip to next month's IMHX event could be just the ticket to greater efficiency, less waste and damage, and smooth movement of product in and around your site. 'Intralogistics' is the buzzword the organisers – Informa and the British Industrial Truck Association – use to describe this four-day showcase and it's about materials handling within the confines of the factory and warehouse, rather than the logistics element of transportation throughout the wider supply chain. So, the major 3PLs won't be exhibiting in force, but pretty much everyone else will – 400-plus organisations, promise the organisers, demonstrating a range of products and services from automated storage systems, batteries, conveyors and containers, doors, education, forklift trucks, goods lifts... you get the picture. Saying that, many of the 3PLs will be represented at the UKWA pavilion, where the UK Warehousing Association will be promoting its member organisations who control around 100 million sq ft of warehousing space across the country. So if you're looking to square the logistics circle, there's certainly the opportunity to see every aspect here. Educational opportunities While it's undoubtedly an attraction for visitors to see hundreds of exhibitors demonstrating new technology and services under one roof, significant added value from time spent at an event like this comes with the inclusion of a conference. And IMHX has two conferences running throughout the four days: one, dubbed 'Logistics Excellence' is pitched at the strategic level; the other, the 'Case Study Conference', will feature practical thoughts and tips. What's more, both are free to attend. Logistics Excellence will cover broader global supply chain issues and will feature academic speakers from the logistics and supply chain world as well as high profile industry keynote speakers on each day. The case study conference features sessions from end users who will each talk candidly about their particular project, covering both the advantages secured and the pitfalls to be aware of. Day one will focus on warehouse efficiency and clients will include Yeo Valley with exhibitor Harland Simon, Prologis with Hörmann UK and Aerotron with Permaban. Day two's theme of automated projects will see representatives from Fredericks Dairies with RediTechniX, John Lewis with Knapp and Häfele UK with Jungheinrich take to the podium to explain how automation has improved their logistics operations. On day three, Thursday 21 March, the presentations focus on order picking solutions and will include insight from retailer Boots UK, which invested £50 million in its facility in Burton-upon-Trent, where an automated handling system from Knapp has increased time efficiency by 65% compared to the previous manual operation. Other companies speaking that day include J&K Aquatics with TopVOX, Connect Distribution Services with Vocollect, and Bakkavor Foods with @Logistics Reply. The case studies on the final day will take the theme of storage solutions, with presentations from AESSeal with Kasto, Toolbank with Link 51, and Ark-H with Spaciotempo. Rotherham-based AESSeal, the largest manufacturer of mechanical seals in the UK, will talk about the Unitower storage system installed at its Rotherham factory by Kasto to store stainless steel and superalloy bar, tube and billet in a compact footprint. Other features to note include a new attraction for 2013, an apprenticeship and skills zone, where the BITA Academy – an apprentice training facility run by the trade association in conjunction with City of Bristol College – hopes to bring together talented young people and companies needing new recruits. This zone, in hall 17, aims to attract youngsters with the eye-catching supersonic Bloodhound vehicle, which will be on the stand of its sponsor, Linde Material Handling. Linde forklift trucks load and unload the 14-metre long, 7-tonne vehicle as it is transported to various events around the country. World land speed record breaker Richard Noble, OBE will perform the official opening duties on the first day of IMHX 2013. Noble, who held the record between 1983 and 1997 at the wheel of Thrust2, will cut the ribbon in front of the Bloodhound vehicle. Showcase selection With many exhibitors using IMHX as the launch pad for new products and services, visitors are guaranteed to see a host of new technologies and innovative offers for materials handling and storage. Here are a few highlights: Few stands will match the scale and pizazz of the major forklift truck manufacturers. From goods in, to stacking, high density storage, to order picking, Toyota Material Handling's live demonstration area will show how its products are suited to a variety of applications. Part of the largest space at IMHX 2013, the Toyota demonstration area will include models from Toyota's range of counterbalance and warehouse range including the Toyota Traigo48 electric-powered forklift, BT Reflex reach truck with tilting cab, BT Optio order pickers and BT Levio powered pallet trucks with platform. In addition, Toyota will be demonstrating hand pallet truck models including the BT Pro Lifter and BT Lifter Silent. Under the banner 'BestInvest', Jungheinrich will demonstrate how its counterbalanced and warehouse trucks, racking and storage solutions, automated systems, warehouse planning and tailor-made finance options represent value for money in today's market – delivering a reduction in long-term fleet operating costs of up to 20%. The Jungheinrich stand will also feature a comprehensive display of products and services reflecting its 'Machines, Ideas, Solutions' brand message. The environmental benefits of using Jungheinrich trucks will be highlighted – across the entire Jungheinrich range, CO2 emissions have been cut by an average of 25% over the past 10 years and emissions from the company's electric counterbalance range have been reduced even more significantly. 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Jungheinrich's entry to the UK market and the company promises the party will be in full swing throughout IMHX 2013. Irish manufacturer Combilift will be showcasing new electric models which have been added to its range and the smallest capacity truck to date. Models from the Aisle-Master VNA articulated range will also be on show, which can now lift to heights of 15 metres. Forklift manufacturer Yale, part of the US-owned Nacco group, will be exhibiting alongside its UK distributor Briggs Equipment, and visitors to the stand will be shown how developments in ergonomics and technology at Yale have been introduced throughout the range of warehouse equipment, electric and ICE counterbalance products. Cesab Material Handling UK will be exhibiting for the first time at IMHX 2013 and its stand will feature new forklift models as well as some of its flagship products. Part of the Toyota Material Handling group, Cesab's European-manufactured product range on show at the event will include M300 four-wheel gas and diesel forklifts, B300 and B200 electric three-wheel models, P320 powered pallet trucks and R316 reach trucks. Best known in the construction and agriculture sectors, Manitou Group will be showcasing its offering for the UK material handling industry for the first time at IMHX. Manitou UK and many of its dealers have recently added the new MI range of industrial counterbalanced forklift trucks to their offering. Designed in France by Manitou and assembled in China by Beijing Hangcha Forklift Company, there are 12 models in the range with load capacities between 1.5 and 3.5 tonnes. Transmon Engineering will be demonstrating iTech Fleet, its forklift fleet management system. Transmon says this solution not only helps site managers to monitor and control truck use, but can also significantly improve security. Designed to provide complete visibility of an entire forklift operation through one secure portal, iTech Fleet can automatically immobilise a truck when it leaves a designated area. CI Logistics' technical experts will be available on its stand to explain the ways in which materials handling and automation can help companies increase productivity and maximise the use of available space – and can discuss projects it has completed for Diageo, Honda and Caterpillar. SSI Schaefer is aiming to draw in the crowds with its hospitality lounge and bar area, providing an ideal networking spot. The company will be demonstrating storage and automation solutions that it has supplied to sectors as diverse as defence, pharmaceutical, automotive and food. Finnish robotics specialist, Cimcorp, will be launching its 3D Shuttle solution. This system combines proven gantry robot technology with an integrated shuttle device to store and retrieve totes required for order fulfilment. EnerSys Motive Power will be showing a new model in its Hawker XFC range that features lithium-ion technology. The Hawker XFC-Li is a 24V battery with 38Ah capacity that delivers significant benefits compared with conventional units including greater power density, longer pack life and excellent performance at low temperatures. Exhibiting with sister company Dürkopp Fördertechnik, Knapp will be promoting its expertise in the design, installation, maintenance and upgrade of automated handling systems. The group's stand will feature a live demonstration of a Pick-it-Easy workstation, a display of the award-winning Pick-it-Easy Pocket solution and some working Open Shuttle mini AGVs. Transdek will be demonstrating its range of lifting and loading solutions. The company, which won a second Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation last year, will be showcasing working examples of its 20-tonne double deck lift, 6.5-tonne V2G (vehicle to ground) and its mezzanine floor lifts. Each machine will be in operation throughout the show to allow visitors to get hands-on experience of each unit's unique all-British technology and design, along with ease of operation, advanced safety features and environmental benefits. Goplasticpallets.com will unveil its HyRack pallet for the first time at IMHX 2013. Jim Hardisty, managing director of Goplasticpallets.com, said: "This year we gained sole UK distribution rights to the popular HyRack pallet, when IPS acquired the moulds and machinery. We have a great partnership with Belgian pallet manufacturer IPS and can rely on them to produce exceptional quality products as their technical knowledge and injection moulding expertise is second to none. The HyRack pallet is a welcome addition to our range of heavy duty plastic pallets." RediGroup will be demonstrating a fully working version of its RediTechniX system – an automated pallet storage, retrieval and sequencing solution. The solution combines the patented RediLogX pallet buffer and sequencing system with ASRS technology to increase the storage density of a warehouse by up to 80% compared to a VNA system. Another product making its debut at IMHX is a high-power, lead-acid battery – TENSOR – from GNB Industrial Power. Ideal for use in heavy-duty applications and cold-storage environments, TENSOR gives improved performance, capacity and energy efficiency compared to a conventional motive power battery. The GNB stand will also be home to Juta Racing's Porsche GT3 Cup Car for the duration of the show. Its driver, 24-year-old Jonas Gelzinis is an up-and-coming talent who won the 2011 Porsche Carrera GB Pro-Am title and is entering the Pro category in 2013. He will be on the stand each day to sign autographs and announce the winner of the daily competition – two hospitality tickets to a Porsche Carrera race meeting of your choice in 2013. As well as demonstrating its workspace planning software – offering 2D and 3D visual simulations – and its project management service, workplace storage business Bott will be exhibiting a new pin code locking feature for its Cubio range. BITO Storage Systems will be showing PROflow, its new pallet live storage system, which features a new load separator called M-Stop, which enables a mix of different pallet types on a single flow lane. As the M-Stop works like a single-sided saloon swing door, the pallet length does not matter and a mix of different pallet types can be used on a single lane. Hand protection specialist Polyco will be unveiling its new glove, the Mad Grip, at IMHX. The company designs and develops its products and cutting-edge manufacturing methods, resulting in a glove that's ideal for heavy or repetitive lifting of objects of all sizes. Goods lift manufacturer Penny Hydraulics will be showing visitors its BayLift and MezzLift goods lifts which, says the company, make it simpler and safer to handle items in loading bays, warehouses and factories. Both products are designed to meet each customer's precise requirement and are manufactured in the company's Derbyshire factory. Other products from the company include a range of load handling equipment for commercial vehicles and specialist load handling products for the drinks and nuclear industries. Hart Door Systems will be launching a new variant of its Speedor range of automatic, high-speed, industrial doors, as well as promoting its entire range of industrial doors engineered for use in high-traffic situations.