December 2008 - Cemat, India - Bangalore - 10th - 13th The organisers at Hannover-based Deutsche Messe are anticipating 180 exhibitors at this year’s CeMAT INDIA - the International Trade Fair for Intralogistics.

January 2009 - Chicago, 12th - 15th ProMat Delivers Your World In January 2009, tens of thousands of material handling and logistics buyers from more than 90 countries will meet at Chicago’s McCormick Place South. They will come to see, touch and operate the solutions of over 700 of the top material handling and logistics providers. The 300,000 square foot show floor will feature manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, assembly, logistics and IT solutions for the supply chain.

March 2009 - Logimatt - Stuttgart, 3rd - 5th Decision-makers come together at the marketplace for intralogistics in the heart of Europe

March 2010 - Birmingham, 2nd - 5th The organiser of the 2010 International Materials Handling Exhibition (IMHX) is celebrating the fact that an impressive 70% of stand space is sold almost 18 months before the show.

In the place to be.... You can’t have failed to hear about thei ncredible Dubai World Central and incredible Dubai World Central and David Priestman met with Mike Proffitt to learn the latest on the vast project.

Time to clean up your act…. Companies are shirking their environmental responsibilities and letting down their shareholders by ignoring the impact of their supply chain on the environment according to Ewan French, COO Network Design at inventory and supply chain planning specialists Barloworld Optimus.

A new passion for beer (Page 1)…. The problem of a pub without any beer is something that both vendor and customer never wants to face. In order to ensure optimal distribution of the beer manufactured in Spain by Mahou-San Miguel the Westfalia SpeedLoader has guaranteed quick and safe shuttle traffic.

A new passion for beer (Page 2)…. The opening of the Madrid “Paseo Imperial” Mahou factory in 1962 is considered a milestone in the company’s history and the logistical development of the business. 20 years later the French Danone Group bought major shares of Mahou. In 2000 there was further development when San Miguel and Mahou merged to become MSM, considered to be one of the most important Spanish breweries.

Tough stuff on the floor…. A ground breaking distribution centre for the largest food retail chain in the Saudi Arabia, Al Azizia Panda United, is under construction in Riyadh and will be completed and fully operation by the end of 2007.

Versatile track and trace…. Dachser is one of Europe’s leading logistics providers with its head office in Kempten in Germany. The company recently engaged the services of CASIO Europe who provided hand-held terminals for warehouse operations throughout the Dachser supply chain operation in Europe.

Improving WMS accuracy…. For any organisation involved in the freight forwarding of goods, the accuracy, efficiency and speed of its operations are crucial factors in ensuring a high level of customer service and retaining key customer contracts. When independent logistics specialist Allport was in the process of specifying a new warehouse system at its UK air freight division the business sought new measures to streamline and improve upon its labelling, scanning and printing operations.

Following the big truck (Page 1)…. Regardless of how sophisticated and powerful the modern lorry and truck cab is every road transport operation is only as good as the mix of reefer, curtainsider or rigid-bodied trailers being used by the fleet. David Priestman met with Schmitz Cargobull and other major suppliers.

Following the big truck (Page 2)…. Across the industry trailer sales have traditionally been split between hauliers and end users running in-house logistics operations. But more and more sales are to leasing companies, such as Transamerica, and are part of substantial financial packages. The UK has the largest proportion of trailers being bought by leasing companies in Europe.

The protection game…. In Aalst at the Belgium subsiduary of IT specialists TechData they thought it was impossible to achieve quality transport protection at a better price. For over two years the IT products had been protected on their way to the customer with Airplus aircushioning.

New plastic footprints…. Business is booming for plastic pallet manufacturer Craemer who opened a new UK production facility in Telford in late 2006. Chris Price-White recently met up with the facility’s MD Chris Neill.

Any number can play Guest coloumnist Chris Sisson of transport consultants 121 Systems has two basic questions for warehouse staff when they receive a delivery. They seem almost absurdly simple – where has it come from and where is it going to?

Learning to pay your way Customs enforcement and the transportation infrastructure are subjects that need the exacting attention of global companies that want to sell goods in Russia.This is the view of guest columnist Rustam Yuldashev, President of Russian logistics operators STS Logistics Holding.

Ever changing landscape Developments in the European warehousing market are centred around three key areas: occupier demand, locations and the impact of global trends. Logistics Business magazine asked Simon Lloyd, head of Eurologistics at commercial property experts DTZ to shine some light on the subject.

Perfect picking in the DC The Swiss supermarket chain Migros manages the storage and picking of all dry grocery goods within its distribution centre in Suhr, Switzerland. Supported by solutions provider Witron, highly automated processes offer optimum material flow as well as cost-effective and ergonomic goods handling for order picking.

A positive move forward As one of the leading players in the field of palletised freight distribution, UK Pallets is completely focused on its’ stated aim of being “the network of choice” for members and customers alike.The business continues to go from strength to strength with growth in new business sales and new member recruitment.

Monsters need not apply When you look at the way some companies use IT Technology, it is difficult not to be reminded of Frankenstein’s monster. This is the view of guest columnist Chris Sisson of 121 Systems.

Retail chain to build a DC that will set new standards in excellence Logistics solution provider Swisslog has been commissioned as the principal contractor to build what is set to become one of the most modern logistics facilities in Europe.

In ship shape condition Freight fowarding companies all over the world are meeting daily challenges to delivery goods in first class condition. This often means producing transit packaging solutions that now have to adhere to strict environmental legislation.

Racing red stallion steps up a gear as hub tasks move forward When space is better utilised within the distribution centre the next step can often be engaging a more automated approach to the daily tasks within the four walls. The automated transfer of energy and data to production lines that can often be called upon to work 24/7 at peak periods is considered to be something that is at the cutting edge of the global effort to speed up the supply chain process.

Leave it to the experts Outsourcing consists of subcontracting a task or a process to an external company in order to reduce the costs, bring an external expertise and optimise the organisation itself.

Keeping cool made easy The world of cold logistics is continually under pressure from customers that demand just in time (JIT) cargoes delivering in perfect conditions and on time.

Bremen’s bumper year The success of BLG, Bremen as one of Germany and Europe’s premier port based logistics operators has been further enhanced by the publication of its 2007 trading figures.

No royal pardon here Picture the scene as a leading UK Royal and his equerry engage in conversation over a glass of port in the bowels of Windosr Castle one recent evening.

The ways of the robot - Part 2 Handling this diversity is very complex and not very efficient. If we look at these products as a layer, however, then we see that they all have very similar layer sizes (depending on the pallet size) and that they have a plane top and bottom surface. Picking a whole layer is therefore more feasible than picking single cases.

The ways of the robot - Part 1 Almost everyone has seen a robot, either in reality or at least on TV performing different tasks in industry. Robots are usually used for extremely monotonous tasks with continually repeated motion sequences, or in applications where heavy loads are to be handled.

Roll out the trucks As the eyes of the material handling fraternity focus on the CeMAT exhibition being staged in Hannover, two well-respected forklift truck manufacturers recently chose stages elsewhere to launch new products.

The biggest gets better The world of warehouse automation is continually moving forward with innovative new products and evergrowing and strengthening alliances amongst the manufacturers of highly technical solutions.

Stop, start production Industrial conveyor motors have to be built to last and to often operate in hygienic environments. Stop and go operation, salt water and heavy loads are just a few of the challenges thrown up by a major Swiss cheese manufacturer.

The only way is up A leading healthcare company is ensuring the highest safety standards at an extended and refurbished national distribution centre in Northampton using safety fencing systems designed and installed by industrial racking safety specialist Troax UK Limited.

How green is your fleet ? As globilsation makes daily supply chain tasks more challenging than ever the shipping industry is having to react to vast changes in scheduling and operation.

Viewing the vital signs For the first time in corporate history, green, sustainable business practices have become fashionable. Logistics Business asked Jonathan Wright, Accenture’s Senior Executive Global Supply Chain to explain how this has happened.

Mission Critical Richard Price recently re-joined Kardex Systems, the specialist manufacturer of automated retrieval handling and storage systems, and is determined to take the company places in the market.

A truck for all seasons With so many of the world’s major forklift truck manufacturers flexing their muscles at various international material handling events this Summer it takes skill and ingenuity to rise above the pile of new products on show.

Maximise the motors How can companies get the most from their forklift fleet? Guest columnist Paul Sercombe, Sales Director of Transmon Engineering, offers 10 tips to help Managers get the most from their fleet management system.

Coping with change I find it hard to believe that oil is suddenly twice as expensive to get out of the ground. I’m sure the industry experts would disagree, but to my mind one barrel of oil is pretty much like another. Yet a barrel one week seems to cost plenty more than one the week before.

Put people first in the hub Putting people first is a must for warehouse operators according to Morgan Barrington, marketing director of the safety specialists the Troax Group.

The supermarket savers At European supermarket chain ALDI they say “Spend a little, live a lot!” This is the company’s main advertising slogan and now, with over 300 outlets in the UK (50 more were opened last year alone), this very successful German family-owned company is rapidly expanding its UK operation from its small start in 1990. They specialise in having “normal” prices which usually beat the rival supermarkets “sale” prices.

The widest range of all At CeMAT Hannover David Priestman met with Hyster Europe’s Directors to discuss, in particular, the company’s ‘Big Truck’ products and market viewpoint.