An intelligent lifting device (ILD) is a lift assist solution or load manipulation system that moves seamlessly and precisely with its human operator’s motion. Programmed to mimic the exact job being performed and acting as an extension of the body, ILDs enable fast, ergonomic load manipulation while increasing a worker’s lifting ability.

As it turns out, handling that uptick in in-store fulfillment has proven to be every bit as challenging to retailers as managing the tremendous upswing in direct-to-consumer parcel shipments from distribution centers. To address the difficulties associated with filling orders directly from store shelves, more retailers are reconsidering their traditional brick-and-mortar footprint by implementing automation at the store level to satisfy the increase in demand for curbside convenience.

The first years of this decade have brought change in ways that we could not have imagined and the impacts are being felt from the entry level all the way up to director and board level workers. Companies are paying more attention to ESG and are preparing to make big changes to the workforce in the future.

Like virtually every other sector of the U.S. economy, 2020 was extremely difficult for the U.S. auto industry. Automotive industry analysts at Seraph say sales were down 14.7% in 2020. The industry rebounded, however, and was up 32% in the first half of 2021. Needless to say, that whiplash led to its own problems: product shortages and an inability to keep up.

As it turns out, supply chain disruptions may be the biggest global shift in the post-COVID-19 “new normal.” To help supply chain managers increase their operations’ agility and flexibility in the face of the unexpected, members of MHI’s Solutions Community developed a list of six strategies that organizations can take to bolster their resilience.

Modern Materials Handling paired with WERC, MHI & MHEDA for our first benchmark supply chain diversity study, How Does Your Supply Chain Diversity Measure Up.