Despite recent reports from Statistics Canada showing the Canadian economy lost jobs this fall, Grimsby, Ont.-based Handling Specialty Manufacturing Ltd. is experiencing a surge in successful contracts, and is currently hiring high skilled workers and leasing additional manufacturing facilities.

“We are thankful that our company seems to have weathered the economic storm that has affected so many of us in the manufacturing sector,” notes Thomas Beach, president of Handling Specialty.

“While Handling Specialty was affected by the recession of 2008 and its fallout, we have been lucky to land some important contracts in the fall of this year which have required us to add more staff, particularly in the area of manufacturing, and acquire additional floor space in order to meet our customer’s needs,” Beach says.

He credits the Handling Specialty team for staying strong and continuing to work hard during the recession, as well as the company’s unique value proposition of providing custom engineered and manufacturing lifting solutions, which require a high amount of engineering time and expertise.

“We are not an ‘off-the-shelf’ solution,” Beach says. “We are approached by customers who have a specific, and often complex, materials handling issue. We then work closely with the customer to identify solutions that solve their material handling challenges. That is what we bring to the marketplace, and we are proud of what we have accomplished.”

Over the years, Handling Specialty has worked with Lockheed Martin and the Joint Strike Fighter F-35 program, Cirque de Soleil and for underwater lifts for the “O” show, many of the big name automotive companies providing lift solutions for car assembly systems, and much more.

Now, with the backing of parent company Whiting Corporation and Canadian subsidiary Whiting Equipment Canada, the team at Handling Specialty has pledged to work even harder to achieve growth and success.

“Our team understands tough times; we have been through them ourselves,” Beach says. “But as always, out of challenges come opportunities, and we are determined to continue our success in the future, looking at industries that are experiencing growth, such as aerospace, rail and energy, and looking at expanding internationally.”
www.handling.com

Eriez’ 5-Star Service now offers an assortment of instruction, operation and maintenance manuals (IOMs), spanning 15 equipment categories. The IOMs are in PDF format and available for immediate download from Eriez’ website.

“These IOMs give plant operators and equipment maintenance personnel the necessary guidelines to properly operate and maintain their Eriez machinery,” says Dave Hansen, Eriez customer service manager. According to Eriez, many of the IOMs include a troubleshooting section and parts lists, depending on the type of Eriez equipment.

The product lines include (but are not limited to): chip and parts conveyors; coolant cleaners; lift magnets; magnetic drum separators; magnetic grates, plates and traps; magnetic roll separators; magnetic pulleys; magnetic rails; magnetic separators; magnetic sweepers; palletizers/depalletizers; suspended electro magnets; vibratory equipment; metal detectors and other equipment.

To download these free IOMs, visit en-us.eriez.com/Products/service/downloadeioms.

To help warehouses and distribution centres achieve higher performance and more sustainable operations, the Raymond Corporation delivers Eco-Performance, the company's approach to designing and engineering lift truck solutions for maximum economic and ecological benefits.

In independent third-party testing by the United States Auto Club (USAC), several Raymond lift trucks were tested against competitive models by completing the same number of store-and-retrieve cycles. The Raymond Swing-Reach truck was found to use up to 40 percent less energy; the Raymond Reach-Fork truck used up to 21 percent less energy; and the Raymond Model 4250 stand-up counterbalanced truck used up to 17 percent less energy. Based on these results, Raymond lift trucks enable:

• less battery charging, increasing equipment uptime;
• reduction of CO2 emissions, decreasing carbon footprint; and
• faster cycle times, allowing for more pallet moves.

“Eco-Performance is another example of the standards Raymond sets in enhancing the energy efficiency and productivity of Raymond lift trucks,” says Susan Comfort, product manager for narrow aisle products for the Raymond Corporation. “When lift trucks can work harder and use less energy, they further enable warehouses and distribution centers to meet both sustainability and material handling goals.”

In addition to providing Eco-Performance solutions, Raymond Sales and Service Center representatives can provide consultation on the right mix of trucks for maximizing material handling throughput and efficiency, and suggest recommendations for battery charging and management to optimize energy usage.

For more information on Eco-Performance solutions or to locate a Raymond Sales and Service Center, visit www.raymondcorp.com or call 800-235-7200.

In light of the recent tsunami that struck Japan, the employees of Johnston Equipment, a national material handling company, have raised funds totaling over $12,000 in support of the Canadian Red Cross’ Japanese Relief Fund 2011. 

The Crane & Rigging Conference (CRC) is making its Canadian debut Oct. 12 to 13 in Edmonton for a two-day educational, networking event and exhibition. Whether you work with mobile or overhead cranes, CRC Canada will provide opportunities to improve the management of crane operations before, during and after the lift.

Fleet and facilities managers, safety leaders, operators and riggers will participate in sessions that will help you:

• apply new regulations;
• evaluate and safely prepare the work environment;
• hone your inspection skills;
• manage and maintain your equipment; and
• learn from colleagues and competitors.

Gathering crane users from British Columbia, Saskatchewan as well as the Nortwest Territories’ diamond mines, CRC Canada will address delegates preparing for major growth in the oil, gas and mining sectors over the next 10 years. MCM will partner with All Canadian Training Institute Inc. (ACTi) and KOLO Holdings Inc. to deliver the highest quality content for the local audience.

In addition to the educational sessions, this two-day exposition allows suppliers of rigging gear, training services, software products and other crane-related components and accessories to show their latest products and services.
www.craneandriggingconference.com

Dematic, a supplier of logistics systems for the factory, warehouse, and distribution center, and forklift manufacturer Crown Equipment Corp. have formed an alliance to collaborate on the research and development of new products that improve warehouse and distribution center productivity.

The two companies have introduced the first product resulting from the alliance, LaserTrucks+, an integrated solution that combines the Dematic market-leading picking and voice software suite and Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) guidance technology, applied to a Crown PC 4500 Series rider pallet truck that will  increase case picking productivity in the warehouse.

David Berghorn, Dematic's chief technology officer, stated, “Our recent acquisition of HK Systems and its advanced AGV technology made this fully integrated, single provider solution possible. … LaserTrucks+, the first of our combined efforts, is an innovative and cost-effective solution specifically addressing efficient mixed case order fulfillment.”

Tim Quellhorst, senior vice-president of Crown Equipment, added, “One of the most common themes we hear from our customers is a desire to utilize technology to make their warehouses more productive. We believe emerging technologies will provide opportunities for our customers who want to implement scalable elements of material handling automation.”
www.dematic.com
www.crown.com

Cat Lift Trucks has announced the recipients of the 2011 Dealer of the Year Award, including Hewitt Equipment Ltd. in Pointe Claire, Que., and Hewitt Material Handling Inc., in Concord, Ont. 

This award recognizes dealers based on 2010 sales performance, customer relationships and operational knowledge of Cat lift trucks. Recipients of this award have exceeded expectations in new machine sales, parts sales and customer satisfaction.
 
“Our dealership network has weathered the storm during a difficult year for the material handling industry,” said Kent Eudy, vice-president of dealer sales for Cat Lift Trucks. “We are seeing an exciting shift in the first quarter and look forward to celebrating future successes with all of our dealers.”
 
This year’s worldwide recipients, in full, are:      

• Adobe Equipment Houston LLC – Houston, TX        
• Darr Equipment Company – Southlake, TX
• Equipment Depot Ohio, Inc. – Cincinnati, OH
• Equipment Depot Pennsylvania, Inc. – Mechanicsburg, PA 
• Gregory Poole Equipment Company – Raleigh, NC
• Hewitt Equipment Limited – Pointe Claire, QC
• Hewitt Material Handling, Inc. – Concord, ON 
• Independent Lift Truck of Alaska, Inc. – Anchorage, AK
• Miami Industrial Trucks, Inc. – Dayton, OH
• NMC Material Handling – Omaha, NE
• Thompson Lift Truck Company (GA) – Atlanta, GA
• Towlift – Cleveland, OH
• Tracsa SA de CV – Guadalajara, Mexico
• UNIMAQ – Lima, Peru
• Wiese USA (Central Division) – St. Louis, MO
• Wiese USA (Eastern Division) – Indianapolis, IN
• Wiese USA (South Division) – Memphis, TN
• Wisconsin Lift Truck Corporation – Brookfield, WI
• Wyoming Machinery Company – Casper, WY

www.cat-lift.com

The Power Transmission unit of Gates Corp. now offers Gates Mectrol food-grade belting to save maintenance time and sanitation expenses in wash down environments. Companies processing meat, poultry, cheese or any raw food benefit from the highly cleanable belts.

A drop-in replacement for one and two-inch plastic modular belting, Gates Mectrol PosiClean belting offers full synchronization and a smooth design that requires less water and labor during cleaning and sanitation. FlatClean belting is the non-fraying flat belt replacement option, while CenterClean belting offers self-tracking.

The belting can be pressure washed on the table in 50-percent less time and cut water usage by 45 percent. The food grade belts meet material requirements of the USDA and the FDA and have sealed Kevlar or aramid tension members that limit stretch. In addition, they offer fastening and installation flexibility with the options of a vulcanized weld, mechanical fasteners or the new PosiLace single-pin system, which allows for simple belt removal while limiting the chance of contamination.

According to the company, one poultry processing plant replaced plastic modular conveyor belts with PosiClean belting to save $148,000 per year in labor, water usage, water heating and wastewater disposal costs.

Find more information about Gates Mectrol food grade belting and a microbiological evaluation of the surface cleaning and disinfecting properties of Gates PosiClean belts at www.gates.com/foodgrade.