Produced by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA), the four-day event is billed as the most comprehensive showcase of material handling and logistics equipment, systems and technologies in the United States. More than 500 suppliers and vendors from across North America are expected to gather in Cleveland to debut and demonstrate a variety of products, equipment and technologies for manufacturing and distribution applications.
Nuts and Bolts
While walking the 150,000-square foot show floor, attendees can check out the latest material handling equipment and technologies, including:
■ Automated systems, such as robots, conveyors and sorters, automated storage and retrieval systems, carousels and unit handling systems;
■ Powered vehicles, including lift trucks, automated guided vehicles and personnel/burden carriers;
■ Technology and software, such as manufacturing and logistics execution systems, controllers, industrial computers, barcode scanners, RFID and vision systems, voice recognition technologies and warehouse management systems;
■ Transport packaging, including containers, packaging machinery, pallets and palletizing equipment;
■ Facility management products, such as loading dock equipment, doors and flooring;
■ Workforce-related offerings, including ergonomic lifting and safety equipment.
And that’s just a small sampling of what’s on display. NA 2010 attendees can also explore services offered by third-party logistics providers, supply chain consultants and material handling system integrators.
To point attendees to the specific tools and technologies that most interest them, MHIA organizes exhibits on the show floor into four distinct categories—the Centers for Manufacturing and Assembly, Fulfillment and Delivery, Information Technology and Knowledge.
Educational Conference
The fourth category, MHIA’s Knowledge Center, refers to 50 educational seminars presented by exhibitors, educators and end users on the NA 2010 show floor. Covering diverse topic s, such as material handling training and education, storage and racking equipment, sortation systems, slotting strategies, lean distribution and supply chain risk management, each 45- minute seminar focuses on a specific problem or application.
The conference at NA 2010 also includes a keynote seminar series themed “The Future Track,” which includes sessions on sustainability, workforce development, training and education and retail distribution. Speakers participating in keynote series include academics and consultants as well as high-level managers from end-user companies, such as Crate and Barrel, Lands’ End and the Greater Boston Food Bank.
MHIA is also introducing the premier “Supply Chain Summit,” an educational event offering insights into four distinct views of the supply chain—industry, military, universities and government. Summit participants include Larry Lapide from MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, Brig. Gen. Peter Talleri, commander of the distribution center for the Department of Defense, along with professors from major universities and executives from the Pepsi Bottling Group and Anderson-DuBose Co.
