Could You Use a Man Lift in your Aerospace Facility?

Safety and reliability are two important aspects of everything Handling Specialty manufactures and when lifting personnel and equipment inside an aero engine test cell, these characteristics remain top of mind.  Secondary anti-collapse systems are employed as well as machine guarding, removable guard rails/gates and telescoping access stair assemblies.   Operator interfaces can range from simple push button style panels to fully integrated, HMI’s and feature rich touch screen displays.  Controls systems can provide real time performance and maintenance data, diagnostic tools, remote troubleshooting, and are interface ready for integration into factory automation systems.

Why incorporate personnel lifts into to your aero engine test cell? The processes required within the test cell are made considerably more efficient and safer when employing a personnel lift.  Technicians and operators are not required to work from ladders or scaffolding and can perform tasks at a correct ergonomic position.

For more information on Handling Specialty’s aero engine test cell lifting solutions, contact Mike Roper.

Leadership over Management Makes Sense

Management is a learned skill, but leadership is bred in the bone. Handling Specialty knows how to pick leaders and leaders pick the right people for the right jobs. Leaders inspire great things and great things are exactly what happens at Handling Specialty.  Through exceptional leadership, diversification into broader and niche markets has kept the company creatively working with some of the worlds largest manufacturers and entertainment agencies across multiple industries.

Leadership in every department continues to influence the company’s direction and drives employees to be their best. Employees who know their company believes in them find purpose in their day to day and with purpose comes creativity.

Creativity is an ongoing process at Handling Specialty where unique designs for specific applications from aerospace manufacturing to underwater stage lifts for the entertainment industry have become the norm.

So, to say: the people who influence you the most are those who believe in you, is a true statement where Handling Specialty is concerned. Where this very quote is embedded in the company culture, strengthening the employee-centric attitude, which is prevalent when you meet the professionals within its walls.

You'll see the difference in the work they do for you.

Canadian Rail Summit 2016 Exhibitor - Handling Specialty

The Canadian Rail Summit 2016 exhibitor hall will be open from 8:30am to 5pm on Thursday, May 12, and from 8:30am until noon Friday, May 13^th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Explore cutting-edge products and services from 60 tradeshow exhibitors where Handling Specialty will be located in booth 116.

 

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see the latest in rail and transportation safety and emerging technologies. http://www.railwaysuppliers.ca/english/events/canadian-rail-summit-2016.htm

 

Handling Specialty is a Whiting company; renowned for their Shim Tables, Drop Tables, Split Rail Systems, Paint Booths, Overhead Gantries, Stencil Booths and Nose Cone Lifts to name a few products in the Rail industry.

 

For more on what Handling Specialty can do for you visit http://www.handling.com/industries/rail-transportation-manufacturing-equipment/

The Entertainment Industry and Manufacturing Combine to Create a Great Show!

If you caught our blog post concerning the City of Dream's theatre build, which featured the Amazing Race in December of 2015, then you will be interested to know that this event was not overlooked by the material handling industry. Entertainment is always news-worthy, and when a manufacturer can break into the story for their accomplishments, it puts a spotlight on manufacturing and the hidden work we do to assist in making the entertainment world function seamlessly.

Click here for the full article in Plant Magazine's January/February edition on page 22, or find it in the 'Contents' section under Material Handling.

Team Work is Important in Realizing Success in the Supply Chain

In recognition of MHI's I work in the supply chain hashtag, Mike Roper has contributed a blog and video about his time in this dynamic industry.

Hi, I’m Mike Roper, Sales Manager at Handling Specialty, and I work in the supply chain. I started my career at Handling Specialty as the technical sales representative 13 years ago and became the company’s sales manager one year ago.

Working in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain industry has allowed me to meet fascinating people working with some of the biggest companies in the world, all over the globe.

Through these connections, and with the help of our engineers, manufacturing and services group, we’ve successfully delivered custom engineered material handling systems to a diverse range of industries.

Something I’ve learned through my experiences with the supply chain is that team work is integral in designing, building, specifying, and selling the right equipment for the appropriate application. It’s a fantastic feeling; watching a company grow with the solution or solutions you’ve provided.

Working in the manufacturing and supply chain industry has taught me that this is a diverse industry with many contributors, and I’m proud to be one of them.

Mike Roper

Handling Specialty Manufacturing Ltd.

800-559-8366

10,560 Transport Trailers in 30 Seconds

The marketing department at Handling Specialty carried out a quick data gathering exercise recently.



We placed our video camera at the windows facing the high way to capture the transport trailers that rumble by day after day. We counted 11 transport trailers within the span of 30 seconds pass by the windows of Handling Specialty at 2:30pm EST along a stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) which runs parallel along the south end of lake Ontario from Hamilton to Niagara Falls.

Now that’s just thirty seconds during a time of day which isn’t particularly busy. Now, imagine those 30 seconds times 2; to make up a minute. That’s 22 transport trailers. Now times that by 60 to make up an hour. That’s 1,320 trucks every hour on average. Now multiply that number by 8; to make up an average work day. That’s 10,560 trucks on the road moving product on a Wednesday.

That’s just trucks carrying product on one particular stretch of highway in southern Ontario, Canada. Imagine the planes and ships and trains doing the same and all of the trucks all over North America and the rest of the world! It's kind of mind-blowing; the amount of people employed to move product from point A to point B.

That’s the industry we're in. #iWorkInTheSupplyChain

The Supply Chain from a Marketing Point of View

This document was prepared for the MHI #iWorkInTheSupplyChain event.

It’s truly incredible how many aspects of everyday life are affected by the supply chain. Before I began marketing in the manufacturing industry, I had no idea the range and scope my marketing efforts could achieve.

 

I’m thankful for my entry into this dynamic industry, where marketing has a tangible effect on business and brand recognition. Much of what I do is internal marketing, keeping our employees encouraged by our growth, training dealer networks how to market themselves and the brand I am representing at the time, and, of course, externally marketing my company’s capabilities to the world.

 

Each business I have represented in the past eight years has either been active in global markets or communicated to me their interest in pursuing a worldwide audience for their products or services. My job, regardless, has been to broaden our reach and bring new opportunities to my manufacturer through advertising, social media, web applications, proposals, and tradeshows. I have seen a lot of the world in my short time representing manufacturers on a global scale, and I look forward to seeing more of it.

 

But the scope of the supply chain is seen on both fronts, abroad and here at home. The footprint in our daily lives is unmistakable. Now, when I drive the highways, spot a warehouse, or look out my office window, I am reminded by the ratio of transport trucks to pedestrian vehicles, and what it truly means to be a part of the supply chain. It is a web of endless activity which spans the globe, and brings goods and services to the world at large.

 

Michael Poeltl

Handling Specialty Manufacturing Ltd.

800-559-8366

Handling Specialty Adds New Product to Assist in Your Manufacturing Needs

With the recent addition of the OSA-LATOR Indexing table to the Handling Specialty product line; including custom Head stock/Tail stock Positioners was an easy choice.

What are some of the major benefits to employing a Head stock/Tail stock Positioner? It offers a properly positioned weldment, regardless of the size, which reduces welder fatigue, increases safety, improves weld quality, and saves on production floor space. By relocating the weldment or assembly component, workers are not forced into unsafe or ergonomically uncomfortable positions.

 

Why choose a Head stock/Tail stock over a Rotator?

In a welding application, welds are presented to the operator with optimal weld positioning, torch access, torch angles and resulting in improved quality.  

A rotator will not provide the same flexibility. Vertical welds will always be vertical welds on a rotator while a HS-TS will translate vertical position welds to an optimal flat or horizontal position.

In an all applications [inspection, assembly, cleaning, etc] the part is rotated into the worker envelope, reducing ergonomic concerns, increasing productivity and up-time

To learn more about this new product addition, a webpage dedicated to the Head stock/Tail stock Positioners can now be found on the Handling Specialty site along with a downloadable version of the brochure.

Handling Specialty doesn’t just build great equipment….we build great relationships too

For years now, we have enjoyed stating in our covering letters that “Handling Specialty doesn’t just build great equipment….we build great relationships too”.  Our team recognizes and respects the important role that the relationship plays when delivering customized and complex engineering solutions.  We learned long ago that a project’s success will be heavily weighted on the shoulders of “trust”……I mean is there anything more significant, more impactful or more rewarding than the trust employed in a relationship?

I look at the schematics of a pro
ject and see three distinct relationship platforms, all working at the same time; interaction with our customer, interaction within our HS Staff and interaction with our supply chain.  Each one of these platforms is critical to the success of a project. I want a client to know that they can trust us.  I want a client to feel like we have his best interests at heart and I want a client to think he can share anything with us without feeling like he is compromising his project.

At HS, experience has taught us to count on each other for great communication and support.  We call it “walk a mile in my shoes” which serves as our way of recognizing that anyone’s job is easy until you do that job and find that there is a lot more to it. As such, we must take care in our communications to one another.  Equally we need to count on our teammates to carry out their responsibilities and it is here where we are called upon to “trust” the other.  This trust will glue the departments together to become whole and our clients will feel and see this which in turn cements our relationship with them.

Last, and certainly not least, are the relationships we have with our supply partners.  Notice that I did not say supply chain or suppliers….that doesn’t give enough respect to them for the role they play.  I always want a solid relationship with my suppliers so that I can call on them to support us when we have equipment challenges or warranty situations.  You will always be able to identify the depth and strength of your supply partner’s relationships when something goes wrong and it involves them.  If a supplier trusts Handling Specialty then they will be quick to respond and to assist in the care of our clients.  These are the supplier partners that we continue to use and we can pass on the power of these great relationships to our customers.

Trust, trust, trust…..it is the foundation of good relationships and good business.  

By Tom Beach