Inventory Management and Warehouse Operations Links

Below is my list of links to Inventory Management, Manufacturing, Material Handling, and Warehousing related sites. The listing of a site does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services offered. I have categorized the sites to simplify navigation, use the site index on the right side of this page to jump to a specific category. If you are aware of related sites please forward them to email@inventoryops.com .

Featured Link:

Organizations.

• APICS - The Association for Operations Management The organization formerly known as the "The Educational Society for Resource Management" and before that the "American Production and Inventory Control Society". Educational organization for purchasing, production management, inventory management, supply chain management. A must see site for anyone involved with manufacturing and distribution. The extensive APICS dictionary is now available online for APICS members. A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site.
• Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) Educational organization for warehousing and distribution management. A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site..
• Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Formerly known as National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM).
• Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
• Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Formerly known as the Council of Logistics Management
• SOLE - The International Society of Logistics Formerly the Society of Logistics Engineers, SOLE is a " non-profit international professional society composed of individuals organized to enhance the art and science of logistics technology, education and management"
• International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA) . Third party logistics organization. Good place to start if you're looking for public or contract warehouses.
• Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association (MFSA)
• International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) The association for transport packaging.
• Supply-Chain Council Organization that designed and maintains the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR)
• Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) Voluntary guidelines for collaborative buyer/seller functions
• Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS)
• Industrial Distribution Association
• Association For Manufacturing Excellence (AME). Knowledge of manufacturing is critical if you are managing inventory in a manufacturing environment. This site maintains extensive links to manufacturing information pages.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
• Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE).
• Distribution Business Management Association
• Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
• American Society for Quality (ASQ)
• American Institute of Baking (AIB) Certification, inspection, educational organization for the food industry.
• American Sanitation Institute (ASI) Food safety audits and education.
• FPA SAFE Supplier auditing organization for the food industry.
• American Management Association (AMA)
• Project Management Institute (PMI)
• International Import Export Institute.
• Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
• Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
• Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG)
• Universal Code Council (UCC) Establishes and promotes multi-industry standards for product identification and related electronic communication. Info on bar code symbologies, compliance labeling, EPC, XML.
• Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) If you've never been to this site or haven't visited in a couple of years I strongly suggest spending some time here. OSHA has greatly improved the information available here including adding training materials. Anyone involved in lift truck training, plant safety, and fire safety should set some time aside to visit this site. A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site..
• Department of Transportation (DOT) Like the OSHA site the DOT site has greatly improved over the years. Good source of information on transportation safety regulations and hazardous materials management.
• International Trade Administration Very informative government site related to international trade (importing/exporting).
• National Institute of Standards and Technology
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) As with the other regulatory agency's sites, the EPA site offers extensive information on regulatory issues.
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) If you are responsible for a warehouse you need to be aware of fire codes. These are the guys that write the code.
• International Code Council (ICC) The consolidation of several building code organizations (BOCA, ICBO, SBCCI).
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• National Safety Council (NSC)
• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
• MIT OpenCourseWare Pilot. MIT has truly done something amazing by starting to add enormous amounts of courseware to their site FREE for anyone to use. Of particular interest are massive amounts of lectures available as streaming video.

Forums/Communities/Q&A

If you have a question or would like to participate in web forums dedicated to inventory management and warehouse operations I have included several links below. Participation in these forums is still pretty scarce, in part because they are often difficult to find and usually require registering at the site. I recommend looking at previously asked questions first as often the same question has already been addressed. I also recommend full participation, which means if you ask a question, you should also try to answer someone else's question. Come on ...you must know something.

• Yahoo Groups Distribution Inventory Control This site has had the best participation of any of the forums I have been involved with. Questions asked here generally get several answers within a few days. Requires registering. Once registered you will receive emails of each question and answer.
• Yahoo Groups Supply Chain Management.
• Yahoo Groups Materials Management
• Yahoo Groups Continuous Improvement
• Yahoo Groups Lean Manufacturing Kanban, Poka Yoke, other JIT topics.
• ForkliftAction.com's Forums. There are some great threads here related to lift trucks and the material handling industry. You do not need to register to view the threads, but you do to post a reply or start a new topic.
• APICS Lists. This is a group of electronic discussion lists focusing on SIGS (specific industry/interest groups) of the American Production and Inventory Control Society. I've been involved with the Small Manufacturing (SM) SIG for a while now and have been extremely impressed with the level of involvement by list members.
• MSN Communities - Inventory Control I keep this one on the list because, at one time, it was a pretty good forum. Unfortunately, it has become inundated with porn spam. Use at your own risk or pleasure.
• Industry Community Forums. Directory of forums on specific topics related to manufacturing.
• National Conference on Operations & Fulfillment Discussion Forum.
• Bar Code Products Discussion Board. Provided by System ID Warehouse.
• CIO Forums A collection of discussion groups (requires registering) provided by CIO magazine. Includes a group on ERP.
• ERP Fan Club. Several ERP related forums. The General ERP forum gets pretty good participation.
• Allexperts Warehousing Q&A At Allexperts you ask questions directly to a specific volunteer expert. On the plus side you get to see a little information about the person you are asking the question, on the minus side this is the only person that will be answering your questions. Navigation is a little strange as well, there is a link to previously asked questions that does not seem to work correctly. There seem to be more volunteer experts here than there have been questions asked.
• Ask Me Help Desk. Easy navigation, allows searches across topics. .

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Trade Publications.

Many of the trade publications web sites maintain article archives that can be searched. They also are good resource for finding info on trade shows, seminars, and educational courses. Most of the magazines listed offer free subscriptions with online registration..

• DC Velocity New publication focused on issues related to managing distribution operations. Everything from inventory management strategies to information systems, transportation issues, and material handling equipment.
• Modern Materials Handling I'd call this is the granddaddy of material handling/warehousing magazines. MMH has been publishing articles on material handling and related topics since before many of us were born.
• Material Handling Product News All ads, all the time. Although some ads are lightly disguised as "news" this publication is simply an extended advertisement section focusing on material handling equipment. Good source for keeping up on the types of products available for material handling.
• Parcel . Nice little publication focusing on operational issues of interest to small-package shippers.
• Operations and Fulfillment Magazine
• Material Handling & Logistics
• Distribution Business Management Journal
• SupplyChainDigest On-line newsletter.
• Modern Distribution Management Newsletter for the wholesale distribution channel.
• Logistics Management
• SupplyChain Management Review
• World Trade Magazine
• IDII Software Newsletter. Delivered via email, this free newsletter provides insights on selecting, implementing, and optimizing supply chain software.
• Speech Technology Magazine
• Industrial Distribution Magazine.
• Industrial Utility Vehicle & Mobile Equipment
• Plant Engineering Magazine
• The Manufacturer
• The Manufacturing Report
• Assembly Magazine
• Purchasing B2B Canadian magazine dedicated to supply chain management.
• Food Logistics
• APICS The Performance Advantage Put out by the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) this magazine requires APICS membership or paid subscription. Articles are available online to the general public.
• Industrial Engineer Put out by the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) this magazine requires IIE membership or paid subscription.
• Operations Research/Management Science Today Requires INFORMS membership or paid subscription.
• Manufacturing News. Manufacturing and business publication. Requires paid subscription.
• Distribution Group publications. Fee-based publications related to distribution and warehouse management.
• New Equipment Digest Another "all ads, all the time" magazine. Good source for information on maintenance/material handling/automation equipment and MRO supplies.
• Compliance Magazine Magazine dedicated to workplace safety and compliance issues.

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General Informational Sites

• The Progress Group Logistics and Supply Chain consulting firm. Site contains some excellent white papers on logistics and warehouse operations.
• Technology & Operations Management Index (TOMI). Extensive operations management related links.
• HowBizWorks Operations Site. HowBizWorks is a spin-off of the HowStuffWorks site. The Operations site provides a series of tutorials on topics related to operations management. This is a great site for anyone new to operations or just curious as to what operations management encompasses.
• Business and Manufacturing Links. Great collection of links (with descriptions) provided by APICS Region XIII
• Crazy About Constraints. Site dedicated to the Theory of Constraints. Lots of info and links.
• Activity Based Costing Portal. Great site for info on ABC.
• Max's Project Management Wisdom. Great site on project management. I specifically enjoyed Max's Musings , a collection of insightful articles written by Max Wideman. Site also includes a project management glossary.
• Engineering Statistics Handbook. This online book is provided free on the Information Technology Laboratory portion of the National Institute of Standards and Technology site. and covers various methods for analyzing data. There is an incredible amount of information here. You can view the books content as various web pages or you can download complete chapters. Search capabilities are available.
• Decision Tree for Optimization Software. This section of the Arizona State University site has a great set of organized links to sites related to optimization, linear and non-linear programming.
• Orvitz Taylor Gates. "Management resources for enterprise projects, offering how-to workbooks, project plans and planning guides, tools, templates and checklists."

Inventory Management

• Visit my articles page for more inventory management information.

Information Technology.

Also see Software Sites Listing

• CIO.com You don't have to be an IT exec. to appreciate this site. Well organized structure makes it easy to find info on just about any IT related topic. Site includes an extensive collection of content-rich articles from CIO magazine and other sources. Make sure you visit the ERP and Supply Chain Management Research Centers. A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site.
• Industrial Data and Information Inc. I'll quote their site "IDII is an Independent Research Consulting Company focused on software selection, evaluation, & implementation for Warehousing, Manufacturers, Wholesalers, & Retailers. I really like this site, lots of info. Software evaluation resources, educational resources, software newsletter, and over 100 white papers.
• TechRepublic Enterprise Apps. Source for ERP info.
• IT Toolbox Supply Chain. Very well organized site focused on supply chain information technology. Site allows visitors to post online reviews of software packages and consultants (I didn't see any reviews posted).
• KnowledgeStorm. Directory of Information Technology solutions. This site has the largest and most detailed online database of business software (ERP, MRP, WMS, TMS, Financials) that I've seen. Requires registering to view detailed fact sheets.
• SourceForge.net Interested in Open Source software (a.k.a. Free)? SourceForge.net is "the world's largest Open Source development website".
• Accounting Software 411. Definitely more than just accounting software here. The site maintains a comprehensive database of software packages. You can select several package and compare features. Also maintains a message board for each software package (currently not a lot of messages on most packages but still a great idea).
• Small Business Computing.com Good source for tech info for small business.
• TechnologyEvaluation.com Products for evaluating ERP and SCM software products
• ISIT.com Information on integrating information technology.
• Achieving Supply Chain Excellence through Technology (ASCET). Site provides extensive information on supply chain management and technology.
• TechWeb Great general technology site.
• About.com's Database Page. Managing inventory requires managing the data that is used to manage inventory. This site has info on the various databases available and related tools.
• High Tech Services. This company provides extensive information on Automation Technologies. I found this site while looking for information on PLC s (Programmable Logic Controllers) and was extremely impressed with the amount of information offered here. If you have any interest in industrial automation, I highly recommend this site. Don't miss the Tutorials.
• ERP Software News. Collection of ERP related articles and news releases.
• SupplyChainIT.com A collection of news related to supply chain information technology

Manufacturing.

• Essentials of Lean Manufacturing by Strategos Excellent site on lean manufacturing.
• About.com's Industry Page. Good jumping off point for news, info, and links to various industry related topics.
• SearchManufacturing.com Organized links to manufacturing related sites.
• The Manufacturing Report. On-line source for news and information in the manufacturing industries.
• SuperFactory.com Virtual Plant Tours This is a great collection of links to online manufacturing plant tours provided by SuperFactory.com. Also visit SuperFactory home page for extensive links to manufacturing operations related resources.
• Download-com.com A collection of free downloads related to industrial applications. Downloads include PDFs, Powerpoint presentations, E-books, and some software.
• Business Industrial Network. This site does stray a little from the scope of "inventory operations", however, I decided to include it due to its extensive content. The primary focus of the site is related to PLCs. So for those responsible for plant automation and maintenance, this is a great site.

Auto ID/Barcode/Voice/RFID/Data Collection.

 Also see RF/Bar Code/Data Collection Manufacturers Links, Bar Code Books , Article on ADC, and Article on RFID.

• BarCode1. A very good site for bar code information. Make sure you check the What's New page.
• The Auto ID Book On line text version of the Auto ID Book provided by System ID Warehouse
• AIM Global Network. Automatic data collection and data capture information.
• Intelligent Data Acquisition Technologies (IDAT) Good source of info on auto id technologies.
• RFID Journal If you have a serious interest in RFID, I suggest checking out the RFID Journal. The site has a great FAQ page, RFID glossary, and detailed vendor listing. Some of the content (articles, case studies) requires paid subscription.
• VoicePicking.com Site focusing on using voice technology in order picking.
• MobileInfo.com Information on wireless technologies.
• Sample Compliance Labels. From Zebra Technologies website.
• HowStuffWorks How UPC Bar Codes Work Nice tutorial on UPC bar code
• HowStuffWorks How RFID Smart Labels Will Work Great tutorial on RFID and Smart Labels
• Accuracybook.com's Bar code, Speech, RFID, technology Links

Warehousing/Material Handling.

 Also see Articles Page

• Material Handling Picture Bank Great site for viewing images of material handling equipment and activities..A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site.
• Material Handling Info.com. Sponsored by Eskay, this is a combination of an educational site and a commercial site. Good information on automated material handling systems.
• Forklift Troubleshooting, Operation, Repairs, and Service This is an excellent site which includes detailed information and great graphics relating to lift truck operation, maintenance, safety, storage. The home page is a little slow to load and you have to jump around a lot but it's well worth it. A Previous InventoryOps.com Featured Site.
• Interactive Warehouse. Interactive site which lets you set up a warehouse, create an order and let the system design the best picking route. Also gives info on the various methods for picking the best route and the effect warehouse design has on routing software.
• The Distribution Group. Provides publications related to warehousing and distribution.
• The Progress Group Logistics and Supply Chain consulting firm. Site contains some excellent white papers on logistics and warehouse operations.
• Gross & Associates Material Handling and Logistics consulting firm. Site contains white papers and other resources including an online equipment cost calculator.
• Material Handling Equipment Taxonomy. From the North Carolina State University Site, these pages contain illustrations and brief descriptions of material handling and storage equipment. Good educational tool.
• elogistics101 Site has several short articles on fulfillment topics. Focus on piece pick operations.
• Internet-based Data Envelopment Analysis (IDEA). Provided by Georgia Tech, this site offers an interactive program that provides a self-assessment of warehouse operations. Users must register and then answer a series of questions about their warehousing operations. The program will then compare input data to similar operations in its database and provide the user with comparative information. I believe that it also maintains your input data as part of its database for use in benchmarking and other studies.
• ForkliftAction.com If you're in the lift truck industry or just have an interest in lift trucks, this is a great site. Site includes discussion forums, industry news, directories, used equipment marketplace, and a whole lot more.
• StorageCapacity.net New Online trade exchange for storage space. Site allows companies to post their excess storage capacity. Site is still new and I didn't see much listed, however I like the idea and given time it could prove to be a valuable source for finding or selling storage space.
• HowtoBuyaForklift.com. For those of you who think that the industry has matured beyond using half naked women to sell products, think again!!! This site thumbs its nose - and its cleavage - at the political correctness that has consumed corporate America and also sells a book called How to Buy a Forklift and as well as a price guide.

Transportation and Logistics

• About.com's Logistics/Supply Chain Site. Lots of info and links here.
• Logistics Network. Great site for finding info on transportation. Check out the Practical Guide for on-line excerpts from the book which can be purchased through this site.
• The Logistics Institute TLI is an organization within the Georgia Institute of Technology. Site provides a variety of logistics info including educational resources, research, links, and a glossary.
• Logistic Services Buyers Guide Find transportation services, public warehouses, etc
• Leonard's Guide Online and print directories for Trucking Companies, Air Cargo, Third-Party Logistics, and Public Warehouses.
• Container Handbook Excellent online guide for everything related to ocean containers. The containers, the ships, the history, how to secure loads, etc. Also see Transport-Informations -Service for additional container info. I believe both these sites are provided by the German Insurance Association.

Retail

• About.com's Retail Industry Page. I don't maintain much retail related info on my site (not my area of expertise) so if you're looking for retail info I suggest starting with About.com's retail page.
• RetailSystems.com "IT resource for retail, supply chain, and e-commerce professionals"

Quality

• FreeQuality. Quality related info. Free downloads including quality software and training materials.
• John Grout's Mistake-Proofing Center. Very good independent site focusing on mistake-proofing/Poka-Yoke. Site includes examples and glossary of terms.

Business: General

• Krislyn's Strictly Business. Categorized links to business related sites.
• About.com' Management Page. Good general business info.
• Entrepreneur and Small Business Resource Web Site. Info and categorized links to business related sites.
• ARC Advisory Group These are the guys you see regularly quoted in the trades on issues related to market research, best practices, technology application, etc. They provide many services including subscription based information services and also provide some free reports and white papers online.
• Great Systems. Good independent site on organizational improvement and leadership.
• RJD Associates, Inc. Small business management consultant's site. This site has made the entire contents of two books available free online. The books: The Laws of Management Physics: A Handbook for Hands-On Managers, and Will the Real Inventory Please Stand Up & Be Counted are written by Richard J. Dadamo (the RJD in RJD Associates) and take a no-nonsense approach to managing an organization.
• AuditNet. Good info on auditing.

Reference.

Also see Inventoryops Dictionary/Glossary

• TopReference.com Directory of categorized reference sites.
• FindArticles.com. Though this site does not produce it's own original content it's a great place to search for articles.
• Martindale's Reference Desk: Calculators On-Line Center. Although not directly inventory related I found this site interesting enough to include. This is a collection of online programs for making very specific calculations.
• tsnn.com Trade show search site.

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Safety/Compliance

Also see my articles on Lift Truck Safety, Loading Dock Safety, and Ergonomics. Buy the book

• OSHA
• National Safety Council Safety posters, publications, software, and training materials.
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) Source for information on building codes/fire codes.
• WorkSafe Victoria Australian safety site with a variety of free publications.
• Occupational Health and Safety Directory. Directory of sites related to safety and compliance.
• Free-Training.com On-line safety training and you can't beat the price.
• SafetySmart.com Safety educational materials.
• 1SafetySource Safety Products and info. Extensive collection of safety related links.
• 1st OSHA Safety Training Training and compliance products.
• Government Institutes. Safety publications and educational materials.
• JJ Keller and Associates, Inc. Training kits, compliance manuals, video, cd-rom, books
• Forklift Training Pro Provides an interesting forklift training kit that is designed to be facility and equipment specific.
• Forklift Safety Training Services, Inc
• LiftTruck.com Forklift safety products
• ErgoWeb Ergonomics news, info, products.
• ErgoNext
• UserNomics This site has an excellent collections on links related to ergonomics and other topics related to the interface between people and equipment.
• Online MSDS Online managing and tracking of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
• ChemReport Inc. Hazmat, MSDS, Compliance services. ChemReport has recently upgraded its web site and is starting to offer free online training programs.
• Mastery Technology Safety Training Products
• Safety Advantage
• Digital-2000 Safety Training Products
• TrainNow.com
• Hazard Communication Safety Videos. Hazmat and chemical safety training products.
• Safety Video
• ERI Safety Videos
• BRight Training & Safety Wear. Workplace Safety Trainers & Consultants..
• Storage Equipment Safety Service LTD Provide rack safety inspections and training. Their site is definitely worth a visit for the videos you can view on rack collapses.
• The Training Network Safety videos, presentations, manuals, kits.
• SafetyTest.com Online Lift Truck Safety Testing.
• Victor House Publications Various safety program materials.
• SafetyVideoDirect.com Safety Videos
• CoCoSafe.com Safety Videos, DVDs, kits.
• SafetyVideosnow.com Safety Videos.
• Compliance and Safety Safety videos and training.
• WorkplaceSafetyManuals.com Safety manuals.

Equipment Sites:

Equipment (Lift Trucks).

Also see Lift Truck Pics and my article on Lift Truck Basics for information on types of vehicles.

• Raymond Corporation Full line of lift trucks including specialty trucks
• Crown Equipment Corp Full line of lift trucks including specialty trucks
• Yale Materials Handling Corporation Full line of lift trucks including specialty trucks
• Caterpillar Lift Trucks Full line of lift trucks including specialty trucks
• Toyota Forklifts Full line of lift trucks
• Nissan download the free Nissan Forklift Screensaver from the Nissan Europe Site
• Hyster Full line of lift trucks including specialty trucks
• Kalmar AC
• Clark Material Handling Company
• Daewoo
• Mitsubishi Forklifts
• BT Industries
• Linde
• TCM
• Landoll Corporation. Specialty VNA (very narrow aisle) trucks (Drexel, Bendi and PivotMast)
• Narrow Aisle Inc. Specialty VNA truck (Flexi)
• Atlet Narrow aisle and vary narrow aisle trucks. Very cool animated graphics let you see how these specialty trucks operate.
• Jungheinrich Full line of lift trucks including VNA.
• Schaeff, Inc. Stand-up counterbalanced lift trucks and turret truck.
• Ellwell-Parker Large capacity lift trucks. If you're into the history of lift trucks and material handling, you'll want to download the video of a 1938 lift truck with a paper roll attachment from their company profile page. It's 22 MB so I strongly suggest downloading it to view later and not just clicking on it.
• Sichelschmidt Explosion Proof Lift Trucks
• Blue Giant
• Dimex Stylish forklifts made in Bulgaria (I think I saw custom wheel covers)
• Aisle-Master Specialty LPG VNA (very narrow aisle) truck similar to the electric Bendi.
• Airtrax Inc. Manufactures an omni-directional forklift. Basically this forklift can move in any direction, you really need to see it for yourself.
• Multiton Hand pallet trucks, electric walkies, walkie stackers, walkie reach stackers.
• Cushman Industrial vehicles
• Cascade Corporation. Lift Truck attachments, forks, accessories. Lots of info, specs, graphics.
• Bolzoni Lift Truck attachments.
• Superior Engineering, Inc. Lift truck attachments
• Liftomatic Lift Truck attachments for drum handling.
• Meijer Special Equipment Lift truck attachments including telescopic forks, height shift systems, and weighing forks. I had never heard of telescopic forks or height shift systems until I got an email from these guys. I can certainly see some uses for this type of equipment.
• Anver Corporation. Vacuum Lifting Equipment including vacuum attachments for lift trucks.

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Equipment (Storage Systems-Racking).

Also see Racking Pics

• Steel King Industries, Inc. Very good site, lots of info and specs.
• Interlake Mecalux Inc.
• Lyon Workspace Products
• SpaceRak
• Paltier
• Unarco
• Speedrack
• Ridg-U-Rak
• Mecalux
• Keneco, Inc. Carton flow rack
• Tier-Rack Portable pallet stacking frames.
• Unex Manufacturing. Manufacturers of Span-Trak. Converts pallet rack to carton flow rack
• Penco Products. Shelving, racking, lockers.
• J&L Wire Products. Wire decking for pallet rack
• Nashville Wire Products Wire decking and containers

Equipment (Material Handling Systems, Conveyor, ASRS, AGV, Carousels).

 Also check my Conveyor Pics and Automated Equipment Pics pages, ASRS/AGVS User's Association and MaterialHandlingInfo.com.

• Rapistan Conveyor systems, Sortation systems, and more
• Hytrol Conveyor Company, Inc.
• Roll-A-Way Conveyors.
• Automotion Conveyor Systems.
• Buschman Conveyors.
• Roach Conveyors
• Best Conveyors
• Cornerstone Automation Systems Conveyor and automation systems
• Rapid Industries Overhead conveyors
• Southern Systems Inc. Heavy duty conveyors including overhead and towline
• Portec Flomaster Specialty conveyors
• Ryson International, Inc. Specialty conveyors
• HK Systems, Inc. ASRS, AGV, and automated conveyor systems
• Interlake Mecalux Inc. ASRS, Carousels
• Eskay Automated material handling systems
• Amerden Automated Guided Vehicles If you wondered how much those automated guided vehicles cost, these guys actually list price ranges. Good idea!
• AGV Products Automated Guided Vehicles.
• Jervis B. Webb Company Conveyor systems, ASRS, AGVs
• Corecon Automated Guided Vehicles
• Egemin Automation Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Towline Conveyors
• Seegrid Corporation AGVs
• Loading Automation, Inc. Automated trailer loading/unloading equipment.
• Maxx Material Handling. Trailer loading equipment including automated loading systems, telescopic and boom conveyors.
• White Systems Carousels
• Remstar Carousels
• Diamond Phoenix Carousels
• Hanel Storage Systems Vertical Carousels and Lift Modules
• Langley. Lifts, Dumbers, and custom material handling equipment
• Real Time Solutions Pick-to-light products
• Sandvik Sorting Systems
• SI Systems Automated A-Frame Order Picking Machines and Pick-to-light systems.
• Knapp Logistics & Automation Automated material handling equipment including Automated Picking Machines, Robotic Material Handling Equipment,Conveyor Systems, and Sortation Systems.
• LTW Systems ASRS Stacker Cranes

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Equipment (Misc.)

Also see my Dock Equipment Pics Page

• Blue Giant Loading Dock Equipment Good site, lots of information including safety info.
• Rite-Hite Loading Dock Equipment
• McGuire Loading Dock Equipment
• Serco Loading Dock Equipment
• Nova Technology Loading Dock Equipment
• Pioneer Manufacturing, Inc. Loading Dock Equipment
• Nordock Loading Dock Equipment
• Chase Equipment Dock Equipment and Scissor Lifts.
• Fen-Bay Services Loading bay equipment.
• DL Manufacturing Company produces some clever, inexpensive, dock safety devices including the Smart Chock, Safety Signal, Versa Light, and Pallet Bumper.
• GMR Safety Provides and interesting wheel chock variation.
• Loading Automation Automated trailer loading and other loading systems.
• Keith Walking Floor Automated trailer loading system.
• Shockwatch Impact alarms.
• I.D. Systems Vehicle monitoring systems
• Mettler Toledo Scales, counting scales, floor scales etc.
• Weigh-Tronix Scales, counting scales, floor scales etc.
• Express Cube Dimensioning and weighing equipment.
• Cubiscan Dimensioning equipment.
• SkidWeigh Scale attachments for lift trucks.
• Wildeck, Inc. Manufacturer of mezzanines, vertical lift equipment, rack guards, equipment guards, and other protective equipment.
• Cogan Mezzanines, vertical lift equipment, partitions.
• VertiSpace Mezzanines and related equipment
• Steele Solutions Inc. Mezzanines and related equipment
• Rehrig Pacific. Plastic crates, containers, pallets.
• Stratis Plastic Pallets.
• Steelpac Pallets Steel Pallets
• Southworth Products Lift tables, tilt tables, lift carts.
• Autoquip Corporation. Lift tables, tilt tables, turntables, freight lifts.
• ECOA Industrial Products Lift tables, tilt tables, turn tables, loading docks.
• Anver Corporation. Vacuum Lifting Equipment.
• AeroGo Move your product on a cushion of air.
• Perlin Casters. Casters, wheels and related equipment.
• GNB Technologies. Manufacturers of Champion maintenance free batteries and GNB chargers. I've used these maintenance free batteries on lift trucks and was very impressed.
• BHS Battery Handling Systems.
• Minuteman International, Inc. Manufacturer of industrial cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers)
• Tennant Floor cleaning equipment
• Mouse Cart Stock cart/scooter. Looks like fun.
• Segway Manufacturers of the HT (Human Transporter) formerly known as "it" or "ginger". While I don't think this device will change the world in any meaningful way I can see its potential applications in warehouses and industrial settings.
• AutoCrib. Marketed as "point of use dispensing systems", these are essentially vending machines designed for controlling tools and consumables in industrial environments.

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Equipment (Bar Code, RF, Data Collection, )

For more info Auto Id Information links, InventoryOps Bookshelf, and

• Intermec Technologies Corporation Portable Terminals, RF Data Collection
• LXE RF Hardware
• Symbol Technologies
• Worth Data Hardware and Software
• Welch Allyn/Hand Held Products
• PSC, Inc. Data collection hardware and software.
• Compsee
• Psion Teklogix
• Metrologic
• Videx Small portable data collection devices
• Skandata. Data collection hardware and software. Low-cost Microsoft Access based data collection kits.
• Sunmax Data collection hardware.
• Diagnostics Instruments Rugged mobile computers including models for HAZMAT environments.
• Intelligent Instrumentation Portable and fixed mount data collection terminals.
• Zebra Technologies Primarily Printers, some hardware and software
• Sato Bar Code Printers
• Tharo Bar code printers and software
• Vocollect Voice technology solutions for inspection, quality assurance, order picking, putaway. At Frontline Solutions Expo 2001, Vocollect was the only vendor I saw that had a wearable computer designed specifically for voice systems (nice compact system). Other vendors offered a standard handheld computer modified for use for voice (basically a large handheld terminal in a fanny pack) and called it a "wearable system". Shame on them.
• Voxware Integrates voice recognition software/hardware into logistics, manufacturing, distribution.
• Tagsys RFID products. Site includes an RFID evaluation kit that can be purchased online. Kit includes RFID hardware and software that allows you to experiment/play with RFID technology.
• William Frick & Co RFID tags, Barcode labels and tags.
• More automated data collection links available at Accuracybook.com's AIDC links pages.
• Bar Code Scanner Links.
• Bar Code Printing Links
• Portable Computer Links
• Voice Technology Links
• RFID Links
• Light Directed Links

Other Sources of Product Information Various directories of equipment manufacturers

• ThomasNet (Formerly Thomas Register)
• Manufacturing Marketplace
• MacRae's Blue Book
• Material Handling Headquarters
• NewEquipment.com
• SupplierMarket.com
• Industrial Quick Search
• Warehousing.com
• DMOZ open directory: Material Handling
• Logistic Services Buyers Guide Find transportation services, public warehouses, etc.

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Software Sites:

Note: Since it's not always easy to classify software packages I suggest you look through all of the categories. You may find some of the listings under ERP are just manufacturing or accounting packages and there may be some listings under manufacturing that have ERP capabilities. There are also various miscellaneous software packages scattered through these listings. I can't possibly maintain a comprehensive listing of business software so I instead choose to list some of the big players as well as an assortment of smaller, less expensive packages, and some just because they're interesting. Also be aware the software industry is constantly changing and I don't particularly have the time or interest in keeping up with all the consolidation, renaming, etc.

Software (ERP systems).

For more links and information I suggest CIO magazine's ERP research center, TechRepublic's ERP Supersite, ERPfans.com, IT Toolbox Supply Chain ERP Software News

• Compiere Free (sort of) open source ERP/CRM solution. Targeting small to mid-sized distribution and service organizations, Compiere is an open source ERP and CRM solution. If you're disgusted with ERP licensing fees, have some internal I.S. expertise, and an adventurous spirit, you may be a candidate for an open source solution. Compiere does offer fee-based support but there is no obligation to use it. If you are interested in other open source projects check out SourceForge.net. One catch here is that it appears that Compiere is is built on a commercial database (not free), therefore you would end up with some licensing fees.
• Opentaps Open source ERP/CRM solution.
• webERP Another open source ERP system, and this one looks like it really is Free. webERP is browser-based ERP system built on PHP and MySQL.
• JD Edwards Enterprise Software
• SAP SAP R/3 and mySAP
• System Software Associates BPCS software
• American Software
• Oracle. ERP and everything else.
• PeopleSoft.
• Baan
• Mapics
• Syspro
• QAD MFG/PRO software
• Lilly Software Associates
• Harris Data Enterprise software for mid-sized manufacturers and distributors.
• ProfitKey. ERP
• Great Plains Software Offering enterprise solutions for midmarket business. The recent acquisition of Great Plains by Microsoft has the potential of creating a high end business management solution with broad availability to small and mid-sized business. This will be one to keep an eye on.
• Enterprise Logix ERP for small to mid-sized manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Seradex ERP for make-to-order, engineer-to-order, and project-based businesses.
• Catalpa Systems Core2 ERP software
• Expandable Software. Windows NT based ERP system developed for manufacturing (MRPII)
• Deacom ERP for manufacturing.
• SMC Data Systems
• Prelude Systems Inc. Software focusing on Distribution Industry.
• Prophet21 Software focusing on durable goods distribution.
• Freeboarders, Inc. Supply Chain software for the global retail industry.
• The LAN Group. Packaged and custom business software products (WMS/ERP).
• NetSuite. Hosted internet-based ERP products for various sized companies.
• Ezijobz Software. ERP for small to mid-sized manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Manufacturing Action Group Inc. ERP/MRP software for small to mid sized businesses. Includes pricing!!!
• Best Software Formerly Sage Software, Best Software offers several ERP systems for small to mid-sized business including MAS 90, MAS 2000, Platinum, and Best Enterprise.
• Mosaic Data Solutions. ERP for small to mid-sized businesses
• WinMan Windows based ERP for small to mid sized manufacturers
• 2020software.com. "The Accounting and Business Software Resource." I generally don't include distributors on my sites page however the collection of low to mid priced accounting and inventory software at this site makes it unique. Includes pricing!!!
• Tuppas Software Manufacturing-focused ERP.
• Xdata Solutions. ERP focusing on make-to-order

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Software (Inventory Management/Warehouse Management Systems)

Also read my article Warehouse Management Systems and visit Industrial Data and Information Inc for more info on WMS systems.

• Catalyst Warehouse Management Systems
• LIS Dispatcher-WMS
• Provia ViaWare supply chain execution software
• EXE Technologies
• RedPrairie Supply Chain execution software (WMS, TMS).
• Majure Data Makers of RF Navigator WMS
• Manhattan Associates Supply chain management products including PkMS and Logistics Pro
• OMI International Supply chain management products designed for distributors/retailers of consumer packaged goods.
• Marc Global WMS and Supply chain execution software.
• Radio Beacon Cost-effective WMS for small to midsize operations. Very informative site.
• Geneva Systems WMS, Distribution, and Shop Floor Control software for small to midsize operations.
• Crimson Software CrimsonWMS.net provides ASP option.
• Logim WMS WMS from Knapp Logistics
• Autostore Warehouse management and control software with integration to automated material handling systems.
• Scenic Technology Corp. WMS and other asset management products.
• Infoscan Software Systems. Offers several WMS systems targeting small to midsize warehouses. Includes pricing!!!
• Robocom Systems International Makers of RIMS WMS
• Warepak/400 WMS
• Radcliffe WMS .
• 3PLCentral WMS for 3PLs.
• SmartTurn WMS for small to mid-sized companies provided as a hosted system.
• Kare Technologies Makers of Visual Warehouse WMS.
• DFA DLOC+ Warehouse management software.
• Made4net Warehousing and transportation-related software.
• WISE Warehousing software
• Inteligent Warehousing Web-based WMS that focuses on smaller warehouses that ship to retailers (includes EDI and compliance label functionality). Includes pricing!!!
• MyWMS. Open Source Warehouse Management System. Open Source as in "FREE" software.
• Executron Development Corporation. Makers of P.I.M.S (Professional Inventory Management System) software.
• Traker Systems Inventory Control Software
• Applied Creative Technologies ACTrax WMS software
• ASCTrac WMS software
• Bar Control Inventory Management Systems
• Sentai Software Software products for the distribution, manufacturing, and service industries.
• HighJump Software. Supply Chain and WMS software
• Acatech Solutions, Inc. WMS software.
• AGI Worldwide WMS software (hosted or traditional install).
• ScanLink Corp. Automated data collection software.
• Teklynx Software Solutions. Automated data collection software
• Appolis Wireless data collection and WMS based on .NET.
• SIMMS Inventory control software
• Business Aviator Low-cost inventory control software for small to mid-sized businesses. Includes pricing!!! A Free Version of Business Aviator. is also available.
• Almyta Systems. Low-cost inventory control software for small to mid-sized businesses. Includes pricing!!!
• Accvision. Low-cost inventory control software for small to mid-sized businesses. Impressive features for the price. Includes pricing??
• RightControl Low-cost inventory control/sales order processing software for small to mid-sized businesses. Includes pricing??
• Dynamic Control Software Low-cost inventory control software.
• Crysanth. Low-cost accounting and inventory management software. Includes pricing!!!
• Advanced Barcode Technology low-cost barcode, data collection, and inventory control hardware and software. Includes pricing!!!
• PSC, Inc. Data collection hardware and software including the IntelliTrack series of low-cost software products.
• Intellitrack RF Data collection software for small operations.
• Vizbee RFID Solutions RFID-based asset tracking software.
• Bellwether Affordable Purchasing and inventory management software. Includes pricing!!! .
• SMS Software Enterprises Low cost inventory and Point of Sale software. Includes pricing!!!
• Naxtor Technologies Inventory tracking software.
• Invendia Web-based inventory and VMI system.
• AMICS Inventory Control Software for manufacturing and distribution.
• QSSI Quality Software Systems Inc. WMS
• PSI Planner "High Tech, low-cost Supply Chain Planning Software"
• IRMS Warehouse Management System
• Systems Online. Windows based software solutions for distribution and service departments.
• Data Support Inc. BarcodeBook.com website has software and hardware solutions plus info. Pretty good site.
• Skandata. Data collection hardware and software. low-cost Microsoft Access based data collection kits. Good info. Includes pricing!!!
• NTSWMS low-cost Warehouse Inventory Tracking Batch Data Collection Kit. Includes pricing!!!
• Snowbird Systems Accounting/inventory/warehouse control software.
• Minidata Scheduling software for distribution centers.
• Inventory Solutions Inc. Inventory analysis focusing on MRO inventory. This appears to be more of a service than a packaged software product.
• NDS Solutions. Distribution software focusing on service parts industry.
• Cribmaster. Tool Crib/MRO inventory management software.
• SeeControl Hosted Inventory tracking software including functionality for VMI and Consignment
• Best Consignment Shop Software Low cost software designed specifically for consignment .Includes pricing!!!
• Kanban.com Hosted kanban inventory tracking software

Software (Forecasting / Demand planning / inventory optimization).

• John Galt Solutions ForecastX line of forecasting products. Includes pricing!!!
• Valogix Forecasting and inventory planning software specifically designed for service parts and MRO.
• E/Step Software Inc. Forecasting software
• S.F.T. Inc. Offers Demand Planning Software. Also maintains informational pages on forecasting and mrp. Very good site!!
• TCLogic Inventory Optimization software
• Logic Tools Inventory optimization and supply chain optimization products.
• ToolsGroup Inventory optimization software.
• Smart Software Smart Forecast demand planning software.
• Evant Demand planning software for the retail industry.
• Forecast Pro Forecasting software.
• Supply Science Demand planning software.
• Demand Solutions Demand planning software.
• Thrive Technologies Demand planning software for mid-sized distribution, retail, and manufacturing.
• Demantra Demand planning and promotion management software focusing on retail industry.
• StockRight. Software designed for determining EOQ , safety stock, ROP available as Excel add-in or ActiveX.
• SIAM "Supplier and Inventory Analysis Module" Inventory optimization software.
• SCP 4.0 Advanced planning and vendor managed inventory system.
• RockySoft Demand Planning software

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Software (Manufacturing).

Also see ERP Software for more manufacturing software

• DBA Software Manufacturing software for small manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• JobTime Systems, Inc. Finite Capacity Scheduling and Advanced Planning and Scheduling Software. Various product offerings based on size and complexity of operations. Nice site, clearly understandable product descriptions and it Includes pricing!!!
• Alliance Manufacturing Software. low-cost MRP software aimed at smaller manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Software PM. AS/400 based MRPII software for small manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• MRP Plus MS Access based manufacturing software for small to mid sized manufacturers Includes pricing!!!
• Software PM low-cost AS/400 based software designed for the small manufacturer. Includes pricing!!!
• pc/MRP Multi-user MRP package for under $1,000. I was surprised to see the amount of functionality offered in this budget MRP package. Obviously targeting very small manufacturers pc/MRP provides a low-cost single solution that allow even the smallest Mom-and-Pop shop the opportunity to retire their paper based system. Includes pricing!!!
• INMASS/MRP Computer software for manufacturing. PC based "cost-effective" manufacturing software. Includes pricing!!!
• MRPManager MRP and inventory tracking for small manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Catalyst Manufacturing Low-cost MS-Access based MRP software designed for small manufacturers. Interfaces with Peachtree Accounting and Quickbooks.. Includes pricing!!!
• Invertech MRA Low-cost "material requirements analysis" software Includes pricing!!!
• Factory Edge. Manufacturing software for small to mid sized manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Coss Systems. Manufacturing software for small to mid sized manufacturers
• Job Master Low-cost manufacturing software. Includes pricing!!!
• Aim Computer Solutions "Repetitive manufacturing solutions targeted specifically for the small to medium sized automotive supplier".
• Guerrilla Enterprise Management Low-cost MRP software for small manufacturers. Includes pricing!!!
• Ultriva Lean manufacturing software products including kanban and scheduling tools.
• FactoryWare. Offers information tools for the manufacturing industry. Hardware/software for monitoring machine cycle time, downtime, etc.
• nMetric Manufacturing software for scheduling and managing shop floor activities.
• .EXE, Inc Manufacturing-focused Business Intelligence and Data Collection systems designed to enhance functionality of ERP systems.
• ATSI Manufacturing solutions for data collection and machine controls including systems to track down time and count machine cycles, pieces produced, etc..
• Production-Scheduling.com Low-cost custom spreadsheet-based scheduling software. Designs custom spreadsheets to meet your constraints-based scheduling needs.
• Symmetrix Software, Inc ProdLogix product configuration software for configure-to-order manufacturing.
• User Solutions, Inc. Offers a variety of low-cost software products (actually spreadsheet templates) for inventory management, forecasting, scheduling. Looks like some good products for small to medium sized manufacturers looking to fill in the gaps of functionality deprived accounting software packages. Includes pricing!!!
• Guardian Business Solutions. Makers of ShopTalk manufacturing execution software that focuses on user productivity through the use of touch screens, voice, and wearable technologies.
• Shoplogix Looks like some type of shop floor visibility/ manufacturing execution system.

Software (Shipping Systems/Manifesting/TMS)

• Best Way Technologies, Inc. ProShip
• Neopost
• Tandata
• ClipperShip
• Transcape Pitney Bowes shipping system
• Pfastship
• Imagine Transportation Management System (TMS)
• SMC³ Transportation rate management products.
• Varsity
• MaxScheduler Low cost dock scheduling software for shipping/receiving.
• eCustoms Customs documentation and compliance software.
• Global Tariff This is an online pay-per-use service for searching tariff classifications.

Software (Miscellaneous).

• Warehouse Optimization LLC. Makers of AutoPalletP3 and AutoLoaderT3 software for optimizing pallet configuration and trailer loading. I give two thumbs up to the 2 animated movies on this site showing the application of the software and allowing the viewer to interact with the movie through trailer loading and pallet loading games. I so enjoyed the movies/games that I've included direct links to them (note: you need to download Flash 5 to view the movies). Movie#1 Movie#2
• Cube-IQ Load optimization software for container and trailer loading, palletization, and cartonization.
• Load Planner Load optimization software.
• DC Expert Warehouse design and optimization program.
• Systems2win Various Excel templates for lean kaizen, process improvement, and business planning.
• Enterprise Dynamics. Make simulation software for warehousing, manufacturing, and material handling. Free demo download available.
• Brooks Automation. AutoMod Simulation software.
• SIMUL8 Simulation software.
• Showflow Simulation software
• Flexsim Simulation software.
• DC Optimizer Simulation product designed specifically to simulate warehouse layouts and slotting.
• Mouse Map. This 3-D visualization tool from Wild Mouse Software provides a simple and low cost means of visualizing and communicating warehouse processes and layouts. Though not a true simulation tool, I can see using this product for training, presentations, and communication of process and layout changes. Based on the documentation (available online) it looks like a very easy tool to use.

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