Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Year in Review: Top materials handling news in 2014

Big acquisitions, an improving economy and some new 

players change the landscape heading into 2015. By 

Modern Materials Handling Staff



$3.45 billion-dollar deal includes 4,500 employees across the world.
FedEx to acquire Pittsburgh-based 3PL GENCO
GENCO has annual $1.6 billion in annual revenue and operates more than 130 warehouse locations comprising more than 38 million square feet in North America.
NACCO Materials Handling Group acquires Nuvera Fuel Cells company
Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation add another alternative energy to their portfolios.
Toyota Industries Corporation to acquire the forklift business of Tailift
Serving primarily China and Taiwan, Tailift produces 28,000 forklifts annually.
Research and markets
Survey asks: Need for green or need for speed?
Consumer preferences suggest businesses should reconsider chasing the Amazon model.
Study: ‘Staggering’ 83% of CEOs believe supply chains are not up to omni-channel challenges
Survey indicates optimized supply chains have 15% lower costs, less than half the inventory and more than three times shorter cash-to-cash cycles.
Global material handling products primed for strong gains through 2018
Global demand for material handling products is projected to increase close to 5% annually through 2018 to $140 billion.
New survey shows keys to recruitment of women to manufacturing sector
Among more than 870 women surveyed, 80% of those in manufacturing say that their work is interesting and challenging. Half of women in manufacturing say that compensation is the most significant benefit of the sector.
RFID market to reach $9.2 billion in 2014 and more than triple in next decade
That figure is up nearly 32% from $6.98 billion in 2012. Despite growth in active RFID and real-time locating systems (RTLS) systems, research suggests RFID has penetrated only 7% of the addressable apparel market.
Research suggests near doubling of logistics robot market by 2020
Sales of robots for palletizing, logistics, packaging, and materials handling are projected to grow at a 10.1% CAGR and reach $31.3 billion by 2020.
In other news
ALAN seeks donations to stop spread of Ebola
American Logistics Aid Network mobilizes logistics partners to deliver supplies to difficult-to-reach areas.
2015 Third-Party Logistics Study takes deep dive into omni-channel supply chain
A study of 770 shippers and logistics services providers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America suggested factors driving the pursuit of omni-channel capabilities include customer service (32%), service levels (23%) and freight costs (11%). About a third indicated they are not prepared to handle omni-channel and 2% consider themselves high performers in the space. Half said they are currently testing or investing in new fulfillment strategies to spur omni-channel network growth. 16% are using or considering local store home delivery, and 15% are doing or planning Sunday delivery.
Modex 2014 sees record attendance
Attendance was up 15% over the first Modex in 2012; floor space jumped 28% to 230,000 square feet.

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