Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Five-way merger in material handling forms Systems in Motion

warehouse and conveyors systems in motion

Illinois-based company includes the former Conveyor Solutions Inc, KVK Inc, Electrical Services Group, SIM Aftermarket Services, and SIM Software.

Five material handling companies have merged into a single entity, forming an Elgin, Illinois-based company called “Systems in Motion” that will function as a tier-one, turnkey material handling integrator, the members said.

The initiative is the culmination of the companies’ close working relationship for the past five years and represents their unified strength. “We recognized that going to market under a cadre of names was not helping our customers understand our complete turn-key services and approach,” Scott Lee, CEO of Systems in Motion, said in a release. “Operating as one voice, and one company, Systems in Motion will move forward to continue offering superior industrial automation.”


Systems in Motion provides material handling systems for warehousing, fulfillment, distribution, and manufacturing companies. The firm plans to complete a rebranded web site in January of 2025.

More Stories

A photo of the inside of a retail store. In the foreground is a sign that says "Pick up online orders here." In the background is two women at a cash register in a checkout lane.

Retailers should take advantage of their brick-and-mortar locations not only to satisfy the growing demand for “buy online pickup in store” but also to support microfulfillment efforts for e-commerce.

By Wallpaper via Adobe Stock art

Build the store of the future with “buy online, pick up in store” and microfulfillment

Retailers are increasingly looking to cut costs, become more efficient, and meet ever-changing consumer demands. But how can they do so? The answer is updating their fulfillment strategy to keep pace with evolving customer expectations. As e-commerce continues to dominate the retail space and same-day delivery has become the norm, retailers must look to strengthen their “buy online pick up in store” (BOPIS) and microfulfillment strategies to stay ahead.

BOPIS allows customers to order online and pick up items at the retailers' brick-and-mortar location, and microfulfillment involves housing a retailer’s products closer to the consumer to improve delivery times. While these strategies each serve different purposes, both are centered around getting the product closer to the consumer to ensure faster fulfillment. By combining the two, retailers will be primed to meet customers’ needs—now and in the future.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of sectors leasing warehouse space

3PLs claim growing share of large industrial leases, CBRE says

Third-party logistics (3PL) providers’ share of large real estate leases across the U.S. rose significantly through the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same time last year, as more retailers and wholesalers have been outsourcing their warehouse and distribution operations to 3PLs, according to a report from real estate firm CBRE.

Specifically, 3PLs’ share of bulk industrial leasing activity—covering leases of 100,000 square feet or more—rose to 34.1% through Q3 of this year from 30.6% through Q3 last year. By raw numbers, 3PLs have accounted for 498 bulk leases so far this year, up by 9% from the 457 at this time last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Image of a truck driving down the center of an aisle of racking with boxes on pallets.
HASAN via Adobe Stock

JIT's not dead

“The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” Mark Twain said this about himself in 1897, but 127 years later the same sentiment could be applied to the concept of just-in-time (JIT) inventory management.

During the supply chain crunch of 2020–2021, firms struggled to build up inventories sufficient to meet demand. This led to speculation that firms should move away from JIT management and toward a just-in-case (JIC) model. The subsequent rapid buildup of inventories then resulted in the opposite problem in 2022. Inventories spiked up to near-record levels, and measures needed to be taken to reduce inventories, leading directly to the contraction of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in Q2 of that year. It took over a year to correct the inventory overages, meaning the traditional peak season did not materialize in 2023, as firms continued to run inventories down.

Keep ReadingShow less
siemens logistics vanderlande airport cargo

Vanderlande to acquire Siemens Logistics for $325 million

The logistics process automation provider Vanderlande has agreed to acquire Siemens Logistics for $325 million, saying its specialty in providing value-added baggage and cargo handling and digital solutions for airport operations will complement Netherlands-based Vanderlande’s business in the warehousing, airports, and parcel sectors.

The acquisition has received approval from the Supervisory and Management Boards of both Vanderlande and its parent company Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO) as well as the Management Board of parent company Siemens AG.

Keep ReadingShow less
An overhead shot of a collection of warehouses and distribution centers with their lights on surrounded by highways.

Warehousing: Showing signs of a comeback

While the overall commercial real estate industry is under duress with banks and other lenders seizing control of distressed commercial properties at the highest rate in 10 years, there are signs of recovery in the industrial market. Supply is abating, and demand and rental rates are increasing in most U.S. markets. Leading this rebound is the logistics sector which, by and large, has avoided the worst fallout brought about by high interest rates and economic uncertainties.

On the financing front as interest rates stabilize, investors who have been sitting on mountains of cash are starting to spend their money, and the logistics sector continues to be the favored sector of commercial real estate. By contrast, lending volumes across most other real estate assets, especially the ailing office market, have dropped significantly. Rental rate growth in the warehousing sector has also remained relatively strong, adding to its appeal for investors. While more modest than last year’s 20.6% jump in warehouse rental rates, this year’s increase is projected by BizCosts.com to be 7.9%, translating into a national average asking rate of $10.49 per square foot.

Keep ReadingShow less