April 2009

Green Material Handling requires new thinking, not large investments

The article A Blueprint for a greener DC in the March issue of DC Velocity magazine by David Maloney brings new perspective to eco-friendly material handling practices and gives pointers for getting started without a huge investment in capital.

Three ideas to help reduce your carbon footprint:

• Waste not, want not
Reuse corrugated materials where possible. By shipping products in their original cartons, you can save the cost of new materials as well as reduce the time spent repacking.

• Install motorized driven roller (MDR)
Install MDR. Although they're more expensive than conventional models, MDR units typically pay for themselves many times over in energy savings and reduced maintenance.

• Make your building more eco-friendly
Reduce energy usage by updating your HVAC, lighting and other commonly overlooked systems. Large, low-speed ceiling fans can supplement air conditioning and variable speed drives on HVAC units can reduce energy consumption. Natural light, new energy efficient bulbs and turning lights off when not needed can also significantly reduce your power bill.

To read the full article, visit the DC Velocity website. For other ideas on sustainable solutions for material handling, contact us at mh@us.schneider-electric.com.

When your business is moving products, you need a drive that can move your business — The Altivar® 71 VFD

Featuring the industry’s best reactions times (2ms +/- 0.5ms) and operation speeds up to 1,600Hz, Schneider Electric’s Altivar 71 drive can move your business without missing a step. This includes a choice of speed or torque regulation, built-in safety functions for emergency stops, overspeed detection, veering and load holding in case of brake failure.

Flexible and efficient, the Altivar 71 utilizes the latest in graphical user displays, standard network connectivity and expandable input/output cards to provide optimum performance while maintaining simplicity. This makes it the ideal drive for critical conveying, hoisting, packaging and other industrial applications.

> Learn more about the Altivar 71 variable frequency drive.

Visit us at: http://www.us.schneider-electric.com/materialhandling
Contact us: mh@us.schneider-electric.com.

© Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved.