Past AIST Committee Activities
Current Activities
The Material Handling Technology Committee (MHTC) met on Tuesday, May 4 during AISTech 2010, with 20 members in attendance. Gregg Bond reviewed the 2010 Steel Industry Fatalities Statistics, which showed eight recorded fatalities so far this year. This committee realized that, since the AIST Safety & Health Technology Committee has provided these fatality statistics, the material handling/transportation areas have accounted for more than 25% of recorded fatalities. The MHTC will now have a material handling safety chair, who will develop a safety session for upcoming AISTech conferences to promote the latest safety innovations to keep these high-traffic areas safer. The MHTC officer elections for 2010–2011 are as follows: Everette Davis, chair; Doug Niksch, vice chair; Robert Newman, papers chair; Nicki Taylor, membership chair; and Gregg Bond, safety chair. The Material Handling/Transportation Methods Training Seminar will be a joint committee effort between the MHTC and the Packaging, Shipping & Transportation Methods Technology Committee. Mr. Niksch will act as Subcommittee chair for developing this Specialty Training Conference. Participating companies so far include Nucor, Caterpillar, The Timken Co., MI-JACK, Edward C. Levy Co. and California Steel Industries. Possible sites are Charleston, Memphis, Decatur or Tuscaloosa. The next MHTC meeting will take place Sept. 16–17, 2010, in Canton, Ohio, with a tour of The Timken Co.
The Material Handling Technology Committee and the Packaging, Shipping & Transportation Methods Technology Committee held a joint meeting on Sept. 16–18 in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, with tours of Paling Transporter and ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc. The tour of Paling Transporter highlighted new equipment assemblies along with Paling’s repair capabilities with large equipment. Joint committee attendance was limited due to travel restrictions. The committees reviewed the Safety & Health Technology Committee’s 2009 steel industry fatality statistics. At the time of this meeting, there were 14 fatalities, in which four fatalities involved material handling. Therefore, 29% of the 2009 fatalities were material handling or shipping-related. Malcom Dunbar of the Edw. Levy Co. discussed the fatality at Columbia City Mill Service on April 23, 2009. Explanations and preventive measures taken were discussed. Mr. Dunbar has volunteered to be part of an AISTech 2010 joint committee panel discussion on Material Handling/Shipping Transportation Safety Advancements. Further discussions involved radio frequency identification detection (RFID), and options for keeping the material handling/shipping areas safer. An RFID presentation will be made at each committee’s 2010 winter meeting. The use of equipment simulators for safe handling procedures, new communication techniques used in all shipping areas, contractor carrier safety requirements, and safety innovations in place that have shown positive results were discussed by both committees.
Presentations were made by Ed Kesik and Peter Fulcher of Paling Transporter; John Nofsinger and Hal Vandiver from Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA); Steve Allen, Tim Lee, Todd Abbott and Mike Hendsbee from ArcelorMittal Dofasco (tour hosts); and Everette Davis from Nucor Steel–Berkeley. These PowerPoint presentations are available on the CMTC members-only Web site. Mr. Nofsinger and Mr. Vandiver were invited to give their PowerPoint presentation at AISTech 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The AISTech 2010 Call for Papers was discussed, with an agreement to schedule the joint committee panel discussion on Tuesday, May 4, after the President’s Award Breakfast. A second joint committee session will be planned based on abstracts submitted and PowerPoint presentations that meet committee approval.
The Material Handling Technology Committee will meet on March 4–5, 2010, with a tour of the Nucor Steel Memphis shipping facilities. The Packaging, Shipping & Transportation Methods Technology Committee will meet for its annual joint meeting with the Association of American Railroads (AAR) on March 18–19, 2010, in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Material Handling Technology Committee (MHTC) met on Monday, May 4 at AISTech 2009. There were 16 committee members in attendance. Doug Niksch, papers chair, reviewed the two sessions scheduled for AISTech. He expressed the need for MHTC members to support all presenters while at the conference. The AISTech 2010 Call for Papers has been published, and all committee members are encouraged to present or solicit papers for next year’s conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. Contact Mr. Niksch if interested in making a presentation for AISTech 2010. MHTC officer elections were completed, with current officers asked to remain for a second one-year term: Gregg Bond, chair; Everette Davis, vice chair; and Doug Niksch, papers chair. Mr. Bond reviewed the MHTC mission statement, which was approved. Rob Roberson, Nucor Steel–Berkeley, discussed safe loading procedures and volunteered to make a presentation at next year’s conference. Safety clothing in the form of high-visibility and reflective PPE was discussed as a requirement for all heavy-traffic areas. PPE improvements in plant shipping areas will be discussed at the next MHTC meeting. The Material Handling Industry of America has asked for a collaborative effort with this committee in promoting material handling innovations and progress. This association will make a presentation at the MHTC fall meeting. Peter Fulcher, Paling Transporter, will be the committee host in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, where two tours will be scheduled: Paling Transporter (Wednesday, Sept. 16) and ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc. (Friday, Sept. 18). On Thursday, Sept. 17, there will be a joint committee meeting with the Packaging, Shipping & Transportation Methods Technology Committee. The MHTC presented Gregg Bond a plaque for his dedication and participation within the material handling community.
The Material Handling Technology Committee (MHTC) met in Ontario, Calif., on Jan. 28–29. Gregg Bond welcomed 12 committee members to this meeting. MHTC membership stands at 59 members, with three new members attending. A material handling safety round table discussion involved recent plant accidents and corrective action plans taken. Nicki Taylor of Nucor Steel–Decatur informed the committee of Nucor’s efforts to become VPP certified. Nucor Decatur is also looking into DuPont’s HE program for safety. Peter Fulcher, Paling Transporter Ltd., volunteered to arrange the MHTC’s fall 2009 meeting in Hamilton, Ont., Canada, with a possible tour of ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc. The Safety and Health Technology Committee provided a review of the 2008 steel industry fatalities statistics.
Doug Niksch, MHTC papers chair, reviewed AISTech 2009 sessions. The MHTC’s joint session with the Packaging, Shipping and Transportation Methods Technology Committee (PSTMTC) will have three representatives from each committee. MHTC members Richard Montano, Scot Bowman and Jason Holmes, along with PSTMTC members Stephen Fulton, Jonathan Repp and David Otte will comprise this panel discussion. The MHTC has a second joint session with the Computer Applications Technology Committee that will involve MHTC members Peter Fulcher and Jim Phillips as presenters. MHTC officer nominations were then put forward, and it was decided to extend the terms of the current committee officers for one more year: Gregg Bond, chair; Everette Davis, vice chair; and Doug Niksch, papers chair have agreed to hold their committee positions for a second year. Approval of these nominations will be completed at AISTech 2009 in St. Louis. The MHTC was urged to investigate possible projects that would highlight progress made in the material handling arena. Three AISTech 2009 presentations were made to this committee: Peter Fulcher’s “Innovations in Steel Mill Material Handling Applications,” Richard Montano’s “ERW Pipe Loading on 89-Foot Flat Cars,” and Josh Swank’s “Re-Tooling Traditional Haul Trucks to Haul Hot Slag Effectively and Efficiently.” MHTC members offered suggestions to each presenter to prepare them for AISTech 2009. Gregg Bond and Robert Newman presented a preview of Timken’s “New Straddle Truck Design,” to be presented at AISTech 2010. Committee member Richard Montano served as host for a tour of California Steel Industries (CSI). The MHTC toured the galvanizing department and CSI’s pipe mill. Currently, CSI employs approximately 911 employees. The MHTC noted that CSI’s housekeeping was excellent.
The Material Handling Technology Committee (MHTC) met Sept. 18–19 in Peoria, Ill., and toured Caterpillar’s headquarters. The tour consisted of three plant sites that highlighted the production process in manufacturing world-class equipment used in a variety of industries. Caterpillar’s Ron Schultz gave a presentation on equipment emissions to begin the business part of the meeting. A round table discussion followed on blast-resistant front windscreens conducted by Caterpillar’s Don Smith, who asked the MHTC for information on window glass improvements. Other AIST Technology Committees — Packaging, Shipping and Transportation Methods (PSTMTC); Safety and Health (SHTC); and Electric Steelmaking (ESTC) — were contacted to provide Caterpillar with insight into pulpit/cab window advancements. Doug Niksch, MHTC papers chair, discussed AISTech 2009 sessions, noting that abstracts from Peter Fulcher and Josh Swank had been accepted. Ron Schultz was also invited to make a presention regarding material handling at AISTech. Jim Phillips, representing the Association of Equipment Management Professionals (AEMP), spoke on “The Certified Equipment Manager and the Equipment Triangle.” This presentation will be considered for AISTech 2009. MHTC chair Gregg Bond and Donnie Spencer, chair of the PSTMTC, have agreed to hold a joint session at AISTech 2009. Three members from each committee will form a discussion panel. Dave Hilvers and Phil Rixstine represented AIST’s SHTC during a discussion of the Safety.Cat.com Web site. The MHTC mission statement was adopted and approved. The quick communication of any safety-related incident among the MHTC members will be accomplished by sending an e-mail alert, in hopes of preventing a similar safety accident. The next MHTC meeting will be Feb. 5–6, 2009 in Ontario, Calif., with a tour of California Steel hosted by Richard Montano.
The Material Handling Operating Committee (MHOC) met at AISTech 2008 in Pittsburgh on May 6. Jason Holmes of Nucor Steel–Berkeley welcomed all committee members and reviewed the status of the AIST/AISI committee integration. The new committee name is the Material Handling Technology Committee (MHTC). The MHTC roster stands at 54 members, with increased participation expected from the integration of AISI members. Two MHTC panel discussions are already planned for AISTech 2009: “Material Handling Road Construction” and “Material Handling Safety Systems.” Paper presentations will include the following topics: RFID recognition (The Timken Co.); thermal image detection (Levy Co.); fleet management strategies (Nucor); leasing, buying or renting material handling equipment (The Timken Co.); and scrap handling advancements (Cableform). Election of MHTC committee officers for 2008–2009 resulted in Gregg Bond of Timken being elected as chair, Everette Davis of Nucor Steel–Berkeley as vice chair, and Doug Niksch of Mi-Jack as papers chair. Future joint programming with the Packaging, Shipping, and Transportation Methods Technology Committee will be investigated to schedule a possible round table discussion at AISTech 2009. Malcom Dunbar of Levy Co. helped arrange the next MHTC meeting on Sept. 18–19, during which the MHTC will tour the Caterpillar headquarters in Peoria, Ill. Mr. Holmes was presented with a plaque for his committee leadership over the previous year. He now serves on the AIST board of directors.
