Usually when Americans travel to Japan, whether as tourists or as business people, they come back with stories of what they learned. Brett Wood is no different. But when he travels to Japan he must also impart knowledge. As president of Toyota Material Handling USA, part of his job is to keep his counterparts in Japan updated on what’s happening in the U.S. lift truck market. With all the angst the global economy has caused among lift truck buyers and sellers, MHM thought this would be a perfect time to ask Wood what he told the parent company on his most recent trip a few weeks ago.—Tom Andel, editor-in-chief

Imperial Sugar has finally learned the price for ignoring the combustible dust hazard that killed 14 of its employees and injured dozens more in a 2008 explosion at its Port Wentworth, Ga., plant. In monetary terms it will be more than $6 million, but the cost to its image and its freedom are incalculable.

To give trading partners a common way of talking about packaging and sustainability, The Consumer Goods Forum issued a report titled “A Global Language for Packaging and Sustainability.” It offers a common framework and measurement system trading partners can use to help them make more informed decisions about their packaging.

The desire to save the capital required to purchase and maintain its own containers was enough reason for Jaguar Land Rover to extend its contract with CHEP in Europe for its small box KLT Full Service and the large folding stillage FXC Managed Service. Environmental sustainability was also a factor. CHEP containers are continually recycled across the supply chain.

Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) and Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM) announced the appointment of Martin Boyd to vice president of product planning and marketing for TMHU and Tony Miller to vice president of production engineering, design engineering, manufacturing and maintenance for TIEM.

The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association reported that its May 2010 Booked Orders Index was 129, up 3 points or 2% from April 2010’s Index of 126 and an increase of 18% over the May 2009 Index of 109.

Scale systems can help companies optimize billing and productivity in warehouse and DC environments.

Don’t overlook last-mile efficiency when choosing the location of your DCs.

Label Holders Don't Cost – They Pay!
ROI in less than twelve months, while helping to make the most effective management of time and space. Aigner label holders save time, motion and above all, materials - when replacing messy self adhesive labels. Available in many sizes and styles for racks, shelves, bins, totes, floor storage and most any storage application. Click here for more info.

These articles were those most viewed in last week's newsletter.

Air Liquide to Power Walmart Canada's Fleet of Green Lift Trucks
Air Liquide, a provider of gases for industry, health and the environment, has been awarded a contract to supply the hydrogen, filling station and infrastructure to power retail giant Walmart's new fleet of fuel cell-powered lift trucks at its new distribution center in Alberta, Canada.

Driving Waste out of the DC
Apria Healthcare uses lean principles and pallet stackers to improve capacity utilization at its DCs.

Owens & Minor Adopts 3PL Solution to Improve Pharma Distribution
OM HealthCare Logistics, a new business unit of Owens & Minor, a distributor of medical and surgical supplies, has adopted RedPrairie's Warehouse Management solution to direct operations over its flagship third-party logistics distribution center.