The American Warehouse Systems Blog Has Moved

OK this may be my last post at this URL. Our blog moved to our main site several months ago and we are running smoothly. The new blog is integrated into our AW-Systems site. I post every week usually on Wednesday (sometimes Thursday or Friday) about the things I enjoy like material handling equipment and systems, the military and sometimes politics.

Please use the following links to navigate and utilize the new site.

http://aw-systems.com/blog/
RSS Feed: http://aw-systems.com/blog/feed/

There certainly is a chance that once a month or so I will be back here to send out a reminder. If you are able though, I would switch over to the new blog now.

Hytrol Conveyor for Pearl Harbor Naval Base

This weeks blog post is about a large conveyor project we participated in for Pearl Harbor Naval Base. For the full story go to our corporate blog here; American Warehouse Systems Blog.
Hopefully by now most of our readers have realized our blog has moved. I will continue to send out notification on our old blog for a few more months but the end is near for this site.
All our blog posts either are or will be moved to the new site. Please check it out. We are very proud of it.

Very Cool Post on a Military UAV.

This week's blog is about the Bluebird Aero MicroB Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ( UAV ). I had a lengthy conversation with a soldier who used one of these in Iraq.
For more information check out the full article. http://bit.ly/8YLONN
If you don't already know this, my blog has officially moved onto our corporate website. http://aw-systems.com/blog/ Next time you have a few minutes, stop by and check it out.

We really like the new look and the ease of article browsing. See you there!

Maintenance Platform for the 934th Airlift Wing

This week's blog post is on a very interesting project we recently completed for the "Flying Vikings", Minnesota's own 934th Airlift Wing.

American Warehouse Systems had a great time working with the Air National Guard designing a safe ergonomic way to transport tools and personnel from the hangar floor to the wing of their C-130H3's.

We implemented an American Mezzanine System with a special drawbridge and an elevated tool crib to create the perfect solution for our friends at the 934th.

For the full story check out our blog at American Warehouse Systems Blog.

Mezzanine System for Defense Logistics Agency

This week's blog highlights a mezzanine project American Warehouse Systems completed for the Defense Logistics Agency at one of their distribution centers. It was one of the largest mezzanine structures we have every completed, almost 40,000 Sq. Ft.!
For more information, you can read the full article on American Warehouse Systems Blog

Material Handling System for US Embassy Praia

This week our blog post highlights a recent project American Warehouse Systems implemented for the US Embassy Praia in the island country of Cape Verde. It was a very complex project requiring many different products integrated into one system. Because of our large GSA product and service offerings we were able to complete the project entirely on GSA contract.

To read the full story, visit American Warehouse Systems Blog.

Gravity Flow Pallet Rack for Pioneer Hi-Bred

Pioneer Hi-Bred is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics to farmers worldwide. With the increase in demand for their products, they were confronted with re-evaluating their storage capacity within their facilities. They approached American Warehouse Systems for help with this issue.

In an effort to store as many pallets as possible in the existing warehouse, Pioneer looked to the various high density storage options. American Warehouse Systems assisted with the design and layout in the non-uniform product area. After our site visit and application analysis, it was determined the designated area allowed for 8 bays of 4 to 8 pallets deep on a gravity flow system, allowing 150 pallet positions in 1,001 square feet of floor space. We used the Logix 2000 Polycarbonate wheel flow lanes from InterRoll on Unarco Structural style pallet racking to hold the 1,500 pound pallets of product.

Pioneer Hi-Bred was so pleased with the results, they recently ordered another 3 bays of 4 pallets deep to add on to the original system, giving them another 36 pallet positions in only 193 square feet of floor space. We would like to thank Pioneer for the order and wish them the best for years to come.

If you are interested in high density pallet storage please visit our Storage Rack section or our High Density Storage pages.

GSA "Green" Solution for the US Navy

As promised, I will continue to post a title, short description and a link to our new blog at, http://aw-systems.com/blog/. It's still not quite up to speed but I'm being as patient as I can be. I'm assured it will be there soon. In the meantime, please forgive our mess and come check it out.

Today's post discusses how American Warehouse Systems provided a sensible "green" solution to a US Navy facility that needed 25% more pallet storage but couldn't acquire more square footage within their facility.

See the entire post at American Warehouse Systems Blog.

Finally! Our Blog Has Moved!

After much delay we have finally migrated our blog to our website. We feel there is great value in having the blog resident on our main site at the folder level. This of course will cause some confusion and issues moving forward but we hope all will hang with us during the mess.
Now it's not quite all together and pretty yet but we expect it will be in a few short weeks. In the meantime I will be blogging on both sites with the "meat" on the new blog and a short description and a link on this site.
This week I am profiling a TA-50 Military Gear Locker application we completed for the United States Army. We replaced their old "school" type lockers with some very nice custom lockers. The entire project was very cost effective and all purchased on our GSA Contract. Read more about it; TA-50 Military Gear Lockers at Army Base.
See our new blog here; American Warehouse Systems Blog.

463L Pallet Conveyor System at FL Air Force Base

American Warehouse Systems has recently completed a 463L pallet conveyor system on a mezzanine for Hurlburt Field in Florida.
The customer needed the 463L conveyor system mounted 10' off the ground for a training facility. American Warehouse Systems designed a mezzanine to support our conveyor and transfer bed for the air cargo 463L pallet. This is no easy task as the 463L pallet is designed to carry up to 10,000 lbs. The mezzanine had to be designed and fabricated to support the point load of the pallet and the horizontal motion of the pallet as it moves down the system. Fortunately we have a great deal of experience designing specialty systems for our customers and the project went off beautifully.
American Warehouse Systems is the number one supplier of mezzanine systems to the Department of Defense and the highest volume mezzanine supplier on GSA ( General Services Administration ) contract. We are often tasked with supplying a mezzanine system with ancillary items like 463L pallet conveyor or material lifts, shelving, lights, fire suppression, etc. Because we have all of these items and more on our GSA contract, we are able to supply complete turn-key systems to our Federal Government clients worldwide. For more information follow the links; 463L Pallet Conveyor, Mezzanine Systems, GSA Contract.

America Rising: An Open Letter to Democrat Politicians

Although many of us never did "Drink the Kool-Aid", this is a great video nontheless. It is a clear message about how America feels. Enjoy.

A Great Networking and Educational Event

I realize that most folks that read this blog aren't in the Minneapolis area but it would be nothing but wrong if I didn't mention the Linked Minnesota Summer Extravaganza on June 21st at the Minneapolis Airport Hilton. Linked Minnesota is a group formed on LinkedIn (and still going strong) of businesses and individuals with interest in networking mainly for business. Every month the group meets for a lunch networking program somewhere in the Twin Cites and twice a year the group has a large event. Next Monday is the big summer event.
This program should be great! It looks to be quite large also with close to 500 attendees and over 60 booths. American Warehouse Systems will be there for any material handling systems needs as will our favorite big sister Toyota-Lift of Minnesota.
The big attraction of the event is Headline Speaker, Sam Richter. I recently saw Sam speak at the MHEDA convention in FL and he blew everyone away with his knowledge. In my world I spend most of my time trying to figure out how to increase traffic to my site and helping others do the same. Sam spins the table and shows us great ways to utilize search tools on the Internet to find just about anything. It is amazing how much sales intelligence one can gain just by using Sam's strategies. The information Sam gives is worth your time and well worth the $17 admission fee to the event. If you are interested in increasing your sales knowledge and you will be in the Minneapolis area next Monday, make sure you attend the Linked Minnesota Summer Extravaganza. While you are there make sure you stop by our table and say hi.
For more information check here. Summer Extravaganza

American Warehouse Systems Hosts LinkedIn Event

Monday, June 14, 2010 you will have the opportunity to join us at Gabe’s Roadhouse in St. Paul, MN for a LinkedMinnesota lunch event. LinkedMinnesota organizes a networking lunch every month for Minnesota businesses. This month's event is sponsored by American Warehouse Systems.

We will begin the day at 11:15 AM with casual networking. The goal with the networking is to meet and connect with at least 10 new contacts. Once the networking is finished up, find a table and join others for lunch. The networking is FREE, you only need to cover the cost of your lunch.

Gabe's Roadhouse offers wonderful daily lunch and dinner specials to fit your budget. Gabe's is fully automated with 13 HD BIG screen plasma TV's and theater surround sound to provide you with the most exciting venue for all of your premier sports events. Whether you need a great place to grab a bite to eat or are looking for somewhere to sit down and grab a drink, Gabe's Roadhouse is the place.

RSVP by Friday, June 11th if you plan to attend. Contact Kari Heid at 763-315-9207 or karih@aw-systems.com. We hope to see you there.

American Warehouse Systems Receives Recognition Award

On April 28, 2010, American Warehouse Systems received a Certificate of Recognition from the State of Minnesota and The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC). This award is given out every year to small businesses that excel in bringing federal dollars to Minnesota through Federal Government Contracts. This past year American Warehouse Systems was #10 on the list of Minnesota Small Businesses to receive federal dollars through government contracts. We were also #63 out of 3564 Minnesota companies of any size or socio-economic status receiving federal contracts.
This year’s award marks the 6th consecutive year American Warehouse Systems has earned this honor. We are proud to support our nation by providing high quality warehouse systems and proud to support our state by bringing Federal dollars to Minnesota.
American Warehouse Systems is a full service material handling systems integrator specializing in US Federal Government warehouse and distribution centers. We design, install and implement systems worldwide for our Federal Government clients via several long term government contracts.
The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is a program of MEDA. PTAC is administered in partnership with the Defense Logistics Agency, a division of the Department of Defense.

My Visit to St. Louis and Starrco

Last week I was hosted by my good friends at Starrco in St. Louis MO. Starrco manufactures inplant modular offices and buildings, prefabricated buildings, cleanrooms and just about any other form of hard wall enclosure. I was warmly received by the good people at Starrco, given the tour of the factory and had a great day of meetings with their personnel. The atmosphere was business of course but the Starrco crew has a way of bringing fun into any situation. What a great company to do business with.
For those that aren't certain what a modular office or warehouse enclosure is I've included this brief description of what Starrco does from the fine people themselves.

Starrco Modular wall systems provide a secure, comfortable working environment perfect for shipping and receiving office modules. An inplant office for shipping and receiving isolates operation areas from outside distraction and truck noise, while protecting employees and products from truck fumes and other outside factors, such as, temperature and inclement weather. Starrco's pre-fabricated offices are made of quality wall construction ideal for sealing off sound and environmental intrusion. These modular offices are typically constructed with large windows for monitoring personnel and access to docks providing a secure area as an entry point.
The advantage to portable facilities and in-plant modular offices are numerous. Usually, from start to finish, a custom built, pre-engineered office module is ready for operation in approximately 25% of the time it takes to complete conventional construction. Normally, the licensing, permitting and approval process of permanent construction is a time consuming process. Modular wall systems used for shipping and receiving offices, provide more value for your purchasing dollar. And, obviously, modular construction is flexible, allowing expansion and relocation to fit your needs as your business grows.

If you are interested in learning more about Starrco modular offices you can visit them at Starrco Modular Offices. You can also receive more information from our Modular Office Pages.

Thanks again Bryan and crew for the hospitality. We are looking forward to a great year!

The Marines Receive Bush and Obama

There has been a video circulating for quite awhile now comparing a visit from President Bush to a visit from Obama to the United States Marine Corps. There is a good chance you have already seen it but if not I have a like to the video at the bottom of this entry.

I love this video for many reasons. First because I greatly admire President Bush, he reminds me a lot of my pastor. There really are no airs about him. He is who he is and makes no apology. A man with a great deal of power and influence who isn't afraid to speak his mind and his beliefs in front of a crowd and just be himself. President Bush could wear jeans and a flannel shirt to give a speech and it was great.

Now you can say what you want about staging and performance art in public speeches but I believe our armed forces as a general rule also loved President Bush. It fills me with great pride to see our service men and women whoop it up when our President came to talk to them. They were really filled with joy and I don't think that can easily be faked across a few thousand Marines. That's the second thing I love about the video.

The third thing I love is the stark contrast between the two men. President Bush is an important man doing everything in his power to play it off and be "everyman". Obama on the other hand was doing everything in his power to appear powerful. My mother always said "You don't need to toot your own horn; if you are good enough others will do it for you." I always feel Obama is tooting his own horn, don't you? President Bush, no matter what the criticism, was himself, a God fearing conservative American from Texas. He didn't change with the weather or the crowd.

Of course I also love the CNN reporters comments at the end of the video...priceless.

Here is the link to the video on the American Warehouse Systems You Tube Channel.

As always thank you for reading my blog. For more information on me and my company, feel free to visit us at American Warehouse Systems.

Grant Money Available for Material Handling Equipment

When American Warehouse Systems began the campaign to promote Safety Grant Money available through MN Workplace Safety Council, the acceptance of the program was slow, followed by a rapid series of improvement stories. One such story comes from Central Container Company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The production line at Central Container had issues with scrap materials accumulating on the floor and creating a hazard. In order to remove the hazard Central Container employees had to take extra time to move the materials off the floor to a nearby dumpster.
With the assistance of seasoned sales representative Paul Brandes from American Warehouse Systems, the solution came in the form of powered conveyor designed to continually remove the scraps. Scraps are now moved from the floor via the conveyor, deposited into the dumpster and then recycled. The price tag of this conveyor system was cut in half using the safety grant program. A representative from Central Container Company expressed how easy it was to receive the funds. Central Container Company simply joined the program, completed the necessary paperwork to the MN Workplace Safety Council and submitted a paid invoice ensuring the project was complete.
In tough economic times like today, programs like this allow extreme discounts to companies focused on safety. For more information on how your company can participate in the program email us at info@aw-systems.com or visit us at http://www.aw-systems.com/.

Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association Convention

Tomorrow I will be heading to Marco Island FL for the 2010 Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) Convention. As some of you may know I am on the Board of Directors for MHEDA and quite involved in association functions especially educational workshops, seminars and webinars. I am honored to be on MHEDA's Education Committee helping to plan our educational calendar every year. This year's convention looks to be a great educational opportunity for all attendees.

Every year I speak with members about the convention and if they will be attending. I receive quite a varied response. The member companies that have attended in the past usually always attend in one form or another. The economy is usually the barometer for the number of people from each company attending. New members aren't quite sure what they will get out of it but when explained quickly see the value.

The one response I get that always disturbs me is, "That's just a vacation for the dealer principal. We aren't allowed to go." I think maybe a half century ago that might have been closer to the truth but today it is different. Today the MHEDA convention is not just a golf vacation on the company. It's a concentrated networking and educational function that just happens to be in nice places (let's face it, who would go if it was in Minneapolis?).

We have many educational programs lined up that are geared toward sales, marketing, accounting, operations etc. The convention also provides a venue where you can network face to face with your industry peers. In many cases they have the same issues you do and may have found a solution to some of them.

I'm excited to get to the seminars and help my company move forward. In addition to economic forecasting and sales seminars I intend to sit in on the Strategic Planning seminar and the Profitability Improvement seminar.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure there is a little fun to be had in Marco Island FL. MHEDA offers several recreational opportunities as well such as golf, sailing and shelling. The opening and closing parties are also very well planned out and always a blast.

My point is; the focus of the convention has evolved over the last 59 years. Our views of the convention should evolve also. The MHEDA convention is a valuable educational and networking function for all areas of your company not just the top level.

If for some reason you aren't attending you can follow the action on Twitter @markjuelich or by searching the hashtag #MHEDA. Perhaps I'll do a blog or two.

For more information on MHEDA check out the website at MHEDA. For more on me, go to American Warehouse Systems.

WireCrafters Wire Partitions - Protecting Product and Personnel

For over 35 years, WireCrafters has manufactured what we feel is the “Very Best Woven Wire Partition.” Contrary to traditional systems, the Style 840 is based on the simple idea that panels stack one on top of the other between tubular posts to reach the finished partition height. This all welded, modular, stackable system has benefits unequaled in the industry. American Warehouse Systems brings you a full line of wire partition products. These products are very common in many warehouses and are used as tool cribs, secured inventory cages, machine guarding and platform handrail.
Tool Cribs or Rack Enclosures are the easiest way to protect your inventory. These can be configured in any size or height from twenty standard size panels for a perfect fit in your warehouse. A full line of hinged and sliding gates are available for pedestrian or forklift traffic. Customers can custom design these partitions by adding slide-up service windows with counters, enclosing the area with a ceiling or even special locking devices.
What if your inventory is stored in pallet racking? Rack Enclosures may be your answer. The Rack Enclosure panels are simple to integrate with your current way of storing your materials. By adding panels and gates to one or several bays of pallet racking, an employer can lock in inventory or lock out unwanted personnel. These same panels can be configured on the pedestrian side of the racking allowing protection to your employees from pallets or boxes being pushed though the back side of the rack.
We can also offer assistance with Machine Guarding, Platform Handrail or Pedestrian Guardrails. Each of these items is a great addition to any safety program. Check with your insurance company or local government agency for discounts.
For more information please visit our WireCrafters Page.

Technology and the American War Machine.

The above video is aptly named, "The Last Campfire". It illustrates how the American Warfighter has evolved to embrace new technologies. The engagement in the video is vastly different than how it would have played out in our "fathers' wars". It certainly makes one wonder what the future of warfare will look like.

Toyota Honors Top Dealers With President's Award

IRVINE, Calif. (March 30, 2010) – Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc. (TMHU) recently announced the 2009 winners of its prestigious President’s Award. TMHU selects its top dealers each year from a nationwide network of 68 dealers and 188 dealership locations, recognizing them for demonstrating excellence in parts, service and equipment sales, customer satisfaction and overall dealership operations.
This year, 15 winners earned the coveted award and were acknowledged at Toyota’s National Dealer Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
“Each year our dealers go above and beyond to demonstrate top quality service and support,” said Brett Wood, president of TMHU. “The President’s Award provides TMHU with a way to showcase their achievements and honor their dedication to their customers and the material handling industry.”

The winners are:
• Al Rawson of Atlas Toyota Material Handling, Schiller Park, IL
• Ron McCluskey of Brodie Toyota-Lift, Lawrence, MA
• Anika Conger Capelle of Conger Toyotalift, Green Bay, WI
• Jeff Fischer of Florida Lift Systems, Inc., Tampa, FL
• Bob Whittingham of Forklifts of St. Louis, Inc., St. Louis, MO
• Brian Hull of Hull Toyota Lift, Elkhart, IN
• Ted Wente of ILT Toyota-Lift, Cleveland, OH
• Sam Swartz of JRC Toyota-Lift, Worthington, OH
• Don Herman of Lift, Inc., Mountville, PA
• David Graffy of ProLift Industrial Equipment, Louisville, KY
• Jim Shoppa of Shoppa’s Material Handling, Ltd., Fort Worth, TX
• John Scheunemann of Toyota-Lift of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
(psst... American Warehouse Systems is part of Toyota-Lift of MN)
• Ken Townsend of Toyota Lift of South Texas, San Antonio, TX
• Mark Andres of Toyota Material Handling N. California, Hayward, CA
• Ken Turnmyre of Vesco Toyotalift, Hickory, NC

The President’s Award, TMHU’s highest honor, has been awarded to select dealers since its inception in 1990 to acknowledge their outstanding business accomplishments.

About Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.
Celebrating more than 40 years of established operations in the United States, Irvine, Calif.-based TMHU has been the No. 1 selling lift truck supplier in the U.S. since 2002 and currently offers a full line of high-quality lift trucks sold under the Toyota brand. TMHU, as the sole United States distributor for Aichi, now offers a line-up of aerial work lifts, including scissor lifts, crawler and wheeled boom lifts designed specifically to meet a wide range of indoor and outdoor needs.
Quality, durability and reliability are the hallmarks of the Toyota Production System practiced at Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM). Most of the Toyota lift trucks sold in the United States are manufactured at TIEM, a zero-landfill facility, in Columbus, Ind.
TIEM, and all Toyota manufacturing plants in the U.S. and Canada, comply with the ISO 14001 standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and have been honored for their environmental management systems and dedication to continuous improvement.
Toyota’s commitment to excellence in customer service extends nationwide. Sixty-eight authorized Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers, with a total of 188 dealership locations throughout the United States offer comprehensive customer service and support, including one-stop shopping for both new and used lift trucks, rentals, parts and service, fleet servicing and financing.

Warehouse Pallet Rack Safety - OSHA Recommendations

How many times have you questioned the stability or capacity of the racking in your warehouse? Is the load too heavy for the beams? Does the forklift operator know how to properly place the pallet in the rack? Can the uprights withstand a collision with a forklift? These are common and very reasonable questions. Every company should focus on internal safety and have or create an internal safety committee to address these concerns.
Following OSHA guidelines to the letter is still not enough to keep your employees safe. OSHA does not have regulations in place today for pallet racking, but you don’t have to go far to hear about a terrible accident that occurred with warehouse rack. Pallet rack safety is a crucial part of overall company safety and must be attended to. Employers should require pallet rack safety along with forklift training for every warehouse employee and manager.
Start by contacting a reputable material handling distributor, preferably one with an OSHA Alliance already in place. The distributor will be able to assist with the proper rack configuration, design specifications and the equipment to move the materials. They should also be able to do a repair or replacement survey of your existing pallet rack and submit a proposal to implement the plan.
A qualified contractor will ensure your uprights are plumb, beams are level and connections are secure. Each upright must be properly anchored into the concrete floor according to industry standards. All beams should have a safety lock. Whether it is a nut and bolt or integral fastener, the safety lock will help prevent accidental dislodgement of the beams. It is strongly recommended that each beam and upright is properly labeled with the capacity of the component. Each beam’s capacity is labeled per pair and an upright’s capacity is for one assembly. Keep in mind; moving beam levels after the design is complete could affect the capacities and you should check with your distributor before making these changes.
Palletized loads should be made stable before being placed in the racking system. Move the load onto a quality pallet, stretch wrap the loose product, and / or use wire decking on the beams to prevent falling materials. Wire decking is designed to hold evenly distributed loads on the surface area of the deck, which would require the pallet to be placed on the beams as well. Your standard wire deck is NOT designed for point loading or concentrated loading. Have your distributor explain the difference and provide you with solutions to your special applications.
Never climb the pallet racking, maintain proper lighting and practice good housekeeping. Make inspections, routine maintenance and training part of your safety program. Inspections will turn up damaged uprights, beams and wire decks. Have a qualified contractor repair or replace damaged components immediately. Do not attempt to repair pallet rack internally, not only is this extremely dangerous to attempt, you will void your warranty and most likely be held liable if a failure should occur. For additional safety you should add post protectors to the pallet rack uprights and guardrails at the ends of the aisles to keep warehouse vehicles from contacting the rack. You should also use rack back guards to prevent pallets from accidentally being pushed through the back side of the system.
For more information on warehouse safety please contact American Warehouse Systems at 877-677-9066 or http://www.aw-systems.com/.

Can This Pickle Get More Followers Than @markjuelich?

There is a well known Facebook story where the pickle defeats the rock band. I won't go into it here but it does bring up several questions about social media and human beings.
Let's take Twitter for example. I have in past blogs written about the social"ness" of Twitter and the desire for people to become part of a group of like minded individuals. I often like to think of Twitter as a social party where several groups of friends are gathered discussing different topics. If you jump into a group you can join in the discussion. What if you were in one of these circles anxious to join in only to realize everyone but you was a recording on a machine? You try to interact but all they do is spout out the same gibberish all day long.
In my opinion this is becoming somewhat of an issue on Twitter. There are so many automated systems out there it is very difficult sometimes to recognize who is real and who is a piece of software.
I had a conversation with a Twitter user the other day who was upset that he had been tweeting to his followers all day about raising money for disabled vets (a fantastic cause) but no one responded. He did some research only to find out the vast majority of his 600 or so followers sent every tweet out via 3rd party automated application! Of course he received no response from them, they weren't there.
There are some automated Tweeters that have hundreds of thousands of followers and never interact at all. These fully automated systems are essentially the pickle. These people / companies are participating in a global social party where building relationships is key yet they send a pickle in place of a human. One more step, the "man behind the pickle" obviously doesn't care about his followers or their opinions. The MBTP believes himself to be a font of information that thousands will flock to. The MBTP likes to lecture not listen.
Please don't misunderstand my thoughts and feelings for automation. I believe automation is a very useful tool if used in moderation. I and many like me spend a great deal of time relationship building on social media sites like Twitter. When I mention someone in a tweet I guess I expect that some human being will be reading it and responding. Where I come from that's just the polite thing to do.
So in answer to my own question; Yes Mark, the pickle not only can get more followers than you but it does everyday. I wonder what that says about: the pickle? it's followers? me? the world in general?
Go ahead, visit me on Twitter; @markjuelich, I'm really there.

Storage of Military Gear - The TA-50 Locker

This week I thought I would actually write about a storage product, the TA-50 gear locker. This product is about as misunderstood and confusing as they get. I guess it starts with the name, TA-50. My guess is most civilians don't really even know what TA-50 means and perhaps a few in our armed forces aren't quite sure what it actually stands for.

TA-50 is short for Table of Allowances 50; now does that clear it up for you? No? Simply put, TA-50 is Government issued (military) individual equipment. Anything a soldier might have that is government issued is considered TA-50.

The second big issue with TA-50 Lockers is most customers believe there is some standard size and that TA-50 is actually a specification. This is not true. We have made TA-50 lockers in virtually all conceivable configurations from simple wire partitions with swing doors to locker style cabinets to walk-in cages with shelving units to, etc. etc. etc.

The image to the left is what most military customers think when they are sourcing TA-50 lockers. While we are more than happy to make the vanilla one, keep in mind if you need special helmet inspection panels or redundant locking systems or any other unique specification, we can design it and it's still a TA-50 locker. Heck, we'll still make them for you even if you're not storing TA-50!

Read more about our TA-50 lockers on our TA-50 Military Gear Locker Page.

Do My Twitter Followers Know What Material Handling Is?

As many of you know I am first and foremost a marketing person, specifically business to business (or Government) marketing on the Internet. By the grace of God we have been able to grow American Warehouse Systems from two guys in a storage closet (literally) to one of the largest suppliers of material handling products to the US Federal Government. All of this business has been generated by Internet traffic (to date we still don't have a yellow page listing).

Through the years we have relied on leading edge SEO and other Internet marketing strategies to bring our customers to us. With the dawn of social media, for this blog specifically Twitter, I have turned a great deal of my attention toward this "new" marketing resource.

The way to achieve your business goals on Twitter is actually quite easy in theory. You find your target market, get them to follow you, pitch your product and they buy. Unfortunately in reality it's really not that easy even if you are very familiar with how Twitter works. A quick search on Twitter or some third party help can quickly bring you to your target market (assuming you know who they are) and you can follow them hoping they will follow you back. They might but if you spend every day trying to pitch your product you will lose each and every one of them and fast. People don't go to Twitter to hear sales pitches they go for community. You target market exists on Twitter to be part of a community of like minded individuals not the target of never ending commercials.

In order to be successful on Twitter you need to become part of the party. You need to find someone in your organization that has a passion for the same things your target market has a passion for and let them Tweet. For American Warehouse Systems this was easy. I started AWS with the intent to sell to the American Government specifically the military for which I have a passion. My target market is basically me, God fearing, right wing Americans. Unfortunately for others, they don't have the advantage of an emotional connection with their market. On the other hand maybe someone in your organization does. It is certainly worth looking into. Faking a connection to "join the party" is pretty transparent and won't get you far.

OK so you've found someone in your organization who is on the same wave length as your target market. Now what? You need to become part of the community. You need to invest in the conversation and let people know you are a human being with the same interests as them. In short you need to make friends. Sitting in the corner listening and hoping they will come to you doesn't work. Get out there and get involved. Don't be afraid to voice your opinion (but don't forget you are representing your company - read your social media policy).

Lets say now you are involved and you have a great big group of followers that comprise both your passion and your target market. How do you get them to buy your product? There is no easy answer here. People "run" from the virtual salesperson faster than the Fuller Brush Man. You can't pitch your products on Twitter and retain your quality followers.

For the most part I don't pitch our products or services on Twitter (or my blog for that matter). I Tweet about things I love; America, our Armed Forces, politics and internet marketing. To this point I have been approached several times with the question; Do your followers even know what material handling is? I guess for me the answer is; "I don't know and I'm not sure I care". Analytics today can show me that a great deal of traffic (people) travels through Twitter and my blog to our website. I can't tell you what their motives are or if they are their because they need material handling equipment or are just interested to see what we do. I can tell you that Twitter is our highest traffic source outside the major search engines and our website is the source of virtually all our revenue (outside current customers and referrals (who probably came from the Internet originally)).

I think if you are looking at Twitter as a pure sales tool, you will probably be disappointed. Twitter is a group of communities that have come together for a long conversation. If you become part of this conversation, you will meet people (just like the "outside" world). If you are decent and these people like you and your ideas (Tweets) they may end up checking out your "business" side and perhaps place an order someday. This process is not unlike getting to know your neighbors, in fact it is the same.

The long and short of it is; Your company should be on Twitter to become part of the same community that your customers are a part of. You should be involved in the same issues they face and Twitter is a great place to come together. Twitter is not a direct sales tool, it is a relationship building tool. Building relationships outside of the sales arena often builds trust and credibility. Trust and credibility often lead to sales.

When in Rome...Blog about Material Handling

So I'm sitting in Rome, I was just served my Caprese salad and I'm contemplating the impact of material handling on the world. I am very tired as it's after 10:00 pm in Rome Italy (people eat late here).

One of my clients here (and the reason for my visit) is a map support office for the US Navy. The MSO (Map Support Office) needed a more efficient way to store, package and ship the standard, classified and secret maps used by Naval ships and aviators alike.

The MSO used to receive their map stock rolled in rolls of hundreds of maps. They would unroll the maps and fold them to store on conventional shelving. When an order came in, they would unfold the maps, roll them up again and supply their customers with the rolled maps. Not only was this extra work for them, the navigators did not like the creases folding put into their maps. As you can imagine if you are plotting out a course for a ship, a crease in your map could easily throw of angles and distances.

American Warehouse Systems was asked to design a storage aid system that could store thousands of large maps in a very small area. This new system would allow the MSO to receive their maps, unroll them and store them. When an order came in they would simple pull the flat maps they needed out of the system roll them and send them out (with no creases). Fortunately this was not our first MSO project so we already had a system designed that with a few tweaks would surpass their requirements.

My trip to Italy (this time) was to kick off the installation of the new storage aid system. I am happy to say everything seems to be going very well. We were able to provide a solution to the Navy in the European arena that not only saves labor hours but also literally helps them to better stay on course.

I am very grateful to be a part of an industry that is able to provide solutions to real world problems. American Warehouse Systems is very fortunate to be able to work so closely with our military to offer our best ideas to help where we are able. Projects like this one are a great source of pride for us. I am proud to support our Armed Forces everyday and truly blessed to be able to continue that support through my career and my industry.

OK my salad is gone and I need to get up early tomorrow morning. Next week I'll be blogging from Miami and the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association Board of Directors Meeting.

Can Your Forklift Pick Up a Dime?

I spent most of my day today putting out fires and making a video for my good friend Kyle at Toyota Lift of Minnesota. Consequently I don't really have anything prepared to blog (if you remember I usually just blog what is on my mind every Wednesday). So I figured I'd just blog the video of Kyle and his crew picking up a dime with their Toyota forklift.

Have a great week!

American Warehouse Systems Awarded Project at Bagram Airfield

Bagram Airfield is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, 6.8 mi southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. It is often referred to as Bagram Air Base, however the senior mission commander at Bagram is an Army two-star general, making it an Army Airfield in US military parlance. The base is currently occupied and maintained by the 5th Aviation Battalion (Assault),and 6th Aviation Battalion (GSAB) of the United States Army, with the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the United States Air Force and other U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard.

American Warehouse Systems responded to a need from the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing for additional space in a hangar currently used as a recreational facility for our troops. American Warehouse Systems proposed a large mezzanine floor system to be installed in the facility to create a "second floor" inside the hangar. Treadmills, exercise bikes and other exercise equipment will be placed on the mezzanine to allow for more space on the main floor for other activities.

American Warehouse Systems was fortunate enough to receive the award on this project giving us the opportunity to further support our Armed Forces. We will design and engineer the system in our facility then ship the materials to Afghanistan and install the mezzanine in the hangar. The whole project from start to stop shouldn't take more than 8-12 weeks.

American Warehouse Systems is proud to be able to provide this project to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. Even though Afghanistan may not be the most hospitable place to install a mezzanine system, the notion of creating additional comfort for our troops is worth the risk.

Linkedin and the Material Handling Salesman

From time to time I am asked, "How can a social media site like Linkedin help me sell material handling equipment?" If you read my last blog (or follow me on Twitter) you already know I am a big proponent of social media as a means to "reach out" and not necessarily a sales tool. For the most part this is true unless you are in sales and you have a Linkedin account.
Linkedin, in my humble opinion, is the most powerful sales tool since the phone. Linkedin, if used properly can easily double or triple an average sales persons reach. It opens door that were once permanently locked. In today's economy increasing marketing reach is of utmost importance. If your customers aren't buying, you need to find more customers. Linkedin is the perfect tool for the task.

The Death of the Outside Salesman
The birth of the Internet and email (maybe it started with phones) killed the personal touch of most sales transactions. Remember the old adage "People buy from people"? It's really no longer the case is it? One goes to a website fills out the RFQ form; a few days later a quote arrives in one's email inbox. Where is the salesperson in this equation? People don't really buy from people anymore.
In the material handling industry we pride ourselves on our years of experience and the complex projects we have successfully completed. We used to carry around photo albums of our great successes to show our potential clients when we were out making calls. No one has time anymore to take a personal sales call from a vendor. The days of the photo album are gone.
How do you express to your potential clients that you are the best solution to their problems? How do you get him or her to see your "photo album"? The answer is Linkedin.
Every proposal and email sent out should have an address or link to your "professional" Linkedin profile. This way potential customers can learn more about you and your company from the comfort of wherever. Linkedin fills the "personal" gap the Internet created. Now they can put a face to the name, learn about your qualifications and successes and decide for themselves you are the best solution before they even shake your hand.
This can obviously be used in both directions. When making a sales call, look up your appointment on Linkedin, find out about them. Maybe you can find something you have in common with them to "break the ice".

I Know a Guy Who Knows a Guy
There is a great chance that someone who buys from you (and likes you) knows someone that also buys your products. They unfortunately don't sit around all day trying to find friends to buy your stuff. Up until now finding these second tier connections was all but impossible. Linkedin has a search function that makes this ridiculously easy. Go to advanced search, type in your parameters, location, industry, job title and Linkedin will list all the results starting with your current connections, then the connections of your connections, etc. I've heard much success from this function. One case the sales person was trying to "get in the door" for years unsuccessfully until Linkedin showed him his next door neighbor was actually the brother-in-law to one of the corporate VPs! He called his neighbor and asked him to make the introduction. Of course the neighbor already having a great personal relationship with his brother-in-law "opened the door" made the introductions and set in motion what would become a sale and a strong business relationship. Linkedin is specifically designed to facilitate this method of relational prospecting.
The search function is also a great way to schedule sales calls. If you know you are going to be in an area, use it to find potential clients in the same area. See if they know any of your existing connections and ask for the introduction.

Throw Yourself Out There
Linkedin has many ways for you to be visible to your clients and potential clients. See if your clients have a corporate group on Linkedin, see if vendors can join. If you are able to join, start discussions in their group about your solutions. Please don't plague their pages with advertisements, you will quickly lose favor. Asking them what they do about pallet rack repair or personnel safety in the warehouse is probably appropriate though. Check back at regular intervals, you might find discussions started by employees that you can participate in.
Ask your customers to join your corporate group and publish meaningful information regularly. This info will be sent right to every members email inbox on a daily or weekly basis.
Join any and all groups that you think might be beneficial to you. There are many sales and industry related groups that discuss relevant topics.
Visit Linkedin Answers and see if you can participate. This section of Linkedin is extensive. Find your area of expertise and jump in. The "experts" get quite a bit of visibility here. In fact there are many questions like, "What type of forklift should I have if I have...?" and "Is there an automated storage system for ...?" If you were there to answer these questions instead of me, you might have gotten the sale and believe me there was a sale.

Build It and They Will Come
First things last I guess (it's my blog). In order to be successful on Linkedin you must have a complete Linkedin page with a professional looking head shot. Make certain you have a robust description of experience and any specialities on the page. Clear links to your website's photo gallery will help them see your work. Use a few of Linkedin's applications like Box or Slide Share to provide all your corporate and product brochures to anyone that views your account. Use LinkedIn's tools to find your customers and connect with them. Ask them to become members of your corporate group on Linkedin (you do have one don't you?). Ask your connections to give you recommendations on Linkedin; it's very easy and very visible to visitors. The more relevant information you have on your profile, the more credible you will appear to clients and potential clients.
One word of warning though. When building your connections, try to keep them limited to only people you feel you know. If you start connecting with everyone you second tier and third tier connections start to blur. It's hard to ask someone for an introduction to a potential client when you don't know them either.

Like I stated at the beginning, Linkedin might be the best sales tool since the phone. It is certainly your best chance of "selling" something through social media today. Get out there and get Linkedin.

Social Media and American Warehouse Systems

American Warehouse Systems has officially jumped in the deep end of the social media pool. We now have seven employees with authorized Twitter pages from sales to service to engineering. We are present on LinkedIn having both a company profile and profiles for dozens of employees. Our Facebook page is up and running and our YouTube account already has several videos. Obviously we blog (or at least attempt to). In addition to the big five we can also be found on other social media sites such as Merchant Circle, Friend Feed, Biznik, Plaxo, Fast Pitch, Stumble Upon, Digg, Picasa, Daily Booth and probably a few dozen more that I can't remember right now.

Social media hit us all like a tidal wave. With the economy as poor as it's been we've all been looking for a low cost marketing media to gain market share. Social media being all but free was there to seduce us. American Warehouse Systems like many companies heard the sirens call and headed toward...well actually it's too early to tell exactly where we are headed.

We did however establish a social media policy and amended it to our employee handbook. We feel that social media may in fact be more than a great big social time sink but we wanted to establish guidelines so every employee understands our expectations. It's best to be prepared. I would advise every company to incorporate a social media policy. I have already seen corporate litigation as a result of negative things said and promises made by employees on social media sites.

We aren't quite sure if we will ever be able to see direct sales from social media. If you believe you might, you should look down other avenues. We spend a fair amount of corporate resources just "getting out there". We feel it's important to build relationships and let our customers, potential customers and the general public know we are actually people with personalities and opinions just like them. If they are interested in material handling, great, maybe we can help them out. If they aren't, that's just fine too, most days I'd rather talk about our military and politics than pallet racking anyway. Kyle Thill our Director of Services has a fantastic blog where he discusses real world forklift issues (you can find it here http://bit.ly/726xIl ). I know many people use this blog as a resource for their own forklift or fleet. My blog on the other hand is usually about whatever I'm thinking about on Wednesday afternoon (Kyle blogs daily) which is usually one of four things; US Armed Forces, US Politics, Internet Marketing and Material Handling.

With the thought in mind that you may never see your first dollar from social media, don't forget the "old" ways you've used to market your company. Ongoing search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEO/SEM) are still the biggest bang for your buck on the Internet. Email newsletter campaigns are almost as inexpensive as social media and they can help you reach your target market every day, week or month via email (although I'd discourage day). We use a very professional tele-prospecting company to make calls for us every day and we have found the ROI to be extremely high. We also do several trade shows and personal visits every year for some "face time" with customers.

It's not wise to put all your eggs in one basket and I would suggest to anyone to keep a diverse marketing strategy keying in on high ROI campaigns.

On the other hand Pepsi did cancel their Super Bowl commercials to spend $20mil on social media...

American Warehouse Systems Receives Award

American Warehouse Systems was recently awarded the WireCrafters High Wire Performers award for sales excellence. WireCrafters is the largest wire partition manufacturer in the USA. They manufacture wire partitions for warehouse partitioning, tool cribs, storage cages, TA-50 gear lockers. In addition to wire products WireCrafters also manufactures high impact warehouse guardrail. A large portion of these products are sold to the US Federal Government. If you are on any military base in the world there is a good chance that you are already familiar with WireCrafters products.
American Warehouse Systems is very fortunate to be the exclusive GSA supplier of WireCrafters products. We ship millions of pounds of wire partitions every year to our government clients from small cages to multimillion dollar TA-50 gear locker projects. We believe in selling only the highest quality products, and in their realm, WireCrafters is it.
American Warehouse Systems is very proud to accept this award from a such an outstanding company. Thank you WireCrafters!
For more information on WireCrafters products visit http://www.aw-systems.com/wire-partitions.htm.