A method of distributing freight between an intermodal shipping container and the freight containers of one or more surface-road transports, comprising the steps of: providing a freight container of at least a first surface-road transport; providing a first intermodal shipping container containing freight having a collective weight in excess of the maximum weight that can be lawfully carried in the freight container of each surface-road transport; providing a selectively moveable cross-dock having a body defining an interior storage area and at least first and second openings in the body through which freight may be moved into and out of the interior storage area; positioning a loading/unloading opening of the first intermodal shipping container proximate one of the openings in the cross-dock; positioning a loading/unloading opening of the freight container proximate the other opening in the cross-dock; and distributing freight between the intermodal shipping container and the freight container via cross-dock, the distribution step not continuing beyond the point at which the collective weight of all freight in each freight container would cause each surface road transport to exceed the maximum lawful surface-road transportation weight.

Disclosed herein is an automated cross-dock management system configured to optimize moves on a cross-dock. The automated cross-dock management system uses inbound manifest data to calculate ordered move instructions for all inbound movable platforms, inbound modular decks, and inbound freight. The ordered move instructions can be assigned to be carried out by manual conveyance vehicles or by automated guided vehicles based upon a plurality of criteria. The automated cross-dock management system is also able to detect damaged freight on the cross-dock using a combination of streams from video cameras.

The problem of the lag time in picking and dropping mixed load products during a palletization process is solved by using a tool having i) a gripping member that can be partially closed in a first fast movement while it is moved by a robot towards a product and then closed onto the product in a second shorter movement and ii) a product abutting plate that is movable in unison with the tool in opposite direction thereof as the tool is moved by a robot towards and away the mixed load pallet.

The problem of the lag time in picking and dropping mixed load products during a palletization process is solved by using a tool having i) a gripping member that can be partially closed in a first fast movement while it is moved by a robot towards a product and then closed onto the product in a second shorter movement and ii) a product abutting plate that is movable in unison with the tool in opposite direction thereof as the tool is moved by a robot towards and away the mixed load pallet.

An inventory system includes an inventory holder and an actively balanced mobile drive unit. A control module of the mobile drive unit can receive sensing information about the inventory holder and/or the mobile drive unit and use the sensing information to control a drive module of the mobile drive unit so as to maintain the inventory holder and/or the mobile drive unit within a predetermined deviation amount from an equilibrium state.

Disclosed are various embodiments for a mobile crossdock system comprising one or more containers aligned in a configuration to form a mobile crossdock for mobile crossdock operations. The one or more containers are detachably attached to a platform such as a vehicle trailer. Further, the one or more containers may comprise a first side having a first plurality of openings and a second side having a second plurality of openings. A plurality of doors are aligned with the first plurality of openings and the second plurality of openings and are configured to move between a closed position and an open position. A plurality of ramps are configured to lift or raise a rear end of a vehicle to a position where a cargo area of the vehicle is substantially aligned with a floor of the mobile crossdock.

A supply installation (22) for a site (10) for producing rubber products from rubber blocks of rubber mixtures of predetermined weight and volume includes: an input station where the supply installation performs a process of entry of empty bins (B.sub.V) for receiving, during a picking process, rubber blocks identified to satisfy a rubber product production campaign; a discharge station where the supply installation performs a process of discharging full bins (B.sub.P) containing the picked rubber blocks; a supply means that manages the transport of the empty bins and the full bins to the supply installation; and a picking station that performs a process of picking the rubber blocks grouped in a container according to the status of the current rubber product production campaign.

The problem of potentially damaging a pallet layer that is gripped by clamps of a depalletizing tool is solved i) by detecting the real position of the layer using a pad on the tool that is movable with the clamps towards the pallet layer and whose detected stopping position determines the real position of the layer, and ii) while the layer is gripped by the clamp, by inserting under the layer curtains; the pressure on the layer by the clamps being adapted to the ease to go underneath the layer.

A cargo handling work generation device includes: an inventory information database; a shipping product information database; a master information database; a status judging unit configured to judge whether cargo handling work of product organization be assigned to a cargo handling facility provided in a product storage space, based on operation information on a cargo handling facility; a product organization work determination unit configured to, when the status judging unit judges to assign the cargo handling work of product organization to the cargo handling facility, determine a content of the cargo handling work of product organization to be executed, using the information stored in the inventory information database, the shipping product information database, and the master information database; and an output unit configured to output instruction information for instructing a control system of the cargo handling facility to execute the determined cargo handling work of product organization.

Provided is a terminal, a management system, and a management method which can suppress a decrease in cargo handling efficiency. Upon satisfying a constraint condition that cargo handling efficiency from initiation to termination of cargo handling operations indicated by a large number of pieces of cargo handling operation data does not fall below a reference, data processing of creating an operation schedule for each of a plurality of cargo handling apparatuses incorporating a plurality of cargo handling operation times during which cargo handling operations indicated by the allocated plurality of pieces of cargo handling operation data are executed and spare times during which no cargo handling operation is executed, and a supply operation for supplying a hydrogen gas from a supplying apparatus to the cargo handling apparatus is set in at least one of a plurality of the spare times.