In April, I journeyed to Ireland he writes, to cover the opening of Combilift's new 500,000-ft² manufacturing facility, where they design and produce mass-customized material handling equipment. I wasn't familiar with the company until an invite hit my inbox, but the tour revealed this to be a true gem of lean manufacturing hidden here in the Emerald Isle's northern foothills. From its green initiatives to its efficient use of space and laser focus on R&D, this plant highlights how to stay modern without the use of robots or IIoT.

You can check out what makes their material handling solutions so valuable to manufacturers and distribution centers in my feature story over at NewEquipment.com, or just click the slideshow to take a virtual tour of the County Monaghan factory.