INTRODUCTION Material handling is a manufacturing term relating to moving, storing, protecting and controlling of raw materials, goods and products. Material is handled as it is cleaned, prepared, manufactured and consumed while refuse is disposed. The types of equipment used in the materials handling process includes systems for storage and engineering. It also includes industrial trucks, conveyors, on-rails transfer carts and cantilevered crane loading platforms.
HANDLING AND STORAGE EQUIPMENT This includes carts, shelving, metal cages, racking and pallets. This category of equipment is called \"catalog\" items because they have internationally recognized standards and can be ordered right out of the catalog. Pallets and wire cages are pretty much the size and shape and made from the same material all the world over.
PALLETIZATION The interesting thing is that nearly any type of product you could mention is palletized at some point in its history. This applies to bread, casks of beer, wide-screen television sets and toilet paper. The type of pallet that most people think of is made of wood, although steel and other materials have their applications.
ENGINEERED SYSTEMS These are the opposite of catalog products in that engineered systems are custom-designed for the purpose in mind. Engineered systems are things like robots, conveyors and AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval systems). Of particular interest are systems that are going to be used to handle products that are going to be eaten or consumed as beverages. Special care has to be taken to make sure that the goods that come into contact with the equipment do not become contaminated in any way.
INDUSTRIAL TRUCKS The most common type of industrial truck is the powered industrial truck, or forklift. There are dozens of different kinds of forklifts. Tow tractors and stock chasers are other types of industrial truck. Each of these conveyances may be equipped with a wide variety of different attachments, making them extremely versatile.
ON-RAILS TRANSFER CARTS These are used to transport bulk materials in heavy industries. They are widely employed in the fields of coal mining, heavy manufacturing and metallurgy. They are able to handle weights in the region of one ton or heavier.
SAFETY Safety is everything in manufacturing. One of the blackest areas in manufacturing in terms of safety is the forklift. Hundreds of lives are needlessly lost each year and tens of thousands of injuries are suffered in accidents that could mostly be eradicated by proper training. OSHA comes down hard on employers who allow untrained and uncertified forklift operators to work in their premises.
