Nearly all physical commerce was, at one point, transported on some sort of material handling equipment.

The moving of material is such a crucial piece of your business that without it the goods would never leave the location in which they were manufactured.

However, the arrangement of production creates a need for equipment to move the goods from point A to point B in an efficient and safe way.

Here is what you need to know about material handling for your business.

What is Material Handling?

Material handling is the movement of goods or materials within a storage area such as a warehouse which includes loading, unloading, stacking, palletizing and de-palletizing. This movement is short-distance but uses a wide range of equipment that protects, stores and controls the materials through the process of manufacturing all the way to disposal.

What are the Advantages of Material Handling?

There are significant advantages to material handling for your business because of the nature of the supply chain. Material handling and the equipment it requires makes manufacturing and warehouse processes easier and can reduce the amount of workers needed. This, in turn, translates to increased efficiency and safety for your business. Some of the clear advantages include:

• Streamlined workflow
• Maximize inventory management
• Increase productivity

What Equipment is Needed for Material Handling?

Material handling equipment (MHE) is mechanical equipment used to move materials and goods through the manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal process. The four classifications of MHE are transport, positioning, unit load formation, and storage.

• Transport equipment is used to move materials from location to location and divided into four major categories:
  • Conveyors
  • Electric Tugs
  • Cranes
  • Industrial Trucks
• Positioning equipment is used at a workplace to manipulate, load/unload, or orient materials at a single location. This equipment works to increase efficiency as the equipment can handle more with less frequency of damage than a worker can.
• Unit load formation equipment is used in the transport or storage of materials to maintain their integrity on pallets, crates, bags, or bins. Other self-restraining items can be formed into a unit load without the use of equipment, but most with moving parts or pieces need the help of equipment.
• Storage equipment, like its name suggests, is used to store materials for a period of time. Equipment may not be needed if materials are stored directly on the floor but usually the use of racks is preferred to increased the amount of storage space available. In the case of racks, equipment is necessary which allows for materials to be stacked on top of one another.

Turn to The Experts

Material handling is a major part of every process involved in producing materials and goods so the need for safe and efficient machinery and equipment is vital for the future of your business.

Regardless of what materials you are moving, PFlow has the machinery to fit your company. Specializing in vertical reciprocating conveyors, PFlow is top of its industry in the custom machinery they make for any part of the supply chain. See our products page to learn more about the lifts that could bring your business to the next level.

Return to the Blog Main Page.