Material Handling Equipment

Material Handling Equipment: Types, Use Cases, and Application

By Team TranZact | Published on Feb 21, 2023

Material handling equipment is a tool or device businesses use to move and organize products. It has electronic devices like forklifts to move boxes and other tools in different industries. Searching for the right material handling equipment according to the company's needs will help businesses to move, control, and protect the material from damage.

With better technology and changing market needs, industries must speed up to stay in the competition. The warehouse material handling equipment can help industries achieve better production rates with safety. It allows businesses to manage raw materials and help them deliver final goods.

This article will discuss material handling equipment, its types and applications, and how it can benefit the business.

TranZact - Best Inventory Management Software

What Do You Mean by Industrial Material Handling Equipment?

Industrial materialhandling equipment includes tools and machines for moving and storing products. These tools help with storing, managing, and protecting materials during manufacturing or distribution.

Material handling equipment is usually used in warehouses, commercial storage units, and industries. They are helpful in industries where workers need to move materials and products from one place to another. These tools are ideal for moving, loading, shifting, and storing products for inventory in large amounts.

Different Types of Material Handling Equipment

There are four kinds of material handling equipment: storage systems, engineered systems, industrial trucks, and bulk equipment. Each type is useful for moving heavy materials and helps industries safely store large volumes of products.

1. Storage and Handling Equipment

Storage and handling equipment help businesses store and manage materials between two stages, such as manufacturing and distribution. This type of material handling system is non-moving and non-automatic.

Some common examples of this material handling include stacking frames, racks, drawers, and shelves. Stacking Frames are one of the main storage and handling equipment types as they save space and safely store delicate tools.

2. Engineered Material Handling Systems

  • Engineered systems are also called automated systems. These have many automatic features that help transport and store material. The reason they are so popular is that they reduce manpower.
  • Automated storage and retrieval systems have racks and shelf features that help companies track or monitor inventory. It also manages loose products and handles a lot of work.
  • Some common types of engineered systems are robotic delivery systems, conveyor systems, automated storage systems, and retrieval systems.

3. Industrial Material Handling Trucks

  • Industrial material handling trucks of various sizes are used for material transportation. They can be divided into two types: stacking and non-stacking trucks.
  • Stacking trucks load and stack material, while non-stacking trucks are used for transportation.
  • Other types of industrial trucks are hand trucks, pallet trucks, order pickers, and side loaders. These truck varieties help industries choose the desired truck according to their needs.

4. Bulk Material Handling Equipment

Bulk material handling equipment includes tools that store, move, and control bulk materials. These equipment are ideal for handling food, liquid, metal items, etc. Manufacturers use this equipment to move such products in a loose state.

The main types of bulk material handling equipment include stackers, conveyor belts, hoppers, and reclaimers.

  • Stackers are a key type of bulk material handling device. They help assemble loose products before packaging.
  • Hoppers are used to pour loose material into large containers.
  • Conveyor belts transport products between two places through a moving belt.
  • Reclaimers recover material from a stockpile.

Material Handling Equipment Usage

Different industries need different machines and tools for better management of products. Industries that use material handling equipment are:

1. Agriculture

Hoopers and grain elevators are popular material-handling equipment in the agriculture industry. It helps to move materials like seeds, crops, and fertilizer from one place to another.

2. Construction

Many construction companies need heavy materials to be loaded and moved at the project's site. They use equipment like aerial lifts and forklifts to move and store products.

3. Distribution

This industry depends on material handling tools to move final products before delivery. It uses equipment like stackers and AGVS (Automated Guided Vehicle Systems).

4. Warehousing

Businesses that use warehouses need handling equipment to store and move materials. This industry uses tools like reach trucks and stackers for better productivity.

5. Manufacturing

This industry is dependent on material handling equipment. Some manufacturing material handling equipment is pallet trucks, AGVs, and forklifts.

Importance of Material Handling Equipment

Material Handling Equipment offers many benefits to industries. It improves productivity and safety in the workplace by managing products with less cost and lower wastage.

Some major advantages of handling equipment are

1. Better Productivity

It improves the movement of products from one stage to another. It provides a consistent flow and reduces production stops to speed up operations.

2. Reduced Wastage

With fewer man-hours and more machines, material handling reduces product waste. It helps in cutting down on human errors and keeping products safer.

3. Better Warehouse Space Usage

Different types of material handling equipment save a lot of space, which helps in better organizing racks and shelves. Sideloaders also help save space and increase your warehouse capacity.

4. Lower Costs

Material handling equipment increases profits by reducing product wastage and saving products from human errors. The speed-up process without error helps with more products in less time.

5. More employee safety

Secure storage devices and machines help industries in worker safety. Regular lifting and handling of heavy goods can hurt workers and increase the risk of product damage. With heavy loading and unloading dependent on machines, workers are safe from hurting or falling.

How to Choose the Correct Material Handling Equipment for the Company?

Before Investing in material handling equipment, retailers must find the right equipment for their company.

1. Material Type

Retailers can start by deciding which type of material they want. Different types of equipment are needed for handling solids, liquids, and gasses.

2. Facility Layout

The equipment industries need to have space to do the task. For smaller spaces, heavy machines cannot be used. Industries must select equipment suitable for their space.

3. Budget

Businesses should choose the most affordable options while selecting the equipment as per budget. The equipment with less operational and material handling costs will help companies in the long run.

4. Structural Factors

It is important to select equipment that is suitable for the location. Before investing in new equipment, verifying its size and dimensions is important.

5. Reliability

Companies must choose the most reliable product in the market that offers less operational costs and helps with after-sale support as well.

Improve Your Material Handling Equipment Journey With Tranzact

Tranzact Offers the best material-handling equipment for different industries. Increase your profits by a huge margin and explore better equipment with TranZact. Experience the stress-free movement and storage of goods and better handling equipment with TranZact.

FAQs for Material Handling Equipment

1. How to find the best material-handling equipment supplier?

TranZact is among the best material-handling equipment suppliers. We offer the most value for money and reliable equipment.

2. Which material handling equipment list manufacturing industries need?

Manufacturing Industries use a variety of equipment. The material handling equipment list has pallet trucks, order pickers, forklifts, and AGVs. This industry is most dependent on material handling equipment.

3. How to choose the best among the material handling equipment manufacturers?

To select the best material handling equipment manufacturers, retailers must look for manufacturers offering durable products.

4. How does material handling equipment save companies from product wastage?

Material Handling Equipment reduces human involvement, which lowers human errors. In addition, with automatic machine-based processes, product wastage is very low.

5. What equipment is used by construction industries?

Construction sites use a lot of material handling equipment to load and move materials such as steel bars, cement, and others from one place to another. These equipment are aerial lifts, AGVs, and forklifts.

6. What is the use of side loaders in warehouses?

Sideloaders are used in warehouses to increase the space. They lower the row width, which helps organize more products in the warehouse.

7. How is the automatic system safer for the workplace?

Automatic machines help to reduce heavy lifting tasks for workers. It saves them from getting hurt while lifting heavy products, creating a safer workplace.

8. How does material handling equipment make companies profit?

Material handling equipment saves time. It helps industries to deliver products with less waste and in less time. All these benefits result in making the company a lot of profit.


TranZact Blogs

Subscribe to Our Blog
Related Blogs
Factors to Consider When Choosing Inventory Management Software

7 Factors to Consider When Choosing an Inventory Management Software

Understanding Inventory management software and how it works to simplify...

RFID vs Barcode Technology for Inventory Management

RFID vs Barcode : Which One is Right Technology for Your Inventory Management

Discover RFID inventory management and barcode technology. Learn about...

Inventory Audits

An Introductory Guide to Inventory Audits: Benefits & Procedures

Understand the advantages and steps of inventory audits in this...

Inventory Analysis

Inventory Analysis: Tips, Benefits and KPIs

Inventory analysis helps you to know the amount of stock...

Omnichannel Inventory Management

Omnichannel Inventory Management: A Quick Guide for Manufacturers

Understanding omnichannel inventory management, its challenges, benefits, strategies, and why...

FSN Analysis in Inventory Management

Unlocking Efficiency : FSN Analysis in Inventory Management

Discover how FSN Analysis in inventory management helps improve productivity...

Perpetual Inventory vs Physical Inventory

Perpetual Inventory vs Physical Inventory: What Are the Key Differences

Understand perpetual inventory vs physical inventory in simple language to...

VED Analysis in Inventory Management

VED Analysis for Effective Inventory Management: A Detailed Guide

Understanding VED Analysis in Inventory Management, its importance in production,...

Stock Report Templates

Stock Report Templates with Samples and Examples

Understanding stock report templates, their uses, and industry applications to...

TranZact

TranZact is a team of IIT & IIM graduates who have developed a GST compliant, cloud-based, inventory management software for SME manufacturers. It digitizes your entire business operations, right from customer inquiry to dispatch. This also streamlines your Inventory, Purchase, Sales & Quotation management processes in a hassle-free user-friendly manner. The software is free to signup and gets implemented within a week.