4 Types of Material Handling Equipment

In a situation where it’s crucial to move large or heavy materials, you’ll need something to help. These heavy materials certainly can’t be moved through sheer willpower. That’s where material handling equipment comes into play.

Just what is material handling equipment? It’s the equipment that you will use to help you move a large or heavy object, store items between uses, and transport a product to its destination. That’s a pretty broad definition, defining anything from transportation to storage and control of the product.

While the definition of material handling equipment is broad in and of itself, there are certain types of equipment that are used for specific, individual purposes. Let’s take a look at what this all entails. Here are the four main types of equipment for material handling.

Storage and Handling Equipment

Providing your team with the right equipment helps them function more efficiently and reach higher levels of productivity. Their workstations matter. By outfitting the workstations with ergonomic equipment and storage solutions, you are enabling your workers to thrive at what they do best. 

These simple storage equipment will help your team stay organized and efficient. These items include:

• Shelves
• Racks
• Bins
• Stacking frames
• Drawers

Your entire production system is maximized when it operates efficiently and has an organized space. 

Bulk Material Handling

The storage, control, and transportation of bulk materials are done by bulk handling equipment. These are pieces of equipment that handle items when they are loose. By controlling the unpackaged items, you are able to streamline your production and packaging lines and increase the productivity of your employees. Examples of bulk handling equipment include:

• Conveyor belts
• Hoppers
• Silos
• Dump trucks
• Stackers and reclaimers

These items store your product until it is ready to be used. Sometimes the storage container funnels these items so they can be easily packaged and distributed. 

Modular Office Spaces

Modular buildings can be put up practically anywhere and can be customized to fit all your needs. These structures are reconfigurable so that as your business model evolves, your building can change with it. 

By creating modular office spaces, you can quickly add employees during busy times without purchasing or leasing another building. In slow times, this space can be used for storage for equipment or documentation.

Industrial Trucks

This term loosely defines a variety of equipment, from pallet jacks to forklifts. The one thing they do have in common though — they all provide a way to move an item from point A to point B. When we think trucks, we usually think large vehicles, and while this category of material handling equipment can include large trucks, it also includes smaller ones that can create mobility for an object being handled. 

Some of these trucks include:

• Pallet trucks
• Pallet jacks
• Order pickers
• Walking stackers
• Side-loaders
• Automated guided vehicles

Some of these trucks can be driven by humans, and some are completely automated — following a pre-defined track on a floor. But they all have the ability to transport your product to its final destination.Material handling equipment is a broad term that encompasses many different items. It’s hard to know exactly what someone is talking about without more specific details on that person’s situation. But one thing is certain: companies need different types of material handling equipment within their business. For more information on what types of equipment will benefit your operation, visit our product page today. If you know what you need, give us a shout — we’d be happy to put together a quote specific to your needs.

Material Handling Equipment for Productivity

From production lines to industrial plants, from warehousing to distribution, material handling is central to a wide range of business concerns. Regardless of your industry sector, specialized equipment is needed to handle materials effectively. Common examples of material handling equipment include vehicles for off-site and on-site transportation, conveyor systems and hoists for horizontal and vertical movements, and storage equipment for accessibility and control.

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global conveyor system market will be driven over the next six years by growth in the e-commerce sector and the emergence of Industry 4.0.

From the moment bulk materials come through your door to conveyors, cranes, and stacking frames, simple and highly-engineered systems need to work together in harmony.

Conveyor systems for increased efficiency

Material handling is a large field that differs considerably between businesses and locations. However, despite divergent operational demands, most equipment falls into a few categories.

• Industrial trucks and other vehicles are used to transport goods from one place to another, both between and within facilities.
• Bulk material handling equipment is used to manage items before they hit the production line, including conveyors, stackers, and bucket elevator systems.
• Complex conveyor systems and automatic guided vehicles (AVG) are used in some facilities, with mobile robotic technology central to many large-scale applications.
• Storage systems are used to manage materials and goods at all stages of the delivery and production cycle, including racks, stacking frames, and silos.

Conveyor systems play a central role in many industrial and commercial operations. Not only are they used to handle bulk materials, but they are also essential in many production lines, distribution applications, and transactional processes. From simple conveyors with manual controls to automated systems with lasers, magnets, and cameras, the right conveyor system can improve every aspect of your business.

At Handling Solutions, we offer the following conveyor systems to help you increase your productivity and maximize your efficiency:

• Roller conveyors consist of cylindrical rollers in series, with powered rollers using a chain or belt mechanism to move items forward.
• Belt conveyors move items on a belt, which is turned by pulleys that are attached to a motor. The most common belt conveyors use a single drive pulley powered by a rotor.
• Metal belt conveyors function in the same way as standard belt conveyors, with a strong and highly durable metal belt ideal for abrasive materials and demanding applications.
• Low-profile conveyors are a common variation of the belt conveyor. Low-profile units are ideal when you are working with small items and have limited space.
• Plastic belt conveyors are another belted variation. In terms of strength and durability, plastic belts are a middle-ground between standard fabric belts and tough metal belts.

Types of lifting tool equipment for increased efficiency

Along with conveyor systems, lifting tools play a key role in many warehouses and industrial facilities. Lifting tools include manipulators, lift assists, cranes, hoists, lift tables, tilters, and vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs). This equipment is used to move heavy items from one place to another, offering numerous safety and efficiency advantages over manual or forklift movements.

At Handling Solutions, we offer the following lifting tools:

• Manipulators and lift assists – We have manipulator arms, lift cylinders, grippers, and other equipment to lift heavy equipment and perform demanding tasks with ease.
• Ergonomic cranes – Industrial cranes give you complete flexibility over material movements. We have jib cranes, bridge cranes, and industrial hoists, among other devices.
• Lift tables, tilters, and VRCs – Specialized equipment is needed to load goods and materials safely. We have lift tables, platforms, tilters, freight lifts, and more.

Access to professional material handling equipment is crucial in many industrial and commercial businesses. When you have the right conveyor systems and lifting tools for the job at hand, you can improve the efficiency of your business and the safety of your workforce. If you would like to make an order or learn more about our products, please contact our team or request a quote today.