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There are a variety of different types of material handling equipment, many of which are very important to engineering. Click here to read more about this.

Material Handling Equipments

Material handling equipment and the materials to be handled are the essential factors related to engineering. It is equipment that specially designed for handling packaged or bulky items that is generally in a production, shipping or storage facility. There are various material handling equipments that are used for handling of materials and there are some range of products such as belt conveyor, bucket elevator, bin activator, bag dump station, dust collectors, diverter values, lump breakers, screw conveyor, silo/hopper manufacturers and many others comes under the category of material handling equipments.

Material handling equipment is used to transport, stack, recover and feed bulk materials and the manufacturers can design and manufacture all kinds of equipments related to Pneumatic Conveying System and Material Handling Equipments. Bulk tankers are used for transporting a wide variety of products like cement / fly ash, soda ash, alumina etc. and also the bulk tankers are available in mild steel and stainless steel to suit application.

Using Bulk material handling system, it can increase your production while decreasing your labor and energy cost. Heavy machinery handling is a task that would require specially designed equipment. Heavy machinery like pneumatic conveyors, milling machines and more are used in the places like engineering, farms and construction.

PCEM is a company dedicated to the manufacture of innovative products and services with continuous improvement of Pneumatic Conveying and Material Handling Systems. We are well capable to meet the growing demands of bulk handling industries’ equipped with modern machinery and manned by experienced technical personnel in the field of Pneumatic Conveying System. For more details about our company please view: http://www.pcemengg.com

It may not be the best it’s ever been, but the material handling industry is expected to continue to do well despite the sagging economy.  Click here to read more about this.

Economic Forecast: Patches of light amidst scattered gloom for materials handling
Some industries will prosper, others will continue to struggle into the year ahead
Tom Andel — Logistics Management, 8/19/2008
Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in early summer, following four months of contraction. In fact, the overall economy grew for the 80th consecutive month, according to a recent Manufacturing ISM Report on Business.
The report noted that manufacturers’ inventories increased in June as the Inventories Index registered 51.2%, which is 3.2 percentage points higher than the 48% reported in May. This was the first month of inventory expansion following 25 consecutive months of inventory liquidation. An Inventories Index greater than 42.4%, over time, is generally consistent with expansion in the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) figures on overall manufacturing inventories (in chained 2000 dollars).
Among the nine industries reporting growth are:
·     paper products

·     computer and electronic products

·     petroleum and coal products

·     food, beverage and tobacco products

·     chemical products

·     primary metals

·     furniture and related products, and

·     fabricated metal products.

The industries reporting contraction are: wood products; electrical equipment, appliances and components; transportation equipment; machinery; nonmetallic mineral products; apparel, leather and allied products; and plastics and rubber products.
Do these numbers constitute any kind of long-term trend?
“I think it’s safe to say the petroleum industry won’t be going into recession in 2008, nor will chemical, and food and beverage,” says Norbert J. Ore, C.P.M., chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. “Electronics and electrical equipment are good and materials handling is getting some of what these people are getting. There’s still a lot of industrial capital expansion taking place in power plants, refineries and energy making facilities.”
However, Ore adds, until we see those industries that are on the bottom start to pick up, the economy probably won’t change much.
Indeed, the latest Material Handling Equipment Manufacturers (MHEM) Forecast released by MHIA last month reports that prospects for 2009 have changed for the worse from this time last year. Instead of a rebound, it now appears that the contraction forecasted for 2008 will continue into 2009. For this we can thank the housing market contraction, oil price impact, reduction in corporate profits, and flagging consumer and investment confidence.
“Not one of our leading indicators clearly predict a turn in 2008 or 2009,” MHIA sources noted.
MHIA’s outlook for 2008 and 2009 calls for a mild market contraction. MHEM New Orders grew 8.3% in 2007. MHIA’s forecast is for modest growth in 2008 leading to a contraction in the 5% to 7% range continuing in 2009 with a possible recovery in late 2009 or early 2010.
MHEM Shipments expanded 8.9% in 2007. Buoyed by a currently healthy backlog, Shipments will continue to grow at healthy rates in 2008 and contract 5% to 7% in 2009 and 2010.

MHEM Consumption grew 5.3% in 2007. MHIA forecasts that Consumption or Domestic Demand (shipment plus imports less exports) will grow slightly in 2008 and contract 2009. Exports grew 23% in 2007 and are forecasted to grow 18% in 2008 and slow modestly in 2009.

Material handling is hot all of the sudden and acquisitions are taking place.  Much of this is because material handling is continuously evolving to meet the demand of higher expectations.  You can read more about this here.

Evolution by acquisition
A rash of M&A announcements begs the question: why is materials handling so hot all of a sudden?

JDA Software Group Inc. announces plans to acquire i2 Technologies. Nova-Tech announces it will assume most of Transbotics’ assets. IBM announced plans to acquire ILOG.  These recent acquisition announcements have one thing in common: materials handling.

Materials handling is key to a healthy supply chain, and investors are bringing new visibility to that fact. Of course, the strategic importance of our field is nothing new to us, but after seeing this rash of acquisitions hit the wires, I wanted to find out if the business world at large is suddenly seeing materials handling in a new light.

“Private equity groups are identifying materials handling as a very interesting area,” acknowledges Jim Lavelle, managing director and co-head of the Industrial & Environmental Technologies group for the investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey.  “We’re seeing flows of capital into this sector, a lot of innovation, and competition among the players to be relevant again with their customer base. When we worked on the sale of JB Webb to Daifuku, they saw Webb as being extremely important for their growth because the Japanese marketplace is not long term expected to be a very good growth market with its declining population.”

At one time materials handling was seen as nothing more than a way to lift and transfer products with hooks and chains. Now even the Columbus McKinnons of the world are diversifying into more sophisticated offerings. The company’s Solutions segment has taken the company beyond hoists to more integrated workstation and facility-wide material handling systems. Eugene Bazemore, senior vice president in Lavelle’s group, agrees that materials handling is evolving to meet higher expectations.

“There’s a convergence of automation with controls that were traditionally embedded into the control room on the process side for a plant,” he told me. “As they start to be used for supply chain management you’re seeing higher technologies being employed including on the AGV side. Even in conveyors it’s not just chain any more, it’s power and free and automated movement, with higher end tracking technologies such as RFID. There’s more precision in the sensors used on the plant floor. As these technologies converge we’re seeing a lot of the materials handling players, with their knowledge of the plant floor and of material flow, being more successful than others in performing the integration needed in each of these vertical industry silos.”

It will be interesting to watch how these mergers and acquisitions shape materials handling state of the art on a global scale. We’ve already seen a growing European influence with the Mecalux acquisition of Interlake, and Daifuku’s Asian technology knowhow is sure to shape the Webb product line going forward. Have you noticed a difference in the products and services you’re getting from materials handling vendors? Tell me how. Either post a blog entry or e-mail me at tom.andel@reedbusiness.com.

Hoists are a crucial element of the material handling system but one can become confused when they need one.  Click 
here to read more about how A Plus Warehouse can help you if you should have this issue.

Hoisting Equipment Remains an Important Part of Material Handling Systems
Hand Hoists and Electric Hoists Available From A Plus Warehouse

LYNN, MA–(Marketwire - October 7, 2008) - Hoists are an essential part of any material handling system, but many people find them confusing to order. A Plus Warehouse, a national material handling dealer, can help with most all phases of your overhead material handling needs.

“Our expertise in hoisting and lifting starts at the loading dock,” said Ed Stairman, president of A Plus Warehouse. “Trucks are held in place with our wheel chocks, and are then unloaded using our dock plates and dock boards. From this point a conveyor or hand truck can move the items into the warehouse where they are then picked up by a chain hoist, and then stored in our shelving or industrial racks.”

Hoists come in two options: hand chain hoists or electric hoists. Hand hoists tend to require a lot of effort to lift, or it takes a lot of hand motion to produce a small amount of lift. A Plus Warehouse suggests powered hoists for capacities over 2000 pounds.

“An electric hoist may seem like a daunting item to order, but we make it easy,” said Stairman. “We show electric hoists in single and three phase arrangements to match the power supplied at your plant. Where ever possible, we suggest three phase, as there is much less current drawn than single phase, allowing the motor to run cooler and last longer. Single phase is available for electric hoists, but capacity is limited. We also offer constant speed as well as dual speed for your convenience.”

Other material handling equipment you may need to order for your hoist includes trolleys, gantry or jib cranes and hook devices. These are exceptionally easy to order and A Plus Warehouse will not let you order an item that is not compatible with your hoist order. Their sales people are highly trained, and ready to help with any questions you may have regarding your order.

Outfitting a facility with a new storage rack system can be overwhelming.  Therefore, Ridg-U-Rak has come up with a guide to help simplify the selection and help clarify the options. Click here to read more about this.

Ridg-U-Rak, Inc.

Ridg-U-Rak Offers Guide to Simplify Rack Selection
North East, PA - August 2008 - Equipping a facility with a new storage rack system or adding new capacity to an existing setup can be a problematic and time consuming task. Ridg-U-Rak has a storage rack guide available to clarify options and to help simplify the selection of the system or systems that best fit the needs of the facility.

The Ridg-U-Rak Storage Rack Systems Selection Guide provides information and specifications on each type of rack system. It also describes the customer-centric engineering and design process, while detailing the safety features and innovations that Ridg-U-Rak has brought to the storage rack industry.

Features & Benefits
Illustrations of the systems, typical applications and options available are also presented in the selection guide, along with many features and benefits for every type of storage rack system.

Additionally, the guide highlights the manufacturing process, the powder-coat paint system used on all products, and Ridg-U-Rak’s highly skilled, full service installation teams that keep a project on time and on budget.

For more information on Ridg-U-Rak’s systems, contact Dave Olson toll free at 866-479-7225 or email: sales@ridgurak.com.

RIDG-U-RAK, a leading manufacturer of storage rack systems for distribution centers, industrial warehouses and retail shopping facilities, is a member of RMI, the Rack Manufacturers Institute, MHIA, the Material Handling Institute of America, and MHEDA, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association. Customers include most large-scale distribution, retail, and home improvement centers, in addition to industrial warehouse operations.

MHIA (Material Handling Industry of America) will support OSU (Ohio State University) researchers in creating a research center.  Click here to read more about this.

MHIA funds OSU ergonomic research
The Material Handling Industry of America announces its first-ever direct funding of materials handling and logistics research.
By Staff — Modern Materials Handling, 8/15/2008
MHIA will support Ohio State University (OSU) researchers toward the creation of a research center focused on distribution ergonomics. The $50,000 research grant is provided by MHIA through its College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE).

Caroline Sommerich and Stephen Lavender of OSU were awarded the grant for their research proposal titled, “Developing a Distribution Ergonomics Research Center.”

The specific aims of the proposal are:

Create a research center that develops and evaluates ergonomic methods, tools and processes that will allow distribution center workers to work more safely and efficiently

Develop partnerships between regional DCs and materials handling equipment manufacturers to assist the DCs in becoming “workplaces of excellence” with the proper use of ergonomics and lean engineering.

“MHIA is proud to support this important research, which will contribute significantly to the body of knowledge on ways to improve the safety and productivity of warehouses and distribution centers,” says Daniel Quinn, Material Handling Industry vice chairman of education planning and professional development. “Going forward, MHIA is anxious to support research such as this which will benefit the safety and productivity of factories and warehouses in the United States.”
MHIA anticipates increasing its funding for materials handling and facility logistics research in 2009. A call for those proposals is scheduled to go out in late 2008.

Magnetek of Greater Milwaukee is seeing a growth in income thank to the demand for its material handling products.  Click here to read more about this.

Magnetek Inc. said Wednesday that its net income from continuing operations for the fiscal fourth quarter rose 27 percent on strong demand for its material handling products and wind power inverters.   

The Menomonee Falls-based manufacturer of digital power and motion control systems said net income from continuing operations — which excludes the firm’s Telecom Power Systems business that’s up for sale — rose to $2.3 million, or 7 cents per share, compared with $1.8 million, or 6 cents per share, for the same period a year ago.

Net sales for the quarter increased 19 percent to $27.2 million from $22.9 million a year ago.

Magnetek CEO David Reiland said the firm’s sales growth reflects strength in the company’s material handling product line, which is the firm’s largest business, and continuing deliveries of wind power inverters.

For the year ended June 29, Magnetek (NYSE: MAG) said net income from continuing operations was $6.5 million, or 22 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $2.8 million, or 9 cents per share, the year before. Net sales increased to $100 million from $87.7 million.

This article explains the basics of material handling along with the reasons why this industry is expecting a boom.  Click here to read more about this.

Material Handling Equipment Guide 101

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