Understanding how material handling equipment is used in various industries

The need for extremely effective global supply networks is growing along with globalization. Your productivity will grow as your supply chain becomes more effective, which will eventually lead to more revenues and profits. The material handling industry is expanding rapidly, and automation is a key factor in this development. In addition to removing the human element from material handling, robotic material handling technology also ensures accuracy and increased efficiency. By 2024, it will have grown at a CAGR of more than 8% and be worth over $20 billion. Automation in the material handling industry is being pushed even farther by developments in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Similar predictions are made for the global market for material handling equipment, which is predicted to grow at a rate of 7.5% between 2017 and 2023. As a result, a variety of businesses are making significant investments in material handling machinery. They make use of a variety of material handling tools, from straightforward forklifts and warehouse trucks to automated conveyors and storage and retrieval systems. Let's examine the lifting devices and material handling equipment utilised by many sectors of the economy. Let's first define material handling before moving on. 

A) Definition of Material Handling

Moving items and things across a small distance, often inside of a factory, warehouse, or guarded area, is known as material handling. Lifting, picking, storing, pushing, tugging, loading, and unloading are examples of common material handling operations. Automation might or might not be involved. Manual material handling involves people carrying items with side-loaders and forklifts, as opposed to automated material handling, which involves a sophisticated system of conveyor belts transporting raw materials in a manufacturing facility.

B) Application of Material Handling Across Industries

The majority of industries employ material handling equipment for in-facility storage, shipment, and movement of items and materials. Here are the top five industries' applications for material handling equipment on a global scale.

• Automobile:
  • One of the first end-use sectors using material handling equipment was the car industry. It first used lifting equipment operated by lone employees on production lines. However, over time, sophisticated material handling options have largely taken the role of conventional assembly lines. The foundation of the automotive industry is conveyor technology, which effectively moves car parts and bodies through the many steps of an assembly line. These solutions do not require manual lifting services, which lowers the risk of injuries and boosts efficiency. AGVs are also used by the industry to regulate the flow of materials from a nearby storage facility. Inside the factories and warehouses, mezzanines that are strategically positioned offer hundreds of square feet of additional storage space. They may also serve as additional workstations and offices. Engine parts, tires, and other components for on-line assembly are stored in on-site warehouses with cutting-edge storage systems at automobile manufacturers.

• Third Party Logistics (3PL) Sector:
  • The e-commerce business has grown quickly because to the 3PL industry, which has served as the backbone of international supply chains. For transporting items and things, the industry employs a range of industrial lifting tools and equipment. For receiving, storing, and retrieving items or goods, the industry relies on designed systems like Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS). In the warehouse, huge goods are moved using AGVs, small vehicles, automated forklifts, and various manual handling tools. Conveyors for loading and unloading, automated modular conveyors, and overhead cranes for monorails are all utilized to streamline the order fulfilment process. Also visible are dynamic sortation systems that keep a cost-effective and effective flow of commodities. The need for distribution centres and warehouses that are completely automated and adaptable enough to manage seasonal and promotional peaks is growing.

• Construction & Building:
  • The need for cutting-edge moving and lifting equipment solutions in the construction industry is rising as the emphasis on developing world-class infrastructure increases. To lift and move building materials, concrete blocks, and equipment, the industry utilizes a variety of cranes, including mobile floor cranes, portable gantry cranes, single or double bridge overhead cranes, jib cranes, low headroom jib cranes, and overhead cranes. The industry employs driverless on-site hauling operations using autonomous dump truck systems. On the building site, material is also automatically loaded, unloaded, and delivered using an automated vertical transport system (AVTS). Contrarily, track and drive tube conveyors assist in distributing materials to the on-site workstations for prefabrication. On the same floor, AGVs are also employed to transport raw materials and large pieces of equipment along designated paths.

• Manufacturing:
  • To fulfil its just-in-time orders, the global industrial sector is using cutting-edge material handling equipment solutions. The rise in automation is partly a result of the rising need for safe working practices. Some of the material handling applications in the sector include automated order filling stations, electrical material carts, computerized order pickup lanes, overhead cranes, robotic pick and drop systems, and AGVs. While AGVs can transport tiny but heavy raw materials between storage facilities and workstations, overhead cranes can move large and heavy loads on an assembly line or inside the plant. The distribution of various products may be done swiftly and effectively with the use of computerized order-picking lanes and sortation devices. This material handling equipment guarantees a high level of industrial flexibility in addition to making routine activities safer.

• Pharmacy and Health Care:
  • The use of modern material handling equipment has been leading in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry despite the challenging distribution procedures and stringent restrictions. The industry generally uses a complex network of conveyors. For medical and pharmaceutical warehouses, the industry employs specifically engineered conveyor systems that make them simpler to clean, disassemble, and repair as needed. Conveyors come in a variety of sizes and forms in these warehouses and industrial facilities, including belt conveyors, extensible conveyors, line shaft conveyors, and heavy-duty roller conveyors. To transfer items and goods inside a factory or warehouse, the industry also utilises semi-automated pallet jacks, reach trucks, powered trolleys, electrode tugs, powered mobile platform lifts, and AGVs.