What is the most important material handling equipment for Warehouse?

as far as my experience most important material handling equipment for warehouse are reach truck, forklift, Pallet truck ( PPT)  ,Pump truck this all are very important to any warehouse to operate daily activities such loading unloading, transport goods to different different area, pick from high area as well as need well operator to operate to avoid any accident. 

Also if warehouse need  heavy equipment  for such heavy items then i am sure MHE, VNA machines are so important.

The most important is material handling equipment is “FORKLIFT”. A modern warehouse needs a Forklift and it can be used for the following purposes:

1.   Picking up the materials from the warehouse shelves, carrying to the open yard and loading in the trucks

 

2.   Unloading the material from trucks, carrying to the shelves, and placing in the correct bin of shelves

There is a wide range of these equipments that are in use today, for lateral movement you can use conveyors, hand jacks, power pallets, for vertical movement you can use power stackers, reach trucks, VNA machines. It depends mostly on the requirements of the work at hand however the fork lift trucks are the most commonly used MHEs.

I fully agree with the answers been added by EXPERTS...............Thanks.

(SPARE PARTS)

FORKLIFT

(RAW MATERIALS WAREHOUSE)

BALE CLAMP

ROLL CLAMP

DUMP

TRUCK

 

The most important material handling equipment are:

 

1. Jack

2. Forklift ( Operation is zero without a Forklift)

3. Reach Truck

4. Trolleys

5. Pallets

 

Material handling equipment is mechanical equipment used for the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. The different types of material handling equipment can be classified into four major categories:

 Transport equipment

 Positioning equipment

 Unit load formation equipment

 Storage equipment.

Transport Equipment : Transport equipment is used to move material from one location to another (e.g., between workplaces, between a loading dock and a storage area, etc.), while positioning equipment is used to manipulate material at a single location. The major subcategories of transport equipment are conveyors, cranes, and industrial trucks. Material can also be transported manually using no equipment

Conveyors : Conveyors are used when material is to be moved frequently between specific points over a fixed path and when there is a sufficient flow volume to justify the fixed conveyor investment. Different types of conveyors can be characterized by the type of product being handled: unit load or bulk load; the conveyor’s location: in-floor, on-floor, or overhead, and whether or not loads can accumulate on the conveyor. Accumulation allows intermittent movement of each unit of material transported along the conveyor, while all units move simultaneously on conveyors without accumulation capability.

 Cranes :Cranes are used to transport loads over variable (horizontal and vertical) paths within a restricted area and when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified. Cranes provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors because the loads handled can be more varied with respect to their shape and weight.

  Trucks : Industrial trucks are trucks that are not licensed to travel on public roads. Industrial trucks are used to move materials over variable paths and when there is insufficient (or intermittent) flow volume such that the use of a conveyor cannot be justified. They provide more flexibility in movement than conveyors and cranes because there are no restrictions on the area covered, and they provide vertical movement if the truck has lifting capabilities.

Unit load AGV  : Hand trucks (including carts and dollies), the simplest type of industrial truck, cannot transport or stack pallets, is non-powered, and requires the operator to walk. A pallet jack, which cannot stack a pallet, uses front wheels mounted inside the end of forks that extend to the floor as the pallet is only lifted enough to clear the floor for subsequent travel

 Positioning equipment : Positioning equipment is used to handle material at a single location. It can be used at a workplace to feed, orient, load/unload, or otherwise manipulate materials so that are in the correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport, or storage. As compared to manual handling, the use of positioning equipment can raise the productivity of each worker when the frequency of handling is high, improve product quality and limit damage to materials and equipment when the item handled is heavy or awkward to hold and damage is likely through human error or inattention, and can reduce fatigue and injuries when the environment is hazardous or inaccessible.

Unit load formation equipment : Unit load formation equipment is used to restrict materials so that they maintain their integrity when handled a single load during transport and for storage. If materials are self-restraining (e.g., a single part or interlocking parts), then they can be formed into a unit load with no equipment.

Storage Equipment : Storage equipment is used for holding or buffering materials over a period of time. The design of each type of storage equipment, along with its use in warehouse design, represents a trade-off between minimizing handling costs, by making material easily accessible, and maximizing the utilization of space (or cube). If materials are stacked directly on the floor, then no storage equipment is required, but, on average, each different item in storage will have a stack only half full; to increase cube utilization, storage racks can be used to allow multiple stacks of different items to occupy the same floor space at different levels. The use of racks becomes preferable to floor storage as the number of units per item requiring storage decreases. Similarly, the depth at which units of an item are stored affects cube utilization in proportion to the number of units per item requiring storage.

Pallets can be stored using single- and double-deep racks when the number of units per item is small, while pallet-flow and push-back racks are used when the units per item are mid-range, and floor-storage or drive-in racks are used when the number of units per item is large, with drive-in providing support for pallet loads that cannot be stacked on top of each other. Individual cartons can either be picked from pallet loads or can be stored in carton-flow racks, which are designed to allow first-in, first-out (FIFO) carton access. For individual piece storage, bin shelving, storage drawers, carousels, and A-frames can be used. An automatic storage/retrieval system (AS/RS) is an integrated computer-controlled storage system that combines storage medium, transport mechanism, and controls with various levels of automation for fast and accurate random storage of products and materials.

 

Ramp; Forklift. hand Jack.

some of the most prominent kinds of material handling equipment.ConventionalAs non-automated material handling equipment, these work on motorized system and are further divided into three categories namely storage equipment, bulk material handling and industrial trucks.• Storage equipment, as the name goes, is normally used for storing objects and operates on a simple mechanism. Some of the most common types of storage equipment include pallets, frames, shelves, bins etc.• If we talk about industrial trucks, these are used for transporting different types of load from one place to another. Example of these equipment include pallet trucks, forklift, cranes, platform trucks and similar others.• Bulk material handling equipment is normally used for storing, handling, and moving objects of all kinds. Furthermore, this equipment also has the ability to handle delicate objects including food and chemicals too. Prominent examples of this equipment are wire rope slings, chain slings, stackers, containers, conveyors and many more.ComputerizedComputer-aided material handling equipment is new-generation tools that apply latest technologies to handle, store and move materials. Contrary to the conventional material handling equipment, these are highly automated. Take a look at some of these.• Computer-based conveyor systems are operated with a central computer and have advanced scanners. Mainly used for moving and transporting materials, computer controlled conveyor systems not only save time but also help cut down workplace accidents as there’s no human intervention.  Such material handling equipment is used in assembly-line production units.• Automated guided vehicles, or AGVs as these are usually called, are used for moving objects between workstations. Guided by either power cables or optical guidance system, AGVs are placed under the floor and are powered individually. Mainly controlled by computers, these are widely used in large-scale industries. Some of the most common AGVs include fork truck, tow-type AGV etc.• Robotic delivery systems are considered to be one of the most advanced computer-based materials handling equipment. Whether it is storing or transporting materials, robotic delivery systems are versatile and can handle all types of loads. The best part is they can handle multiple loads at a single time with complete ease. Introduced about 30 years back, these equipment are widely used in logistics, warehousing and similar other industries. Some of the main types of robotic delivery systems include UNITX, mechanized cherry picker etc.

for cleft for carry and move items 

Proper pie the most important items  are appropriate handling P.P.E at all levels , this ensures safety in the workplace achieving less lost time incidents due to poor precautionary gear , mike ,f