Material Handling is the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal. The focus is on the methods, mechanical equipment, systems and related controls used to achieve these functions. The material handling industry manufactures and distributes the equipment and services required to implement material handling systems. Material handling systems range from simple pallet rack and shelving projects, to complex conveyor belt and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS).

Material handling equipment is used to increase throughput, control costs, and maximize productivity. There are several ways to determine if the material handling equipment is achieving peak efficiency. These include capturing all relevant data related to the warehouse’s operation, measuring how many times an item is “touched” from the time it is ordered until it leaves the building, making sure you are using the proper picking technology, and keeping system downtime to a minimum.

The major equipments used for material handling are:
1] Storage and Handling (Pallet Trucks, Shelving, Carts, Etc)
2] Engineered Systems (ASRS, Conveyors, Robots, Etc)
3] Industrial Trucks (Forklift trucks, Tow Tractors, etc)
4] Bulk Material Handling (Cranes, Elevators, ShipLoaders, Etc)

Everything we eat or wear, and everything in our home, including the materials to build the house itself, has at some stage been stored and handled by materials handling equipment.