The term ‘material handling equipment’ is relatively familiar with people working in warehouse areas. It encompasses a diverse range of vehicles, tools and storage equipments. Typically, a warehouse is used to store items, and then move them to where they are needed. The easier it is to move items, the more efficient your warehouse can be. To increase efficiency, you need to have the right tools for the job – it will make your employee’s lives easier, and cut down on the backbreaking strain they’d otherwise be exposed to with improper equipment. In CIPS L4M7 book – Whole Life Asset Management, the author has mentioned almost type of warehouse equipments with description for each one. However, we would like to provide image and some relevant information for each equipment to let you understand and apply for your job easily

GRAB is designed to hold stock either width-wise or from above. Grab is either specific device designed for grabbing materials or is available as an accessory for forklift trucks

DRUM LIFTER OR LOADER consists of shaped parts that allow operators to move large drums and stack them. Drum lifter is produced for specific sizes and weights/volumes of drums. Drum lift attachment is also availble for forklift trucks

COUNTERBALANCE FORKLIFT TRUCK is highly versatile asset in most warehouse and stockyards. It is “ride on” vehicle with high manoeuvrability. Forklift may have simply a vehicle loading and unloading role, but in many case, it is used for storing goods, maintenance of stick and retrieval of stock.
The weigth of a load and its lifting capability is partly determined by the height of the upright ‘mast’ nearest the operator, the load length and the counterbalance weight integrated within the truck. When lifted, most tip the load backwards slightly to balance on the upright mast assembly

REACH TRUCK is designed to work in a narrower aisle than a standard counterbalance forklift truck. Reach truck is similar to forkliftm but the fork is moverable in order to reach the load and is then retracted back for transport. Reach truck is more compact and can lift stock higher than the comparable counterbalance forklift

VACUUM LIFTER consists of a vacuum pad which attached itseft to a product. The suction force allows the product to be lifted. Vacuum lifter is used for moving and positioning glass sheets, but is also seen lifting boxes, plastic sacks, sheets of building materials and pipework