Material Handling Glossary

Common Material Handling Terms:

Reach Truck

Forklifts that operate in narrow aisles, storing and retrieving pallets in racks. Some are equipped with a pantograph mechanism and can shelve pallets two-deep. Read More

Usually at the end of a rack row and used as a temporary drop station to hold pallets for movement into a rack system or retrieve pallets out of the rack system. Pick up and delivery point for incoming and outgoing loads into a rack system. Positioned to maximize vehicle efficiency.

Warehouse Management System

Software applications that allow management to have centralized control over day-to-day warehouse operations, including inventory locations and stock movement are called warehouse management systems (WMS). WMS tasks include control of the movement and storage of goods within a warehouse, processing the associated transactions such as shipping, receiving, putaway and picking. These systems help direct and optimize stock movement based on real-time information about the utilization of individual bins.

A vehicle equipped with guidance equipment, either electro-magnetic or optical. Such a vehicle is capable of following prescribed guidepaths and may be equipped for vehicle programming and stop selection, blocking, and any other special functions required by the system.

The study of work organization, and the human/machine interface in particular. Not to be confused with mere appearance, ergonomic design is a science devoted to helping the machine operator be more productive by allowing him/her to operate more efficiently, comfortably, and safely.