What are MHE Categories?
Categories help group equipment based on their primary function: storage, transportation, engineering (automation), or bulk material movement.
For example, racking is "Storage Equipment," while a forklift is an "Industrial Truck." You need a balance of both to have a functional warehouse.
The Importance of Category Planning
Knowing these categories prevents bottlenecks by ensuring you have enough equipment for every stage of material flow.
The four major pillars of material handling
warehouse
Includes racks, shelves, and pallets used to hold inventory safely while not in motion.
Industrial Trucks
Mobile vehicles like forklifts and EPTs that transport materials between different warehouse zones.
Engineering Systems
Complex automated solutions like conveyor belts and robotic sorting systems.
Bulk Handling
Equipment used to move large volumes of loose materials like grain, liquids, or minerals.
Automated Systems
High-tech AGVs and picking robots that follow digital paths to increase sorting accuracy.
Identification Systems
Tools like barcode scanners and RFID that track inventory movement in real-time.
Functional Sub-Categories
Within these pillars, machines are further divided by their specific day-to-day utility.
Positioning Equipment
Used to handle materials at a fixed location, like lift tables or dock levelers.
Unit Load Equipment
Tools designed to handle one specific unit (like a pallet) at a time.
High-Density Storage
Specialized racking systems like drive-in racks for massive SKU storage.
Horizontal Transport
Machines optimized for long-distance floor travel rather than high lifting.
Vertical Lifting
Equipment like reach trucks focused on utilizing the vertical "cube" of the warehouse.
Where Categories Overlap
Large-scale facilities use a mix of all four categories to stay competitive.
Streamlining the Material Flow
Categorizing your needs ensures that receiving, storing, and shipping work in harmony.
Shiftix provides end-to-end consulting to help you select the right mix across all four equipment categories.
- Identifying bottlenecks in the supply chain
- Improving warehouse organization
- Reducing idle time for machines.
Conclusion
By understanding these categories, you can build a balanced fleet that handles materials with maximum precision and minimum cost.