Material handling equipment (MHE) covers the machines, vehicles, and tools a warehouse uses to move, lift, store, and retrieve goods. The right mix reduces labor cost per pallet, cuts picking time, and lowers injury risk across every shift.
The 10 essential warehouse material handling equipment items are:
- Fork-Based Mobile Robots (AMRs)
- Pallet Trucks
- Hand Trucks
- Order Picker Forklifts
- Side Loader Forklifts
- Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
- Cranes
- Platform Trucks
- Scissor Lifts
- Conveyor Systems
This guide explains what each one does, the loads and layouts it suits, and where automation delivers the fastest payback. Use it as a checklist when planning a new facility or upgrading an existing one.
Top Warehouse Material Handling Equipment
1. Fork-Based Mobile Robots
Fork-based mobile robots are advanced versions of traditional pallet jacks, designed to lift and move pallets with minimal human intervention. These robots are ideal for short-distance transportation of heavy loads, significantly reducing manual labor and the physical strain on workers. By automating the movement of goods, they enhance overall productivity and ensure consistent performance. Fork-based mobile robots from Novus Hi-tech are equipped with advanced navigation and safety features, making them a must-have for modern warehouses.
Fork-based mobile robots from Novus Hi-tech come with lithium-ion batteries that offer longer life and quicker charging times, ensuring that your operations are never interrupted. These robots can be programmed for different tasks and can easily navigate complex warehouse layouts, providing flexibility and efficiency in material handling.
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2. Pallet Trucks
Pallet trucks are essential tools for material handling in warehouses, designed to transport pallets and heavy loads efficiently. These trucks, also known as pallet jacks, come in various types, including manual, electric, and semi-electric models. Pallet trucks simplify the movement of goods over short distances, reducing the physical strain on workers and enhancing productivity. With robust construction and easy maneuverability, pallet trucks ensure that materials are handled safely and effectively. Novus Hi-tech offers a range of high-quality pallet trucks equipped with durable components and ergonomic designs, making them indispensable for modern warehouse operations.
3. Hand Trucks
Hand trucks, also known as dollies, are two-wheeled carts used to move various items. Hand trucks are perfect for transporting boxes, crates, and other manageable items quickly. They significantly reduce the risk of injury by minimizing the physical effort required to move heavy or awkward loads. They come with features such as non-slip handles and puncture-proof tires, ensuring safe and reliable operation. These hand trucks are an excellent choice for both small and large warehouses due to their versatility and ease of use. Including hand trucks in your material handling equipment list is essential for efficient operations.
4. Forklift
Order picker forklifts raise the operator along with the load, allowing workers to pick individual cases and items directly from rack levels up to 10 metres. This removes ladders from the picking process, shortens travel time between pick faces, and reduces the fall risks that come with working at height.
Unlike counterbalance forklifts that move full pallets, order pickers are built for piece-level and case-level retrieval, which makes them essential for e-commerce fulfilment and spare-parts warehouses where orders rarely ship as complete pallets. Modern units include height sensors, stability controls, and automatic braking to protect both the operator and the racking. In high-density facilities, order pickers work alongside autonomous mobile robots: the robot handles horizontal pallet transport while the picker handles vertical retrieval, and this division of labour is one of the fastest ways to raise picks per hour without expanding headcount.
5. Side Loader Forklift
Side loader forklifts are designed to handle long and bulky items, such as timber, pipes, or sheets of metal. These forklifts can navigate narrow aisles and load from the side, making them highly efficient for warehouses with limited space. They enhance safety and productivity by allowing the easy handling of long items that would be difficult to maneuver with a standard forklift. These forklifts can handle heavy and awkward loads with ease, making them indispensable for warehouses dealing with long and oversized materials. Side loader forklifts should be included in any comprehensive material handling equipment list.
6. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
AGVs are autonomous robots used for transporting materials within a warehouse environment. AGVs automate the transportation process, reducing labor costs and increasing operational safety. They can operate continuously without fatigue, ensuring a consistent workflow. AGVs from Novus Hi-tech come with advanced navigation systems and safety features, making them an ideal choice for modern warehouses.
AGVs from Novus Hi-tech are equipped with state-of-the-art sensors and mapping technologies, allowing them to navigate complex environments with precision. These vehicles can be programmed for various tasks, including loading and unloading, and can work in tandem with other automated systems to optimize warehouse operations. AGVs are a critical addition to any list of material handling equipment for advanced warehouses.
7. Cranes
Cranes are used for lifting and moving heavy items vertically and horizontally within the warehouse. Cranes are essential for handling oversized or particularly heavy loads that are difficult to move manually. They enhance safety and efficiency in warehouses dealing with heavy machinery or large items. These cranes are built to withstand heavy use and come with features like remote control operation and precise load positioning, ensuring safe and efficient material handling. Including cranes in your material handling equipment list is crucial for managing large and heavy items.
8. Platform Trucks
Platform trucks are flatbed carts used to transport large or bulky items across the warehouse floor. These trucks are highly versatile and can handle a wide range of load types. They improve the movement of goods within the warehouse, making the workflow more efficient and reducing the risk of injury from manual handling. They are equipped with swivel casters for easy maneuverability and sturdy platforms that can handle heavy loads, making them an essential tool for efficient material transport. Platform trucks are a must-have in your list of material handling equipment.
9. Scissor Lifts
Scissor lifts are mobile lifting platforms that can be raised to various heights to facilitate access to high shelves or maintenance tasks. Scissor lifts are perfect for accessing high areas in the warehouse safely and efficiently. They can be used for inventory management, maintenance, and repairs. Scissor lifts have safety rails and easy-to-use controls, ensuring safe operations at all heights. These lifts improve productivity by allowing workers to perform tasks at height without the need for ladders or scaffolding. They are designed for stability and ease of use, making them a versatile addition to any warehouse. Including scissor lifts in your material handling equipment list ensures safe and efficient operations at heights.
10. Conveyor Systems
Conveyor systems move cartons, totes, and packages continuously between receiving, storage, packing, and dispatch. Belt, roller, and chain variants each suit different load types, and powered sortation conveyors can route thousands of items per hour to the correct lane with barcode or vision-based scanning.
Conveyors deliver the highest return in facilities with predictable, high-volume flows, such as e-commerce fulfilment centres and parcel hubs. They remove the most repetitive carrying tasks from the floor, keep throughput steady across shifts, and pair naturally with automated equipment: AMRs and AGVs feed pallets to the conveyor infeed, while the conveyor handles the fixed, high-frequency route. When planning a conveyor layout, account for future volume growth and leave clear crossing points for pedestrian and forklift traffic to maintain safe circulation.
Conclusion
The right material handling equipment depends on three things: what you move, how far you move it, and how often. Manual equipment such as hand trucks and pallet trucks covers low-volume, short-distance tasks at minimal cost. Powered equipment such as order pickers, side loaders, and scissor lifts unlocks vertical space and heavy loads. Automated equipment, including fork-based mobile robots, AGVs, and conveyors, delivers the strongest returns where movements are repetitive and volumes are high.
Most facilities need a mix of all three categories, and the balance shifts toward automation as throughput grows. Novus Hi-Tech manufactures autonomous mobile robots and battery-operated pallet trucks deployed across manufacturing and warehousing operations in India, MEA, and GCC, backed by 150+ patents and 10M+ km of autonomous navigation data. If you are evaluating where automation fits in your facility, our team can map your material flows and identify the highest-payback starting point.
