Material Handling Glossary | C

A rack system with arms cantilevered off a vertical column and loads placed either directly on the arms or on shelves supported by them. Used extensively in steel, lumber and furniture warehousing, having the advantage of long unobstructed shelves with no uprights to restrict storage.

Horizontal or vertical rotating bin unit to deliver parts to an operator in a fixed position or work station.

Hydraulically operated blade attachment which can be fitted to forklift trucks to enable unit loads of cartons to be handled without the use of pallets. Special thin-bladed types also allow order picking by “skimming” layers of cartons off stacked pallets.

Storage of a complete stored unit and picked from inventory as a separate individual unit.

A preparatory process that allows the truck or Carousel to operate at levels of temperature that may cause condensation and/or freezing.

A mechanical apparatus, typically an automated moving belt, chain, or roller system, used to transport materials, boxes, totes, and/or products; commonly utilized in factories, distribution centers, warehouses, or airports.

A truck equipped to lift and transport the load in front of the load wheels.

The time required to complete a unit of work, generally the total of travel time, plus load storage or retrieval time.