Material Handling Equipment

Material handling equipment is everything a plant uses to move, lift, position and store goods without carrying them by hand: trolleys that move materials between rooms, pallets that hold them off the floor, pallet trucks that move those pallets, and lifters and lift tables that raise loads to a safe working height. In a pharmaceutical, biotech, hospital or food plant, it is used every hour of every shift.

Two things decide whether it is right for the job. The first is safety for the people using it. Manual handling guidance from bodies such as the UK's HSE says to push rather than pull where possible, to keep handle heights between waist and shoulder, and to use well-maintained wheels that roll easily, so that moving a load takes as little force as possible. Equipment that lifts the load to working height removes repeated bending and reaching.

The second is hygiene. Equipment that goes into clean areas is cleaned as often as the rooms themselves, so it must not rust, flake or hold dirt. Stainless steel with smooth surfaces, rounded edges and sealed joints is the standard choice for those areas. Where equipment stays in stores, utilities or outdoor areas, powder-coated mild steel can be a practical, lower-cost alternative.

Stainless steel is the right choice for anything that enters a clean or washed area. SS 304 suits most uses; SS 316 resists chlorides and strong disinfectants better and is worth choosing for wet areas and frequent sanitisation. Most of our trolleys are made in SS 304 or SS 316, and our pallets in SS 304.

Powder-coated mild steel (MS) is strong and cheaper, and works well in stores, warehouses and outdoor areas where the equipment is not wet-cleaned every day. Several of our products, including multi-purpose trolleys, pallet trucks and scissor lifts, are also made in MS. Wheels matter as much as the frame: see our platform trolley guide for choosing PU, rubber or nylon wheels, and our cleanroom furniture for equipment that stays inside the cleanroom.