materials handling

(engineering) The loading, moving, and unloading of materials.

The loading, moving, and unloading of materials. The hundreds of different ways of handling materials are generally classified according to the type of equipment used. For example, the International Materials Management Society has classified equipment as (1) conveyor, (2) cranes, elevators, and hoists, (3) positioning, weighing, and control equipment, (4) industrial vehicles, (5) motor vehicles, (6) railroad cars, (7) marine carriers, (8) aircraft, and (9) containers and supports. See also Materials-handling equipment.

(DOD, NATO) The movement of materials (raw materials, scrap, semifinished, and finished) to, through, and from productive processes; in warehouses and storage; and in receiving and shipping areas.