The Complete Handbook of Material Handling
A Practical Reference for Buyers, Engineers, and Operations Professionals
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The practical, no-nonsense guide to selecting, using, and maintaining material handling equipment.
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About this book
Material handling is the unsung foundation of modern commerce, covering everything from a manual pallet jack in a small shop to a fully automated robotic storage system in a high-volume distribution center. Yet most information on this subject is either overly academic or thinly veiled sales material. The Complete Handbook of Material Handling fills that gap, giving engineers, operations managers, and serious owners the practical, hands-on knowledge they need to make cost-effective decisions and keep their systems running.
The book starts by explaining what the field actually is and its core principles of work, flow, and cost. It then moves through a detailed breakdown of the major equipment categories—including industrial trucks, conveyors, cranes, hoists, racking, and automated systems—and the concrete specifications that dictate performance. With a focus on real-world application, the handbook covers how to select the right piece of equipment for a specific operation, how to install it correctly, and how to perform routine maintenance and common troubleshooting without relying on paid support.
Written with an educational and neutral tone, this reference avoids the hype and buzzwords found in equipment brochures. It also explores the commercial side of the industry, from understanding the positioning of major manufacturers to identifying viable business opportunities in reselling, renting, and servicing. With comprehensive chapters on future trends and expert resources, plus a practical FAQ and glossary, this is the one book that belongs in the hands of every professional who manages the movement and storage of materials.
Reader Reviews
Stephanie Johnson
★★★★★I have been in warehouse operations for over a decade and finally there's a book that treats material handling as a serious engineering discipline instead of just selling me something. The first chapter's breakdown on the real cost of poor flow, with the example of a receiving dock bottleneck, hit painfully close to home. I've already used the maintenance chapter to fix a conveyor alignment issue we've been fighting for months. This is going to be mandatory reading for our new hires.
Charles Torres
★★★★★Solid, comprehensive reference. I am a facilities manager at a mid-size manufacturing plant, so I deal with a lot of this equipment daily. I really appreciated the chapter on choosing equipment, as it gave me a written framework to justify a new palletizer purchase to our CFO. My only gripe is that I wish there were a few more detailed images in the early chapters; some of the terms were easier to grasp after I looked them up online. Still, a very valuable resource.
Edward Miller
★★★★★It is a decent overview, but I did feel like it was trying to cover too much ground. Chapter one is really good at putting things in perspective for a beginner, no question. But because it covers everything from a simple pallet jack to a full AS/RS system, some of the trade-offs in the later chapters felt a bit superficial. For someone just starting out, it's a great place to begin, but I found myself wanting much more depth on the actual mechanical specifications for crane design.
Joseph Lewis
★★★★★I run a small fabrication shop, and we needed to upgrade our lifting setup. This book was a lifesaver when I was looking at jib cranes versus bridge cranes. The first chapter explains the economics of material handling in a way I could understand, even though I am not an engineer. The FAQ section in the back alone is worth the cover price. I would recommend it to any serious business owner, even for a small operation like mine.
Jessica Gonzalez
★★★★★I purchased this for my design engineering reference library, and it's turned out to be more useful than I expected. I was looking for standard 'textbook' info, but the troubleshooting logic in chapter five is excellent and practical. I deducted one star because the future trends chapter seemed a little light on autonomous mobile robots, which is a major focus in our consultancy right now. But overall, it's a good, reliable handbook that I will keep on my desk.