Materials handling takes on new importance

Stacking bricks onto pallets, bundling lumber with steel bands and moving unit loads with a fork truck were considered advanced materials handling methods when The Palletizer debuted in 1946.

During the remainder of the decade, materials handling became an established industry, with professional societies, an annual trade show and accepted industry standards. Materials handling became increasingly mechanized, with conveyor belts, monorail tracks, powered hoists, lift trucks and powered hand trucks becoming common sights in factories and warehouses.

May 1946 - Norman Cahners publishes The Palletizer
First issue features:

• Handling lumber
• Transporting lobsters by airplane
• Efficient arrangement of pallets inside a rail car

August 1946 - Grocery industry approves standard pallet sizes

A general conference of people from the grocery, warehousing and transportation industries approves two standard sizes:

• 40 x 32 inch pallets for loads under 2000 pounds
• 48 x 40 inch pallets for heavier loads
  

November 1946 - The Palletizer becomes Modern Materials Handling

Editors say the new name better reflects the range of topics covered in the magazine.

1947 - Modern Materials Handling covers first materials handling labor dispute

Marine warehousemen in Boston walk out, insisting two men are needed to safely operate lift trucks and powered hand trucks. Eight months later, a state arbitration board decides only one operator is necessary.

January 1949 - American Material Handling Society forms

Later becomes the Materials Handling & Management Society

1949 - Collapsible cardboard boxes streamline packing and shipping

Headline from October issue of Modern Materials Handling : "Major Change in Carton Design Opens Way for Lower Packaging Costs; Collapsed corrugated containers store flat and eliminate set-up operation; users report savings up to 50 percent"