Materials handling innovator dies

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 7/1/2006

Irving M. Footlik, founder and chairman of Footlik & Associates and innovator in pallet-less warehouse design, died June 5 in Skokie, Ill., after a short illness. He was 88 years old.

Footlik designed warehouses and distribution centers for thousands of clients and worked as a consultant on materials handling for numerous industries during his 50-year career. He developed the first fully automated warehouse for Sara Lee Kitchens and helped establish the 48 x 40 inch four-way pallet standard.

In addition to his design and consulting work, Footlik taught courses on materials handling at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Northwestern University, authored a textbook on the subject and contributed to the original Materials Handling Handbook.

A graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering, Footlik worked as an expediter and mechanical engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII. In 1999 he was awarded the William T. Shirk Service Award by the Materials Handling & Management Society, which he helped found in 1940.

"Every materials handling society has recognized his efforts," says Footlik's son, Robert, president of Footlik & Associates.