Council supports materials handling education, research

To the uninitiated, the acronym CICMHE often elicits a smile. But for those in the know, The College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) has a serious purpose.

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 1/8/2007

To the uninitiated, the acronym CICMHE often elicits a smile. But for those in the know, The College-Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) has a serious purpose.

The Council prepares and provides information, teaching materials and special events to support materials handling education and research. These tools are available for use in any educational or training setting. Council members include college and university professors, materials handling equipment manufacturers and others concerned with materials handling education.

Beyond encouraging research and sponsoring educational seminars and training courses, CICMHE, founded in 1952, monitors activities with the different Material Handling Industry of America Product Sections and Councils to encourage knowledge, information and technology sharing between the groups. This information helps CICMHE members learn about the latest advances in materials handling equipment and technology as well as stay aware of the challenges and issues of different industry segments.

Additionally, issues or topics may arise where CICMHE members assist a Product Section on special projects, said Kevin Gue, current CICMHE president and associate professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Auburn University.

Projects could involve developing white papers on a particular topic, or creating overviews and summaries that can be used to promote the activities of the product section. CICMHE has also developed tools to assist in designing or analyzing materials handling technologies such as economic justification software, an ergonomic toolbox, or a carousel throughput estimation package.

Attendees interested in learning more about CICMHE can stop by the MHIA ProMat Booth 5568.

* View an interview with Kevin Gue and Russ Meller on higher education from the Modern Materials Handling 60th Anniversary Video Logs.