MHI meets industry’s changing needs for 70 years

By Sara Pearson Specter, Editor at Large

The year 2015 marks a major milestone for the industry, MHI is celebrating its 70th anniversary at ProMat 2015, held March 23-26, 2015. MHI’s staff and Board of Governors will hold a celebration on Wednesday, March 25 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom (Room S100) of McCormick Place South. Tickets are $50 per guest, pre-paid at ProMat Attendee Registration on Level 3 of McCormick Place. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI).

Enjoy live music, beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres, as well as special entertainment by comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo. Caliendo has appeared frequently on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and has a regular spot on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.”

MHI started in 1943 as an association to unify the transportation of goods for American troops in World War II and was formally incorporated in 1945 as the not-for-profit Material Handling Institute (the MHI moniker was adopted in 2013).

“When MHI was founded, it was to promote American manufacturing,” said George Prest, CEO of MHI. “Today, as the world has become smaller, MHI has evolved to become a truly international organization, with members from 26 countries. We’re the industry that makes supply chains work, and when you look at the history of manufacturing and commerce in the United States, we’ve been an integral part. We’re very proud of that history and heritage, and to be celebrating our 70th anniversary.”

MHI’s growth and development since has been strongly influenced by the significance its members place on collaboration, standardization and education, according to three of MHI’s board members. Indeed, the high degree of member involvement is one of the primary reasons behind the association’s importance to the supply chain, materials handling and logistics industries.

“Throughout its history, MHI has shown it is willing to grow and change and expand to meet the interests of the members and the industry,” said John Hill, director of St. Onge Co., MHI director at large, and a long-time member of MHI’s leadership. Hill refers to MHI as a “good godfather for more than 40 years.”

Another contributor of the organization’s potency is its representation of a broad range of industries and different-sized companies. “The structure of MHI’s Industry Groups, as well as its leadership through volunteer advisory boards, is one of the organization’s vital strengths,” said John Paxton, VP and GM of Terex Corp., current president of the MHI Board of Governors, and active MHI leader since 2000.

Historically, MHI has been important in its work through its product-focused groups to develop widely adopted standards for manufacturers, Paxton said. “However, MHI recognizes that the industry’s customers need more than specifications. They want solutions and to understand the latest technologies.”

To address those needs, MHI has evolved to serve its members by engaging end users with educational workshops and solutions-based content on the Internet, looking outside the walls of facilities to connect to solutions that encompass the complete supply chain.

MHI’s expositions have also evolved. Currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, ProMat was renamed in 1985—having originally been created as the annual National Material Handling Show in 1948. The North American Material Handling Show and Conference (NA) was re-worked in 2012 as Modex.

That transition offered yet another opportunity for MHI to expand its message to a broader audience, said Brian McNamara, president of Southworth International Group, and current MHI Board of Governors’ chair of ProMat and Modex, who first joined the organization in 1998.

McNamara said that MHI has made deliberate attempts to be as inclusive as possible, establishing partnerships with a variety of organizations allied with the industry. As examples, McNamara cites numerous event co-locations at the shows, and the 2014 publication of the “U.S. Roadmap for Material Handling & Logistics,” produced and developed by 14 different partner organizations led by MHI.

“MHI is working to be the catalyst to unite the different organizations that are affiliated with the supply chain. These collaborations are not done for MHI’s gain, but for the industry’s gain,” he explained.

Another way MHI sets itself apart, McNamara added, is MHI’s emphasis on education. MHI formed the College Industry Council for Material Handling Education (CICMHE) in 1952 to support materials handling research and education at the collegiate level, and established scholarships through the Material Handling Education Foundation (MHEFI) in 1976 to encourage and support the study of materials handling, logistics and supply chain.

More recently, MHI extended efforts to bring industry awareness into classrooms by developing educational materials for vocational schools and community colleges through the Technical Career Educational Program (TCEP).

Hill, Paxton and McNamara believe MHI’s next 70 years will see continued growth and development. “MHI is all about the better good, bringing companies together to further the industry,” said McNamara. “If we can work together to bring more interest to our industry for the solutions we have, then every member company benefits.”

ProMat 2015 is scheduled to be held March 23-26, 2014 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. The tradeshow will showcase the latest manufacturing, distribution and supply chain solutions in the material handling and logistics industry. Modern’s complete ProMat 2015 coverage.