Preparing Students for Careers in Material Handling

This report summarizes the proceedings of a roundtable discussion of materials handling educational issues by a panel consisting of practitioners in the materials handling industry. The objective of the discussion was to: (i) understand how practitioners apply their engineering expertise to industrial problems, (ii) identify critical skills and attributes required of practicing materials handling engineers, and (iii) determine how ties between universities and the practicing community could be strengthened to prepare material handling students for successful careers in the material handling industry. The discussion was centered around five issues related to the above objectives. The panel felt that a vast majority of the materials handling problems faced by practitioners fall in the operational analysis category. Simulation modeling, group problem solving, project management and simple operational analysis based on fundamental mechanical and electrical engineering principles appear to be the primary analytic methods used for problem solving. Graduating engineers entering the materials handling field must possess strong communication, interpersonal and analytical skills, be able to organize and lead a project successfully, and exhibit a high degree of creativity. Because the role of a materials handling engineer will often be that of an internal consultant, they must be able to lead and work effectively in multi‐disciplinary teams. Increased automation on the shop‐floor and globalization of the business world demand that the engineer have a strong multi‐disciplinary background. Materials handling students in the nation's universities must be familiar with various equipment types including their functionality, applications, strengths and weaknesses, have a firm grasp of the analytical and simulation based problem solving tools, and be able to take the “big picture,” systems approach in problem solving. Classroom instruction must include project and case based learning and coverage of theoretical topics. While the former is important for students to be able to solve practical problems, the latter is valuable for imparting analytical skills and creativity. Increased collaboration between the industry and universities will help prepare successful materials handling engineers.