Mechanized warehouses
• Reach trucks, which are usually electrically powered
and move pallets and similar loads up to storage
locations.
• Order-picking machines are a variation on reach
trucks, where the driver is lifted with the materials to
pick, or deliver, at high locations.
• Forklift trucks, come in many different versions and
are the standard means of moving pallets and
equivalent loads for short distances. They are very
maneuverable, flexible, and can be adapted for many
jobs. On the other hand, they need space to work,
and are fairly expensive to use.
• Cranes, which describe a family of vehicles used to
lift materials.
• Towlines, which are continuous cables that can move
trailers around a fixed path, rather like ski lifts.
• Conveyors, which are used to move large quantities
of goods along fixed paths.
• Tractors or trains, which are power units that pull
loads that have been put onto trailer units. The
tractor delivers trailers to the place needed, rather
like small articulated trucks or tugs and barges.
• Carousels, which are basically a series of bins going
round a fixed track.