Material Handling Industry
80 Years of Impacting the Supply Chain
Material Handling Industry (MHI) is an international trade association that has represented the material handling, logistics, and supply chain industry since 1945. It counts over 1,000 members who include manufacturers, integrators, consultants, publishers, workforce solution providers, and third-party logistics providers. MHI offers education, networking, and solution sourcing for its members and the entire industry through programming and events.
“Over the decades, MHI has evolved by expanding its offerings to include the latest solution advancements,” says John Paxton, CEO. Traditional material movements in warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities focused on the storage of complete pallets in racking systems that were moved with forklifts.
The rise of e-commerce, which was accelerated by COVID supply chain disruptions, shifted distribution methods from pallet movements to single piece picking. “This completely transformed the dynamics of material handling by spurring the adoption of robotics and automation into the picking, handling, and moving processes. Technologies like advanced vision systems, gripping systems, and machine learning have further propelled robotics and automation into the supply chain. MHI responded by expanding its industry group to incorporate these modern technologies,” John adds.
Since 1945, Material Handling Industry has represented the material handling, logistics, and supply chain industry offering education, networking, and solution sourcing for its members.
“MHI is the trade association that represents the manufacturers and practitioners that make the supply chain work,” says John. “As a trade association, our services are organized in five value centers:
- Market Access - By producing two of the world’s largest material handling and logistics trade exhibitions – ProMat and MODEX – we bring together 50,000+ attendees who are looking for the latest solutions from our 1,070+ members. ·
- Connections - We foster mutually beneficial business connections through our conferences and communities, which include networks for young professionals, marketing professionals, startups, and CEOs.
- Industry leadership - With our 18 industry products verticals, we produce industry standards to provide safe, advanced solutions. ·
- Knowledge – We offer future-oriented content at mhi.org that provides market intelligence to help companies make better business decisions. This includes market forecasts, case studies, keynotes, and more than 250 education sessions, webinars, and videos. ·
- Workforce Development – We offer a wide range of programming to inspire, recruit, develop, and retain the future workforce, including outreach at both the high school and university level.
John served on the MHI Board for several years before assuming the role of CEO in 2021. “I enjoy being part of a great association that has a broad influence on the supply chain, which ultimately affects everyone’s daily life,” John says.
MHI is active in the Charlotte community and the company offers volunteer time off as well as financial support to local nonprofits. Some of MHI’s nonprofit work includes serving as judges for FIRST Robotics competitions that inspire high school students to pursue STEM careers; ongoing support for Queen City Robotics Alliance (QCRA) that promotes STEM education; and organizing supply drives and delivering essential items to support people in Western Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.
Robotics and automation have transformed the dynamics of material handling, especially with the rise of e-commerce.
Josh Hall, executive vice president and Ballantyne market executive, works closely with MHI and helped them finance the purchase of their headquarters building. “As the relationship developed, TowneBank became our full-service banking provider,” John says. “We appreciate their local support and excellent customer service as our banking partner.”
For more information, visit MHI.org.