Electrification, a heightened awareness of the need for safety, and steps forward in terms of speed and efficiency are among the cargo handling sector’s most notable recent developments.

Although the disruptions of the pandemic did affect the fleet management software market, sales of the products remain solid, they have broadened their appeal to include smaller businesses, and they have improved in terms of both functionality and performance. Matthew McDonald reports.

Matthew McDonald examines the latest products designed to help reduce the incidence of forklift-related deaths and injuries.

Eve White explores the challenges facing European manufacturers of materials handling equipment during this unusual time in history – and how different companies are dealing with the issues they face.

Sandra Hogan examines the way the energy revolution is affecting the global materials handling market.

Eve White examines current trends in motive power and the ways that manufacturers are both adapting existing technology and developing new technology that meets the new environmental standards.

2021 has been a mixed bag for materials handling, with demand for equipment soaring, but supply chains under extreme strain. Allan Leibowitz summarises the year’s highs and lows.

If nothing else, the last couple of years have shown how important it is to ensure your business is lean and agile enough to change direction with little warning. Melissa Barnett takes a look at some recent innovations in the materials handling industry.

What piece of equipment do you find in every warehouse, retail stockroom and distribution centre, from grocery stores to IKEA, across the world? If you said a pedestrian forklift, you would be right. Melissa Barnett looks at the industry's most common forklift, its expanding areas of capability and recent improvements.

Over the past decades, the big manufacturing, warehouse and logistics operations have been pro-active in taking up automation and robotics, but small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) have been slower. Why is this the case and have things changed recently? What would encourage SMEs to take up the technology? Melissa Barnett looks at some of the challenges and the solutions surrounding automation.