Investigating Material Handling Equipment Selection in Intralogistics: a Literature Review

Material handling (MH) plays a critical role in any manufacturing firm as it involves the movement, protection, storage, and control of material during intralogistics operations. Material handling system design must be made wisely, as MH can account for 30%-80% of total manufacturing costs, occupies huge amounts of factory space, and requires significant workforce. The Material Handling Equipment (MHE) selection problem is an important aspect in material handling system design, focusing on identifying the most appropriate equipment to address the required material handling operations. This challenge is further compounded by the increasing variety of material handling devices currently available on the market. The existing literature on the topic of MHE selection is fragmented and lacks a clear classification, both in terms of the specific issues addressed, such as the level of selection and the methodologies employed to solve the selection problem. To fill this gap, this paper provides a comprehensive review of studies conducted over the past two decades on the MHE selection problem. It classifies and analyzes the current state of the art on MHE selection problem in intralogistics, addressing selection decisions at a strategic level. Finally, a future research agenda is provided. © 2025, AIDI-Italian Association of Industrial Operations Professors.