MHI Solutions Improving Supply Chain Performance
Higher Education
In today’s fast-paced world, efficient material handling is crucial for thriving industries. Whether it’s manufacturing, warehousing or logistics, organizations rely on effective handling and management of materials to streamline operations, reduce costs and improve productivity.
MHI’s College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) plays a vital role in driving advancement in material handling technologies and practices. Here, I’d like to share more about CICMHE and how it gives back to MHI members while teaching the future workforce about our industry.
What is CICMHE?
CICMHE is a division of MHI that prepares and provides information, teaching materials and various events to support material handling education and research. Founded in 1952, the main body of the Council is composed of 15 college and university educators.
Additional CICMHE members are drawn from material handling equipment manufacturers, distributors, users, consultants and representatives of the business press. They also include professional staff members of organizations focused on material handling education.
What does CICMHE do?
CICMHE facilitates the interchange of information among interested individuals in industry, academia and the user community. Through its various programs and diverse membership, CICMHE aids in improving and implementing material handling education through activities such as:
- Access to a variety of educational resources related to material handling. These resources are available online at mhi.org/cicmhe/resources. They are designed by educators, students, industry practitioners, or other individuals to support material handling equipment and systems education. Materials include case studies, lecture materials for professors, selfcontained classroom modules, textbooks, a comprehensive list of certification programs and more.
- Material Handling Capstone Design Competition is an opportunity for college and university students to showcase their capstone coursework in the supply chain or material handling fields. Submissions are judged by a volunteer panel of industry members on a variety of criteria, including project complexity, outcome success, problem solving creativity, potential contribution to the field, and more. The top three entries receive monetary awards in addition to recognition at MHI events, and by industry professionals and academia.
- International Material Handling Research Colloquium (IMHRC)—Historically sponsored every two years by CICMHE, the 16th IMHRC returned this past June after a pandemic-driven hiatus. The event brings together academic and industrial participants to discuss the latest in material handling, facility layout and design, logistics and supply chain research. During the weeklong event, participants share their research in interactive poster sessions. The event’s program also facilitates dialogue and collaboration through a mix of keynote presentations, structured discussions, facility tours and social events. Details of all the presentations from IMHRC 2023 will be shared in the coming months. For those interested in learning more about the topics researchers are currently focusing on in our field, the entire collection of papers presented at IMHRC will be available online at mhi.org/cicmhe/colloquium.
- Material Handling Teachers Institute (MHTI) is an annual conference designed to enhance the teaching skills of instructors for undergraduate and graduate-level courses. It provides a wide range of academic and industry presentations and learning modules. In addition to mentoring by an expert in the field, this program offers facility tours, social activities and an opportunity to interact with colleagues. It also enables participants to share course designs, teaching methods, case studies, textbooks, software and more.
- Student Day at MODEX and ProMat is an interactive event for high school and undergraduate students. It connects them with the best in the industry through real-world discussions with industry experts, guided tours of the show floor, and networking with professionals who can support their career growth.
- CICMHE’s Members Research page shares details about the latest research projects conducted by MHI’s CICMHE members. These projects focus on developing solutions to material handling industry challenges by combining the latest technology with thought leadership. Need an expert? Check out the page here: mhi.org/cicmhe/research.
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