MHEDA, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association, has just launched wikiMHEDA, an excellent online resource for those of us who work in material handling, our customers and people who want to learn more about the material handling industry. Think of it as Wikipedia for the material handling industry. Just like the famous online encyclopedia, wikiMHEDA is an interactive Web resource written and edited by its readers, in this case people active in the material handling industry. However, unlike Wikipedia’s broad “every subject under the sun” scope, wikiMHEDA focuses solely on the subject of material handling.
According to website information, MHEDA intends its new wiki site to:
- serve as an educational resource for and about the industry
- provide an encyclopedia of material handling industry terms
- provide a news outlet for industry events, activities and developments
- be a resource for material handling product specification sheets
- serve as a library and distribution center for industry white papers
- provide a video library of material handling equipment and accessories
- provide a directory of firms that manufacture and distribute material handling equipment and accessories
We found searching for information about the material handling industry and its players easy on the new site, but — and we’re sure this is because it has just launched — information is sketchy in some areas and distributor lists are far less than comprehensive. For example, a search for “ergonomics” brought up an abbreviated definition with a cursory overview of OSHA activity, all generally related to the manufacturing industry. Because it is a wiki site, the new site does allow users to add content, and the process is fairly simple. Creation of an account and website registration are required before editing.