U.S. universities are using new lecture material from the Overhead Alliance to educate students on the benefits of applying overhead lifting equipment to material handling applications.
The Overhead Alliance serves as a marketing vehicle for US trade association Material Handling Industry’s (MHI) three overhead lifting product groups, namely
Crane Manufacturers Association of
America (CMAA), Hoist Manufacturers Institute (HMI) and Monorail Manufacturers Association (MMA), all recognized as leading authorities in material handling and lifting.
This is the second set of lecture materials the Overhead Alliance has released, having implemented the initiative in 2010 ahead of the launch of an earlier PowerPoint presentation in 2013. The latest release concludes an additional two-year program that started in 2014 to further enhance the lecture material for academics looking to integrate overhead lifting in a course of work.
Karen Norheim, executive vice president of MHI member company American Crane and Equipment Corporation, and leader of the lecture material project, said: “Several years ago the Overhead Alliance team set a strategic goal to educate people outside the members’ typical customer base about the benefits of [overhead] lifting. The lecture material was one way the group found to get their message out. The materials were developed by university professors with feedback and resources provided by the Overhead Alliance group.”
The new PowerPoint presentation is supplemented with supporting notes and references to other content, such as relevant trade journals. Norheim explained that it takes 30 to 60 minutes to deliver depending on the material a professor chooses to apply.
She said: “An audience may not understand all the benefits overhead lifting has to offer. They may not be aware of the pros and cons regarding the variety of equipment available, from industrial trucks to
overhead cranes. A primary objective was to give such groups an understanding of the best choice for lifting or moving equipment depending on the primary purpose of the material being moved.”
Norheim added: “Not everyone is aware that overhead lifting allows vertical storage and more efficient use of space. Overhead lifting solutions allow the user to take products or components up and over obstacles instead of navigating back and forth. In addition, some buyers only consider the initial investment when purchasing a lifting system and not the long-term life cycle investment. Multiple workstations can be covered with one lifting system, for example.”
While the key audience is university students, the content may also be used as a resource for anyone unfamiliar with overhead lifting. Lecture material is available at the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education (CICMHE) portal and on the Overhead Alliance website.
US universities use Overhead Alliance lecture material