This is What a Supply Chain Conference Looked Like in 1947
We dug deep into our archives for coverage of the 1947 National Materials Handling Exposition in Cleveland
In March, over 50,000 attendees and more than 1,000 manufacturing and supply chain exhibitors converged at Atlanta's Georgia World Congress Center for MODEX 2024 to explore the latest advancements in robotics and warehouse innovations. Trade shows like MODEX have been a cornerstone of the supply chain industry for years, but what did a conference look like back in 1947?
We dug into the archives of one of our sister publications, Modern Materials Handling, for coverage of the 1947 National Materials Handling Exposition in Cleveland. Attended by 7,500 guests and 110 exhibitors, this first-ever materials-handling conference looks a lot different than those of today. See for yourself
Event Photos
Below is coverage of the event from the Feb. 1947 issue of Modern Materials Handling:
Highlights from the Keynote Address
The Keynote Address was delivered by Ezra W. Clark, Vice President and General Manager, Clark Equipment Co.
The National Materials Handling Exposition, Cleveland, January 14-17, is timely because it calls to the attention of management the place of modern materials handling methods in production.
America is often thought of as a wealthy nation —in terms of gold, natural resources and products.
These products are but the evidence of America's wealth. Our real treasure is not gold, silver, nor products, but vision—new ideas, new methods-the American “know-how.”
The engineer designs a new car; the artist creates a new painting; the chemist gives us a new plastic.
Enter the industrialist who must devise new ways, new methods, new means to multiply the one costly product into many.
1. The industrialist must provide greatly increased production.
2. The industrialist as he takes the design of the engineer, architect, artist, chemist, and
multiplies it by means of his facilities, must refine out all crudities or inaccuracies; eliminate all imperfections.
3. Because there are always in this world more people who have little than there are people who have much, the industrialist must by his productive technique provide needed products in ample volume of best quality at lowest cost.
4. This is not all! The American philosophy of life-my philosophy, your philosophy—requires that each individual in his life and by his efforts make life for our neighbor, our friend, our em-ployee, our fellow worker easier, happier, healthier, safer, more livable and more worthwhile.
In all of this, modern materials handling methods have a place.
Volume flow of material-raw and semi-finished continues and even increases. Equipment manufacturers have done a fine job in the designing and building of machines to handle bulk materials. The actual result has been a still greater volume of finished products resulting in a demand for more men, stronger men. It takes two decades to grow a man. How can we make men quicker and stronger? Give the worker mechanical horsepower. Unite brain power with muscle power through a machine and thus create man power.
This concept means a new world—a world where the burdens of production are taken off the shoulders of men and placed on the steel fingers of machines to lift and carry and tier.
