Industrial Carts

What are Industrial Carts?

Industrial carts are mobile units used to transport materials throughout manufacturing, assembly, and industrial warehouse environments. Designed for durability and efficiency, these carts facilitate the safe and quick movement of parts, tools, equipment, and finished goods between work areas.

In industrial settings, carts play a key role in supporting material flow. They’re often used to stage components for production, deliver kits to assembly lines, or move completed components to the next step in the process. Unlike light-duty or utility carts, industrial carts are built to handle heavier loads, rougher conditions, and constant use.

Commonly constructed from steel and equipped with ergonomic handles and rugged casters, industrial carts are a practical alternative to forklifts for many line-side delivery and work-in-progress applications. Industrial carts enable teams to keep materials organized, reduce downtime, and improve overall throughput, making them a core component in operations utilizing lean manufacturing and just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing practices.

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Where are Industrial Carts Used?

Industrial carts are used anywhere materials need to be moved efficiently, safely, and repeatedly throughout a facility. From production lines to shipping areas, they support a wide range of tasks that keep operations running smoothly and reduce reliance on forklifts or manual handling.

Here are some of the most common places industrial carts are used:

Assembly Lines: Carts deliver kits, subassemblies, and tools directly to workstations, helping maintain a steady flow of materials and supporting JIT production.
Manufacturing Cells: In cellular manufacturing setups, carts provide flexible movement of components between machines or work areas without interrupting workflows.
Warehouse & Distribution Centers: Used for order picking, staging, or replenishment, industrial carts support faster fulfillment and reduce worker travel time across long aisles or multiple zones.
Manufacturing Supermarkets: Carts help replenish parts from centralized storage locations to the production floor, maintaining inventory levels at the point of use and reducing clutter in lineside storage areas.
Shipping & Receiving Areas: Carts streamline the movement of inbound and outbound goods, keeping staging areas organized and reducing bottlenecks, particularly during peak periods.
Maintenance & Tool Rooms: Mobile carts make it easier to transport tools, parts, and equipment throughout the facility, improving uptime and response times for repairs.
Kitting & Sequencing Zones: Industrial carts are ideal for transporting pre-assembled kits or sequenced parts to the line, keeping materials grouped, accessible, and ready for use.

Across these use cases, industrial carts are used to improve workflows, enhance productivity, and ensure worker safety. They provide an organized, durable, and mobile form of transport that serves all key areas of production facilities and industrial operations.

Tool Cart

Keeps tools, parts, and supplies organized and mobile, making it easy for technicians and operators to access what they need on the floor or at the point of use.

Kitting Cart

Designed to hold grouped components or subassemblies, kitting carts streamline delivery to assembly lines and improve accuracy in build-to-order workflows.

WIP (Work-in-Progress) Cart

Used to move partially completed products between stations, WIP carts support continuous flow in manufacturing cells and reduce idle time between steps.

Picking Carts

Designed for part or order picking applications, these carts help warehouse staff gather items efficiently while reducing travel time and improving ergonomics.

Cantilevered Carts

Built to handle long or irregularly shaped items like pipes, panels, or tubing, cantilevered carts offer open, tiered storage that allows for easy loading and unloading.

Warehouse Carts

General-purpose carts used for stocking, staging, or moving goods throughout a warehouse. Warehouse carts are ideal for replenishment tasks and supporting storage and picking activities.

Utility Carts

Versatile, multi-use carts for everyday material transport tasks. Utility carts are ideal for moving supplies, packaging materials, or equipment between zones.

Heavy-Duty Carts

Engineered to carry large or heavy loads, these carts are built with durable frames and heavy-duty casters to withstand demanding industrial environments.

Platform Carts

Platform carts are a streamlined, easy-to-operate solution for transporting heavy or oversized items. These multi-purpose carts are designed to allow for quick loading from any side, making them a reliable and versatile choice for efficient material handling.

Improved Material Flow: Industrial carts tailored to the specific needs of your application can eliminate bottlenecks and streamline the movement of materials between workstations, assembly lines, and storage areas, keeping operations running smoothly.
Increased Flexibility: Mobile industrial cart solutions enable easy adaptation to changing production schedules, reconfiguration of work cells, and support for new workflows without requiring significant layout changes.
Enhanced Organization & Accuracy: Purpose-built carts help keep parts, tools, and components neatly organized and clearly labeled, reducing errors, search time, and wasted motion.
Better Ergonomics & Safety: By minimizing heavy lifting, reducing unnecessary travel, and keeping everything within reach, industrial carts support safer, more ergonomic workflows for your team.

Accelerate Productivity with UNEX Industrial Carts

Industrial carts are more than just a means of transportation; they're a key part of an efficient and well-organized operation. When built to support your specific processes, the right cart can reduce handling time, improve safety, and ensure materials are available where and when needed.

At UNEX, we help businesses design and build industrial carts that fit the way their teams work. Using our modular flow rack solution, FlowCell, you can create carts tailored to the unique needs of each area across your operation, whether that means a durable tool cart, a mobile WIP cart, or a kitting cart designed for lineside storage and delivery.

FlowCell offers complete flexibility in building carts tailored to your materials and workspaces, designed for specific applications such as kitting, assembly, or maintenance, and is reconfigurable as your process evolves. These carts are built to withstand even the most demanding industrial environments.

With FlowCell, you’re not locked into fixed designs or off-the-shelf limitations. You get an engineered-to-order mobile solution that aligns with lean initiatives, reduces waste, and keeps your team productive. Additionally, FlowCell can be easily reconfigured by simply adding or removing parts, allowing you to adjust your industrial carts as your business needs change without incurring significant costs or investing in entirely new equipment.

Ready to build smarter industrial carts? Connect with a UNEX FlowCell expert to start designing industrial carts that move your operation forward.

Increase Operational Efficiency in Picking with Industrial Carts

From assembly lines to manufacturing warehouses, industrial carts are essential to moving materials efficiently and safely throughout your operation. When tailored to your exact needs, they can significantly reduce wasted motion, improve organization, and boost overall productivity.

UNEX has decades of experience helping businesses optimize space and streamline processes with solutions engineered for performance. With industrial cart solutions like FlowCell, we design and build durable, high-performing products that are purpose-built for your operation. Whether you need kitting carts, WIP carts, tool carts, or something completely unique, UNEX FlowCell is up to the task.

Let’s build a better way to move materials. Contact our product specialists today to learn how UNEX industrial carts can boost productivity and improve efficiency in your facility.

Explore UNEX Solutions

FlowCell

FlowCell flow racks are modular, dynamic industrial workstations designed for a facility's unique operation. Our durable and portable workstations maximize efficiency and space for lineside storage, sub-assembly stations, supermarket racks, modular mobile carts, and more.

Additional Benefits Of FlowCell Include:

Increase space utilization by up to 50%
Boost production efficiency by up to 30%
Keep the factory floor organized
Minimize reaching and improve ergonomics by reducing injury and fatigue

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SpanTrack Lane

SpanTrack Lane is an innovative carton-flow solution that drops into new or existing pallet rack structures to create an efficient, reliable, and durable flow system. Depend on a robust and sturdy solution for even the most active warehouses and assembly plants.

Key benefits of Spantrack include:

Ensure FIFO inventory rotation
Reduce worker travel time by up to 75%
Optimized for product stacking
Industry-leading 7-year warranty

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SpanTrack Wheel Bed

SpanTrack Wheel Bed is a flexible carton flow solution that drops into new or existing pallet rack structures to create the ultimate gravity flow rack system for order picking operations, manufacturing facilities, and more.

Additional Benefits Of Spantrack Wheel Bed Include:

Hex hub wheel design for optimal flow
Store products with a wide variation in size and weight
Increase flexibility for inventory slotting with 90% left to right bay usage
Replenish inventory from the back without interrupting the process in front

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Roller Rack

Roller Rack is a pre-engineered gravity flow rack designed to optimize efficiency, safety, and FIFO rotation in many settings. They are pre-configured, easy to assemble, and ready when your facility needs them.

Additional Benefits Of Roller Racks Include:

Quick and easy to build and install
Create bays seven times denser than pallet position storage
Reduce picker travel time by up to 75%
Improve access and visibility while reducing strain on workers

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Pick Shelves

Tilted pick shelves significantly improve SKU visibility, resulting in faster order picking and more comfortable, precise picks for workers. Our easy-to-mount pick shelves are customizable and fit perfectly in racks and on workstations.

Additional Benefits Of Pick Shelves Include:

Integrate slow movers into the pick line to save space and increase efficiency
Eliminate the dead zone
Accelerate pick rates
Provide clear visibility and accessibility at the pick point and improve worker comfort

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More Applications

Packing Stations

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Manufacturing Supermarkets