Material Handling Bootcamp offers on-demand training for a modern workforce.
By Nicole Needles
WHEN RUSS HENNIGAR joined the material handling industry, he quickly realized that the steep learning curve confronted newcomers.
“Before I ever stepped into the material handling world, I was a teacher and worked for two major educational publishers, so education has always been in my bloodstream,” Hennigar said. “Then I took my first job as a distributor salesman. I thought, ‘How hard can this be? We’re talking about boxes, how to move and store them.’ Well, that was wrong. Spectacularly wrong.”
Hennigar, founder of Material Handling Bootcamp, spent decades learning the intricacies of forklifts, pallet racks, conveyors, dock equipment and warehouse layout. Across his career, he noticed a consistent challenge: training. “Smart people were joining the industry, but without a structured foundation, it took months, sometimes years, for them to become productive. There was no manual, no curriculum, no sequence, just trial by fire,” he said.
To solve that problem, Hennigar created Material Handling Bootcamp, a streamlined, eight-part microlearning program that distills more than 40 years of hands-on experience into short, practical lessons.
Simplifying With Micro-learning
“The industry needed a simple, modern and engaging way to teach the fundamentals,” he said. “Not with dry manuals, but through clear, real-world video training. Material Handling Bootcamp is everything I wish I’d had on day one.”
The Bootcamp’s format is tailored to today’s workforce. Micro-learning breaks training into short, focused videos that can be digested quickly and applied immediately. Employees can watch a lesson over a coffee break and return to their work with usable knowledge.
The foundational course, “Selective Rack and More,” goes far beyond racking systems. It introduces core principles across the entire warehouse environment – forklifts, pallets, layout design and safety fundamentals – serving as a springboard for deeper learning. Additional modules cover drive-in rack, push-back rack, pallet flow rack, shelving basics, conveyor basics, carton flow basics and truck and dock basics.
Each participant receives individual registration, test tracking and a certificate of completion, making it easy for companies to track progress and validate training.
Accessible for All Levels of Knowledge
The Bootcamp serves a wide audience – from new hires to seasoned professionals at both the distributor and factory levels. It’s ideal for inside and outside salespeople, customer service teams, project coordinators and even CAD operators, many of whom “can draw a layout beautifully but don’t always know what they’re actually drawing,” Hennigar said.
Graduates walk away with:
- A working knowledge of industry terminology and applications across pallet rack, conveyors, forklifts, dock equipment and so much more.
- A foundation in warehouse layout and system design.
- Improved communication with installers, engineers and customers.
- Fewer jobsite errors and greater confidence in field interactions.
Delivered through the MHEDA Learning Management System, Material Handling Bootcamp provides an affordable, modern training solution accessible via computer, tablet or smartphone – anytime, anywhere.
For more information on the Material Handling Bootcamp, including registration and course details, visit mheda.org/mhbootcamp.
