The term "industrial workhorse" has never been more appropriate a term than when used to refer to handcarts. Used since 2000 BC, they've remained the equipment of choice for hauling materials of all sorts over short distances.
Handcarts In Construction: In modern times, you'll find handcarts regularly employed over numerous construction sites in one form or another. That heap of gravel you're taking from the pile to the mixer? Load it on the handcart and save yourself a whole lot of time. Those slabs of hollow blocks that need to be moved to a different spot? Conserve your strength and pile a whole stack of them on the hand truck. Let the workhorse do what it does best.
Without handcarts, building everything from houses to bridges to...uhm...the Pyramid of Egypt will not only prove more tedious, it would have taken considerably longer. Sure, that wheeled, manual-powered open wagon might seem like such a small part of a project as monstrous as a multi-story structure, but it's tough to deny how valuable its tiny contributions play.
Handcarts In Industry: Inside many manufacturing establishments, refineries and inventory warehouses, you'll find handcarts frequently employed as well. From loading boxes of packaged merchandise to taking supplies around, they're an ever-present utility that remains indispensable, despite the proliferation of high-tech machinery.
Most any place where large trucks load and unload materials will have accessible handcarts within the vicinity. After all, there's no easier way to haul items both to and from containers than these time-tested, wheeled machines. To put it simply, handcarts are among the cogs that keep industry moving effectively and in an efficient manner. No matter how simple they may appear.
Extra Heavy Loads: Modern handcarts tend to vary in the kind of load they can carry. There are models for most any commercial or industrial need, with a range of various sizes and features. Some of the more expensive ones I've seen can handle several thousand pounds, armed with heavy-duty cushion rubber tires on roller-bearing wheels, waterproof steel construction, ergonomic pushing and pulling mechanisms, and no-slip brakes to help manage all that imposing weight.
A World Without Handcarts: Can you imagine the ramifications of operating a construction site or a warehouse without handcarts? You can beef up your workforce with a roster of 300lb strongmen, but it remains highly unlikely you can keep carrying materials around at an efficient pace. Even worse, you'll end up with more injuries than you can count (from pulled muscles to back pains).
It's a testament to this equipment's inherent value as a real workhorse in industry - one you should never try to do without.
