Material handling systems (MHSs) are an integral part of logistics functions in manufacturing and service organizations. Material handling equipment (MHE) is considered the pivotal actor of any given MHS. Decisions ranging from the strategic level, such as selecting the proper MHE, capacity, and ownership (in-house or outsourcing) to operational level decisions such as resource allocation, scheduling, and routing of MHEs, are critical to the efficiency of an MHS. Industry practitioners use various methods and tools to evaluate these MHSs to find the best policies for their operations. This study identifies past works related to the performance evaluation and optimisation of MHSs using queueing network models. Moreover, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of identified research questions. The study methodology adopts a systematic literature review, bibliometric, and content analysis techniques proposed in similar research studies. This study provides material logistics scholars and practitioners with a thorough understanding of queueing networks as a modelling tool for analysing MHS applications in various domains.

物料搬运系统 (MHS) 是制造和服务组织中物流功能的组成部分。物料搬运设备 (MHE) 被认为是任何特定 MHS 的关键参与者。从战略层面（例如选择适当的 MHE、容量和所有权（内部或外包））到运营层面的决策（例如 MHE 的资源分配、调度和路由），对于 MHS 的效率至关重要。行业从业者使用各种方法和工具来评估这些 MHS，以找到最适合其运营的政策。本研究回顾了过去与使用排队网络模型进行 MHS 性能评估和优化相关的工作。此外，这项研究还对已确定的研究问题进行了全面分析。研究方法采用类似研究中提出的系统文献综述、文献计量和内容分析技术。这项研究为物资物流学者和从业者提供了对排队网络​​作为分析各个领域 MHS 应用的建模工具的透彻理解。