The present invention comprises a material handling device and method for transferring material from one location to another. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for placing material onto a pallet and/or removing material from a pallet. The device has a pedestal with a working arm pivotally connected to the pedestal. The working arm is driven by a horizontal motion actuator. Connected to the working arm and horizontal motion actuator is a cam follower that is received in a cam track on a cam track plate. The cam track plate can be easily removed and replaced with another plate with the cam tracks in a different arrangement. The horizontal motion actuator moves the cam follower along the cam track, resulting in movement of the working arm along a pre-selected path. At the end of the working arm is a material holder used for grasping and releasing the material to be transferred. The material holder has the ability to move vertically relative to the pedestal, thus allowing material to stacked, or removed from different elevations.