Material Handling: Optimizing Efficiency and Safety

 

Definition: "Material handling is a system which uses the right method to provide the right amount of the right material at the right place, at the right time, in the right sequence, in the right position, in the right conditions, and at the right cost." - Tompkins & White (1984)

Importance of Material Handling

1. Efficiency: Streamlining processes for faster operations.
2. Safety: Ensuring safe handling to protect workers and goods.
3. Quality: Maintaining product integrity during handling.
4. Customer Satisfaction: Meeting delivery expectations reliably.

Objectives of Material Handling

1. Ease in Manual Handling: Speeding up operations while ensuring control.
2. Uninterrupted Material Flow: Ensuring smooth movement of raw materials and work-in-progress.
3. Productivity & Efficiency: Enhancing overall productivity.
4. Customer Service Satisfaction: Meeting customer demands promptly.
5. Protection of Goods: Preventing damage during handling.
6. Worker Safety: Providing safe working conditions.
7. Reducing Wastage: Minimizing machine downtime and order picking times.
8. Optimizing Space: Efficiently utilizing warehouse space.
9. Ensuring Safety & Security: Safeguarding materials and personnel.

Principles of Material Handling

• Automation, Mechanization: Using automated systems to enhance efficiency.
• Simplification, Standardization: Streamlining processes for consistency.
• Space Utilization: Maximizing the use of available space.
• Gravity, Ecology, Energy: Considerations for environmental impact and energy efficiency.
• Safety, Adaptability, Flexibility: Prioritizing worker safety and operational flexibility.
• Maintenance, Performance, Obsolescence: Ensuring equipment reliability and longevity.
• Unit, System, Layout, Planning: Designing systems for optimal material flow.
• Material, Cost, Equipment: Considering cost-effective solutions for handling materials.

Factors Influencing Material Handling

1. Type of Products: Different products require different handling methods.
2. Types of Production Systems:
   • Intermittent Production: Uses lift trucks, pallets, and hand trucks.
   • Continuous Production: Uses cranes, conveyors, hoists, and pipelines.
3. Automated Systems: Integration of automation for efficiency.
4. Types of Buildings: Consideration of building floors and layout.
5. Material Handling Costs:
   • Equipment Cost: Includes the cost of devices, usable life, and resale/scrap value.
   • Operating Cost: Covers fuel, repairs and maintenance, insurance, and labor costs.

Dimensions of Material Handling

1. Movement Aspect: Efficient movement of materials.
2. Time Dimension: Timeliness in handling operations.
3. Quantity Issue: Handling the right quantity of materials.
4. Space: Optimal utilization of space for storage and movement.

Material Handling Systems and Equipment

"Branch of engineering concerned with the development of special machinery for transporting goods through various manufacturing stages to the finished product stage. It is a systematic physical movement of materials."

- James Apple

Types of Material Handling Equipment

1. Manual Equipment:

   • Benefits: Cheapest, flexible, and common.
   • Limitations: Low volume, slow speed, and limited use.

2. Mechanized Handling System (AS/RS):

   • Automatic storage and retrieval systems.

   • Criteria to Choose Equipment:

     • Improve space utilization.
     • Ensure safety for human beings.
     • Speed up overall material flow.
     • Reduce time for material movement.
     • Minimize material damage during handling.

   • Examples:

     • Forklift trucks
     • Tow lines
     • Tow tractors
     • Cranes
     • Conveyors
     • Carousel

3. Semi-Automated Systems:

   • Examples: Sorting devices, robotics.

4. Automated Handling Systems:

   • Substitute capital investment in equipment for labor required in mechanized handling systems.
   • High-rise storage.
   • Retrieval systems.
   • Order selection systems with manual handling for final transport stacking.

Conclusion

Material handling is a vital aspect of logistics management that ensures the smooth flow of materials throughout the production and distribution process. By understanding and implementing effective material handling systems and equipment, businesses can achieve greater efficiency, safety, quality, and customer satisfaction.

Reminder

Don't forget to explore our previous blogs for more insights into logistics management, and stay tuned for our next post where we'll continue to unravel the complexities of logistics!