Material Handling is the movement, storage, control and protection of materials, goods and products throughout the process of manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal . The focus is on the methods, mechanical equipment, systems and related controls used to achieve these functions. The material handling industry manufactures and distributes the equipment and services required to implement material handling systems . Material handling systems range from simple pallet rack and shelving projects, to complex conveyor belt and Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems ( AS/RS). Material handling can also consist of sorting and picking, as well as automatic guided vehicles.
Material handling is the function of moving the right material to the right place in the right time, in the right amount, in sequence, and in the right condition to minimize production cost . MATERIAL HANDLING
A material-handling system can be simply defined as an integrated system involving such activities as handling, storing, and controlling of materials. The word material has very broad meaning, covering all kinds of raw materials, work in process, subassemblies, and finished assemblies. MATERIAL HANDLING
Objectives Reduced Costs Increased Capacity Improved Working Condition Value Addition to Products In brief, the primary objectives of Material Handling are; To save money To save time To save men Main objective is to reduce the number of handlings as well as the overall cost of material handling equipment and reducing the distances through which the materials are handled.
The primary objective of using a material handling system is to ensure that the material in the right amount is safely delivered to the desired destination at the right time and at minimum cost. objectives
The material handling system is properly designed not only to ensure the minimum cost and compatibility with other manufacturing equipment but also to meet safety concerns . The cost of MH estimates 20-25 of total manufacturing labor cost. Objectives
Lower unit material handling costs Reduction in manufacturing cycle time through faster movement of materials and by reducing the distance through which the materials are moved. Reduction in manufacturing cycle time results in reduced work –in –progress inventory costs. Improved working conditions and greater safety in movement of materials Contribute to better quality by avoiding damage to products by inefficient handling Increased storage capacity through better utilisation of storage areas Higher productivity at lower manufacturing cost Other Objectives
GOALS OF MATERIAL HANDLING The primary goal is to reduce unit costs of production Maintain or improve product quality, reduce damage of materials Promote safety and improve working conditions
Promote increased use of facilities Reduce tare weight (dead weight) Control inventory GOALS OF MATERIAL HANDLING
Promote productivity material should flow in a straight line use gravity! It is free power move more material at one time mechanize material handling automate material handling GOALS OF MATERIAL HANDLING
Material handling equipment includes: Transport Equipment : industrial trucks, Automated Guided vehicles (AGVs), monorails, conveyors, cranes and hoists. Storage Systems : bulk storage, rack systems, shelving and bins, drawer storage, automated storage systems. Unitizing Equipment : palletizers Identification and Tracking systems GOALS OF MATERIAL HANDLING
Scope of Material handling: Manufacturing Processing Construction Mining Power Machine Tools Truck building Rail road car builders Barge and Ship building Aircraft
Importance of M H Efficient material handling is important to manufacturing operations. Materials sent by vendors must be unloaded, moved through inspections and production operations to stores and finally to the shipping department. These movements do not add value to the product but they do add value to the cost Material handling is an integral part of any industrial activity. With growing business, a greater emphasis is laid on productivity, profitability as well as resource conservation and ecological preservation. Material handling plays a very crucial role in sustaining efficiency in financial and human resources.
Material handling analysis is a subset of plant layout. Method study, plant layout and material handling are all part of the design of a production facility Material handling system and plant layout enhance effectiveness of each other. Efficient operation of appropriate material handling methods reduces costs and enables maximum capabilities to be derived from a given production facility Importance of M H
CONSIDERATIONS IN MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN 1. Material Characteristics Category Measures Physical state Size Weight Shape Condition Safety risk and risk of damage Solid, liquid, or gas Volume; length, width, height Weight per piece, weight per unit volume Long and flat, round, square, etc. Hot, cold, wet, etc. Explosive, flammable, toxic; fragile, etc.
2. Flow rate Manual handling Hand trucks Powered trucks Unit load AGV Conveyors Conveyors AGV train High Low Long Short Move Distance Quantity of material moved
Layout Type Characteristics Typical MH Equipment Fixed – position Process Product Large product size, low production rate Variation in product and processing, low and medium production rates Limited product variety, high production rate Cranes, hoists, industrial trucks Hand trucks, forklift trucks, AGVs Conveyors for product flow, trucks to deliver components to stations. 3. Plant Layout
THE PLANNING PRINCIPLE Large-scale material handling projects usually require a team approach. Material handling planning considers every move, every storage need, and any delay in order to minimize production costs. The plan should reflect the strategic objectives of the organization as well as the more immediate needs.
THE SYSTEMS PRINCIPLE MH and storage activities should be fully integrated to form a coordinated, operational system that spans receiving, inspection, storage, production, assembly…, shipping, and the handling of returns. Information flow and physical material flow should be integrated and treated as concurrent activities. Methods should be provided for easily identifying materials and products, for determining their location and status within facilities and within the supply chain.
SIMPLIFICATION PRINCIPLE simplify handling by reducing, eliminating, or combining unnecessary movement and/or equipment. Four questions to ask to simplify any job: Can this job be eliminated? If we can’t eliminate, can we combine movements to reduce cost? (unit load concept) If we can’t eliminate or combine, can we rearrange the operations to reduce the travel distance? If we can’t do any of the above, can we simplify?
GRAVITY PRINCIPLE Utilize gravity to move material whenever practical. SPACE UTILIZATION PRINCIPLE The better we use our building cube, the less space we need to buy or rent. Racks, mezzanines, and overhead conveyors are a few examples that promote this goal.
UNIT LOAD PRINCIPLE Unit loads should be appropriately sized and configured at each stage of the supply chain. The most common unit load is the pallet cardboard pallets plastic pallets wooden pallets steel skids
AUTOMATION PRINCIPLE MH operations should be mechanized and/or automated where feasible to improve operational efficiency, increase responsiveness, improve consistency and predictability, decrease operating costs.
THE STANDARDIZATION PRINCIPLE standardize handling methods as well as types and sizes of handling equipment too many sizes and brands of equipment results in higher operational cost. A fewer sizes of carton will simplify the storage.
EQUIPMENT SELECTION PRINCIPLE Why? What? Where? When? How? Who? If we answer these questions about each move, the solution will become evident. THE MAINTENANCE PRINCIPLE Plan for preventive maintenance and scheduled repairs of all handling equipment. Pallets and storage facilities need repair too.
THE DEAD WEIGHT PRINCIPLE Try to reduce the ratio of equipment weight to product weight. Don’t buy equipment that is bigger than necessary. Reduce tare weight and save money. THE CAPACITY PRINCIPLE use handling equipment to help achieve desired production capacity i.e. material handling equipment can help to maximize production equipment utilization.
TYPES OF MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Conventional Material Handling Equipment 1. Storage Equipment 2. Bulk Material Handling 3. Industrial Trucks Conventional Material Handling Equipment 1. Robotic Delivery System 2. Computer Controlled Conveyor System 3. Automated Guided Vehicles
MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT Industrial trucks include hand trucks such as two-wheeled, four-wheeled, hand lift, and forklift and powered trucks such as forklift, tractor-trailer trains, industrial crane trucks, and side loaders. Conveyors such as belt, chute, roller, wheel, slat, chain, bucket, trolley, tow, screw, vibrating, and pneumatic. Monorails, hoists, and cranes such as bridge, gantry, tower, and stacker.
Automated guided vehicle systems such as unit load carriers, towing, pallet trucks, fork trucks, and assembly line. Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS) such as unit load, mini-load, person-on-board, deep lane, and storage carousel systems. MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT
Types of Material Handling Equipment Basically there are three types of materials handling equipments. Static Platforms Pallets Still ages
Pros and Cons of Using Material Handling Equipment PROS: Lessen manual labor. Less shipping errors. Minimal damage on goods and materials. Less shipping and production costs. Lessen employees compensation claims therefore allows you to save more in the long run. CONS: Require fast data tracking and processing. Require reliable and fool-proof inventory management system. Require more free floor spaces so that equipment can move properly. Buying your own material handling equipment may require you to raise bigger funds or initial capital. Require you to set aside funds for maintenance and repair.
Factors Affecting the selection of Material Handling Equipment Adaptability Flexibility Load capacity Power Speed Space requirements Supervision required Ease of maintenance Environment Cost