MATERIAL HANDLING

Definition of material handling

Material handling is defined as the art and science of moving, packaging and storing of substances
in a form.
Other definitions include:
a) Creation of time and place utility
b) Movement and storage of material at the lowest possible cost through the use of proper
methods and equipments.
c) ifting, shifting and placing of material which effect in a saving in money, time and place.
d) !rt and science of conveying, elevating, packaging and storing of materials.
SO!E O" MATERIALS HANDLING
"he scope of materials handling activity within an organi#ation depends on the type of product
manufactured, the si#e of organi#ation, the value of the product and the value of the activity being
performed and the relative importance of materials handling to the enterprise.
"here are three perspectives about materials handling vi#$
a) "he traditional point of view.
b) %lant wide & concern for overall flow of materials.
c) "he system point of view.
'n the traditional point of view of materials handling, the emphasis is on the movement of
materials from one location to another within the confines of the individual plant. "he concern is to
find the best way to move the materials from one place to another within the planrt.
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%lant wide concern focuses the attention on the overall flow of materials in the plant. "he main
concern is te hinter)relationship between all the handling problems and the possibility of establishing
an overall materials handling plan.
"he systems point of view of material handling requires visuali#ation of material handling
problems, the physical distribution activities, and all closely related functions as one, an all &
encompassing system. "his point of view involves a much broader considerations of materials
handling activities involving the movement of material from all sources of supply *vendors), all
handling activities witin and around the plant and the activities involved in the distribution of
finished goods to all customers of thr firm.
IM!ORTANE O" MATERIAL HANDLING
(. +fficient materials 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 departments. "his movements donot add value to the product but,
they do add to the cost.
,. materials handling analysis is a subset to plant layout and materials handling are all part of
design of a production facility and can hardly be treated as separate. Materials handling
system and plant, enhance effectiveness of each other. ! good plant layout enables an
operation to use the most effective handling method. +fficient operation of appropriate
materials handling methods reduces costs and enables ma-imum capabilities to be derived
from a given production facility.
O#$ETI%ES O" MATERIALS HANDLING
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+ven though the best solution to the materials handling problem, is no handling, it is hardly
practicable in the manufacturing process. .ence, the main ob/ective of materials handling is to
reduce the number of handling equipments and reducing the distances through which the materials
are handled.
Other o&'ecti(es of materials handling are:
(. lower unit materials handling costs.
,. reduction in the manufacturing cycle time through faster movements of materials and by
reducing the distance through which the materials are moved. 0eduction in manufacturing
cycle time results in reduced work in progress inventory costs.
1. contribution towards a better control of the flow of materials through the manufacturing
facility.
2. improved working conditions and the greater safety in the movement of materials.
3. contribute to better quality by avoiding damage to products by inefficient handling.
4. increases storage capacity through better utilisation of storage areas.
5. higher productivity at lower manufacturing cost.
MATERIAL HANDLING !RINI!LES
Certain principles have evolved to guide facility layout to ensure efficient handling of materials.
!lthough, there are no hard and fast rules, they do provide effective guidelines for the efficient
movement of materials in most facility layouts.
!rinci)le *: Materials should move through the facility in direct flow pattern, minimi#ing
#ig#agging or backtracking.
!rinci)le +: 0elated production processes should be arranged to provide for direct material flows.
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!rinci)le ,: Mechani#ed materials handling devices should be designed and located so that human
effort is minimi#ed.
!rinci)le -: .eavy and bulk materials should be moved the shortest distance during processing.
!rinci)le .: "he number of times each material is handled should be minimi#ed.
!rinci)le /: 6ystems fle-ibility should allow for une-pected breakdowns of materials handling
equipments, changes in production system technology, etc.
!rinci)le 0: Mobile equipments should carry full loads all the times.
"hese seven principles can be summari#ed as follows$
(. Eliminate Handling: 'f not, make the handling distance as short as possible.
,. 1ee) Mo(ing: 'f not, reduce the time spent at the terminal points of a route as short as
possible.
1. 2se sim)le )atterns of material flo3 4the sim)lest )ath is a straight line )ath of flo3
3hich minimi5es the handling distance &et3een t3o )oints67 'f not, reduce backtracking,
crossovers and other congestion producing patterns as much as possible.
2. arr8 )a8 loads &oth 3a8s: 'f not, minimi#e the time spent in 7transport empty8 by speed
changes and route locations.
3. arr8 full loads: 'f not, consider increasing the si#e of unit loads, decreasing carrying
capacity, lowering speed, or acquiring more versatile equipment.
4. 2se Gra(it8: if not, try to find another source of power that is reliable and ine-pensive.
'n addition to the above guidelines, there are certain other very important aspects of materials
handling, such as the following$
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a7 Materials handling consideration should include the mo(ement of men9 machine9 tools
and information7
&7 The flo3 s8stem must su))ort the o&'ecti(es of recei(ing9 sorting9 ins)ecting9
in(entor8ing9 accounting9 )ac:aging and assem&ling7
6ince the consideration and ob/ectives do conflict, it is essential to take a systems decision
followed by delicate diplomacy to establish a material movement plan that meets service
requirement without subordinating safety and economy.
MATERIAL HANDLING OSTS
The costs of materials handling arise from t3o sources:
(. the cost of owning and maintaining equipment.
,. the cost of operating the system.
9hile the costs of owning the equipment are generally known since entries are available in the
books of accounts, the cost of operating the handling system are hard to pin down as records are not
generally maintained.

+very effort has to be made to reduce materials handling costs, particularly because they do not
add any value to a product. "he product will not be worth any more toi the consumer simply because
it was moved, but it will still cost the consumer more.
Ho3 to reduce handling costs;
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"here are three fundamental ways of minimi#ing the costs$
a) eliminating the handling itself whenever and wherever possible.
b) Mechani#ing, largely by conveyors and power driven trucks, whatever handling still remains.
c) Making the necessary handling more efficient.
%rimary requisite for any action to be taken towards minimi#ing handling costs is to have a
record maintained for them. 't is here that ma/ority of the companies are not doing the right thing.
"actors affecting the selection of materials handling e<ui)ments
"he selection of materials handling equipments requires consideration of and attaining of proper
balance between the following factors$
i. %roduction problem.
ii. "he capabilities of the handling equipment available.
iii. "he human element involved.
"he ultimate aim is to arrive at the lowest cost per unit of materials handled.
4i6 The )roduction )ro&lem factors are:
a. :olume of the production t obe attained.
b. Class of materials to be handled.
c. "he layout of plant and building facilities.
;or e-ample$ the handling equipment which can be economically /ustified for the manufacture of
(<<< ": sets per day would be entirely different from the handling equipment needed in a plant
manufacturing ,< steam turbine generators ' na year as the production rate, weight and class of
materials needed are different.
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4ii6 a)a&ilities of the handling e<ui)ments a(aila&le are:
a. Ada)ta&ilit8: "he load carrying and movement characteristics of the equipment should fit
the material)handling problem.
b. "le=i&ilit8: 9herever possible, the equipment should have the fle-ibility to handle more than
one material, class or si#e.
c. Load a)acit8: +quipment selected should have enough load)carrying characteristics to do
the /ob effectively.
d. !o3er: "he equipment should have enough power available to do this /ob.
e. S)eed: "he speed of movement of the handling equipment should be as high as possible,
within the limits of production process and plant safety.
f. S)ace Re<uirements: "he required to install or operate materials handling equipment is also
an important consideration.
g. Su)er(ision re<uired: "he degree of automation in the handling equipment decides the
amount of supervision required.
h. Ease of maintenance: +quipment selected should be capable of easy maintenance at
reasonable cost.
i. En(ironment: +quipment selected must conform to any environmental regulations.
/. ost: "he cost of the equipment *capital investment) is an obvious factor in the selection.
The (arious :inds of costs to &e considered in addition to the initial )urchase )rice of the
handling e<ui)ment are:
a. =perating Costs
b. 'nstallation Costs
c. Maintenance Costs
d. %ower 0equirements
e. 'nsurance 0equirements
f. 6pace Cost
g. >epreciation Cost
h. 6alvage :alue
i. "ime :alue of money invested
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/. =pportunity Cost
4iii6 The human elements>factors cannot &e o(erloo:ed in the selection of materials handling
e<ui)ment7 The8 are:
a. "he capabilities of the available manpower to operate the equipment.
b. 6afety of personnel *those who operate it or come in contact with it)
T?!ES O" MATERIAL HANDLING S?STEMS
"he materials handling systems can be classified according to the type of handling equipment used,
type of material handled and the methods, need or functions performed.
The lassifications are:
*7 E<ui)ment oriented s8stems de)ending u)on the t8)e of e<ui)ment used7 The8 are:
a) =verhead 6ystems
b) Conveyor 6ystems
c) "ractor "ransfer 6ystems
d) ;ork)lift "ruck and %allet "ruck 6ystems
e) 'ndustrial "ruck 6ystems
f) ?nderground 6ystems
+7 Material oriented s8stems consisting of the follo3ing t8)es:
a) ?nit handling 6ystems
b) @ulk .andling 6ystems
c) iquid handling 6ystems
,7 Method oriented s8stems can &e of the follo3ing t8)es:
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a) Manual 6ystems
b) Mechani#ed or automated 6ystems
c) Bob)6hop .andling 6ystems
d) Mass %roduction .andling 6ystems
-7 "unction oriented S8stems:
a) "ransportation systems
b) Conveying 6ystems
c) "ransferring 6ystems
d) +levating 6ystems
The materials handling e<ui)ments are classified into four &asic t8)es9 (i57 con(e8ors9 cranes
and hoists9 truc:s and au=iliar8 e<ui)ment7
T?!ES O" MATERIALS HANDLING S?STEMS
(. ON%E?ORS
"hese are gravity or powered devices, commonly used for moving loads from point to point over
fi-ed paths. "he various types of conveyors are$
a) #elt on(e8or: Motor driven belt, usually made of rubberi#ed fabric or
metal fabric on a rigid frame.
b) hain on(e8or: Motor driven chain that drags materials along a metal
slide base.
c) Roller con(e8or: @o-es, large parts or unit lands roll on top of a series of
rollers mounted on a rigid frame.
d) !neumatic on(e8or: high volume of air flows through a tube, carrying
materials along with the airflow.
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"he other types of conveyors are bucket conveyor, screw conveyor, pipeline conveyor, vibratory
conveyor, trolley conveyor, and chute or gravity conveyors.
!dvantages of conveyors are that they do not require operators, will move a large volume of
products and ine-pensive to operate.
,. RANES9 ELE%ATORS AND HOISTS
"hese are overloaded devices used for moving various loads intermittently between points within an
area, fi-ed by supporting and binding rails.
a) ranes are devices mounted on overhead rails or ground level wheels or rails. "hey lift,
swing and transport large and heavy materials. +-amples are Dantry Crane, Bib Crane and
+lectrically =perated =verhead Crane *+="C).
b) Ele(ators are a type of cranes that lift materials usually between floors of buildings.
c) Hoists are devices, which move materials vertically and hori#ontally in a limited area.
+-amples are !ir .oists, electric hoists and chain hoists.
1. IND2STRIAL TR21S
"hese devices are used for moving mi-ed or uniform loads intermittently over variable paths. "hey
are electric, diesel, gasoline or liquefied petroleum, gas powered vehicles equipped with beds, forks,
arms or other holding devices. +-amples are forklift trucks, pallet trucks, tractor with trailers, hand
trucks and power trolleys.
2. A2@ILIAR? EA2I!MENTS
"hese are devices or attachments used with handling equipment to make their use more effective and
versatile. +-amples are ramps, positioners, pallets, containers and turn)tables.
MISELLANEO2S HANDLING EA2I!MENTS
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(. !i)e Lines9 which are closed tubes that transport liquids by means of pumps or gravity.
,. Automatic transfer de(ices, which automatically grasp materials, hold them firmly while
operations are being performed and move them to other locations.
1. Automated guided (ehicle 4AG%6 S8stems: "hese devices do not require operations and
provide a great deal of fle-ibility in the paths they travel and the functions they perform and
the !D:s are controlled by signals sent through the wires embedded in the floor or inductive
tape on the floor surface. ! remote control computer is needed to control the movement of
!D:s.
2. Industrial Ro&ots: a robot is a mechanism that has a movable armlike pro/ection with a
gripper on the end that can perform a variety of functions with the control that can be
reprogrammed and hence they are very versatile.
"he process design and the principles of efficient materials handling provide the
framework for selecting specific materials handling devices as the core of the materials
handling system. +ach of the handling devices has its own unique characteristics and
advantages and disadvantages.
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