TPT250

FUNDAMENTALS OF TRANSPORT
CHAPTER 5:
UNIT LOAD CONCEPT/MATERIAL
HANDLING
5.0 CHAPTER OUTLINE
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT
5.3 PALLETISATION
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
 The unit load concept can be defined as combination of a
multiple units of product into single entity. It means that a
collection of item is moved as a single unit.
 Goods or materials can be handled much more efficiently in a
large quantity or volume through the process of consolidation.
 The process of consolidation of goods or materials in large
quantity or volume is based on the unit load concept.
 This can be explained as below:
50 tins of baked beans can be moved in a single unit in cardboard
cartons
1000 tins (in five rows of 4 cartons each put on a pallet)- can also
be moved in a single unit by using a forklift to lift it.
20000 tins (20 pallets loads are deposited in a container) – can be
also moved in a single unit in a container, lifted by a gantry crane.
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
The above methods of handling goods or materials using
unit load concept is more economical and convenient.
Types of unit loads
a) Work Boxes
b) Cardboard Cartons
c)Sacks
d)Stillages
e)Pallets
f) Drums
g) Container
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
a) Work Boxes
-Is suitable for handling small components such as
metal castings, angle joints, bolts, washers and etc
-A metal or plastic boxes designed to stack easily,
moved manually, on conveyors or by forklift trucks
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
b) Cardboard Cartons
-Protective packaging unit which can be stored on
pallets or racks
-Stronger cartons will be needed for contents which
might crush in transit

Corrugated Fiberboard
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
c) Sacks
-Are made from paper, jute or plastic
-When properly filled and dry, paper sacks have
considerable strength and can easily piled one upon
another
-Cannot stand for excessive handling
-Cheap and suitable for cement, animal foodstuffs,
fertilizers & etc
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
d) Stillages
-Is a base-plate usually of wood
-With bearers to give a clearance between the platform
and the floor
-Cannot stack one on top of the other
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
e) Pallets
-The most versatile unit load system
-Made from wood or metal framework
-Can be picked up by a forklift truck or other
mechanical device
A metal pallet with
The classic wooden removable beams.
pallet These are often used
by tree nurseries (to
stack trees)

A plastic pallet with

nine legs, which can be Pallets being used in
lifted from all four a warehouse in
sides Finland
5.1 UNIT LOAD CONCEPT
f) Drums
-suitable for liquid and gases/chemical products
-Made of steel, fiber or plastics
-Can be picked up by a forklift truck or other
mechanical device

In shipment, drum often certifiy as dangerous goods

5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
In handling goods/materials physically certain
equipments are used:
a)Lift Trucks/Fork lift Truck
- Also being called as a counterbalanced truck, where the
load weight is balance by the weight of the forklift
-Size may vary from manually propelled truck, battery-
driven truck with lifting capacity of a few tons, to the very
large heavy duty and capable of lifting up to 30 tons
-operated by battery powered motor or internal combustion
engine driven by petrol, diesel or LPG
 5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
-The forked platform can be raised :a) to free the
goods from the floor for transitb) to place the goods on
shelves or vehicles
-Forklift can move with the forked platform raised to
certain allowable height

Pallet Trucks
Counter-balanced trucks Side-loaders
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
b) Mobile Cranes
-Most are hydraulic operated
-use either on the work site or in the industrial
premises
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
c) Gantry Cranes
- track-mounted, shoreside crane utilized in the
loading an unloading of breakbulk cargo, contain
and heavy lift cargo.
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
d) Container Crane
-usually a rail-mounted gantry crane located on a
wharf for the purpose of loading and unloading
containers on vessels.

Container crane at Port of Rotterdam

5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
e) Rubber-tired Gantry (RTG)
- Travelling crane used for the movement and
positioning of containers in a container field. It can
also be used for loading and unloading containers.
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
f) Straddle carriers
- Container terminal equipment, which is motorized
and runs on rubber tires.
- It can straddle a single unit of container and is
primarily used to move containers around the
terminal.
5.2 MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENT
g) Conveyors and elevators
-product is moved from A to B by continuous belting system
-include some element of elevation to raise products to floors or
required levels
-mainly use in manufacturing industry
- Elevators are capable of handling a variety of goods including
boxes, packages, bags, cartons and bottle crates.

Belt Conveyor Baggage Handling

systems at a Belt Conveyor
Packing Depot systems
Elevator for cargo
MATERIAL HANDLING
EQUIPMENTS
 1. HOSPITAL
 2. AIRPORT
 3. CONSTRUCTION SITE
 4. SHOPPING MALL
 5. SEA TRANSPORT – CONTAINER PORT
 6. SEA TRANSPORT - GRAB AT PORT
 7. HOSTELS IN UITM KAG
 8. CAFÉ/RESTAURANTS
 9. IN OUR OWN HOUSE
 10. IN PALU (AFTER EARTHQUAKE & TSUNAMI) – SAR
PROCESS
 11. RAIL / BUS TERMINAL
5.3 PALLETISATION
It can be defined as the technique of using a pallet to
store, protect and handle cargo while it is in storage (in
the warehouse) or in transit.
A pallet is a short wooden, metal or plastic platform on
which package cargo is placed then handled by a
forklift truck.
A pallet is used in a unit load concept in handling
cargoes/goods in a unitized form.
Large quantity or volume of cargo can be handled in a
single unit much more efficiently by using pallets.
5.3 PALLETISATION
Benefits of Pallet:
1. Improve utilization of warehouse space – maximize
height
2. Damage in transit reduced
3. Pilferage
4. Increase productivity – bigger load per lift
5. Reduce time spent in handling and labour
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
Containerization in Malaysia
In Malaysia, the era of containerization starts in
1973,when the first vessel carrying containers depart
from Port Klang to Tokyo Bay.
However, the preparation has been done by
government & Lembaga Pelabuhan Klang (LPK) since
1970which includes roads & railways improvement,
wharves expansion, deepening of wharves and
channels, yards, reefer points, inland clearance depot,
etc
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
Milestone
 - Containerization has revolutionized (transform/develop) cargo
shipping.
 - Today, approximately 90% of non-bulk cargo worldwide
moves by containers stacked on transport ships;
 - 26% of all containers originate from China. As of 2005, some
18 million total containers make over 200 million trips per year.
 - There are ships that can carry over 14,500 twenty-foot
equivalent units (TEU), for example the "Emma Mærsk", 396 m
long, launched August 2006.
 - It has even been predicted that, at some point, container ships
will be constrained in size only by the depth of the Straits of
Malacca—one of the world's busiest shipping lanes—linking the
Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
 Containerization facilitates unitization/unit load concept
I. The conversion of many small packets into a single unit lift
II. Eg. 60 cans of baked beans are put into a cardboard
cartoon that is a small unit load. If 20 such cardboard
cartoons are put on a pallet in five rows of cartoons each,
the forklift truck which lifts them as a unit load is lifting
1,200 cans. If 20 pallet loads are deposited in a container,
the gantry crane which lifts its on to a rail wagon is lifting
24,000 cans as a unit load.
This will be a very economical lifting/transferring
operation
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
Dimension of Container:
Most of it are standard configuration (ISO Standard)
with majority having measurement of:
Length: 20ft, 40ft, 45ft and 60ft
Width: 8ft
Height: 8ft to 9ft 6inc
• A 40ft container is equivalent to 2 TEU’s

Containers on the Port of Singapore

5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
 • “a steel-framed box, with a strong floor and parallel sides,
end and roof”
 the doors at the open end can be secured and sealed giving
good protection against the pilferage
 the steel frame must be strong enough to support other
containers stacked above it (up to seven stacks high)
 The system concept for freight mainly focuses on
containerization
 its intermodal nature of the transit, where containers move
easily from one mode of transport to another
 containerization has led to the development of integrated
transport system, offering depot to depot services on
worldwide routes for all types of goods
5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
There are variety types of containers
a) General cargo
b) Refrigerated
c) Top loading/Open Top
d) Half height
f) Flat rack
h) Tanker
a) General Cargo
 Closed on all four sides, Standard Cargo Containers or General
Purpose Containers can vary in overall dimension and weight.
 They can also be supplied with doors at one or both ends and
one or both sides, depending on the customer’s requirements.
 It is specially design for the task and often equipped with
cranes and other mechanism to load and unload the container
from vessel to port.
 As a result, general cargo able to tailor the supply chain
management services as needed on an individual basis for each
client.
 Efficiently serve the industries of : air, ocean, inland,
warehousing and distribution.
b) Refrigerated Container
 Refrigerated Containers also known as Reefer Containers.
 Are perfect when goods such as fruit, flowers, vegetables,
meat, butter and cheese, need to be transported at a constant
low temperature.
 Refrigerated Containers can keep the internal temperatures of
the container between +25 & -25 degrees centigrade.
 As chilled meat is sometimes also transported, the ceilings of
Refrigerated Containers are equipped with special hook rails
so the meat can be neatly hung.
c) Top Loading/ Open Top
 The walls of open-top containers are generally made of
corrugated steel. The floor is made of wood.
 It has the following typical distinguishing structural features.
The roof consists of removable bows and a removable
tarpaulin. The door header may be swiveled out.
 These two structural features greatly simplify the process of
packing and unpacking the container.
 In particular, it is very easy to pack and unpack the container
from above or through the doors by crane or crab when the
roof is open and the door header is swiveled out.
d) Half-height Container
 Half height containers are useful for storage and transport of
pipes, tools, and other off-dimension commodities.
 There are two ways that half height containers can be loaded
and unloaded for storage.
 The first is top loaded, usually accomplished by crane or
forklift, depending on size of the cargo to be held or transported.
 The second is side loading, which is typically by forklift,
through the removable or swinging side door.
 f) Flat Rack
 Flat Rack Containers in 20’ and 40’ lengths are ideal for large and
heavy cargoes that cannot be loaded into standard containers that
have fixed sides or walls.
 Loading is from above or the side and the end walls can either be
fixed or detachable.
 Flat rack containers have a high-loading capacity frame and a
softwood floor and the sturdy end walls provide more than
sufficient stability to allow them to be stacked, one on top of the
other.
 Lashing rings to secure the cargo are fitted into the side rails, floor
and corner posts and these help to accommodate loads of up to
2000 kg, in the case of 20’ Flat Racks, and 4000 kg in the case of
40’ Flat Racks.
h) Tanker
 A tank container can be loaded and unloaded from the top and
the bottom.
 On a standard tank container there is a manhole and at least one
valve on the top, and there is a valve at the bottom.
 Loading and unloading is done by connecting hoses of the
loading and unloading facility to the valves of the tank.
 The loading or unloaded is often done using a pump.
 Tank containers must be at least 80% full, to prevent dangerous
surging of the liquids in transit.
 Tank containers intended for transporting foodstuffs must be
labeled "Potable Liquids only“.
 Example: Gas ​tank - a tank that is suitable for the transport of
gases; Silo Tank - a tank for the transport of grains and powders
 5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
 Main advantages of using containers
a)It consolidates cargo
- Forming into single unit load from a number of packages (product)
- The packages will be arrange systematically in a container.
b)Can be handled more quickly & more easily
- By using container, it reduces the loading and unloading time for the container to
be transferred from the prime mover to the ship cargo.
c)Less packaging is needed
- The container itself is protecting the goods from damage during transit.
- It is because the container is made of aluminum and steel which originally build
to protect the goods/packages in it.
d)Saving on storage & warehousing
- A large amount of goods can be moved in a single containers which reduces the
need for storage and warehousing process.
e)Less labor in handling
- To handle goods and containers, it uses material handling equipment such as
forklift, trucks, quay crane, prime mover and conveyor belt to move the goods.
- Therefore, few qualified and experienced workers are needed to handle those
machine.
- From there, the cost of hiring labor can be decrease and the work of moving
the goods/containers will be more faster.
f)Economic utilization of cargo space volume
- It seems that more goods can be stored as the container space is huge in size
and the ship cargo itself can carry a large amount of containers to export to
other countries.
g)Reduce pilferage
- Since the containers are mostly sealed with steel bars, it is hardly to perform
any kind of thievery while the goods in being ship to the chosen destination.
- The goods will arrive in intact at the hands of the customer.
h)Simpler documentation
- This will attract business people to use water transportation as their main
medium to export their goods to other country.
- They are only required to fill the blue and pink form to clearly state the type
of product is being moved and bill of transfer.
i)Facilitates transfer from one transport modes to another
- By using container, it is easy to transfer the goods by using intermodal
concept which goods will arrive safely at the required destination.
j)Faster ship turnaround time
- Ship can make more trip to other ports to load and unload containers because
it apply unit load concept where the goods is transfer from ship cargo to
prime mover in a large amount.
- The ship cargo can earn more profit for more trips been made to move the
goods.
 5.4 CONTAINERIZATION
Main disadvantages of using container:
a)Technical problems
-Needs for special ship, berths, container parks, handling facilities
and vehicles
- Require a lot of money to invest such facilities.
b)Operational problems
-Cost of operating is enormous, especially in ports, gantry cranes,
getting back empty containers
- When there is no ship cargo to load any containers at the port, so
the port will not get any profit which unable for them to recover
back the operating cost.