Sakshi Education
1.1 Introduction to Material handling system
The classical definition of material handling can be best heard in the words of Haynes as “Material handling covers the basic operations in connection with the movement of bulk, packaged and individual products in a semi-solid or solid state by means of gravity manually or power-actuated equipment and within the limits of individual producing, fabricating, processing or service establishment”.
Material handling does not add any value to the product but adds to the cost of the product and hence it will cost the customer more. So the handling should be kept at minimum. Material handling in Indian industries accounts for nearly 40% of the cost of production. Out of the total time spent for manufacturing a product, 20% of the time is utilized for actual processing on them while the remaining 80% of the time is spent in moving from one place to another, waiting for the processing.
Materials handling can be also defined as ‘the function dealing with the preparation, placing and positioning of materials to facilitate their movement or storage. Material handling is the art and science involving the movement, handling and storage of materials during different stages of manufacturing. Thus the function includes every consideration of the product except the actual processing operation.
1.2 Objectives of Material Handling
Following are the principles of material handling:
The classical definition of material handling can be best heard in the words of Haynes as “Material handling covers the basic operations in connection with the movement of bulk, packaged and individual products in a semi-solid or solid state by means of gravity manually or power-actuated equipment and within the limits of individual producing, fabricating, processing or service establishment”.
Material handling does not add any value to the product but adds to the cost of the product and hence it will cost the customer more. So the handling should be kept at minimum. Material handling in Indian industries accounts for nearly 40% of the cost of production. Out of the total time spent for manufacturing a product, 20% of the time is utilized for actual processing on them while the remaining 80% of the time is spent in moving from one place to another, waiting for the processing.
Materials handling can be also defined as ‘the function dealing with the preparation, placing and positioning of materials to facilitate their movement or storage. Material handling is the art and science involving the movement, handling and storage of materials during different stages of manufacturing. Thus the function includes every consideration of the product except the actual processing operation.
1.2 Objectives of Material Handling
- Minimize cost of material handling.
- Minimize delays and interruptions by making available the materials at the point of use at right quantity and at right time.
- Increase the productive capacity of the production facilities by effective utilization of capacity and enhancing productivity.
- Safety in material handling through improvement in working condition.
- Maximum utilization of material handling equipment.
- Prevention of damages to materials.
- Lower investment in process inventory.
Following are the principles of material handling:
- Planning principle: All handling activities should be planned.
- Systems principle: Plan a system integrating as many handling activities as possible and coordinating the full scope of operations (receiving, storage, production, inspection, packing, warehousing, supply and transportation).
- Space utilization principle: Make optimum use of cubic space.
- Unit load principle: Increase quantity, size, weight of load handled.
- Gravity principle: Utilize gravity to move a material wherever practicable.
- Material flow principle: Plan an operation sequence and equipment arrangement to optimize material flow.
- Simplification principle: Reduce combine or eliminate unnecessary movement and/or equipment.
- Safety principle: Provide for safe handling methods and equipment.
- Mechanization principle: Use mechanical or automated material handling equipment.
- Standardization principle: Standardize method, types, size of material handling equipment.
- Flexibility principle: Use methods and equipment that can perform a variety of task and applications.
- Equipment selection principle: Consider all aspect of material, move and method to be utilized.
- Dead weight principle: Reduce the ratio of dead weight to pay load in mobile equipment.
- Motion principle: Equipment designed to transport material should be kept in motion.
- Idle time principle: Reduce idle time/unproductive time of both MH equipment and manpower.
- Maintenance principle: Plan for preventive maintenance or scheduled repair of all handling equipment.
- Obsolescence principle: Replace obsolete handling methods/equipment when more efficient method/equipment will improve operation.
- Capacity principle: Use handling equipment to help achieve its full capacity.
- Control principle: Use material handling equipment to improve production control, inventory control and other handling.
- Performance principle: Determine efficiency of handling performance in terms of cost per unit handled which is the primary criterion.
1.4 Material Handling Equipment
Broadly material handling equipment’s can be classified into two categories, namely:
(a) Fixed path equipment
(b) Variable path equipment.
(a) Fixed path equipment which move in a fixed path. Conveyors, monorail devices, chutes and pulley drive equipment belong to this category. A slight variation in this category is provided by the overhead crane, which though restricted, can move materials in any manner within a restricted area by virtue of its design. Overhead cranes have a very good range in terms of hauling tonnage and are used for handling bulky raw materials, stacking and at times palletizing.
(b) Variable path equipment has no restrictions in the direction of movement although their size is a factor to be given due consideration trucks, forklifts mobile cranes and industrial tractors belong to this category. Forklifts are available in many ranges, they are manoeuvrable and various attachments are provided to increase their versatility.
1.4.1 Material Handling Equipment may be classified in five major categories.
1.4.1.1. Conveyors
Conveyors are useful for moving material between two fixed workstations, either continuously or intermittently. They are mainly used for continuous or mass production operations—indeed, they are suitable for most operations where the flow is more or less steady. Conveyors may be of various types, with rollers, wheels or belts to help move the material along: these may be power-driven or may roll freely. The decision to provide conveyors must be taken with care, since they are usually costly to install; moreover, they are less flexible and, where two or more converge, it is necessary to coordinate the speeds at which the two conveyors move.
1.4.1.2. Industrial Trucks
Industrial trucks are more flexible in use than conveyors since they can move between various points and are not permanently fixed in one place. They are, therefore, most suitable for intermittent production and for handling various sizes and shapes of material. There are many types of truck petrol- driven, electric, hand-powered, and so on. Their greatest advantage lies in the wide range of attachments available; these increase the trucks ability to handle various types and shapes of material.
1.4.1.3. Cranes and Hoists
The major advantage of cranes and hoists is that they can move heavy materials through overhead space. However, they can usually serve only a limited area. Here again, there are several types of crane and hoist, and within each type there are various loading capacities. Cranes and hoists may be used both for intermittent and for continuous production.
1.4.1.4. Containers
These are either dead containers (e.g. Cartons, barrels, skids, pallets) which hold the material to be transported but do not move themselves, or „live containers (e.g. wagons, wheelbarrows or computer self-driven containers). Handling equipment of this kind can both contain and move the material, and is usually operated manually.
1.4.1.5. Robots
Many types of robot exist. They vary in size, and in function and manoeuvrability. While many robots are used for handling and transporting material, others are used to perform operations such as welding or spray painting. An advantage of robots is that they can perform in a hostile environment such as unhealthy conditions or carry on arduous tasks such as the repetitive movement of heavy materials.
The choice of material-handling equipment among the various possibilities that exist is not easy. Cranes and hoists may be used both for intermittent and for continuous production.
1.4.1.4. Containers
These are either „dead containers (e.g. Cartons, barrels, skids, pallets) which hold the material to be transported but do not move themselves, or live containers (e.g. wagons, wheelbarrows or computer self-driven containers). Handling equipment of this kind can both contain and move the material, and is usually operated manually.
1.4.1.5. Robots
Many types of robot exist. They vary in size, and in function and manoeuvrability. While many robots are used for handling and transporting material, others are used to perform operations such as welding or spray painting. An advantage of robots is that they can perform in a hostile environment such as unhealthy conditions or carry on arduous tasks such as the repetitive movement of heavy materials.
The choice of material-handling equipment among the various possibilities that exist is not easy. In several cases the same material may be handled by various types of equipment, and the great diversity of equipment and attachments available does not make the problem any easier. In several cases, however, the nature of the material to be handled narrows the choice.
1.5 Relationship between Plant Layout and Material Handling
The production efficiency of a manufacturing unit depends on how well various machines, flow paths, storage facilities, and employee amenities are located in the plant. A systematically designed plant can ensure the smooth and rapid movement of material, from the raw material stage to the end product stage. Plant layout encompasses new layout as well as improvement in the existing layout. In modern manufacturing facilities, efficient layout is complemented by world class material handling equipment to drive the overall efficiency.
Some of the issues that warrant careful layout planning and utilizing material handling equipment are improper material flow paths resulting in production idle time, production bottlenecks due to improper facility layout and planning, increased material handling costs due to increased number of "touches" across different operations, inability to scale up operations due to poorly designed infrastructure and material flow patterns, and reduced employee morale due to non-availability of adequate amenities across the facility.
There is a close relationship between plant layout and material handling. A good layout ensures minimum material handling and eliminates re-handling in the following ways:
Broadly material handling equipment’s can be classified into two categories, namely:
(a) Fixed path equipment
(b) Variable path equipment.
(a) Fixed path equipment which move in a fixed path. Conveyors, monorail devices, chutes and pulley drive equipment belong to this category. A slight variation in this category is provided by the overhead crane, which though restricted, can move materials in any manner within a restricted area by virtue of its design. Overhead cranes have a very good range in terms of hauling tonnage and are used for handling bulky raw materials, stacking and at times palletizing.
(b) Variable path equipment has no restrictions in the direction of movement although their size is a factor to be given due consideration trucks, forklifts mobile cranes and industrial tractors belong to this category. Forklifts are available in many ranges, they are manoeuvrable and various attachments are provided to increase their versatility.
1.4.1 Material Handling Equipment may be classified in five major categories.
1.4.1.1. Conveyors
Conveyors are useful for moving material between two fixed workstations, either continuously or intermittently. They are mainly used for continuous or mass production operations—indeed, they are suitable for most operations where the flow is more or less steady. Conveyors may be of various types, with rollers, wheels or belts to help move the material along: these may be power-driven or may roll freely. The decision to provide conveyors must be taken with care, since they are usually costly to install; moreover, they are less flexible and, where two or more converge, it is necessary to coordinate the speeds at which the two conveyors move.
1.4.1.2. Industrial Trucks
Industrial trucks are more flexible in use than conveyors since they can move between various points and are not permanently fixed in one place. They are, therefore, most suitable for intermittent production and for handling various sizes and shapes of material. There are many types of truck petrol- driven, electric, hand-powered, and so on. Their greatest advantage lies in the wide range of attachments available; these increase the trucks ability to handle various types and shapes of material.
1.4.1.3. Cranes and Hoists
The major advantage of cranes and hoists is that they can move heavy materials through overhead space. However, they can usually serve only a limited area. Here again, there are several types of crane and hoist, and within each type there are various loading capacities. Cranes and hoists may be used both for intermittent and for continuous production.
1.4.1.4. Containers
These are either dead containers (e.g. Cartons, barrels, skids, pallets) which hold the material to be transported but do not move themselves, or „live containers (e.g. wagons, wheelbarrows or computer self-driven containers). Handling equipment of this kind can both contain and move the material, and is usually operated manually.
1.4.1.5. Robots
Many types of robot exist. They vary in size, and in function and manoeuvrability. While many robots are used for handling and transporting material, others are used to perform operations such as welding or spray painting. An advantage of robots is that they can perform in a hostile environment such as unhealthy conditions or carry on arduous tasks such as the repetitive movement of heavy materials.
The choice of material-handling equipment among the various possibilities that exist is not easy. Cranes and hoists may be used both for intermittent and for continuous production.
1.4.1.4. Containers
These are either „dead containers (e.g. Cartons, barrels, skids, pallets) which hold the material to be transported but do not move themselves, or live containers (e.g. wagons, wheelbarrows or computer self-driven containers). Handling equipment of this kind can both contain and move the material, and is usually operated manually.
1.4.1.5. Robots
Many types of robot exist. They vary in size, and in function and manoeuvrability. While many robots are used for handling and transporting material, others are used to perform operations such as welding or spray painting. An advantage of robots is that they can perform in a hostile environment such as unhealthy conditions or carry on arduous tasks such as the repetitive movement of heavy materials.
The choice of material-handling equipment among the various possibilities that exist is not easy. In several cases the same material may be handled by various types of equipment, and the great diversity of equipment and attachments available does not make the problem any easier. In several cases, however, the nature of the material to be handled narrows the choice.
1.5 Relationship between Plant Layout and Material Handling
The production efficiency of a manufacturing unit depends on how well various machines, flow paths, storage facilities, and employee amenities are located in the plant. A systematically designed plant can ensure the smooth and rapid movement of material, from the raw material stage to the end product stage. Plant layout encompasses new layout as well as improvement in the existing layout. In modern manufacturing facilities, efficient layout is complemented by world class material handling equipment to drive the overall efficiency.
Some of the issues that warrant careful layout planning and utilizing material handling equipment are improper material flow paths resulting in production idle time, production bottlenecks due to improper facility layout and planning, increased material handling costs due to increased number of "touches" across different operations, inability to scale up operations due to poorly designed infrastructure and material flow patterns, and reduced employee morale due to non-availability of adequate amenities across the facility.
There is a close relationship between plant layout and material handling. A good layout ensures minimum material handling and eliminates re-handling in the following ways:
- Material movement does not add any value to the product so, the material handling should be kept at minimum though not avoid it. This is possible only through the systematic plant layout. Thus a good layout minimizes handling.
- The productive time of workers will go without production if they are required to travel long distance to get the material tools, etc. Thus a good layout ensures minimum travel for workman thus enhancing the production time and eliminating the hunting time and travelling time.
- Space is an important criterion. Plant layout integrates all the movements of men, material through a well-designed layout with material handling system.
- Good plant layout helps in building efficient material handling system. It helps to keep material handling shorter, faster and economical. A good layout reduces the material backtracking, unnecessary workmen movement ensuring effectiveness in manufacturing. Thus a good layout always ensures minimum material handling.
Published date : 30 Dec 2014 12:12PM
