Industrial Engineering - MATERIAL HANDLING

MATERIAL HANDLING

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

MATERIAL HANDLING IS A NECESSARY AND SIGNIFICANT COMPONENT OF ANY PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY. IT IS SOMETHING THAT GOES ON IN EVERY PLANT ALL THE TIME. MATERIAL HANDLING MEANS PROVIDING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF THE RIGHT MATERIAL, IN THE RIGHT CONDITION, AT THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME, IN THE RIGHT POSITION AND FOR THE RIGHT COST, BY USING THE RIGHT METHOD. IT IS SIMPLY PICKING UP, MOVING, AND LYING DOWN OF MATERIALS THROUGH MANUFACTURE. IT APPLIES TO THE MOVEMENT OF RAW MATERIALS, PARTS IN PROCESS, FINISHED GOODS, PACKING MATERIALS, AND DISPOSAL OF SCRAPS. IN GENERAL, HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS TONS OF MATERIALS ARE HANDLED DAILY REQUIRING THE USE OF LARGE AMOUNT OF MANPOWER WHILE THE MOVEMENT OF MATERIALS TAKES PLACE FROM ONE PROCESSING AREA TO ANOTHER OR FROM ONE DEPARTMENT TO ANOTHER DEPARTMENT OF THE PLANT. THE COST OF MATERIAL HANDLING CONTRIBUTES SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE TOTAL COST OF MANUFACTURING.

IN THE MODERN ERA OF COMPETITION, THIS HAS ACQUIRED GREATER IMPORTANCE DUE TO GROWING NEED FOR REDUCING THE MANUFACTURING COST. THE IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL HANDLING FUNCTION IS GREATER IN THOSE INDUSTRIES WHERE THE RATIO OF HANDLING COST TO THE PROCESSING COST IS LARGE. TODAY MATERIAL HANDLING IS RIGHTLY CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE MOST POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE AREAS FOR REDUCTION OF COSTS. A PROPERLY DESIGNED AND INTEGRATED MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM PROVIDES TREMENDOUS COST SAVING OPPORTUNITIES AND CUSTOMER SERVICES IMPROVEMENT POTENTIAL. 

DEFINITIONS

THERE ARE MANY WAYS BY WHICH MATERIAL HANDLING HAS BEEN DEFINED BUT ONE SIMPLE DEFINITION IS “MATERIAL HANDLING IS THE MOVEMENT AND STORAGE OF MATERIAL AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE COST THROUGH THE USE OF PROPER METHOD AND EQUIPMENT”.

OTHER DEFINITIONS ARE:

• “MATERIAL HANDLING EMBRACES ALL OF THE BASIC OPERATIONS INVOLVED IN THE MOVEMENT OF BULK, PACKAGED, AND INDIVIDUAL PRODUCTS IN A SEMISOLID OR SOLID STATE BY MEANS OF MACHINERY, AND WITHIN LIMITS OF A PLACE OF BUSINESS”.
• “MATERIAL HANDLING IS THE ART AND SCIENCE OF MOVING, STORING, PROTECTING, AND CONTROLLING MATERIAL”
• “MATERIAL HANDLING IS THE PREPARATION, PLACING, AND POSITIONING OF MATERIALS TO FACILITATE THEIR MOVEMENT OR STORAGE”.

OBJECTIVES OF MATERIAL HANDLING

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF A MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM IS TO REDUCE THE UNIT COST OF PRODUCTION. THE OTHER SUBORDINATE OBJECTIVES ARE:

1.      REDUCE MANUFACTURING CYCLE TIME

2.      REDUCE DELAYS, AND DAMAGE

3.      PROMOTE SAFETY AND IMPROVE WORKING CONDITIONS

4.      MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE PRODUCT QUALITY

5.        PROMOTE PRODUCTIVITY 
6.    6. PROMOTE INCREASED USE OF FACILITIES

1. MATERIAL SHOULD FLOW IN A STRAIGHT LINE
2. MATERIAL SHOULD MOVE AS SHORT A DISTANCE AS POSSIBLE
3. USE GRAVITY
4. MOVE MORE MATERIAL AT ONE TIME
5. AUTOMATE MATERIAL HANDLING

    

1. PROMOTE THE USE OF BUILDING CUBE
2. PURCHASE VERSATILE EQUIPMENT
3. DEVELOP A PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM
4. MAXIMIZE THE EQUIPMENT UTILIZATION ETC.

       7. REDUCE TARE WEIGHT

       8. CONTROL INVENTORY

REDUCE COST OF HANDLING

THE TOTAL COST OF MATERIAL HANDLING PER UNIT MUST DECREASE. THE TOTAL COST PER UNIT IS THE SUM OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. COST OF MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT – BOTH FIXED COST AND OPERATING COST CALCULATED AS THE COST OF EQUIPMENT DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF UNITS OF MATERIAL HANDLED OVER THE WORKING LIFE OF THE EQUIPMENT.
2. COST OF LABOR – BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT ASSOCIATED COST CALCULATED IN TERMS OF COST PER UNIT OF MATERIAL HANDLED.
3. COST OF MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT, DAMAGES, LOST ORDERS AND EXPEDITING EXPENSES, ALSO CALCULATED, IN TERMS OF COST PER UNIT OF MATERIAL HANDLED.

REDUCED MANUFACTURING CYCLE TIME

THE TOTAL TIME REQUIRED TO MAKE A PRODUCT FROM THE RECEIPT OF ITS RAW MATERIAL TO THE FINISHED STATE CAN BE REDUCED USING AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM. THE MOVEMENT OF THE MATERIAL CAN BE FASTER AND HANDLING DISTANCE COULD BE REDUCED WITH THE ADOPTION OF AN APPROPRIATE MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM. 

LIMITATIONS OF AUTOMATED MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS:
A GOOD MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IS TO WEIGH BENEFITS AGAINST THE LIMITATIONS OR DISADVANTAGES BEFORE CONTEMPLATING ANY CHANGE. MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS ALSO HAVE CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY BE DISTINCTLY NEGATIVE. THESE ARE: 

1. ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT
2. LACK OF FLEXIBILITY
3. VULNERABILITY TO DOWNTIME WHENEVER THERE IS BREAKDOWN
4. ADDITIONAL MAINTENANCE STAFF AND COST
5. COST OF AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT.
6. SPACE AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR DRAWBACKS OF ADOPTING MECHANIZED HANDLING EQUIPMENT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED NOT TO DISCOURAGE THE USE OF MODERN HANDLING EQUIPMENT BUT TO EMPHASIZE THAT A JUDICIOUS BALANCE OF THE TOTAL BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS IS REQUIRED BEFORE AN ECONOMICALLY SOUND DECISION IS MADE. 

WHEN TO DESIGN A MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM?

THE NEED TO DESIGN A MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM ARISES WHEN:

1. A NEW PRODUCT IS BEING PLANNED FOR MANUFACTURE
2. CHANGE IN THE EXISTING PRODUCT DESIGN REQUIRING A CORRESPONDING CHANGE IN THE LAYOUT
3. OBSOLESCENCE OF FACILITIES
4. FREQUENT ACCIDENTS
5. ADOPTION OF NEW SAFETY STANDARDS  

SCOPE OF MATERIAL HANDLING
THE SCOPE OF MATERIAL HANDLING ACTIVITY IN ANY INDUSTRY DEPENDS ON THE TYPE AND SIZE OF INDUSTRY, THE PRODUCT MANUFACTURED, THE VALUE OF THE PRODUCT, THE VALUE OF THE ACTIVITY BEING PERFORMED, AND THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL HANDLING ACTIVITY TO THE OTHER ACTIVITIES. HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT A SIZABLE PORTION OF TOTAL MATERIAL HANDLING ACTIVITY IS NOT IN MANUFACTURING BUT IN THE FIELDS OF DISTRIBUTION, SERVICE INDUSTRIES, AGRICULTURE, AND CONSTRUCTION. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT BOTH THE BEGINNING STUDENT AND MATERIAL-HANDLING ENGINEER BE AWARE OF THE MATERIAL HANDLING APPLICATIONS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: 

1. INDUSTRIAL MATERIAL HANDLING
2. TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRIES
3. WAREHOUSING
4. EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
5. PROCESS INDUSTRIES

PRINCIPLES OF MATERIAL HANDLING

THE COLLEGE-INDUSTRY COUNCIL ON MATERIAL HANDLING EDUCATION (CICMHE), SPONSORED BY MATERIAL HANDLING INSTITUTE INC., ADOPTED 20 PRINCIPLES OF MATERIAL HANDLING.

THESE PRINCIPLES (TABLE 1.) REPRESENT THE EXPERIENCE OF DESIGNERS WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE DESIGN AND OPERATIONS OF HANDLING SYSTEMS. THESE PRINCIPLES SERVE AS ROUGH GUIDES OR RULES OF THUMB FOR MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN. THE DESIGNERS OF MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS ARE USUALLY ADVISED TO FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES. HOWEVER, IN SOME CASES THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO APPLY THEM TO THE FULLEST EXTENT BECAUSE OF FACTORS SUCH AS THE LIMITATION ON CAPITAL, PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BUILDING, AND CAPABILITY OF THE EQUIPMENT.

TABLE 1. MATERIAL HANDLING PRINCIPLES

PLANNING PRINCIPLE SYSTEMS PRINCIPLE MATERIAL FLOW PRINCIPLE SIMPLIFICATION PRINCIPLE GRAVITY PRINCIPLE SPACE UTILIZATION PRINCIPLE SAFETY PRINCIPLE STANDARDIZATION PRINCIPLE MAINTENANCE PRINCIPLE OBSOLESCENCE PRINCIPLE

FLEXIBILITY PRINCIPLE MECHANIZATION PRINCIPLE COST PRINCIPLE ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLE ENERGY PRINCIPLE ECOLOGY PRINCIPLE COMPUTERIZATION PRINCIPLE ORIENTATION PRINCIPLE LAYOUT PRINCIPLE UNIT LOAD PRINCIPLE

 

FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION IN MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN

THE MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN PROCESS IS ITERATIVE. THE ANALYZER HAS TO GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT STEPS UNTIL A SATISFACTORY DESIGN HAS BEEN OBTAINED AND CAN BE IMPLEMENTED. THE MAJOR FACTORS FOR CONSIDERATION IN MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM DESIGN ARE:

1.  MATERIAL

1. FORM – GAS, LIQUID, SEMI – LIQUID, SOLID
2. NATURE – BULK, UNIT LOAD, INDIVIDUAL ITEMS, FRAGILE, STURDY, BULKY
3. CHARACTERISTICS – CHEMICAL, ELECTRICAL, MECHANICAL
4. QUANTITY – PIECES, POUNDS, GALLONS, OTHER

2. MOVE

1. SOURCE AND DESTINATION – RECEIVING, STOCKROOM, WARE HOUSE, SAME FLOOR, OTHER FLOOR, OTHER DEPARTMENT
2. ROUTE – LOCATION , RANGE, PATH, CROSS TRAFFIC
3. DISTANCE – HORIZONTAL, VERTICAL, INCLINED
4. FREQUENCY – INTERMITTENT, UNIFORM, REGULAR, IRREGULAR, UNPREDICTABLE
5. SPEED

3.  METHODS

1. UNIT OR LOAD – BULK, ITEMS, CONTAINERS
2. MANPOWER – ONE, SEVERAL, MANY, NONE

EQUIPMENT – CONVEYOR, FORKLIFT TRUCK, CRANE ETC.

REFERENCES:-  www.nptel.iitm.ac.in/