Primary Goal: Material Handling
Material handling is the art and science of moving, storing, protecting, controlling the material and providing the right amount of material, in the right condition, at the right place, at the right time, in the right position, in the right sequence, for the right cost by using the right method.
Material handling is the first place to check whenever a cost reduction is required. Generally 20 to 50 % of the operating expenses are attributed to material handling. Effective facilities planning can reduce this cost by at least 10 to 30 %.
Goals of Material Handling:
Primary Goal:
Reduce unit cost of production, increase the overall shareholder value.
Secondary Goals:
Maintain and improve the quality of products
Reduce damage
Protect materials
Promote safety
Improve working conditions
Establish an efficient inventory control system
Promote productivity by applying one or more of the following principles:
Material Handling Methods:
|
Solution Driven Systems |
Requirement Driven Systems |
|
Material handling technology is chosen without much consideration for how the technology matches the requirements. |
Material handling method or system matches the requirements. |
The following figures illustrate the % of Material Handling (M.H.) employees, M. H. Space, M. H. Time and M. H. Cost .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common Problems in Material Handling:
One of the common problems in material handling is to handle the right material. Storage and warehouse applications should include accurate identification systems, such as bar coding. In order to handle the right material use two identification systems:
(1) Give a part identification number
(2) Give a location identification number
Handle similar materials, packaging and size of loads at the same time. Handling mixed loads reduces the efficiency. Prevent bottlenecking by selecting an optimum material transport sequence. Use computer simulation systems to see the bottlenecking areas before the actual operation is implemented.
Generally material is placed in a temporary storage location before it is placed in storage. When entering the manufacturing floor, material may be stacked on the floor. (Queuing) Do not use the aisles for temporary storage. Temporary storage areas can also cause bottlenecking.
Right time does not necessarily mean that material handling should be done in a faster speed. Being early at a location is as bad as being late when there is not enough space to store temporarily.
Slower handling speeds are generally more efficient than faster speeds.
Right cost does not necessarily mean the achievement of minimum cost.
Do not minimize the material handling cost before optimizing the material handling processes. Increase the investment in material handling systems which will increase the efficiency of the overall system and the productivity.
Factors That Affect Material Handling:
Moving (requires an analysis of size, shape, weight, condition of the material, path, frequency of the move, safety requirements)
Storing ( requires an analysis of size, shape, weight, condition, stackability, safety requirements)
Protecting (includes packaging and packing to protect against damage and theft of material. Also includes protection against being mishandled, misplaced, misappropriated and processed in the wrong sequence)
Note: Material handling system design should minimize the need for inspections and costly methods of protecting the material.
Controlling (there are two types of controlling)
|
Last Update: November 11, 1999 |
|
Prepared by : Serdar Z. Elgun |
