Selection of Material Handling Equipment

Selection of material handling equipment is an important decision as it affects both the cost and efficiency of handling system. The following factors are to be taken into account while selecting the material handling equipment.

1. Properties of the Material

Whether the material is solid, liquid or gas, and in what size, shape and weight it is to be moved, are important decisions and can be lead to a preliminary elimination from the range of available equipment under review. Similarly, if the material is fragile, corrosive or toxic this will imply that certain handling method and containers will be preferable to others.

2. Layout and Characteristic of the building

Another restricting factor is availability of space for handling. Low-level ceiling many preclude the use of hoist or cranes, and the presence of supporting columns in awkward places can limit the size of material handling equipment. If the building is multi-storeyed, chutes or ramp for industrial trucks may be used. Layout itself will indicate the type of production operation (continuous, intermittent, fixed position or group) and indicate some items of equipment that will be more suitable than others. Floor capacity also helps in selecting the best material handling equipment.

3. Production Flow

If the flow is fairly constant between two fixed position that are not likely to be changed, fixed equipments such as conveyors or chutes can be successfully used. If, on the other hand, the flow is not constant and the direction changes occasionally from one point to another because several products are being produced simultaneously, moving equipments such as trucks would be preferable.

4. Cost Considerations

This is the most important consideration. The above factors can help narrow the range of suitable equipment, while costing can help in taking the final decision. Several cost elements need to be taken into consideration when comparisons are made between various items of equipment that are all capable of handling the same load. Initial investment and operating and maintenance cost are the major costs to be considered. By calculating and comparing the total cost of each items of equipment under consideration, a more rational decision can be reached on the most appropriate choice.

5. Nature of Operations

Selection of equipment also depends on the nature of operations like whether handling is temporary or permanent, whether the flow is continuous or intermittent and material, flow pattern-horizontal or vertical.

6. Engineering Factors

Engineering factors such as door, ceiling dimensions, floor space, floor conditions and structural strengths are also taken in consideration in the selection of equipment.

7. Equipment reliability

Reliability of the equipment and supplier reputation and the after sale services plays an important role in selecting the equipment.

credits to: http://books.google.com/books?id=CcZNx668M0wC&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=material+handling+equipment+considerations&source=web&ots=EC2CywGhVw&sig=fZF_HLugCYudyAW8gBCc4Tgm0KU#PPA44,M1
-shireen-

Types of handling equipment

The types of handling systems are:

1.Non-lift trucks

i. trolley


ii.Pallet trucks


iii. Tractors

2.Lift trucks

Lift trucks

3.Order picking trucks

Low level order picking truck

4.Truck attachments

5.Conveyors

Slat Conveyor

6.Lifting (heavy Load)

i.Gantry cranes

ii.Hoist

Definition and Functions of MHE

hello!

just to get all of us familiar with the topic of our blog, here's a brief definition:

Material Handling Equipment (MHE) are mechanical devices for handling of supplies with greater ease and economy. MHE facilitates the movement and storage of materials within a facility or at a site.

The basic FUNCTIONS of MHE:

1. Transport: moving the material from one location to another. (e.g. between workplaces, loading docks & storgae area)

2. Positioning: handling material at a single location so that it is in the correct position for subsequent handling, machining, transport, or storage.

3. Unit Load Formation: to restrict materials so that they maintain their integrity when handled a single load during transport and storage.

4. Storage: holding or buffering materials over a period of time. Some may involved the transport of the materials too.

5. Identification and Control: to collect and communicate the information used to coordinate the flow of materials within a facility and between a facility and its suppliers and customers.

credits to: http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/

personal opinion: i believe that although all the 5 functions of MHE are important and relevant, TRANSPORTING the goods in the warehouse is a crucial one. Not only that this itself involves the load formation, positioning and storage, it is also the most obvious purpose of MHE. wouldn't you agree with me that you will first think about "movement of goods" when material handling equipments are concerned?

oh, and i think that the appropriate choice of MHE and the proper manner in which the MHE is used will also affect the quality of the goods and their packaging especially when they are being moved.

Well, now that we are aware of what MHE is and its basic functions, we are ready to go deeper and learn more.

-ann-

WELCOME

hi everyone!

just for general information, this is an educational blog site that Temasek Polytechnic students from Diploma in Logistics and Operations Management has made for the subject Distribution Center Management.

we are here to share the knowledge we gained regarding MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENTS; and narrowing down the topic even further, we will focus more on CONVEYORS.


here is the outline of the information that we will post in this blog:

1. Basic Information on Material Handling Equipments
2. Areas of Considerations
3. Safety Issues
4. Conveyors
5. Typical costs
6. Advantages and Disadvantages of Conveyors (related to sample situations)
7. Improvements on the conveyor system
8. Influence of Technology

Do look out for photos along with the research information we have as well as the articles related to material handling equipments and the conveyor system itself.

our team,
izz, ann & shireen

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NOTE to team members:

- please try to post according to the sequence of the outline that we have made.
- don't forget to ALWAYS credit your sources.
- please include your name at the bottom of your posts so we could keep track of who makes the posts.

i'm sure you all have your research work ready, just waiting to post them right? :P
well, don't worry we'll get there. let's do this in a steady manner.

just a reminder, the most important part of making this blog is to learn more about our chosen topic and help the readers learn from us as well. so make sure u learn along the way; and place yourself in the shoes of the readers and ask yourself "are the entries clear and comprehensive?"

enjoy! :)

ann