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MATERIAL HANDLING
Material Handling
Material handling is the function of moving the right material to the right place in the right time, in the right amount, in sequence, and in the right condition to minimize production cost.
The cost of MH estimates 20-25 of total manufacturing labor cost in the United States [The Material Handling Industry of America
(MHIA)]
Considerations cont.
2. Flow rate
Quantity of material moved
High Low
Conveyors
Short
Long
Move Distance
Considerations cont.
3. Plant Layout
Layout Type Fixed position Characteristics Typical MH Equipment Large product size, low productionCranes, hoists, industrial trucks rate Variation in product and processing, low and medium production rates Hand trucks, forklift trucks, AGVs
Process
Product
3.
Simplification principle
simplify handling by reducing, eliminating, or combining unnecessary movement and/or equipment. Four questions to ask to simplify any job:
Can this job be eliminated? If we cant eliminate, can we combine movements to reduce cost? (unit load concept) If we cant eliminate or combine, can we rearrange the operations to reduce the travel distance? If we cant do any of the above, can we simplify?
4. Gravity principle
Utilize gravity to move material whenever practical.
pp 164 - 169
8. Automation principle
MH operations should be mechanized and/or automated where feasible to improve operational efficiency, increase responsiveness, improve consistency and predictability, decrease operating costs. ASRS is a perfect example.
11.
standardize handling methods as well as types and sizes of handling equipment too many sizes and brands of equipment results in higher operational cost. A fewer sizes of carton will simplify the storage.
13.
Example
A punch press can cycle every 0.03 minute, but our time standard for manually loading and unloading this press is only 300 pieces per hour.
Press capacity = 60 min / 0.03 = 2000 pieces/hr Utilization = 300 / 2000 = 15%
Should we buy a new press? If we can purchase a coil-feeding material handling system, we could approach 100% press utilization.