CHAPTER FIVE

MATERIALS HANDLING

5.1 Definition and Scope

Expressed in simple language, materials handling is loading, moving and unloading of

materials. To do it safely and economically, different types of tackles, gadgets and equipment are
used, when the materials handling is referred to as mechanical handling of materials. In the
field of engineering and technology, the term materials handling is used with reference to
industrial activity. In any industry, be it big or small, involving manufacturing or construction
type work, materials have to be handled as raw materials, intermediate goods or finished
products from the point of receipt and storage of raw materials, through production processes
and up to finished goods storage and dispatch points.
There is no universally accepted definition of materials handling. One of the definitions adopted
way back by the American Materials Handling Society is: Materials handling is the art and
science involving the moving, packaging and storing of substances in any form. Some of the
other definitions are:
 Materials handling is the movement and storage of materials at the lowest possible cost
through the use of proper methods and equipment.
 Materials handling is the moving of materials or product by any means, including
storage, and all movements except processing operations and inspection.
 Materials handling is the art and science of conveying, elevating, positioning,
transporting, packaging and storing of materials.

The essential requirements of a good materials handling system may be summarized as:
(i) Efficient and safe movement of materials to the desired place.
(ii) Timely movement of the materials when needed.
(iii) Supply of materials at the desired rate.
(iv) Storing of materials utilizing minimum space.
(v) Lowest cost solution to the materials handling activities.

Page 1
Functional scope of materials handling within an industry covers the following:
(i) Bulk materials as well as unit materials handling. Bulk handling is particularly
relevant in the processing, mining and construction industries. Unit materials
handling covers handling offered materials in the initial, intermediate and final stages
of manufacture.
(ii) Industrial packaging of in-process materials, semi-finished or finished goods,
primarily from the point of view of ease and safety of handling, storage and
transportation. However, consumer packaging is not directly related to materials
handling.
(iii) Handling of materials for storage or warehousing from raw materials to finished
product stage.

5.2 Benefits of Proper Materials Handling

The foremost importance of materials handling is that it helps productivity and thereby increases
profitability of an industry. Many enterprises go out of business because of inefficient materials
handling practices. In many instances it is seen that competing industries are using same or
similar production equipment, and one who uses improved materials handling system stays
ahead of their competitors. A well designed materials handling system attempts to achieve the
following:
(i) Improve efficiency of a production system by ensuring the right quantity of materials
delivered at the right place at the right time most economically.
(ii) Cut down indirect labor cost.
(iii) Reduce damage of materials during storage and movement.
(iv) Maximize space utilization by proper storage of materials and thereby reduce storage
and handling cost.
(v) Minimize accident during materials handling.
(vi) Reduce overall cost by improving materials handling.
(vii) Improve customer services by supplying materials in a manner convenient for
handlings.
(viii) Increase efficiency and sale ability of plant and equipment with integral materials
handling features.

Page 2
Apart from these, for certain industries, like process industries, heavy manufacturing industries,
construction industries, mining industries, and shipbuilding or aircraft industries etc., the
materials are so large and heavy that these industries just cannot run without appropriate
materials handling system. All the above points clearly show the importance of materials
handling in an industry or a material transportation system. However, the negative aspects of
materials handling should also not be overlooked. These are:

(i) Additional capital cost involved in any materials handling system.

(ii) Once a materials handling system get implemented, flexibility for further changes
gets greatly reduced.
(iii) With an integrated materials handling system installed, failure/stoppage in any
portion of it leads to increased downtime of the production system.
(iv) Materials handling system needs maintenance, hence any addition to materials
handling means additional maintenance facilities and costs.

5.3 Materials Handling Equipment and Guidelines

5.3.1 Material handling equipment and guidelines

The material handling function reflects on the efficiency and speed of warehouse operation,
which ultimately result in elongated or compressed order completion cycles. Hence the
investment in material handling system is strategic in nature and is always based on long term
requirements, considering product volumes and varieties. For designing an effective and efficient
material system, the guidelines normally followed are:
 Designing the system for continues flow of material, i.e. idle time should be zero.
 Going in for standard equipment, which ensures low investment and flexibility in case of
changes in material handling requirements in the future.
 Incorporating gravity flow in material flow system
 Ensuring that the ratio of the dead weight to the payload of material handling equipment
is minimum.

Page 3
Various material handling systems are in use, right from those that are fully manual to the ones
that are fully automatic. However, the selection of a particular system depends in factors such as:

 Volumes to be handled
 Speed in handling
 Productivity
 Product characteristics (weight, size, shape)
 Nature of the product (hazardous, perishable, crushable)

Recent trends indicate preferences for system with higher logistical productivity. However,
investment cost goes up in more productive material handling system using sophisticated
equipment. Hence, in a majority of case a combination of both manual and mechanized systems
is quite common.

Manual handling

There are many problems associated with manual handling and sets out best practice in dealing
with them. The advice is intended for managers of small firms or similar organizations. But the
general principles are relevant to all workplaces, whatever their size. Avoiding injuries from
manual handling makes sound business sense. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations
1992, in UK as amended in 2002 (‘the Regulations’) apply to a wide range of manual handling
activities, including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying. The load may be either
inanimate - such as a box or a trolley, or animate - a person or an animal. This guidance gives
useful practical advice for employers, managers, safety representatives and individual employees
on how to reduce the risk of injury from manual handling. More than a third of all over-three-day
injuries reported each year to the companies and local authorities are caused by manual handling
- the transporting or supporting of loads by hand or by bodily force.
The most recent survey of self-reported work-related illness estimated that in, 1.1 million people
in Great Britain suffered from musculoskeletal (Getting to grips with manual handling, Health
and Safety Executive, [Link]) disorders (MSDs) caused or made worse by their current
or past work. An estimated 12.3 million working days were lost due to these work related MSDs.
On average each sufferer took about 20 days off in that 12-month period.
Manual handling injuries can occur wherever people are at work - on farms and building sites, in
factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, banks, laboratories, and while making deliveries. Heavy

Page 4
manual labor, awkward postures, manual materials handling, and previous or existing injury are
all risk factors implicated in the development of MSDs. Prevention and control of MSDs, such as
manual handling injuries, has been identified as a priority by the Health and Safety Commission
in UK

5.3.2 Material Handling Types

Materials handling systems provide transportation and storage of materials, components and
assemblies. Material handling activities start with unloading of goods from delivery
transportation, the goods then pass into storage, onto machining, assembly, testing, storage,
packaging, storage, and finally loading onto transport. Each of these stages of the production
process requires a slightly different design of handling equipment, and some processes require
integration of multiple items of handling equipment. Design or selection of the right material
handling system is one of the most important decisions that a manager can make, because of the
effects on the rest of the manufacturing plant. It affects the material flow and the factory layout.
Apart from the initial capital cost for a new system, the consequences of any misjudgment in
material handling will have considerable and long-term effects on operations. In recent years
computer based simulation tools have been developed to simulate material handling systems and
their effect on the manufacturing process.

Loading equipment is aimed at providing the capability to load and unload vehicles; it is also
referred to as loading bay equipment. The category can be divided into products that provide
access from the loading bay to the vehicle and equipment that moves the product from the
loading bay to the vehicle and vice versa. Equipment that falls into the access category are
scissor lifts, goods lifts, dock levelers, loading ramps, doors, dock seals and vehicle restraints,
and equipment that falls into the movement category are pallet trucks, conveyors and fork lift
trucks.
I. Lifting and Transport Equipment
Lifting and transport equipment is used to move product around the production facility, from
loading bay to storage, from storage to production, around production, from production to
storage, and from storage to loading bay. Equipment that falls into this category are fork lift

Page 5
trucks, order picking trucks, overhead cranes, tower cranes and belt, chain and overhead
conveyors.
II. Storage Equipment
Storage equipment, as the name suggests is used to store materials, components and assemblies.
The level of complexity of this type of equipment is wide ranging, from a welded cantilever steel
rack to hold lengths of stock materials to a powered vertical carousel system. Also within this
category are pallet racks, mobile shelf units, and plastic, wood and steel containers.

III. Automated Handling Equipment

Manufacturers of automated handling equipment produce automated guide vehicles, storage and
retrieval equipment, conveying systems and product equipment. The level of automation varies
depending on the handling requirements. Fully automated handling systems ensure that the
materials/components/assemblies are delivered to the production line when required without
significant manual intervention. Semi-automatic handling systems provide less advanced
solutions that deliver materials/components/assemblies to the production line with some manual
intervention.
IV. Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs)
An AGV is a material handling device that is used to move parts between machines or work
centers. They are small, independently powered vehicles that are usually guided by cables that
are buried in the floor or they use an optical guidance system. They are controlled by receiving
instructions either from a central computer or from their own on-board computer. In some
applications they can be used as mobile workstations to replace the more traditional conveyor
system.
V. Robotics
Robotics was first introduced 30 years ago. Since then their applications and versatility have
increased dramatically. The basic robotics technology is similar to CNC technology but most
robots have more degrees of freedom. In manufacturing applications, robots can be used for
assembly work, process such as painting, welding, etc. and for material handling. More recently
robots are equipped with sensory feedback through vision and tactile sense. The main advantage
of robots is that they can be used for repetitive, monotonous, mundane tasks that need precision.
They can also be used in hazardous environments that are not suitable for human operators.

Page 6
Page 7