IE 421 Facilities Planning

Chapter 5
Material Handling

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
1. Introduction

The design of the material handling system is an important component of the

facilities design. There exists a strong relationship between the layout design and
the material handling system. The integration between these two design functions
is particularly critical in the design of a new facility.

Material handling can be observed in one’s day-to-day activities,

- Mail delivered in postal system,
- Parts moved in a manufacturing system,
- Boxes and pallet loads moved in an industrial distribution system,
- Refuse collected in a waste management system,
- Containers moved in a cargo port, or
- People moved in a bus or mass transit system.

There is typically more than one ‘best’ solution to a material handling system
design problem. This is the one area where the material handling engineer must
keep a broad perspective and must be cognizant of the ‘integration effects.’
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 MATERIAL HANDLING
2. Scope and Definition of Material Handling

In a typical industrial facility, material handling accounts for

– 25% of all employees,
– 55% of all factory space, and
– 87% of production time.

Material handling is estimated to represent between 15 and 70% of the

total cost of a manufactured product.

Certainly, material handling is one of the first places to look for cost
reduction. It is also one of the first places to look for quality
improvements. It has been estimated that between 3 and 5% of all material
handled becomes

The ideal goal in material handling is to ‘totally eliminate’ it, although in

most cases reducing the amount of handling is the more appropriate goal. 3
 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

1. Material handling is the art and science of movement, storage,

control and protection of goods and materials throughout the
process of their manufacture, distribution, consumption and
disposal.
2. 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, in the right sequence, and for the right cost, by
using the right method(s).

Material handling is a science-based discipline involving many areas of

engineering, and therefore engineering design methods must be applied.
It is also an art, since material handling system cannot be explicitly designed
based solely on scientific formulas or mathematical models. It requires knowledge
and appreciation of what is ‘right and wrong,’ which is based on significant
practical experience in the field. 4
 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

1. Right Amount
The right amount refers to the problem of how much inventory is needed.
The right amount is what is needed and not what is anticipated. The
matching of production lot sizes and transfer batch sizes can result in
improved deliveries of the right amount of material.

2. Right Material
The two most common errors in manual order picking are picking the
wrong amount and picking the wrong material. Automatic identification is
key to accurate identification, e.g. the bar-code-based or radio-frequency-
identification (RFID) based systems. However, improvements such as
simplifying the parts numbering and maintaining the integrity and
accuracy of the database system are more fundamental tasks.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

3. Right Condition
It is the state in which the customer desires to receive the material. The
customer may specify that the material to be delivered packed or
unpacked, sorted based on kitting specifications, painted or unpainted,
delivered in customer-specified returnable containers, and so on. The
goods must also be received without damage.

4. Right Sequence
The ‘right sequence’ of activities is important in improving the efficiency
of manufacturing or distribution operation. Work simplification can help
eliminate unnecessary operations or improve those that remain.
Combining steps and changing the sequence of operations can also result
in more efficient flow.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

5. Right Orientation
It means positioning the material for ease of handling. It is critical in
automated systems, such as robot handling operations, where part
orientation must be explicitly specified. Often, changing the part design by
including the handling tabs can reduce the handling time. Right
orientation may also mean the correct pallet size, load size, bar code/RFID
tag placement for acceptance by end users, shippers or freights.

6. Right Place
It addresses both transportation and storage. It is desirable to transport
material to the end user rather than storing it at some intermediate
location. In some situations, materials are left along aisles, causing
disruptions in lift truck operations.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

7. Right Time
It means on-time delivery, neither early nor tardy. Reduction in the
variance of delivery time is the key to this element of the definition of
material handling. A flexible handling system such as manually operated
lift trucks has very wide deviations in transport times, while an automated
guided vehicle system has more predictable transport times. The goal is to
develop a system that will result in lower production cycle times and not
the lower delivery times.

8. Right Cost
Right cost is not necessarily the lowest cost. Minimizing cost is the wrong
objective in material handling system. The more appropriate goal is to
design the most efficient material handling systems at the most reasonable
cost. Material handling is a support function. On-time delivery results in
increased customer satisfaction, increased demand and hence, the revenue. 8
 MATERIAL HANDLING
2.1 Definitions

9. Right Method
There are three aspects of the ‘right method’ that merit a closer look.
First, if there are right methods, then there must be wrong methods.
Second, it is important to recognize what makes methods right and wrong.
Third, note that it is methods and not method; using more than one method is
generally the right thing to do.

Note that the equipment selection is the very last step in the process of
designing material handling systems. Equipment selection is noting but the
consequence of selecting the best methods from a number of alternatives
generated from the examination of the problem of providing the right
amount of the right material, in the right condition, at the right place, at
the right time, in the right position, in the right sequence, and for the right
cost, by using the right method(s).
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 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.1 Definition
The concept of a unit load is derived from the unit size principle; a unit
load can be defined simply as the unit to be moved or handled at one
time.

In some cases the unit load is one item of production; in other situations
the unit load is several cartons, each containing numerous items of
production.

The unit load includes the container, carrier, or support that will be used to
move materials. Unit loads consists of material in, on, or grouped together
by something. It is the move that defines the unit load.

The primary advantage of using unit loads is the capability of handling

more items at a time and reducing the number of trips, handling costs,
loading and unloading times, and product damage. 10
 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.1 Definition
The size of the unit load can range from a single part carried by a person, to each
carton moved through a conveyer system, to a number of cartons on a pallet
moved by fork lift trucks, to a number of intermodal containers moved by rail
across states or by container ships across continents.
As examples, tote boxes, cartons, pallets, and pallet boxes can be used to
“contain” the unit load.

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.1 Definition
Large unit loads may require bigger and heavier equipment, wider aisles, and
higher floor load capacities. Also, they increase work-in-progress inventory since
items have to accumulate to full unit load size before the container or pallet is
moved. A major advantage is fewer moves.

Small loads increases the transportation requirements but can potentially reduce
work-in-progress inventory. Small unit loads often require simple material
handling methods such as push carts and similar devices. Small loads support the
concept of JIT production.

The unit load size affects the job completion time. The completion time decreases
as the unit load size decreases. However, the overall material handling time
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increases.
 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.2 Efficiency of Returnable Containers
Given the following dimensions of a particular type of plastic reusable
containers:
Inside dimension: 18” x 11” x 11”
Outside dimension: 20” x 12” x 12”
Each nested container: 20” x 12” x 2”
A trailer with inside dimensions of 240” x 120” x 120” is used to transport
these containers. The containers are not palletized, that means no
clearance is needed between the containers or between containers and the
walls of the trailer.
Determine the following:

1. Container space utilization

2. Container nesting ratio
3. Trailer space utilization if all containers are stacked vertically
in only one orientation
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4. Trailer return ratio
 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.2 Efficiency of Returnable Containers
1. Container space utilization is obtained by dividing the usable cube by
the exterior envelope of the container. For this example, the container
efficiency is
(18” x 11” x 11”)/(20” x 12” x 12”) = 0.76 or 76%

2. Container nesting ratio is determined by dividing the overall container

height by the nested height; that is,
12”/2” = 6 or the ratio is 6:1

Six nested container use the same space as one closed container. The
container takes up all the space in the trailer with 240”/20” = 12 containers
along the length of the trailer, 120”/12” = 10 containers along the width of
the trailer, and 120”/12” = 10 containers stacked vertically. The total
number of container is, therefore, 12 x 10 x 10 = 1200. 14
 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.2 Efficiency of Returnable Containers

3. Trailer space utilization may be determined as:

(18” x 11” x 11”)(1200)/(240” x 120” x 120”) = 0.76 or 76%
One stack of loaded containers has 120”/12” = 10 containers. One stack of
empty containers has 55 containers; that is,
1 + [(120” – 12”)/2”] = 55
Thus, the total number of empty containers per trailer is
55 x (240”/20”) x (120”/12”) = 6600

4. Trailer return ratio is:

6600/1200 = 5.5 full trips for every 1 return trip
The impact of trailer return ratio on the overall efficiency of the
distribution function cannot be overlooked. Significant cost reductions
may be achieved with higher trailer return ratios.
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 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.3 Pallets
Shapes and sizes of pallets:
(a) Standard single-deck wooden pallet
(b) Double-faced nonreversible pallet for pallet truck handling
(c) Four-way block-leg pallet
(d) Double-wing-type (stevedore) pallet
(e) Three-board single-deck expandable shipping pallet

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 MATERIAL HANDLING
3. Unit Loads Design
3.3 Pallets
Stacking patterns for different
pallet sizes:

(a) Block pattern

(b) Row pattern
(c) Pinwheel pattern
(d) Honeycomb pattern
(e) Split-row pattern
(f) Split-pinwheel pattern
(g) Split-pinwheel pattern
for narrow boxes
(h) Brick pattern

Most popular pallet sizes:

32 × 40 in. 42 × 42 in.
36 × 48 in. 48 × 40 in. 17
40 × 48 in. 48 × 48 in.
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
I. Containers and Unitizing Equipment
A. Containers
1. Pallets
2. Skids and Skid Boxes
3. Tote Pans
B. Unitizers
1. Stretch wrap
2. Palletizers
II. Material Transport Equipment
A. Conveyors
1. Chute Conveyor
2. Belt Conveyor
a. Flat Belt Conveyor
b. Telescoping Belt Conveyor
c. Troughed Belt Conveyor
d. Magnetic Belt Conveyor
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3. Roller Conveyor
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
II. Material Transport Equipment
A. Conveyors
4. Wheel Conveyor
5. Slat Conveyor
6. Chain Conveyor
7. Tow Line Conveyor
8. Trolley Conveyor
9. Power and Free Conveyor
10. Cart-on-Truck Conveyor
11. Sorting Conveyor
a. Deflector
b. Push Diverter
c. Rake Puller
d. Moving Slat Conveyor
e. Pop-up Skewed Wheels
f. Pop-up Belts and Chains
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g. Pop-up Rollers
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
II. Material Transport Equipment
A. Conveyors
11. Sorting Conveyor
h. Tilting Slat Conveyor
i. Tilt Tray Sorter
j. Cross Belt Sorter
k. Bombardier Sorter
B. Industrial Vehicles
1. Walking
a. Hand Truck and Hand Cart
b. Pallet Jack
c. Walkie Stacker
2. Riding
a. Pallet Truck
b. Platform Truck
c. Tractor Trailer
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d. Counterbalanced Lift Truck
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
II. Material Transport Equipment
B. Industrial Vehicles
2. Riding
e. Straddle Carrier
f. Mobile Yard Crane
3. Automated
a. Automated Guided Vehicles
i. Unit Load Carrier
ii. Small Load Carrier
iii. Towing Vehicle
iv. Assembly Vehicle
v. Storage/Retrieval Vehicle
b. Automated Electrified Monorail
c. Sorting Transfer Vehicle
C. Monorails, Hoists, and Cranes
1. Monorail
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2. Hoist
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
II. Material Transport Equipment
C. Monorails, Hoists, and Cranes
3. Cranes
a. Jib Crane
b. Bridge Crane
c. Gantry Crane
d. Tower Crane
e. Stacker Crane
III. Storage and Retrieval Equipment
A. Unit Load Storage and Retrieval
1. Unit Load Storage Equipment
a. Block Stacking
b. Pallet Stacking Frame
c. Single-Deep Selective Rack
e. Drive-In Rack
f. Drive-Thru Rack
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g. Pallet Flow Rack
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
III. Storage and Retrieval Equipment
A. Unit Load Storage and Retrieval
1. Unit Load Storage Equipment
d. Double-Deep Rack
h. Push-Back Rack
i. Mobile Rack
j. Cantilever Rack
2. Unit Load Retrieval Equipment
a. Walkie Stacker
b. Counterbalance Lift Truck
c. Narrow Aisle Vehicles
i. Straddle Truck
ii. Straddle Reach Truck
iii. Sideloader Truck
iv. Turret Truck
v. Hybrid truck
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d. Automated Storage/Retrieval Machines
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
III. Storage and Retrieval Equipment
B. Small Load Storage and Retrieval Equipment
1. Operator-to-Stock – Storage Equipment
a. Bin Shelving
b. Modular Storage Drawers in Cabinets
c. Mezzanine
d. Mobile Storage
2. Operator-to-Stock – Retrieval Equipment
a. Picking Cart
b. Order Pick Truck
c. Person-aboard Automated Storage/Retrieval Machine
3. Stock-to-Operator Equipment
a. Carousels
i. Horizontal Carousel
ii. Vertical Carousel
iii. Independent Rotating Carousel
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b. Miniload Automated Storage and Retrieval Machine
 MATERIAL HANDLING
4. Material Handling Equipment
Classifications:
III. Storage and Retrieval Equipment
B. Small Load Storage and Retrieval Equipment
3. Stock-to-Operator Equipment
c. Vertical Lift Module
d. Automatic Dispenser
IV. Automatic Identification and Communication Equipment
A. Automatic Identification and Recognition
1. Bar Coding
a. Bar Codes
b. Bar Code Readers
2. Optical Character Recognition
3. Radio Frequency Tag
4. Magnetic Stripe
5. Machine Vision
B. Automatic, Paperless Communication
1. Radio Frequency Data Terminal 2. Voice Headset
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3. Light and Computer Aids 4. Smart Card