Some of the consideration for handling material are:
- Equipment used for handling and storage should be standardize
- This can ensure that there will not be additional cost incurred in getting redundant equipment and also, the workers do not need to learn to operate too many equipment since the handling and storage equipment is standardize.
- When in motion, the system should be designed to provide maximum continuous product flow.
- Time is money. In order to maximize the continuous product flow , the company should fully utilized both the equipment and the labor so as to reduce cost and to increase revenue.
- Investment should be in material handling rather than in stationary equipment
- As material is need to be moved around and placed properly in the warehouse/factory, more investment should be used on equipment that can move and position the material rather than the stationary equipment such as the table, chair, etc.
- In handling equipment selection, the ratio of deadweight to payload should be minimized
- Deadweight means that the extra weight(material) on a equipment that will lowers its performance while payload means the carrying capacity of a equipment.
- Whenever practical, gravity flow should be incorporated in system design
- Gravity flow is to move the material from up to down. This can be an efficient and effective method in transporting a good from a specific place to another without much problems.
Some Objectives of material handling are:
- Movement
- One objective is the movement of material into, through and out of warehouses/factories in the most efficient way. It is incumbent for a warehouse to efficiently move product from one location to another. Hence, right equipment should be used for handling right material so that product can be effectively and efficiently moved to the designated location.
- Time
- It means that the material must be available at the various production stations when needed. In the point of view of a production or warehousing, it is the worst thing that the material is in the building but not in the right place and at the right time. Therefore, the company should choose the right equipment so that it will bring the material to the right place on time to prevent production line stoppage.
- Quantity
- Right quantity should be moved to and between the production stations as well as to the customers so as to prevent any delay on production line and also the promise to the customer. Hence, i think that right equipment should be used (for e.g: get a equipment that has a capacity that is enough for moving all the required material to the production stations/ customers).
- Space
- Material handling system needs to effectively utilize all of the available cubic space as space is expensive. Hence, we can use equipment such the overhead conveyor to move the material from one place to another or use equipment to place the material at the higher level of the rack.
