Material handling equipment (MHE) is used for the movement and storage of material within a facility or at a site. Industrial trucks used in warehousing are primarily for the movement of goods, over comparatively short distances, for lifting goods into and out of storage and for vehicle loading and unloading.
Objectives of material handling equipment includes:
Improve productivity –With the use of material handling equipment, there will be a raise the productivity of each worker as the frequency of handling is high.
Prevent damage- With good practices of material handling, damage of goods from the point of receiving to shipping will be greatly reduced. Also reducing the chances of delaying customers’ orders.
Reduce fatigue and injuries– Especially when the environment is hazardous or inaccessible.
Traditional and Modern Views
The traditional views of material handling sees material handling operations as a non-value adding and only contribute to the cost of a product. As such, material handling should be avoided and minimised as much as possible. Since material handling often involved a substantial amount of direct labour and labour is expensive, many material handling design engineers were very supportive of automation. This trend is even more pronounced in Japan and Western Europe where labour is more expensive.
The modern views recognise the space and time utility of material handling operations i.e. a product is worth more if it is in the right place and at the right time. The modern goals in material handling system design are to create flexible system that can be use for a variety of products and processes and to integrate the current designed material handling system in the overall material handling plan.
Assignment: Include the latest types, practices, concepts, trends, etc..
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Distribution Centre Management
covers the various aspects of managing a distribution centre or warehouse(: