An Introduction to What Is Material Handling Equipment

An Introduction to What Is Material Handling Equipment

Meta Description: Learn how to choose the right solution for your facility based on material types, environment, and automation needs to optimize efficiency.

Efficient material handling is essential for optimizing operations across industries. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of material handling equipment and how selecting the right solutions can maximize productivity and workflow.

We will explore the various types of equipment, their applications, factors to consider when choosing, and the tangible benefits organizations gain by implementing optimized material handling systems. Whether you manage a manufacturing plant, warehouse, or construction site, this information will help you effectively leverage the most suitable tools to handle your material movement needs.

Key Takeaways

• Material handling equipment includes tools that transport, lift, store, and manage materials efficiently in facilities.
• The main categories are storage equipment, industrial trucks, bulk material handlers, and engineered systems.
• Applications range from optimizing warehouse workflows to streamlining manufacturing material flow.
• Correctly matching equipment to the environment, automation needs and material types ensures maximum productivity benefits.
• Implementing optimized solutions improves safety, cuts costs, and boosts overall operational efficiency through higher throughput and better space utilization.

What Is Material Handling Equipment?

Material handling equipment refers to tools, machinery, vehicles, or devices used to transport, lift, store, or manage materials in commercial settings like warehouses, factories, and construction sites.

Defining Material Handling

Material handling involves all the processes required to receive, store, protect, move, and dispatch materials, components, and finished goods throughout production, distribution, and consumption.

It is a crucial part of any supply chain as it allows for the smooth flow of materials from suppliers to manufacturers or retailers and finally to customers. Whether the materials are raw components, work-in-progress inventory, or finished products, they must be moved efficiently within facilities and between different locations. This is where material handling equipment plays a vital role.

Why Material Handling Is Important

Using the right material handling equipment provides numerous benefits to operations. It helps improve efficiency by automating repetitive manual tasks and transporting materials faster. This reduces costs associated with labor and enhances productivity.

Material handling equipment also ensures a safe and organized workflow by lifting heavy loads mechanically and storing inventory in an orderly using racks and shelves. This minimizes the risks of accidents.

Furthermore, it allows facilities to utilize vertical floor space more through mezzanines and shelving. Proper handling of materials is crucial in industries like manufacturing, where just-in-time delivery of components is necessary to optimize production processes. It also ensures smooth warehouse operations by quickly retrieving, consolidating, and dispatching shipments on time.

Common Types of Material Handling Equipment

Generally, four main categories of material handling equipment are used across different industries based on their functions. Understanding each type is essential to determine the suitable solution for your unique material handling system and movement needs.

Storage and Handling Equipment

Storage and handling equipment includes static tools that help organize inventory and maximize valuable storage space. Some common examples of efficient storage are shelving, racks, bins, drawers, and mezzanine, which efficiently store products until needed. These tools ensure materials and goods are kept safely and are easily retrievable.

Industrial Trucks

Industrial trucks, also known as industrial vehicles, are mobile machines that transport unit loads and materials over short distances within facilities. Popular varieties include forklifts, order pickers, pallet trucks, jacks, and walkie stackers. They mechanically lift heavy shipments and optimize workflow by streamlining materials delivery to various production points.

Bulk Material Handling Equipment

Bulk material equipment is designed for handling flowable bulk materials and large volumes of loose items like grains, rocks, and aggregates. Common types are conveyor belts, hoppers, stackers, reclaimers, silos, and bucket elevators which efficiently load, move and store bulk shipments in mass quantities. They suit ports and industries like mining dealing with unpackaged bulk cargoes.

Engineered Systems

Engineered systems comprise automated, integrated solutions like automated conveyor systems, automated guided vehicles, robotic delivery systems, and automated storage and retrieval systems. They involve complex mechanical and software controls to transport unit loads contactlessly within a defined automated space. Engineered systems minimize manual labor needs and improve operational efficiency in high-density warehouses and production facilities.

Applications of Material Handling Equipment

Material handling equipment has broad applications across different industries depending on their specific material movement needs. Understanding the various uses of specialized storage equipment is essential to determine the right tools for your operations.

Warehouse Material Movement

Warehouses rely heavily on efficient material handling equipment to transport shipments. Forklifts move pallets of inventory goods within vast storage areas. Order pickers retrieve products from racks. Conveyor belts transport loads and boxes for sorting and dispatch. Automated guided vehicles autonomously deliver materials. Together, they optimize warehouse workflow and productivity.

Manufacturing Material

Transport In manufacturing facilities, equipment ensures just-in-time delivery of raw materials and components between different production points. Conveyor systems move work-in-progress inventory on the factory floor. Forklifts transport unit loads of materials within the plant premises. Automated conveyor systems and guided carts deliver small loads of items over short distances.

Construction Material Lifting

On construction sites, specialized lifting equipment is used to unload heavy shipments of construction materials from trucks and transport them for storage. Forklifts and telehandlers move beams, pipes, and other unitized loads. Mobile cranes and excavators lift and place heavy construction elements. Stackers reclaim sand and gravel efficiently from bulk transport trucks. Together, they streamline material movement tasks at busy construction sites.

Choosing the Right Equipment

Selecting appropriate material handling equipment is crucial to support efficient operations. A thoughtful evaluation process can help identify the optimal solution.

Consider Your Material Types

The nature of materials handled – their weight, size, and consistency – determines compatible equipment. Bulk powders require different materials handling equipment than packaged goods. Unitized loads need lift trucks, while loose items use conveying.

Match Equipment to the Environment

Warehouses benefit from automated guided vehicles, whereas construction sites utilize rough-terrain forklifts. Narrow aisles require compact counterbalance lift trucks for maneuverability. Outdoor areas need weather-resistant equipment.

For repetitive, high-volume movement, automated systems improve throughput and workflow. But simple storage and infrequent lifting may only require manual jacks. Conducting a time-motion study helps decide if mechanical conveyors or an AS/RS would reduce labor costs.

Proper matching involves understanding production requirements, facility layout, safety needs, and plans. A material handling specialist can analyze these factors and recommend optimized solutions within budget. Site assessments and pilot testing of new equipment further validate the right fit.

Benefits of Using Material Handling Equipment

Implementing the proper material handling processes and equipment provides businesses numerous operational and financial advantages. Automating manual tasks can significantly boost productivity and reduce costs.

Improved Efficiency

Equipment like conveyor systems and automated guided vehicles transport materials faster than manual handling. They streamline the movement of unit loads throughout the supply chain. Automated storage and retrieval systems retrieve shipments accurately without wasted motion. Together, they maximize throughput and optimize warehouse operations and workflows.

Mechanized lifting and transport of heavy shipments removes risks of injuries due to manual handling. Ergonomic forklifts allow operators to work comfortably without strain. Automated equipment protects workers from accidental contact during production. Well-lit facilities with clearly defined aisles and traffic lanes minimize collision risks.

Reduced Labor Costs

Repetitive, strenuous material movement tasks are automated through conveyors and lift modules. This improves labor utilization for more skilled roles. Fewer employees are required to handle higher volumes, lowering payroll overhead. Real-time fleet management solutions enhance lift truck productivity while reducing fuel and maintenance expenses. Overall, efficient material flow cuts operational costs significantly.

With tangible benefits, material handling equipment delivers high returns on investment and improves long-term competitiveness for businesses across industries.