Manual versus Automated Materials Handling Systems - Research Paper Example

In the evaluation of a material handling system, multiple factors should be considered, including the plants' facilities, the machinery, the material handling equipment, and of course, the people involved. Simulation techniques can be effectively used in all the phases of this process in order to understand the behaviour of manufacturing systems, from the material handling concept definition throughout the systems final implementation(1).A great example of material handling system would be the typical shipping dock.

The product being shipped is stored on industrial pallet racks. The shipping clerk uses a lift truck to pull a skid of product from the rack and bring it to the ground. The clerk then loads the pallet onto a manual or automatic pallet truck and rolls the product to his semiautomatic stretch wrap machine. After the pallet is wrapped, it is moved to a floor scale. The next step would be the clerk filling out his shipping documentation on his shipper’s desk and loading the pallet with the use of his dock plate onto a truck.

In the above case, the following items are part of the integrated industrial material handling system: Pallet Racks, Lift Truck, Pallet Truck, Stretch Wrap Machine, Floor Scale, Shippers Desk, and Dock Plate. A Plus Warehouse sells and stocks each of these material handling types of equipment.The main aim of systematic materials handling is to get the materials at the right place, at the right time, in the right quantities and in good condition at a minimum cost. The achievement of that aim is goods or materials should be presented for treatment, storage in the form which is as convenient as possible to handle.

The equipment selected for use at different stages of handling /transport should be chosen with the limitation such as weight, size, shape and perishability of goods & materials which have to be handled. The environment is also important in achieving a satisfactory handling system.