Materials Handling Principles
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 1 - PLANNING PRINCIPLE: All material handling should be the result of a
deliberate plan where the needs, performance objectives, and functional specification
of the proposed methods are completely defined at the outset.
• The plan should be developed in consultation between the planner(s) and all who will
use and benefit from the equipment to be employed.
• Success in planning large-scale material handling projects generally requires a team
approach involving suppliers, consultants when appropriate, and end user specialists
from management, engineering, computer and information systems, finance, and
operations.
• The plan should promote concurrent engineering of product, process design, process
layout, and material handling methods as opposed to independent and sequential design
practices.
• The plan should reflect the strategic objectives of the organization as well as the more
immediate needs.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 2 - STANDARDIZATlON PRINCIPLE: Material handling methods,
equipment, controls, and software should be standardized within the limits of achieving
overall performance objectives and without sacrificing needed flexibility modularity,
and throughput.
• Standardization means less variety and customization in the methods and equipment
employed.
• Standardization applies to sizes of containers and other load forming components as
well as operating procedures and equipment.
• The planner should select methods and equipment that can perform a variety of tasks
under a variety of operating conditions and in anticipation of changing future
requirements.
• Standardization, flexibility, and modularity must not be incompatible.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 3 - WORK PRINCIPLE: Material handling work should be minimized without
sacrificing productivity or the level of service required of the operation.
• The measure of material handling work is flow rate (volume, weight, or count per unit
of time) multiplied by distance moved.
• Consider each pickup and set-down, or placing material in and out of storage, as
distinct moves and components of the distance moved.
• Simplifying processes by reducing, combining, shortening, or eliminating unnecessary
moves will reduce work.
• Where possible, gravity should be used to move materials or to assist in their
movement while respecting consideration of safety and the potential for product
damage.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 3 - WORK PRINCIPLE: Material handling work should be minimized without
sacrificing productivity or the level of service required of the operation.
• The Work Principle applies universally, from mechanized material handling in a
factory to over-the-road trucking.
• The Work Principle is implemented best by appropriate layout planning: locating the
production equipment into a physical arrangement corresponding to the flow of work.
This arrangement tends to minimize the distances that must be traveled by the materials
being processed.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 4 - ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLE: Human capabilities and limitations must be
recognized and respected in the design of material handling tasks and equipment to
ensure safe and effective operations.
• Ergonomics is the science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the
abilities of the worker.
• The material handling workplace and the equipment must be designed so they are safe
for people.
• The ergonomic principle embraces both physical and mental tasks.
• Equipment should be selected that eliminates repetitive and strenuous manual labor and
that effectively interacts with human operators and users.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 5 - UNIT LOAD PRINCIPLE: Unit loads shall be appropriately sized and
configured in a way which achieves the material flow and inventory objectives at each
stage in the supply chain.
• A unit load is one that can be stored or moved as a single entity at one time, such as a
pallet, container, or tote, regardless of the number of individual items that make up the
load.
• Less effort and work are required to collect and move many individual items as a single
load than to move many items one at a time.
• Large unit loads are common in both pre- and post-manufacturing in the form of raw
materials and finished goods.
• Smaller unit loads are consistent with manufacturing strategies that embrace operating
objectives such as flexibility, continuous flow and just-in-time delivery. Smaller unit
loads (as few as one item) yield less in-process inventory and shorter item throughput
times.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 6 - SPACE UTILIZATION PRINCIPLE: Effective and efficient use must be
made of all available space.
• Space in material handling is three-dimensional and therefore is counted as cubic
space.
• In storage areas, the objective of maximizing storage density must be balanced against
accessibility and selectivity.
• When transporting loads within a facility, the use of overhead space should be
considered as an option. Use of overhead material handling systems saves valuable
floor space for productive purposes.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 7 - SYSTEM PRINCIPLE: Material movement and storage activities should be
fully integrated to form a coordinated, operational system that spans receiving,
inspection, storage, production, assembly, packaging, unitizing, order selection,
shipping, transportation, and the handling of returns.
• Systems integration should encompass the entire supply chain, including reverse
logistics. It should include suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers.
• Inventory levels should be minimized at all stages of production and distribution while
respecting considerations of process variability and customer service.
• Information flow and physical material flow should be integrated and treated as
concurrent activities.
• Methods should be provided for easily identifying materials and products, for
determining their location and status within facilities and within the supply chain, and
for controlling their movement.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 8 - AUTOMATION PRINCIPLE: Material handling operations should be
mechanized and/or automated where feasible to improve operational efficiency,
increase responsiveness, improve consistency and predictability, decrease operating
costs, and eliminate repetitive or potentially unsafe manual labor.
• In any project in which automation is being considered, pre-existing processes and
methods should be simplified and/or re-engineered before any efforts to install
mechanized or automated systems. Such analysis may lead to elimination of
unnecessary steps in the method. If the method can be sufficiently simplified, it may
not be necessary to automate the process.
• Items that are expected to be handled automatically must have standard shapes and/or
features that permit mechanized and/or automated handling.
• Interface issues are critical to successful automation, including
equipment-to-equipment, equipment-to-load, equipment-to-operator, and in-control
communications.
• Computerized material handling systems should be considered where appropriate for
effective integration of material flow and information management.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 9 - ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLE: Environmental impact and energy
consumption should be considered as criteria when designing or selecting alternative
equipment and material handling systems.
• Environmental consciousness stems from a desire not to waste natural resources and to
predict and eliminate the possible negative effects of our daily actions on the
environment.
• Containers, pallets, and other products used to form and protect unit loads should be
designed for reusability when possible and/or biodegradability after disposal.
• Materials specified as hazardous have special needs with regard to spill protection,
combustibility, and other risks.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 10 - LIFE CYCLE COST PRINCIPLE: A thorough economic analysis should
account for the entire life cycle of all material handling equipment and resulting systems.
• Life cycle costs include all cash flows that occur between the time the first dollar is spent
to plan a new material handling method or piece of equipment until that method and/or
equipment is totally replaced.
• Life cycle costs include capital investment, installation, setup and equipment
programming, training, system testing and acceptance, operating (labor, utilities, etc.),
maintenance and repair, reuse value, and ultimate disposal.
• A plan for preventive and predictive maintenance should be prepared for the equipment,
and the estimated cost of maintenance and spare parts should be included in the economic
analysis.
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling principles ( from Groover )
Principle 10 - LIFE CYCLE COST PRINCIPLE: A thorough economic analysis should
account for the entire life cycle of all material handling equipment and resulting systems.
• A long-range plan for replacement of the equipment when it becomes obsolete should be
prepared.
• Although measurable cost is a primary factor, it is certainly not the only factor in
selecting among alternatives. Other factors of a strategic nature to the organization and
that form the basis for competition in the market place should be considered and
quantified whenever possible.
ME 486 - Automation
Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
Definition - An AGV is an independently operated vehicle
that moves material along defined paths between defined
delivery points or stations. Typically the paths are
defined by either using wires embedded in the floor or
reflecting paint strips on the floor.
Some of the more advanced
technologies use laser
triangulation or inertial guidance
systems on-board the vehicles,
with distributed calibration
stations for position updating.
ME 486 - Automation
AGV classification
Driverless trains - AGV is a towing vehicle used to tow one or more trailers
forming a train between stations.
Pallet trucks - Used to move palletized loads along predetermined routes.
Typically, personnel will steer the AGV to the pallet, acquire the pallet, then
steer it to the guide-path where the automated guidance system will then
move it to its destination. In a sense, it can be thought of as an automated
forklift.
Unit load carriers - Move unit loads from from one station to another
station. A unit load is a collection of items that is delivered repetitively as a
unit.
ME 486 - Automation
AGV applications
Driverless train operations - Movement of large material quantity over large distances
(between buildings, warehouses).
Storage/distribution systems - Uses unit load carriers and pallet trucks to transfer material
between stations, sometimes interfacing with other automated systems such as an AS/RS
(Automated Storage and Retrieval System). Works well in assembly operations where the
unit loads (or kits) can be transferred from a central storage area to assembly sites.
Assembly line operations - AGV’s become part of the assembly operation by transferring
material along an assembly line (such as moving an engine block between operational
stations)
Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) - AGV’s are used to transfer parts, materials and
tooling between the FMS process stations.
Miscellaneous applications - Non-manufacturing applications include the handling of
sensitive waste, transportation of material at hospitals, mail transportation.
ME 486 - Automation
Automated Storage and Retrieval System
(AS/RS)
Definition - An AS/RS is a
combination of equipment and
controls which handles, stores,
and retrieves materials with
precision, accuracy, and speed
under a defined degree of
automation. (Materials Handling Institute)
ME 486 - Automation
Conveyors
Definition - A conveyor is a
mechanized device to move
materials in relatively large
quantities between specific
locations over a fixed path.
ME 486 - Automation
Conveyors
Roller conveyors - Series of tube rollers perpendicular to motion direction, which can be
powered or use gravity for motion.
Skate-wheel conveyors - Similar to rollers but use skate wheels parallel to motion direction.
Belt conveyors - Drives move flat or belts shaped into a trough.
Belt
Skate
wheel
ME 486 - Automation
Conveyors
Trolley
Chain conveyors - Uses loops of chain
that are typically moved by sprockets as
driven by motors.
Overhead trolley conveyors - Items are
moved in discrete loads by hooks or
baskets suspended from overhead rails.
ME 486 - Automation
Conveyors
In-floor towline conveyors - Similar to
overhead trolley but carts are pulled by
hook to in-floor conveyor.
Cart on track conveyors - Items are
moved by a cart attached to a rail system,
which uses a rotating tube to move the
cart along the rail.
Towline
ME 486 - Automation
Material handling
Thank you
ME 486 - Automation
