A Guide To The Basics of Successful Material Handling
Material handling is essential in any logistics and manufacturing project. The global material handling market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.3 percent to 127.26 billion US dollars in 2025 , making it important for companies to pick the proper solution for their projects.
There is a vast selection of material handling solutions, however, a majority of all physical commerce items are transported using tugger trains and carts.This guide will examine the role of tugger trains and carts in material handling and give you an idea of how to implement efficient material handling solutions, including its types, principles, and design.
What is material handling?
Effective material handling is the center of all operations for many large companies. Their operations’ safety and success significantly depend on transporting materials, work in progress, and finished goods from one area of the facility to another. Furthermore, it is critical to ensure timely order fulfillment, which leads to customer satisfaction.
In addition, the material handling process involves the movement, protection, storage, and control of materials. This handling process occurs in the following industries:
Ensuring safety in workplaces where material transportation occurs is also a growing need across most industries. Efficient material handling processes can reduce accidents significantly .
What are the main types of material handling?
There are two main types of material handling that operators and company owners need to know. And here they are:
01. Manual material handling
Manual material handling is where workers use their hands in moving individual containers. They lift, lower, fill, empty, or carry the containers when transporting them. However, this can be hazardous for workers since it exposes them to physical activities where they can be injured.
In most cases, workers suffer from sprains and strains in their lower back, upper limbs, and shoulders. Fortunately, there have been ergonomic developments made to reduce the risks in the manual handling of containers.
So, manual material handling carts refer to handling solutions that are operated and moved manually. These carts are generally equipped with wheels and handlebars for moving and steering the cart.
They are the most commonly used carts and can be found in every industry.
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02. Automated material handling
Equipment is used in reducing or replacing manual handling of materials when economically and technically feasible.
In fact, many of the material handling machines available today are semi-automated due to human operator needs such as driving, unloading, or loading containers that are challenging and expensive to automate. Thanks to the ongoing improvements in machine programming, sensing, and robotics, there is a move to completely automate the handling of materials.
– Automated guided vehicles (AGVs): Automated guided vehicles are driverless electric vehicles used to transport materials within a facility. AGVs follow set paths using various navigation technologies. They also have collision warnings, enabling them to detect obstacles and stop.
– Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs): Autonomous mobile robots are equipped with advanced navigation technology, enabling them to map out a facility and determine their path as they move. They have developed sensors that allow them to identify obstacles and navigate around them.
– Conveyors systems: Conveyors are popular material handling solutions in many facilities. They effectively move goods quickly while minimizing the risk of damaging materials.
– Automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS): An AS/RS is a computer-controlled system that automatically stores and retrieves materials with precision, accuracy, and speed.?
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