What Are Material Handling Systems?

Posted by maria smith on January 9th, 2020

For most of you who do not understand how products are packaged and managed at warehouses and factories, this article is for you. So what is exactly material handling systems? But before we get to the core of material handling systems, let us understand what exactly material handling is.

What is Material Handling?

All the processes of movement, storage, protection and control over materials or products from the beginning of the manufacturing to the end of its packaging, warehousing, and distribution is known as material handling. At times, the consumption and dispoal of these materials or products are also known as material handling. There many methods of material handling which includes manual, automated and semi-automated systems. These methods help the logistics by supporting it and they also help in making the supply chain work efficiently. They have many applications such as Resource allocation, Flow and process management, Customer delivery, Forecasting, Production planning, Inventory management and control and After-sales support and service. Now comes the role of Material Handling Systems. The systems help in improving customer service, shorten delivery time, reduce inventory and reduce overall handling costs in distribution, manufacturing and transportation.

What is Material Handling Systems?

Whether the material are handled manually, automated or semi-automated, the material handling systems in any given facility, works by connecting the system with system integrators and consultants. These people engineer the design to establish a total handling procedure. The material handling systems also include various documentations, installation, purchase of several hardware and software, testing, support and commissioning.  By combining all these technologies, the systems help a business or company in improving their customer service, reduce overall handling expenses of distribution, manufacturing and transportation. A good material handling system would necessarily include conveyors, automatic identification and data capture, automated storage and retrieval, sortation, software, controls, storage, item order fulfilment, and racks. Conveyors are one most important parts in a material handling system. So let’s get to know about these material handling equipments.

What are Conveyors?

A conveyor is a material handling equipment that helps in moving materials from one place to another.  It mostly involves lifting and transporting heavy materials from one location to the other and these are mostly equipments that need to be run manually. They are very popular in packaging and handling industries as they come in handy.

For example, a drum handling equipment is quite popular in loading, unloading and shifting drums from one place to another. The most efficient drum handling equipment is a drum handler. A drum handler is an equipment that is run mechanically by a human and it is used to relocate cylindrical materials like barrel, fiber drums, steel drums and plastic drums. They are fully equipped with long metal arms which grab onto the cylinder. Thisequipment is used in petroleum or chemical factories that need to ship or store these cylindrical materials.

These are the basic things that you need to know about Material handling, its system and equipments.