Safe material handling in shipping industry
There is no denying the fact that shipping industry has become a vital and indispensable part of modern economic world. Since various kinds od shipping goods require various kinds of containers, now-a-days, boxes, crates, tanks and palettes used in shipping are designed, not only for efficiency, but for the safety of the handlers as well because any kind of material handling and movement should ensure safety of the people involved.
Small items need to be packed into smaller boxes. This ensures that they do not scatter and break and are also light and handy. Palettes should be designed and filled so that they can lie flat, with their weight evenly distributed thus enabling that they are securely balancedin the vehicle while transportation.
Before the goods are actually dispatched, take a note of various factors like whether the load is too heavy or awkwardly shaped for one person to lift, where the load needs to go and the best route to get it there and also check the containers for any defects, splinters, cracks or exposed nails, before starting the move, to prevent any injury.
To ensure safe lifting of goods, the employees should have good footing, should keep their back straight, should keep their hands protected with gloves that are appropriate for the job and go for protective footwear.
The shipping company should adequately train their employees on material moving safety. Proper preparation, right attitude and adequate training will keep everyone safe and efficient.
Subscribe to the comments for this postToyota Material Handling ranks first in Reed Research Survey
In a recent Reed Research Survey, Toyota Material Handling USA Inc. was honored with the first rank for the quality, reliability, durability and value of its parts. The study came to this decision after examining lift truck parts sold in the last year, as well as planned purchases for the coming year, attributes of products, and the service and maintenance of lift trucks. Results showed the same four categories that Toyota Genuine Parts garnered high marks in were the most important when evaluating products for possible purchase.
The independent third-party firm surveyed more than 250 Modern Materials Handling readers including plant managers, as well as warehouse and corporate management within manufacturing and distribution facilities in a number of businesses, including automotive, food and beverage, machinery and wholesale trade.
“Customer satisfaction is a cornerstone of Toyota’s philosophy, and it’s rewarding to see customers recognize the world-class quality, durability, reliability and value of Toyota Genuine Parts,” says Brett Wood, president of TMHU.
With this ranking comes the news of the retirement of Chairman and CEO Shankar Basu who will retire after spending almost a decade with Toyota. Wood, a 20-year industry veteran who has served as president of the firm since 2008, will succeed Basu.
MHEDA to host its Rental and Used Equipment Business Conference
The Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association is the only national trade association which is targeted towards improving the proficiency of the independent material handling equipment distributors.
The popular Rental and Used Equipment Business Conference of MHEDA (The Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association) will be hosted on September 17-18, in Chicago at the Crowne Plaza O’Hare Hotel. The conference will run for a span of two days and targets the needs of Rental and Used Equipment Managers, Operations and Business Managers of Material Handling Dealerships. The conference will help the managers maximize their profits by helping them manage their Rental & Used business equipments during tough economic times. There will be seven different MHEDA dealership owners and managers to conduct and lead the conference by sharing their insight and experiences. Roundtable discussions and a panel discussion are also incorporated.
The cost for attending the program is $699 per registrant and this amount allows two breakfasts, two lunches, dinner and tour at Atlas Lift Truck and all refreshment breaks besides entry to the conference. Travel and Lodging is not included. The Crown Plaza Hotel provides complimentary transportation to and from O’Hare International Airport.
Mobile lift tables or stationary lifts - Which is better?
Mobile lift tables, owing to their flexibility and the fact that you can move them where you want them, are being increasingly used in many assembly and repair operations, printing or assembly industries, pallet breakdowns in distribution and various other material handling areas. They are the best option when you need to lift and move something and if you need to frequently reconfigure work areas.
Considering all the above facts, the question arises that when should you choose stationary lift table over mobile or vice versa?
The first consideration is the collapsed height because it must match a conveyor line or other handling equipment. Portable lift tables trade that low collapsed height for portability. The collapsed height factor is so important that many lift manufacturers have specific, low-profile lift table lines that get down to 1.9″ just to ensure they can meet the demand for very low profiles.
Another factor to be considered is stability. Mobile lift tables are somewhat less stable than stationary ones and so you need to be particularly careful to center the load on the scissor lift because here off-center loads will be less stable than they are on fixed-position lifts.
Cost is another factor as mobile lifts are more expensive than equivalent stationary lifts. This increased cost owes to the fact that they must be better-built and more carefully engineered. Parts of the structure must be load-bearing and the casters and wheels must be correctly specified.
Again, relocating stationary lifts in case of a line reconfiguration is relatively easy to disconnect and reinstall. Also stationary lifts, in general, have higher capacities and a larger range of sizes, power options, and available accessories.
In spite of all the above factors, mobile lifts are better than stationary lifts where they are used correctly and where they meet the specific needs of the organization. Stationary lifts are better in terms of cost and capacity but they cannot be moved like the mobile lifts.
Increasing importance of Automated Guided Vehicles in distribution operations
Automated Guided Vehicles have been around for over 50 years. These battery-driven, unmanned vehicles, are supposedly the simplest form of robot but ironically they have not found a strong place in distribution operations although they provide added benefit of doing away with human operators using traditional material handling equipment such as fork trucks or pallet jacks. As recently as 2006, according to statistics from the Material Handling Institute of America (MHIA), only one of the 102 AGV system deployments in the US was in a purely distribution center application.
The primary reason which can be attributed to the unpopularity of these AGVs is the lack of actual and/or perceived flexibility in the distribution process. Where distribution centers are much more dynamic with variable movement paths, manufacturing, movement paths are often very static and repetitive. This is the reason why traditional AGV technology is comparatively popular with manufacturing processes.
However, recent trends have shown a growth of AGVs in distribution owing to the change in labor and demographic trends, added with recent technology advances. Laser-guided systems have increased overall AGV flexibility, as have new control systems capabilities.
Several AGVs providers have introduced new AGV systems for automated trailer loading and unloading, using new sensors and control systems that enable them to much more flexibly deal with pallet handling issues inside the trailer.
AGV technology in distribution can be applied to following processes:
Unit load/pallet movement from receiving to drop areas, from drop areas to staging locations, from reserve to forward pick drop zones. It can also be applied to unit load pallet movement of materials to postponement/work order processing areas and from work order processing areas to staging. Replacement of pallet jacks for case picking with automated movement can be done via AGVs. AGVs can also be helpful in case and piece picking in which the goods are automatically delivered to stationary pick stations, transport of mix-SKU pallets from shrink wrap area to staging and automatic trailer loading and unloading.
Pottery industry - Ensure safety in material handling
Those associated with pottery industry have to deal with various materials which are poisonous. They are particularly dangerous in their raw form, but the danger is still there even after the pottery is fired. Some of the substances associated with pottery making include asbestos which can cause lung diseases such as mesothelioma in those who are exposed to it regularly, cadmium which can cause a variety of ailments, including respiratory problems, osteoporosis and cancer, carbon monoxide whose exposure can cause death in a short period of time, lead which can also cause a laundry list of health problems and is especially harmful to children, iron and Ferrous Sulfite which may cause vomiting, diarrhea and shock, especially in children, potassium dichromate or bichromate which can cause cancer and kidney failure, silica dust which, if inhaled repeatedly, can cause lung irritation or silicosis, which may be fatal and so on.
It is the duty of a potter to take proper precautions for his own safety and protection of those who enter his workspace or use his pottery. Some of the safety measures to be followed while handling pottery materials include:
Masks should be worn when spraying glazes. Dust mask should be worn when handling dry materials. When reducing or salt or soda firing, a gas mask should be worn.
Gloves should be worn when handling raw materials. Also hands should be washed frequently when working with pottery so as to avoid toxic substances remaining in contact with your skin.
Studios should be properly ventilated, especially when using a kiln.
Following these safety measures when handling pottery materials can go a long run in minimizing risks associated with poisonous pottery materials.
The science behind the working of hand trucks
Perhaps the most commonly used and the simplest of all material handling equipments, used in varied areas ranging from store rooms and warehouses to train stations and airports, is the hand truck also known as two wheeled dolly or sack truck. Though available in various designs and modifications, all the hand trucks are based around the same basic design.
The hand truck operates on the principle of lever with the effort being the person pushing the truck so that it can be applied with more force to another object and the load being the boxes pushed. Levers are still considered one the six simple machines, alongside wheels and axles, pulleys, inclined planes, wedges and screws.
The hand truck is a first class lever as the pivot or the fulcrum is located between input effort and output load and the lever swings about the pivot when force is applied in order to overcome the force of resistance on the opposite side. Hand trucks are designed to put the weight burden primarily on the wheels when in use, rather than on the user.
The idea that simple machines do not create energy, they just transform it, belongs to Galileo Galilei, who noted this is in Le Maccanicle in around 1600. Of course the idea of levers had been around long before Galileo. Archimedes of Syracuse is said to have had a great understanding of and belief in the lever.
Though hand trucks and similar material handling products are used every day by companies and other organizations throughout the world, but the physics behind it is rarely considered. The hand truck is an example of a basic lever that is still widely used today. Besides being environmentally friendly, they are cheaper, simple to use and durable.
The basic principles of material handling
When setting up a material handling system for your organization, there are certain principles which should be followed in order to get best results. These principles of material handling can be listed down as under:
Orientation Principle requires that when planning the material handling system, your organization should first review the existing system relationships, methods and problems, physical and economic constraints, and then future requirements and goals should be established accordingly.
Planning Principle says that the plan for all material handling and storage activities should be made considering the basic requirements, desirable options, and other contingencies.
Systems Principle lays down that all the systems of operation including receiving, inspection, storage, production, assembly, packaging, warehousing, shipping and transportation should be coordinated well in the material handling system.
Unit Load Principle advises that the products should be handled in the largest possible unit load.
Space Utilization Principle requires that every inch of space should be utilized with maximum productivity.
Standardization Principle says that wherever possible, the methods and equipments of material handling should be standardized.
Energy Principle lays down that when making comparisons and choices, energy consumption of the material handling systems and material handling procedures should also be considered.
The Green Principle emphasizes on the fact that Going green is the principle today. Therefore, while selecting material handling equipment and procedures, their effect on the environment should be considered.
Mechanization Principle says that the material handling process should be mechanized in areas where speed, efficiency, accuracy and economy in the handling of materials is needed.
Simplification Principle asks that organizations to simplify handling by eliminating, reducing, or combining unnecessary movements and/or equipment.
Safety Principle requires the units to ensure safety in material handling equipments and methods by following safety codes and regulations in addition to accrued experience.
Cost Principle says that before choosing a material handling system, one should compare the costs and economic effectiveness as measured by expense per unit handled.
These are the basic principles, if not the complete set of principles, which need to be followed when deciding a material handling equipment or a system for an organization so that maximum efficiency and benefit can be achieved.
Before you choose a Warehouse Management System Package
You may have decided to automate your warehouse management system, but before you go in for the selection of a WMS package to run your business, you have to look into certain matters so that you can avoid making common mistakes which most businesses do in such case.
In the first place you must make sure whether your business is ready for such automation. For this you could either hire a logistics consultant or take advice from the WMS vendor themselves on what needs to be done and what should not. You have to get all your technical staff together to discuss the needs of your organization so that unwanted modifications to the WMS package in the later stage may be avoided.
Before you set aside the cost of the implementation, rollouts and support, check your budget and also see whether you are getting justifiable payback. Depending on the size and complexity of your business, the payback timeframe could be two to three years.
The WMS you choose should be able to integrate with your legacy systems and other applications.
There should be full co-operation, enthusiasm and understanding with the MD/CEO and other officials regarding why the WMS is being brought in, what benefits it can bring to business and the ROI timeframe.
Finally, before you zero in on a WMS package, see whether it will actually meet all your business needs and whether the software is capable of upgradation in case you decide to implement advanced technologies like RFIDs, Voice Based Picking, Pick to Light, Conveyor base Putaway etc. in the future.
Ensuring safety with air balancers
An air balancer is a safer alternative in handling heavy items as these balancers create a safer, more ergonomic operation by doing away with manual lifting and positioning and replacing it with a near-float system, where heavy loads are lifted and positioned by the balancer and not by people.
Air Balancers are typically rated for capacity at 100 psi at the device and in order to pick up 100% of your load, you must maintain this pressure. If you are receiving only 90 PSI at the device (as opposed to at the compressor), then the balancer is capable of only 90% of its capacity.
When sizing a balancer, for lifting applications, you want the maximum load to be 80% of the rated capacity of the device at 100 psi. For example, if you are lifting with the device, and your maximum load is 200 pounds, then the device needs to be rated for at least 250 pounds. If you are balancing with this device then your maximum load would be 150 pounds, again all rated at 100 psi.
The standard balancer wire rope is rated at 1,400 pounds, with a cycle rating of 250,000 cycles. To maintain safety, you should inspect the wire rope daily for any imperfections, and replace the entire rope if any are found. You must use a glove for inspection.
Air balancers use very little air at only 1/8 cfm per cycle and the Z-brake, a safety device which prevents excessive upward acceleration, is standard on all devices except the 50-pound tool balancer. All hanging points, such as at the hangers, should have safety cables in place as a safety measure on rail systems.