In today’s world, material handling is a very large part of a lot of businesses.
It can sometimes account for up to fifty per cent of a business’ production cost, as it is such an important aspect of the production line.
Therefore, it is obviously very important that businesses get material handling right the first time in order to build up their business and
spend money wisely, as it can be very easy to accidentally pour money down the drain when handling materials in this way.
What is Material Handling?
To start with, let’s clear up the issue of just what material handling is, as unless you are directly involved in this part of manufacturing already you may not really know what it is.
In a nutshell, material handling is when goods and products that are in the process of being manufactured are moved, stored, controlled or produced.
This is done throughout the manufacturing, distribution, consumption and disposal stages, and so it really is a very large part of this industry.
How is Material handling carried out?
Material handling is very simple really – materials or products that have been created or which are due to be used in the creation of items are stored or shipped in various ways.
The various methods that this can be done in include pallet racks, industrial shelving, conveyor belt movement, Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) and more.
Automatic guided vehicles may also be used in the process, and some include sorting and picking as part of it as well.
How can material handling help my business?
If you are just setting up your business, material handling may very well be the backbone of it, so it is essential that you get off on the right foot with it.
In the beginning, you have the benefit of not having any bad habits concerning material handling, so you can start fresh with a completely clean slate, as it were.
This will make sure that you can get the process right first time, and the main aim of this will be save money overall.
One of the most important aspects of material handling is the use of storage space within warehouses, and this can translate directly into either money earner or money wasted.
If you do not store your materials properly, you may be wasting money.
This could be the case if you are not using the correct storage methods or if there are more cost effective methods available out there, but you are still using an out dated one.
The material handling system which you choose to use may also help you to improve safety standards within your business.
Many of the newer systems available today can reduce the amount of risk posed to employees,
so staff members no longer need to be faced with potential hazards when in the workplace. For instance, you may choose to use hoists or forklift trucks to lift large loads.
There are many ways in which getting your material handling methods right first time could help you to build a successful business. Can you think of any other ways?
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Guest post contributed by Simon Hardman, a builder by day and blogger by night.
A big fan of the slingsby ladders range when it comes to his building sites.
