Materials handling is a technical and complex area. There is, therefore, need for application of principles to the material handling area. Such principles become guidelines to the materials handling personnel in solving problems, if any. Like all principles, they need to be applied judiciously. The principles of materials handling are:
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1. Principle of selection and application of materials handling equipment.
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2. Principle to eliminate wasteful methods.
3. Principle of laying out the plant.
1. Principles of Selection and Application of Materials Handling Equipment:
(a) Provide alternative methods for use in emergencies.
(b) Recognise the need to provide suitable building conditions for the equipment.
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(c) Select equipment that is flexible in its application.
(d) Adopt standard equipment, if possible, to ensure that the purchase of special equipment is economically justified.
(e) Ensure that the equipment designed to transport materials should be kept in motion.
(f) Use materials handling equipment to improve production control, inventory control, and order handling.
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(g) Use handling equipments to help achieve full production capacity.
(h) Ensure that existing equipment is fully used.
(i) Replace obsolete methods and equipments with more efficient ones.
(j) Determine equipment needs based on planned handling activities.
(k) Select equipments that will minimise the ratio of mobile equipment dead weights to pay loads.
(l) Use the simplest equipment that is adaptable to the problem; avoid the use of complicated mechanisms and controls.
(m) Recognise the need for different equipments for different jobs.
(n) Reduce idle or unproductive time of handling equipment.
(o) Determine comparative cost of equipment before purchasing.
(p) Give consideration to the maintenance of the equipment.
2. Principles of Eliminating Wasteful Methods:
(a) Introducing automaticity into the handling plan.
(b) Utilising gravity as a moving force wherever practicable.
(c) Planning all handling activities.
(d) Utilising containers and unit loads.
(e) Reducing to minimum the number of handling of materials.
(f) Eliminating unnecessary mixing and subsequent sorting.
(g) Avoiding the unnecessary transfer of materials from floor to work place or from container to container.
(h) Increasing the speed of handling.
3. Principles of Laying Out the Plant:
(a) Provide for the optional flow of materials between operations and with a minimum of retrograde movement.
(b) Plan the layout of the work station area for a minimum handling of the product.
(c) Coordinate the overall materials handling throughout the plant.
(d) Plan a system for materials flow and combine handling with processing wherever possible.
(e) Provide for continuous or approximate intermittent flow of materials.
(f) Maximise the quantity and size of weight handled.