How to choose the right material handling systems for warehouse

Janifha Evangeline

All industrial sectors must have material handling processes. These jobs frequently entail strenuous physical labor and monotonous duties that exhaust employees. Additionally, it increases the risk of health issues in workers, which has a negative impact on the ergonomics of the workplace as a whole. But with the right equipment, such jobs can be made a lot simpler.

All throughout the supply chain, there is material handling. Before they can be used to create final products, raw materials must be obtained, transported, and kept ready for shipping. For transportation, they are assembled into groups and put onto trucks. When they get to the warehouses, they need to be unloaded, processed, and stored on racks. Finally, they must be removed from storage and made ready for distribution when they are required. The employment of assistive technology in material handling also reduces waiting times and increases output. Therefore, it is in the best interests of both employers and employees to provide appropriate equipment for support.

"Material Handling, an essential and significant component of any productive activity in factories and warehouses not only helps businesses in gaining high productivity through the automation of all processes but also in delivering high-quality products and operational cost reduction," says Nimesh Karelia, MD of Jay Equipment & Systems. "However, it is highly imperative for enterprises to deliver the right amount of the required material in the right condition at the right place on time at right costs," he adds.

We have put together a thorough list of suggestions to think about before buying material handling equipment to assist you in making an informed choice.

Nature of the material:

Many different materials are used in manufacturing. Some of these might be light-sensitive, combustible, or very susceptible to contamination, among other factors. Before selecting a material handling equipment, we have to consider these factors to prevent harming the material or the area in which it is being used.

Space and functionality:

The second factor to take into account is the area in which the tool will be employed and the type of action the instrument is intended to carry out.

List the area's exact characteristics, such as its length, height, and width, to put things in perspective and enable you to choose the equipment that best meets your requirements. Three categories of handling tools can be distinguished according to their functionality:

Equipment for storing materials:

Storage equipment is made to hold materials for a long time. This could include boxes, shelves, pallet racks, etc.

Equipment for transporting bulk materials:

This is used to handle and move vast amounts of packaged material. Trucks, heavy-duty transporters, drums, or conveyors may be utilized to move these items.

Equipment for repetitive jobs:

Automated guided vehicle systems, such as automated forklifts, tugger vehicles, etc., may be utilized for handling operations involving repetitive processes.

Process requirements and customization capacity:

The procedure by which the materials handled are being incorporated comes next. Here it is important to check factors to understand whether it is a quick process, are there any moving parts involved and others and this is crucial since you will have to choose a tool based on these considerations.

Maintenance cost tracking

Warehouse supervisors and transportation managers place a high focus on damage avoidance in the supply chain. They hunt into the underlying causes of occurrences where things lose value or are damaged in an effort to lower their cost of doing business. Hence, it is important for implementing industry best practices for avoiding damage as a member of the field. One such company that offers specialized solutions which can help in lowering the costs associated with material degradation is Gear India.

To keep them secure and functioning, all manufacturing-related tools require routine maintenance and cleaning. Make sure you are aware of the tool's maintenance costs before choosing it for handling. The chosen equipment must have replaceable components. To minimize downtime, make sure the spare components are likewise easily accessible locally.

Safety of workers

Employers should place a high focus on the safety of their employees. Using subpar equipment for material handling could result in catastrophic events. Therefore, we must ensure the tools being acquired are excellent quality items that are safe to use, whether it's heavy load moving equipment or an air caster material handling solution.

It is crucial to take the aforementioned factors into consideration. For instance, investing in AMRs that may help you easily scale up your organization may be worthwhile if you expect considerable growth in the near future. AMRs are adaptable and have an easy time modifying their workflow requirements.

However, selecting the finest material handling system for your warehouse may be an easy and effective process with the right information and considerations. Moving ahead, the material handling equipment market is anticipated to reach USD 200 billion by 2025. Some of the factors driving the growth of this market include the growth in RFID, Internet of Things in 3PL, Food & Retail and ecommerce industries.