TUTORIAL 1

MATERIAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM

1.

Provide a definition of material handling.

2.

Name the four major categories of material handling equipment.

3.

What is included within the term unitizing equipment?

4.

What is the unit load principle?

5.

What are the five categories of material transport equipment commonly used to move parts and materials
inside a facility?

6.

Give some examples of industrial trucks used in material handling.

7.

What is an automated guided vehicle system (AGVS)?

8.

What is a conveyor and name some of the different types of conveyors used in industry.

9.

What is the difference between a hoist and a crane

Analysis of Vehicle-based Systems

10.

A planned fleet of forklift trucks has an average travel distance per delivery = 500 ft loaded and an average
empty travel distance = 350 ft. The fleet must make a total of 60 deliveries per hour. Load and unload times
are each 0.5 min and the speed of the vehicles = 300 ft/min. The traffic factor for the system = 0.85.
Availability = 0.95, and worker efficiency = 90%. Determine (a) ideal cycle time per delivery, (b) the resulting
average number of deliveries per hour that a forklift truck can make, and (c) how many trucks are required to
accomplish the 60 deliveries per hour.

11.

An automated guided vehicle system has an average travel distance per delivery = 200 m and an average
empty travel distance = 150 m. Load and unload times are each 24 s and the speed of the AGV = 1 m/s. Traffic
factor = 0.9. How many vehicles are needed to satisfy a delivery requirement of 30 deliveries/hour? Assume
that availability = 0.95.

12.

Four forklift trucks are used to deliver pallet loads of parts between work cells in a factory. Average travel
distance loaded is 350 ft and the travel distance empty is estimated to be the same. The trucks are driven at an
average speed of 4 miles/hr when loaded and 5 miles/hr when empty. Terminal time per delivery averages 1.0
min (load = 0.5 min and unload = 0.5 min). If the traffic factor is assumed to be 0.90, availability = 100%, and
worker efficiency = 0.95, what is the maximum hourly delivery rate of the four trucks?

13.

An AGVS will be used to satisfy material flows indicated in the from-to Chart in the table below, which shows
deliveries per hour between stations (above the slash) and distances in meters between stations (below the
slash). Moves indicated by "L" are trips in which the vehicle is loaded, while "E" indicates moves in which the
vehicle is empty. It is assumed that availability = 0.90, traffic factor = 0.85, and efficiency = 1.0. Speed of an
AGV = 1.1 m/s. If load handling time per delivery cycle = 1.0 min, determine the number of vehicles needed
to satisfy the indicated deliveries per hour? Assume that availability = 0.90.
To:
From: 1
2
3
4

14.

1
0/0
5E/90
7E/120
9E/75

2
9L/90
0/0
0/NA
0/NA

3
7L/120
0/NA
0/0
0/NA

4
5L/75
4L/80
0/NA
0/0

An automated guided vehicle system is being planned for a warehouse complex. The AGVS will be a
driverless train system, and each train will consist of the towing vehicle plus four carts. Speed of the trains will
be 160 ft/min. Only the pulled carts carry loads. The average loaded travel distance per delivery cycle is 2000
ft and empty travel distance is the same. Anticipated travel factor = 0.95. Assume reliability = 1.0. The load
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handling time per train per delivery is expected to be 10 min. If the requirements on the AGVS are 25 cart
loads per hour, determine the number of trains required.
15.

A warehouse consists of five aisles of racks (racks on both sides of each aisle) and a loading dock. The rack
system is four levels high. Forklift trucks are used to transport loads between the loading dock and the storage
compartments of the rack system in each aisle. The trucks move at an average speed = 140 m/min (loaded) and
180 m/min (empty). Load handling time (loading plus unloading) per delivery totals 1.0 min per
storage/retrieval delivery on average, and the anticipated traffic factor = 0.90. Worker efficiency = 100% and
vehicle reliability (availability) = 96%. The average distance between the loading dock and the centers of aisles
1 through 5 are 200 m, 300 m, 400 m, 500 m, and 600 m, respectively. These values are to be used to compute
travel times. The required rate of storage/retrieval deliveries is 100 per hour, distributed evenly among the five
aisles, and the trucks perform either storage or retrieval deliveries, but not both in one delivery cycle.
Determine the number of forklift trucks required to achieve the 100 deliveries per hour.

16.

Suppose the warehouse in the preceding problem were organized according to a class-based dedicated storage
strategy based on activity level of the pallet loads in storage, so that aisles 1 and 2 accounted for 70% of the
deliveries (class A) and aisles 3, 4, and 5 accounted for the remaining 30% (class B). Assume that deliveries in
class A are evenly divided between aisles 1 and 2, and that deliveries in class B are evenly divided between
aisles 3, 4, and 5.How many trucks would be required to achieve 100 storage/retrieval deliveries per hour?

17.

Major appliances are assembled on a production line at the rate of 55 per hour. The products are moved along
the line on work pallets (one product per pallet). At the final workstation the finished products are removed
from the pallets. The pallets are then removed from the line and delivered back to the front of the line for
reuse. Automated guided vehicles are used to transport the pallets to the front of the line, a distance of 900 ft.
Return trip distance (empty) to the end of the line is also 900 ft. Each AGV carries four pallets and travels at a
speed of 200 ft/min (either loaded or empty). The pallets form queues at each end of the line, so that neither
the production line nor the AGVs are ever starved for pallets. Time required to load each pallet onto an AGV =
15 sec; time to release a loaded AGV and move an empty AGV into position for loading at the end of the line =
12 sec. The same times apply for pallet handling and release/positioning at the unload station located at the
front of the production line. Assume the traffic factor is 1.0 since the route is a simple loop. How many
vehicles are needed to operate the AGV system?

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