 PERSPECTIVES OF PACKAGING:-

 To maximize the storage capacity of warehouse, the

company should develop their packaging so that the
items can be stored easily on pallets.
 The new logistics practice was designed around two
concepts, first, standardized master cartons were
adopted to permit continuous conveyor movement from
point of warehouse order selection to truck loading.
 second., the integrated system used a computer process
to assure that each standardized master carton was
packed to maximum practical cube utilization.

 PACKAGING FOR MATERIALS HANLING

EFFECIENCY:-
 Material handling efficiency is influenced by,
 Package design,
 Unitization,
 Communication characteristics.
 PACKAGE DESIGN:-
 Product packaging in standard configurations &
order quantities facilitates logistical efficiency.
 Total weight can sometimes be reduced by product
or package changes.
 UNITIZATION/CONTAINERIZATION:-
 Unitization is the process of grouping master
cartons into one physical unit for materials handling
or transport.
 The concept of containerization includes all forms
of unitization, from taping two master cartons
together to the use of specialized transportation
equipment.
 Rigid devices:-
 Formed of substantially rigid material, comprising
container, such as a cardboard carton.
 Rigid packaging provides a variety of benefits:-
 Barrier protection,
 Containment,
 Convenience,
 Physical protection,
 Security,
 Sustainability.

 Flexible devices:-
 Flexible devices do not
protect a product by
complete enclosure.
The most common type is
pallets or slipsheets.
 A pallet is the structural
foundation of unit load.
 The use of flexible unitization can increase damage
potential if is not properly contained during handling or
transport.
 In most situations, the stability of stacking is
insufficient to secure a unit load.
 Standard methods of improving stability include rope
tie, corner posts, steel strapping, taping, antiskid
adhesives, & wrapping.
 Packaging has several objectives,
 Information transmission:-
 Packages & labels communicate how to use, transport,
recycle, or dispose of the package or product.

 Communication:-
 This function is becoming increasingly critical to
provide:-
 1. Content identification,
 2. Tracking,
 3. Handling instructions

 1. Content identification:-
 Typical information includes manufacturer,
product, container type, count, & Universal
Product Code (UPC) number.
 2. Tracking:-
 Effective internal operation & increasingly
customers require that product be tracked as it
moves through the supply chain.
 3. Handling instructions:-
 The information should note any special product
handling considerations such as glass containers ,
temperature restriction, stacking considerations, or
potential environmental concerns.
 MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS:-
 It is the art & science of conveying, elevating,
positioning, transporting, packaging & storing of
materials.
 The cost of material handling contributes significantly
to the total cost of manufacturing.
 Proper material handling helps in:-
 Decrease the damage in handling,
 Maintain the quality of storage,
 Facilitate order processing,
 In moving right goods at right time so as to make them
available to the right customers.
 GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF MATERIAL HANDLING
MANAGEMENT:-
 Increase effective capacity of warehouse,
 Minimize aisle space,
 Reduce number of times product is handled,
 Develop effective working conditions,
 Reduce movements involving manual labor.
 Improve logistics service.
 Reduce cost.
 ROLE OF MATERIAL HANDLING IN SUPPLY
CHAIN:-
 In warehouses, material handling operation is
performed at the following stages,
 A)Moving the unloaded material to assigned storage
place in warehouses.
 B)Unloading the incoming material from transport
vehicle.
 C)Lifting the material from its storage place during
order picking.
 D)Moving the material for inspection & packing.
 E)Loading packages/boxes/cartons on to transport
vehicles.
 The efficiency of material handling equipment adds to
the performance level of the warehouse.
 The warehouse, where in the material handling
equipment is in use, is more sensitive to labor
productivity than the manufacturing center as
material handling is more labor sensitive.
 There is scope for reducing labor & enhancing
productivity by emerging technology in material
handling.
 A good material handling system will enhance the
speed & throughput of material movement through
supply chain.
 FUNCTIONS OF MATERIAL HANDLING:-
 Material handling function helps reduce the number of
staff required for managing inventory & reduce
dangers of obsolescence.
 This in turn helps reduce total cost.
 IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL HANDLING:-
 Material handling is an important part of factory &
industrial processes.
 It covers the entire spectrum of functions such as
waste handling, assembly line management, storage &
material transport.
 It is a key to warehouse productivity.
 The use of material handling equipment also results in
higher productivity resulting in higher return on
investment.
 Hence, material handling is very critical to the
operation of warehouse.
 MATERIAL HANDLING METHODS:-
 There are three types of picking methods,
 Order picking,
 Batch picking,
 Bulk picking,
 Order picking:-
 It is just the nature of distribution & fulfillment
that generally have more outbound transactions
than inbound transactions.
 It is directly connected to customer satisfaction.
 Key objectives in designing an order picking
operation include increases in productivity,
reduction of cycle time & increase in accuracy.
 productivity in order picking is measured by pick
rate.
 Piece pick operations usually measure the pick
rate in line items picked per hour.
 Cycle time is the amount of time it takes to get an
order from order entry to the shipping dock.
 Accuracy:- employee training ,accuracy tracking,
& accountability are essential to achieving high
levels of accuracy.
 Batch picking:-
 It is defined as picking multiple items in a single
run to fulfill multiple orders.
 With a “man to goods” system where an order
selector travels to the product to fill orders, batch
picking can reduce the travel time.
 In a “goods to man” system where product is
delivered to the selector , batch picking can
 reduce delivery traffic.
 Bulk picking:-
 It allows to combine multiple picks across several
sales orders into one consolidated pick task.
 HANDLING TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT:-
 Handling processes & technologies impact productivity
by influencing personnel, space, & capital equipment
requirements.
 PRINCIPLES OF MATERIAL HANDLING:-

 Equipment for Handling & storage should be as

standardized as possible.
 When in motion, the system should be designed to
provide maximum continuous product flow.
 Investment should be in handling rather than stationary
equipment.
 Handling equipment should be utilized to the maximum
extent possible.
 In handling equipment selection the ratio of dead weight
to payload should be minimized.
 Whenever practical, gravity flow should be incorporated
in system design.
 Handling systems can be classified as ,
 Mechanized,
 Semi automated,
 Automated,
 Information directed.
 Mechanized:- a combination of labor & handling
equipment is utilized in this system.
 Automated:- attempt to minimize labor as much
as possible by substituting equipment capital
investment.
 Semi automated:- when a combination of
mechanical & automated system is used to
handle material, the system is referred to as
semi automated.
 Information directed:- it uses information
technology to direct mechanized or automated
handling equipment.
 MECHANIZED SYSTEMS:-
 The types of equipment most commonly used are,
 Lift trucks,
 Rider trucks,
 Towlines,
 Tractor trailer devices,
 Conveyors,
 Carousels.
 1.Lift trucks:-
 Lift trucks, also called fork lifts,
 It can move loads of master
cartons both horizontally &
vertically but are limited to
handling unit loads.
 Towlines:-
 It consist of either in-floor or
Over mounted cable or drag devices.
 It have far less flexibility than lift trucks
 Advantage:- continuous movement.
 Tractor trailer:-
 It consist of driver guided power unit
towing one or more four wheel trailers.
 Conveyors:-
 It serves as the basic handling device
for a number of order selection systems.
 They are classified according to,
 Power, gravity & roller or belt
Movement.
 Carousels:-
 Rather than requiring the order selector to go to
the inventory storage location, the carousel
moves inventory to the order selector.
 It consist of a series of bins mounted on an oval
track or rack.
 The rational behind carousel systems is to reduce
order selection labor by reducing walking length
& time.
 It also significantly reduce storage space
requirements.
 SEMI-AUTOMATED SYSTEMS:-
 Semi automated handling includes,
 Automated guided vehicle systems,
 Computerized sortation,
 Robotics,
 Various forms of live racks.
 Automated guided vehicles(AGV)
 It typically replaces mechanized tow tractors &
trailers.
 The essential difference is that AGVs are
automatically routed, positioned , & activated
without a driver.
 It typically relies on an optical, magnetic, or
wireless radio guidance system.
 Primary advantage:- direct labor reduction.
 AUTOMATED SORTATION:-
 It provides two primary benefits:-
 1. reduction in labor.
 2. significant increase in speed & accuracy of
order selection.
 Robotics:-
 It is a machine that can be programmed to
perform one or more handling activities without
the intervention of an driver.
 Robotics can be used for break bulk or
consolidation operations.
 Live racks:-
 It is commonly used to reduce manual labor in
warehouses.
 It is a storage rack design in which product
automatically flows to the desired selection
position.
 It reduces the need to use lift trucks to transfer
unit loads.
 Advantage:- the potential for automatic rotation
of product as a result of rear loading.
 Potential to automate:-
 In addition to requiring less direct labor, an
automated system has the potential to operate
faster & more accurately with less product
 damage than its mechanized counterparts.
 INFORMATION-DIRECTED SYSTEMS:-
 It used mechanized handling controlled by
information technology.
 Examples:- RF Wireless (Wi-Fi)
 Pick-to-light.
 RF Wireless (Wi-Fi):-
 Advantage- to improve speed & flexibility of lift
trucks operations.
 RF Technology provides real-time communication
to central data processing systems.
 Pick-to –Light:-
 In these systems, order selectors pick designated
items directly into cartons or onto conveyors from
lighted carousel locations or storage bins.
 SPECIAL HANDLING CONSIDERATION:-
 Specific considerations that influence warehousing &
handling in an e-fulfillment environment are order
volume, small shipments, & tracking.
 First, to serve end consumers, an e-fulfillment facility
typically must process a large number of very small
orders.
 Second, e-fulfillment facilities must generally deal
with a wide range of product, which translates to
large inventories & the use of flow through practices
to consolidate orders for shipment.
 Finally, carrier be electronically scanned & tracked.
 AUTOMATED STORAGE SYSTEMS:-
 Storage systems can be classified into,
 Conventional storage systems,
 Automated storage system.
 A)Conventional storage systems,
 These are ideal for storing loads of varying sizes,
shapes & weights on the same rack.
 Features:-
 Low cost per pick.
 Direct access to stored items.
 Safe & user friendly racking operation.
 Durable racking designs with high strength rack
bracing.
 Low maintenance
 Customized warehouse pallet racking for any storage
needs.
 Automated storage & Retrieval system (ASRS or
AS/RS)
 It consist of a variety of computer controlled
systems for automatically placing & retrieving loads
from defined storage locations.
 (AS/RS) are used in Applications where:-
 A very high volume of loads being moved into & out
of storage.
 Storage density is important because of space
constraints.
 No value adding content is present in this process.
 Accuracy is critical because of potential expensive
damages to the load.
 Advantages of AS/RS system:-
 1. reduced labor for transporting items into &
out of inventory.
 2. Reduced inventory levels.
 3.More accurate tracking of inventory.
 4.Space savings.