Chapter 1.3 Flashcards
What does MHE stand for?
Materials handling equipment
What does materials handling often involve?
Lifting
What is materials handling equipment beneficial for?
It reduces or eliminates risks of manual lifting and moving stock
How may organisations ensure that staff are trained and have the necessary accreditation, licences and insurance?
Formal training sessions and sometimes certification of training or licencing i required before the operator can use the equipment
What does an equipments operating conditions include?
Maximum dimensions and weights
What are dollies?
Sets of wheels that can be placed under stacks making it easier to move around. Multiple dollies can be used for a single load, but care should be taken with the height, weight and stability of the load
What are sack trucks?
They have two wheels and feature a small base platform with a larger vertical structure - the base is positioned under the load and then tilted, so that the load is angled but supported by the vertical structure
Is it good practise to move a stack of boxes using a sack truck?
No because they are less stable than a four-wheeled truck and require more care and effort when loading and unloading
Describe trolleys
There is a wide variety of wheeled trolleys available to support storage and picking operations
Name two things trolleys will have
- Corner protection against bumps and scuffs
- Maximum weight loading
Describe flat-bed trolleys
Have a low load area that have no side supports. they have 4 or 6 wheels and offer extremely flexible transportation
Describe tote trolleys
They have fixed spaces for closed or open totes. these are effective for multiple-item storage journeys or multiple-order picking
Describe shelf-trolleys
Have multiple shelves which allow boxes or loose stock to transer to or from storage. These are also available with caged sides and backs
Describe turntable trucks or articulating/narrow-aisle trucks
Available in a range of sizes and weight loadings. they feature articulated front wheels that allow turning in a small space
Describe roll cages
Wheeled cages that are made up of a folly-like platform with wire or steel mesh sides. Some have two mesh panels that are removable and other have 4.
Describe order pickers
The name given to a variety of manual and powered devices - some with ride-on capability and some without
What do higher-level or narrow/very-narrow aisle versions of order pickers have the ability to do?
They have the ability to elevate operators on the front platform to higher racking and pick items with full control on the elevated platform
Describe pallet trucks and stackers
There is a range of equipment designed to move, lift and stack, either euro pallets or bottom-boarded pallets
Describe grabs
Designed to hold stock either width wise or from above. These are either specific devices designed for grabbing material or are available as an accessory for forklift trucks
Describe drum lifters and loaders
They have shaped parts that allow operators to move large drums and stack them. There are some drum lifters and loaders that are produced for specific sizes and weights/volumes of drums. Drum lift attachments are also available for forklift trucks
Describe counter balance forklift trucks
The forklift is a highly versatile asset in most warehouses and stockyards. These are ‘ride on’ vehicles with high manoeuvrability.
What functions may forklift trucks have
Loading and unloading role. Also used for storing goods, maintenance of stock and retrieval of stock
What is the weight of the load that can be transported and the forklift trucks lifting capacity determined by?
The height of the upright mast nearest the operator, the load length and the counterbalance weight integrated within the truck
How can the type of fuel impact how a forklift truck is being used?
The use of fossil fuels will generate carbon dixoxide and carbon monoxide along with other emissions and should only really be used outside
Name 2 issues that come with using electric forklifts
- Charging
- Restrictions of use in rain
Describe reach trucks
Designed to work in a narrower aisle than a standard counterbalance forklift truck. They are similar to forklifts but the forks are moveable in order to reach the load and are then retracted back for transport
Name 2 things reach trucks can do in comparison to forklift trucks
- More compact
- Can lift stock higher
Describe vacuum lifters
Uses a vacuum pad which attaches itself to a product. The suction force allows the product to be lifted (and rotated and placed)
What are vacuum lifters used for?
Moving and positioning glass sheets, but are also seen lifting boxes, plastic sacks, sheets of building materials and pipework
What do some models of vacuum lifters feature?
Hydraulic arms which allow easy movement of the lifted load
What of a vacuum lifter determins the maximum weight and largest items that can be lifted?
The lifting systems will have a number of sucker pads and a vacuum capability
What are fixed roller systems typically used for?
To transfer large volumes of stock in a box, tote or pallet form in larger warehouses. These can be gravity fed or powered
What can roller systems be constructed to have?
Turning points to change direction and can be designed to turn corners
What can roller systems handle?
Pallet loads
Is regular maintenance of roller systems required?
Yes
Name 2 disadvantages of fixed roller systems
- Lack flexibility
- High initial cost
What can be created to maximise the benefits of fixed roller systems?
A design layout
What are portable versions of roller system used for?
Unloading vehicles or inside a warehouse to move stock quickly from one location to another
What can one type of portable roller system do?
Collapse into a small length when not in use and can bend along its length
When are conveyor systems a popular choice?
If transferring stock between floors by using a system of conveyor belts
Why may conveyor belts be segmented with laterally raised separators?
To keep items apart or be continuous belts
Why may belts be overlapped and shaped?
To allow them to change direction
What do fixed conveyor systems require?
Careful planning and positioning
Is the maintenance of conveyor systems important?
Yes - longer term replacement cost of the belt also needs to be considered
What does having a portable conveyor system with wheels allow?
Vehicle loading and unloading or moving stock to higher levels in a racking system
What can cranes help to do?
Move bulky and/or heavy stock around a building
What are usually installed for very heavy loads?
Overhead cranes
Describe gantry-type cranes
Mounted in girder sections across the structure of the building
Describe the movement of gantry-type cranes
Some offer a single line of movement but others can move in two directions and can therefore move heavy equipment and loads from one point to another within the structure
Describe bridge cranes
Work on a high-level mounting but use smaller frames, covering a smaller area
Why is the load rating and positioning of overhead cranes important?
As changes would be costly
What two things are usually in place when operating cranes to avoid accidents
Safety considerations - access restrictions & audible and visual warnings
Describe carousels
Space-efficient, rotating devices which allow access to a large range of products from a single location. Designs are variable, with carousels rotating horizontally or vertically until the required item can be retrieved
How can you achieve the movement to reveal the required item (carousels)
By manually moving the racks, using forward and back controls, by entering a shelf-location on a keypad, entering the product code or by barcode, depending on the installation
Describe stacker cranes
Installed as part of the automation of warehousing and have fixed runs alongside racking, storing and retrieving pallets
Name 6 ways of gaining access to higher levels in a warehouse
- Ladders
- Step sets
- Platforms (or cages)
- Order pickers
- Scissor platforms
- Higher-level access walkways
What three things require storage pending disposal?
- Waste products from packaging
- Disposal of some stock
- Spillages
What do some organisations use to use less space in storage and disposal vehicles?
Waste compression machine
Name 5 scenarios where weighing is required in the warehouse
- Inbound loads may need to be weighed to confirm delivery meets the documentation provided
- Weighing can establish the number of items in a box, tote or other packaging, provided the weight of the packaging is known or can be estimated
- It can establish a load that is appropriate to be moved by specific equipment or stored in a specific place
- Used as part of periodic stock taking for the weight of stock or estimating quantities
- Weight information is needed to establish packing weight limitations and to establish the cost of carriage and is needed to establish safe vehicle loading and that vehicle limits are not exceeded
Name 5 common issues when considering weighing equipment
- Size of the item
- Weight of the item - scales tend to operate in ranges and will have a stated accuracy
- If the item is in packaging, a pallet or a tote box, the ability to use a ‘tare’ setting means that the item’s weight only will be displayed
- Speed of accurate weighing
- Ability to record, store, print and document the weight using links to computer networks or mobile phone based software
Name 7 types of weighing equipment that is used in warehousing, stockyards and stores
- Weighbridges
- Floor scales and platform scales
- Conveyor belt scales
- Forklift and pallet truck scales
- Load cells
- Suspended balance and crane scales
- Counting scales
What do weighbridges do?
Establish a vehicle’s weight either on a platform, or pad-equipped area near the dock or at the entrance to a facility. Vehicle weight is taken before and after delivery
What is weighbridges suitable for
Loose material and liquids
What else can weighbridges be used for
To ensure the total permitted vehicle weight is not exceeded
Describe floor scales and platform scales
Set into walkways, in packing areas or docking areas.
Describe conveyor belt scales
Can be installed to check that the contents of the box match the items expected
Distribution centre
A storage facility, usually smaller than the organisations main warehouse, that is geographically sited to serve a specific area
Describe load cells
Can be fitted to silos, hoppers and tanks in a storage situation and prove a means of measuring the quantity of the contents on a continuous basis, making stock checks easy
Describe suspended balance and crane scales
These measure the load from above
Describe counting scales
Small scales with the ability to weight items conventionally but can also count items by first providing a single item to weigh - after which it will show the number of items and the total weight
What does dimensions weight scanning equipment use?
Ultrasonic and infrared technology to measure items and incorporates a weighing table
Name 3 technical measuring tools that may be needed for checking goods upon arrival
- digital micrometers
- digital callipers
- laser measuring devices
How can containers of liquids be weighed?
Use a look-up table consulted for checking the equivalent volume
What can pre-prepared dipsticks be used for?
Checking the level of fluids, with markings equating to known volumes
What should you do instead of storing thing on the warehouse or stockroom floor
Create a very low platform area for temporary storage
What can be installed for general storage?
Standard shelving in metal or with some wooden components
What is special racking available for?
To maximise the space usage for a wide range of items and the layout of the warehouse needs to allow for where they are intended for use
Name 5 types of special racking
- Pallet racking
- Tote racking
- Bar, sheet and rod racks
- Cable spools
- Stock cages
What does the choice of storage equipment depend on?
The type of stock, volume of stock and equipment being used
What can storage equipment save?
It can save space and therefore cost
What does pallet racking have the capability of?
Supporting multiple pallets
Describe tote racking
It is spaced to allow easy access to boxes for picking or whole box storage retrieval. There are also ‘open front’ totes in a wide range of sizes that make picking an individual item easy
What are bar, sheet and rod racks designed to do?
To allow safe storage, easy access and efficient space usage
Describe cable spools
Often mounted on dispensers allowing lengths to be cut. they can also be flat-stored on very narrow-set shelving
Describe stock cages
Available in many sizes and can hold single items or groups of items. Cages with wheels offer flexibility as they can be moved around the warehouse without the need for other handling equipment
Explain how pallet trucks work
They have ‘forks’ which fit into the gaps at the bottom of pallets. When a lever is pulled, or a handle is pulled downwards, the pallet is lifted just clear of the ground and can then be freely moved around the warehouse
Describe extra-long-forked versions of pallet trucks
They can take a two metre long load, potentially allowing the movement of two pallets
Describe narrow-forked versions of pallet trucks
They can work with different pallet standards and non-standard loads
Can pallet trucks be manual or powered?
Yes
What two mechanisms are used by manual or powered pallet trucks to lift loads?
hydraulic or pneumatic mechanisms
What kind of capability do larger pallet trucks have?
‘Ride on’
What is a ride on capability
Where the operator will stand or sit as the powered truck moves around
What are pallet stackers designed to do?
Lift and stack pallets
What will determine the appropriate model and features of a pallet stacker?
Height, reach and weight limitations in the storage faility
Name 8 types of pallet racking options available
- Standard pallet racking
- Adjustable pallet racking
- Pallet racking arranged in single-sided runs
- Double-sided access
- Double-deep runs
- Live storage pallet racking
- Drive in and drive through runs
- Post pallets
Describe standard pallet racking
Formed of shelves so that each pallet can independently be stored and removed
Describe adjustable pallet racking
It has a set standard width, enough to accomodate the wide of a pallet plus a small margin on each side to aid easy positioning. The vertical spacing can be adjusted to allow taller or shorter pallet loads
Describe single-sided runs (pallet racking)
A single depth of pallets is stored with access just on one side. it may be used on the perimeter of a warehouse but it could be used where space is limited
Describe double-sided access (pallet racking)
A single depth of pallets. Maximises accessibility and is used in some ‘one way’ systems to aid flow. They can be built up from two single-sided runs ‘back to back’
Describe double deep runs (pallet racking)
They have pallet storage two pallets deep, it can be used to either store the same stock-keeping units in each position or different SKUs
Describe live storage pallet racking
It has multiple depths of pallets that are accessed from the front, but new stock loaded to the rear. It allows the pallet behind to move forward if the front one is removed
Describe drive in and drive through runs (pallet racking)
They have a ‘no shelves’ design which allows equipment to enter the racks for storing and retrieval. Drive in can be accessed from one side but drive through can be access from both sides
Describe post pallets (pallet racking)
They have a simple metal structure with four uprights and substantial ‘feet’ to take the load. They can be free-standing but many are designed for the feet to interlock with the posts of another post pallet so that a stack can be created
Unit-load
A term used to describe the grouping of different items into a convenient stack or stacks which make them easy to handle and store. Typically, this involves pallets and/or the plastic wrapping of the load
What is an important theme of unit load system design?
Standardisation
Why is standardisation important in unit load system design
The more items that are of similar size, weight and shape, the more standard stock handling and racking can be used. This offers greater density of storage and transportation
How may people keep the load stable?
Wrapping and strapping
Why is the preparation of a single product and delivery by the full unit load simple?
Because a full unit load is made up, wrapped and does not need splitting until later in the supply chain
What is very common in semi-automated and automated warehouses?
The use of a tote box as a unit load
Name three things that there are international standards for in regards to unit load?
- Testing stability
- Testing compression
- The impact of vibration
Name 3 things that may be included when specifying how a pallet should be loaded
- ‘Face up’ stacking
- Maximum height and weight of unit load
- Edge, top and bottom protection
Explain the basic design of a pallet
It has a slatted top, a block layer with gaps for fork access and a bottom slatted layer to create a stable platform
What are european pallets manufactured under
Under licence from the European Pallet Association and must conform to standard UC1435-2 specifications
What do european pallets measure?
800 mm x 1200 mm
What do standard UK bottom board pallets measure
1200 mm x 1000 mm
What are the wide range of different standard pallets sizes driven by?
Conventions (and availability) in different countries and different industries
What is the largest common pallet size?
1200 mm square (48 by 48 inch)
Why is the size of a pallet important?
It determines the width and the depth of the racking and the fit to the load bay of vans, lorries and trailers
Name 5 materials pallets are available in
- Timber (most common)
- plastic/resin
- Cardboard
- composite materials
- Steel
Describe what large-scale users of pallets might do
They will need storage space for pallets not in use, have a system of recovery of pallets from end users or they could rent pallets
Describe skids
Single-deck pallets and do not have a bottom-slatted layer making them less bulky and cheaper than conventional pallets but also less universal in their use
Describe slip sheets
A system of unit loads that does not use a pallet base. A thin sheet of suitable material the same size as the load is placed under the load. It has one or more lips which allow lifting equipment to slide under the sheet. The lip of the sheet is grabbed by the lifting equipment and pulled back to the forklift platform
Describe the unloading using slip sheets
The load and the slip sheet are pushed off the forks and the slip sheet released
Name 4 advantages of slip sheets
- No pallets are required (makes a size and weight difference to all transport and storage)
- Reusable
- Light
- Take up very little space
What do slip sheets require?
Special ‘push and pull’ forklift accessories and usually use ‘thin and wide’ forks
What is containerisation
Freight method used to transport standard-sized steel containers across the globe
What does containerisation allow for?
The containers to move across multiple transportation modes without any handling of the cargo inside
Why are containers standardised?
To allow for stacking and ease of loading/unloading onto multiple transportation types such as container ships
What are the three most common container sizes?
10, 20 and 40 foot
What does the standardisation of the container size mean?
That it is impossible to tell what is inside, reducing the risk of theft
Name 5 types of containers
- Temperature regulated
- Dry cargo containers
- Open top containers
- Containers with different door styles
- Flat rack containers
Name 2 types of containers with different door types
- Tunnel containers - have doors on either side of the container
- Open side or double doors storage containers - doors can open at the side rather than the ends allowing a wider space for loading and unloading materials
What are flat rack containers?
Designed to have a collapsable or foldable sides suitable for heavier goods which need to be loaded from the top or the side
What are freight costs dependent on?
The size and weight of the contianer
What are containers designed to increase?
Economies of scale through logistics - they allow transportation ease for large quantities of goods or bigger, heavier cargo such as machinery
Name 5 considerations procurement professionals will need to make when considering using containers
- The space available at their receiving sites for container deliveries
- Whether the container will be unloaded immediately for goods to be stored elsewhere on-site, or whether the container will be kept, unloaded and collected at a later date
- The resources that are required for offloading and whether they are available on site or will need to be outsourced
- Packaging needs to be durable enough to last and protect goods throughout the length of the shipment
- Incoterms for container shipments
Incoterms
Series of commercial terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce, covering the allocation of costs and transfer of risk between buyer and seller. The various options are abbreviated to three letter codes
What may some organisation choose to do in terms of managing their shipment
To use a third-party logistics provider
Third-party logistics provider (3PL)
A firm that provides multiple logistics services for use by customers including transportation, warehousing, cross-docking, inventory management, packing and freight forwarding. The legal definition of a 3PL is ‘a person who solely receives, holds or otherwise transports a consumer product in the ordinary course of business but who does not take title to the product
Name 6 advantages for the containerisation
- Economies of scale
- Value for money
- Security of shipment
- Access to international trade
- Management of the shipment can be outsourced to 3PL
- More environmentally friendly
Name 6 disadvantages for containerisation
- Small risk of the container falling overboard and becoming lost at sea
- Longer lead times
- Delivery delays due to unforeseen events
- Still a significant expense
- They require paperwork and documentation as they pass from port to port and if not filled out correctly it may get held and you will incur additional costs
- Additional investment in capital equipment to be able to unload the containers
Name 11 types of technology that can be automated
- Warehouse management system (WMS) software
- RFID tags
- Use of machine and human readable barcodes and QR codes
- Handheld devices
- Smart glasses or interactive goggles
- Automated guided vehicles (AGVs)
- Automatic operation vacuum lifters
- Automated storage system with stock to picker
- Computer-controlled conveyor systems
- Automatic packaging machines
- Drone counting
What do smart glasses or interacting goggles do?
Provide directions to locate or position stock. They can also give instructions by displaying messages
Describe drone counting
Using drones to undertake cycle counting at night helps validate system and shelf quantities
Goods receiving/goods inwards
The warehouse department responsible for receiving, checking and processing inward-bound products
Goods received note (GRN)
A document or electronic entry recording that goods have been received by an organisation. This is usually prepared after a visual inspection, although in some organisations formal acceptance testing may be required before the GRN is created
What is cycle counting
Routine stock checking
What can integrated warehouse management systems do?
Identify stock volumes and values that may be outside expectations. It can prepare outside expectation inspection lists, identifying locations
Name 3 uses of automation that impact packing
- The packer receives the picked order, selects the order number on a panel and is provided with a packing list and a recommendation for packing boxes or packaging. The packer either checks the order using a barcode reader or checks a screen for RFID matching. The packer can go ahead and pack, getting printed labels and moving the parcels on for delivery
- The packer can just release the order to an automated packing system which will pack, wrap and label as required
- An automated system could sort packages by customer, location, routing or prioritisation. The system can prepare routing instructions against allocated transport or carriers
Give an example of fixed asset (equipment) control
It is possible to monitor movement and location using RFID technology and for warnings to be given if it moves outside the expected zones
