In modern warehouse, products be it finished or raw material are in continuous physical journey changing hands and locations.

To run a safe, faster and efficient warehousing operations it is important to keep a tap on how the materials are physically moved from one location to another. If warehouse material handling is chaotic, it can severely impact warehouse efficiency and productivity.

Warehouse material handling plays an important role and businesses must adopt best handling practices for faster turn-around time, minimize errors and reduce waste in the supply chain.

What is warehouse material handling?

Warehouse material handling refers to the movement,protection and control of materials (raw or finished) throughout receiving, storage, manufacturing and distribution/dispatch processes. As different operations are performed in each area, it’s a must to have specific handling equipment to match each need to maximise productivity.

Types of material handling equipment in warehouses

In warehousing facilities,the different varieties of material handling equipmentcan be broken down into three major groups:

1. Manual material handling equipment

Manual material handling tools are solely operated by humans, are relatively simple in design, and don’t involve digital or electric technology.

Pallet jacks, for example, help to ease the movement of pallets from one place to another, which can be useful in loading and unloading operations as well as general transportation of goods.

Picking carts help workers to organize picking activities.

Hand trucks are used to easily transport lighter and smaller loads such as boxes and unpalletized loads within the warehouse.

2. Motorized material handling equipment

Motorised material handling equipment is operated by workers from a platform or cabin and is motor-driven. These help workers move large, heavy, or numerous materials efficiently and safely, and can even help prevent injuries.

Forklifts/Electric stackersare the most common and offer wide range of work options to be performed from loading, stacking and transportation.

Battery operated pallet truck can also be utilized for lifting and moving pallets.

3. Automatic material handling equipment

Some warehouses use automated material handling equipment that’s operated by a warehouse control system (WCS). The control system determines how the machines should move and what they need to do.

Stacker cranesstand out for their capacity and agility in storing and retrieving goods from the racks.

Roller and chain conveyors are another type of go-to material handling equipment in automated warehouses. Tasked with moving boxes and pallets internally, conveyors connect the different zones in a facility or link the warehouse with the production lines or production area.
Automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are extremely helpful in environments with continuous and repetitive flows of materials, saving time and boosting productivity.

Pallet lifts are a handy solution for overcoming height differences and moving goods vertically in automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS)

Automated pallet shuttle move pallets in the storage channels inside the racking.

The importance of choosing the right material handling equipment

Choosing material handling equipment entirely depend on business needs and layout of the warehouse and number of operators needed in the facility.

Large warehouse with plenty of vertical storage, motorized or automatic material handling equipment are used to move materials quickly across great distances, and safely take down heavy boxes of inventory stored on high pallet racks. For warehouse with relatively small spaces, products may be light and can be managed through manual equipment.

Key points to check

• Check areas which require improvements based on turnaround time and risk involved.
• What type of equipment can make those improvements.
• Is there any warehouse technologies/warehouse control system implemented and what type of integrations are required to seamlessly introduce new material handling equipment’s.
• Does existing equipment create confusion or hazard for employees.

How does warehouse layout impact material handling?

Warehouse layout significantly influences material handling system. It can be the difference between an efficient warehouse and a warehouse that can’t keep it together.

A poor warehouse layout causes bottlenecks,increases motion waste(moving more than necessary within the warehouse), and raises the risk of injury due to manual material handling. A well-designed warehouse layout streamlines processes, decreases worker movements, and positively impacts employees’ physical and mental health.

Optimizing material handling is an easy way to boost order accuracy, minimize lead times and deliver a better flow experience.

Tips to improve warehouse layout

• Prioritize flow, accessibility and space in warehouse design e.g. keep aisles wide enough for two-way flow of traffic.
• Ensure uninterrupted flow of goods.
• Optimize accessibility to increase worker speed.
• Store products that are commonly ordered together nearby.
• Store popular materials in easy-to-reach places.
• Designate and label storage places
• Have distinct stations for different warehouse functions

Make the Most of the Material Handling Equipment

Even if warehouse material handling implemented is decent, there are many opportunities for improvement

1. Investing in automated System
2. Organize warehouse intelligently
3. Implement a robust warehouse management system (WMS)
4. Improve put-away processes
5. Incorporating RFID tags and scanners

At times, there’s no choice but to move materials manually. In this case, it’s important to train employees on proper handling techniques to limit injuries.

Do	Don't
Lift in areas with sufficient lighting	Lift materials from the floor
Lift in areas with enough space to keep footing	Lift materials while seated
Start lifts close to your body	Lift loads over obstacles
Store goods in containers made of lighter materials	Perform repetitive, heavy lifts

Do	Don't
Lift in areas with sufficient lighting	Lift materials from the floor
Lift in areas with enough space to keep footing	Lift materials while seated
Start lifts close to your body	Lift loads over obstacles
Store goods in containers made of lighter materials	Perform repetitive, heavy lifts

Best Practices: Material Handling in Warehouse

Here are specific material handling principles that can guide

• Standardize equipment and software without compromising on production, modularity, or flexibility.
• Reduce the amount of warehouse movements without sacrificing on operating levels or productivity
• Prioritize worker health and safety while undertaking improvement efforts
• Assess the environmental impact and effect
• Evaluate the expected life cycle of potential equipment and how much the ongoing maintenance costs will be.
• Make sure that team members are properly trained on every piece of equipment they will need to use in their role.

Metrics to watch out in warehouse material handling

Material handling process underpins warehouse’s entire productivity and it’s important to track important metrics to keep production flowing, ensure goods reach in time, prevent workplace injuries, and elevate overall employee morale.

Some important KPIs to monitor are

• Maintenance costs – Keep a tap on pieces of equipment that shoot up maintenance cost more than usuals and may require replacement.
• Equipment utilization rates – Get insights on how equipment helps or hurt material handling activities.
• Picking accuracy – See how often material is being correctly picked and align material handling strategy accordingly.
• Productivity – Put-away time, average time to pick, order cycle time will enable measurement of materials handling impact on warehouse efficiency.

How EXPRESS 3PL support efficient warehouse material handling

Warehouse material handling takes a long time to master. Business looking to optimize how inventory moves throughout warehouse or manufacturing plant can outsource operations to a tech enabled 3PL.

EXPRESS 3PL provides contract logistics solutions so business can offload material handling to professionals. We are able to improve productivity, efficiency, and accuracy rates without businesses having to manage inventory receiving, storage, picking, packing, or shipping by themselves.

With substantial in-house material handling equipment including battery operated forklifts, BOPTs, Stackers, Narrow Aisle Forklift, Reach Truck, Selective Pallet Racking systems EXPRESS 3PL offers asset light warehousing and in-plant logistics solutions to business enterprises.

Visit us on www.express3PL.in and write to us at info@express3pl.in to know more.