Materials Handling Efficiency.

TM 38-400/NAVSUP PUB 572/AFMAN 23-210 MCO 4450.14/DLAM 4145.12

freight car, picking up supplies loaded on a pallet,

and their application to actual jobs. The group also

carrying the loaded pallet to its storage location and

must have a realization of the necessity for analyzing

lifting it, still unaided, onto the top of a stack. Materials

EACH JOB and their responsibility for maintaining

handling is the actual storage process in operation; the

efficient operations.

aims are conservation of labor, time, and space to the

7-30. Materials Handling Efficiency.

maximum degree consistent with safety of men and

a. Definition of materials handling.

materials.

-"To be sure that we all have the SAME

UNDERSTANDING of what we mean by MATERIALS

HANDLING in warehouses, let's put the DEFINITION on

(2) A second purpose for developing the

the blackboard." "MOVEMENT OF MATERIAL, other

definition of materials handling is to establish a means

than by common carrier."

through which the importance of analyzing and breaking

In further explanation of the definition of materials

down a materials handling operation can be

handling:

emphasized. By breaking down this definition with the

group, we can immediately make them aware of the fact

MATERIALS HANDLING

that there are problems in the warehouses which can be

Is the LIFTING and SHIFTING of commodities UP,

broken down and analyzed. We can drive home the

DOWN, or SIDEWAYS (i.e., VERTICALLY or

point that materials handling is not a simple job, that

HORIZONTALLY). This can be done MANUALLY,

there is more to it than merely picking up and laying

MECHANICALLY, or by a COMBINATION of BOTH.

down materials, and that THERE IS A RIGHT WAY and

A WRONG WAY TO DO IT. The leader must be careful

(REFER to definition on blackboard)

not to read the definition-make it PROVE AND MEAN

-"In EACH of these TYPES of MOVEMENT we are

SOMETHING to the group.

faced with PROBLEMS-WHETHER we do them by

HAND, by MACHINE, OR by a COMBINATION of

b. Where materials handling occurs.

BOTH."

WHERE MATERIALS HANDLING OCCURS -"To start,

-"These points alone, without considering others,

let's LIST on the blackboard WHERE and WHAT

make us understand that MATERIALS HANDLING IS

MATERIALS HANDLING TAKES PLACE in our

NOT A SIMPLE JOB."

WAREHOUSES or STORAGE AREAS."

-"There's more to it than 'picking-it-up and laying-it-

-"Will someone name the THREE MAIN OPERATIONS

down'!"

in a storage operation and point out the MATERIALS

-"There are TWO WAYS to 'pick-it-up and lay-it-down'-

HANDLING INVOLVED?"

the WRONG or HARD way and the RIGHT or EASY

WRITE ON BLACKBOARD

way."

-"At the conclusion of these meetings, we hope you will

Operation and Materials Handling Involved

be able to DISTINGUISH more easily between the

RECEIVING-Unloading cars and trucks, horizontal

WRONG and the RIGHT way-and be sure of it."

movement to storage, elevating to upper floors

(1) One of the purposes for defining materials

multistory buildings).

handling is to give the group an understanding of what is

STORING-Stacking.

meant generally by the term. In many cases, the

SHIPPING-Removing stock from stacks; lowering

interpretation of materials handling is LIMITED TO THE

from upper floors in multistory buildings;

JOBS DONE BY FORK TRUCKS. Many times we hear

horizontal

movement

processing,

the person in charge of the equipment pool or the shop

packaging, and crating

areas and to platforms;

referred to as the "materials handling chief." Materials

loading cars and trucks.

handling, in the broader aspect, refers to ANY

MOVEMENT of materials, whether by hand or by use of

-"Are there any ADDITIONAL OPERATIONS in which

a locomotive crane. Materials handling is the physical

MATERIALS HANDLING is INVOLVED?"

handling of supplies into and out of storage; its most

(Add to list on blackboard)

elementary method is a person carrying a package from

a freight car to a storage pile. An advanced method is

the operator of a forklift truck driving the machine into a

7-28