Page 239 - DMGT523_LOGISTICS_AND_SUPPLY_CHAIN_MANAGEMENT

Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Notes An automated handling system may be applied to any of the basic handling requirements
depending on the situation. When selected handling requirements are performed, using
automated equipment and the remainder of the handling is completed on a mechanized basis,
the system is referred to as semi automated.
An information-directed system uses computers to maximize control over mechanized handling
equipment. Mechanized handling systems are the most common. However, the use of semi
automated and an automated system is rapidly increasing. As noted earlier, one factor
contributing to low logistical productivity is that information-directed handling has yet to
achieve its full potential. This situation is predicted to dramatically change during the 1990s.

10.3.2 Handling Equipments

Mechanized systems employ a wide range of handling equipment. The types of equipment most
commonly used are:
1. Forklift Trucks: Forklift trucks can move loads of master cartons both horizontally and
vertically. A pallet or slip sheet forms a platform upon which master cartons are stacked.
A slip sheet consists of a thin sheet of material such as solid fibre or corrugated paper. Slip
sheets are an inexpensive alternative to pallets and are ideal for situations when product
is handled only a few times. A forklift truck normally transports a maximum of two unit
loads (two pallets) at a time. However, forklifts are not limited to unit-load handling.
Skids or boxes may also be transported depending on the nature of the product.

Many types of forklift trucks are available. High-stacking trucks capable of up to 40 feet of
vertical movement, palletless side-clamp versions and trucks capable of operating in
aisles as narrow as 56 inches, can be found in logistical warehouses. Particular attention to
narrow-aisle forklift trucks has increased in recent years, as warehouses seek to increase
rack storage density and overall storage capacity. The forklift truck is not economical for
long-distance horizontal movement because of the high ratio of labour per unit of transfer.
Therefore, forklifts are most effectively utilized in shipping and receiving, and to place
merchandise in high cube storage. The two most common power sources for forklifts are
propane gas and electricity. Many forklift operations are utilizing new forms of
communication technology to increase their productivity.

Example: Radio frequency data communication (RFDC) is utilized to speed load
put away and retrieval assignments for forklift truck operators in warehousing,
manufacturing, and distribution operations.
Instead of following handwritten or preprinted instructions, workers receive their
assignments through either handheld or vehicle-mounted RF terminals. Use of RF
technology provides real-time communication capability to central data processing systems,
and when combined with bar code scanning of cartons and pallets, it allows forklift truck
operators to receive and update item status inquiries, material orders and movements,
and inventory adjustments. The Pioneer Hi-Bred International Company exhibits this
application of technology to forklift operations.
2. Walkie-Rider, Pallet Trucks: Walkie-rider pallet trucks provide a low-cost, effective
method of general material-handling utility. Typical applications include loading and
unloading, order selection and accumulation, and shuttling loads over longer transportation
distances throughout the warehouse. Electricity is the typical power source.
3. Towlines: Towlines consist of either in-floor or overhead-mounted drag devices. They are
utilized in combination with four-wheel trailers on a continuous power basis. The main

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