CHAPTER 1: Introduction
Materials management is a coordinating
function responsible for planning and controlling materials flow. Its
objectives are as follows: Maximize the use of the firm’s resources.
Provide the required level of customer service. Materials management can
do much to improve a company’s profit.
Material handling involves
short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a
building and a transportation vehicle.[1]
It utilizes a wide range of manual, semi-automated, and automated
equipment and includes consideration of the protection, storage, and
control of materials throughout their manufacturing, warehousing,
distribution, consumption, and disposal. Material handling can be used
to create time and place utility through the handling, storage, and
control of material, as distinct from manufacturing, which creates form
utility by changing the shape, form, and makeup of material. Material
handling plays an important role in manufacturing and logistics, which
together represent over 20% of the U.S. economy. Almost every item of
physical commerce was transported on a conveyor or lift truck or other
type of material handling equipment in manufacturing plants, warehouses, and retail stores.[5]
While material handling is usually required as part of every production
worker's job, over 650,000 people in the U.S. work as dedicated
"material moving machine operators" and have a median annual wage of
$31,530 (May 2012).These operators use material handling equipment to
transport various goods in a variety of industrial settings including
moving construction materials around building sites or moving goods onto
ships
1.1 Background of the Study
Manual material handling ranges from
movement of raw material, work in progress, finished goods, rejected,
scraps, packing material, etc. These materials are of different shape
and sizes as well as weight. Material handling is a systematic and
scientific method of moving, packing and storing of material in
appropriate and suitable location. The main objectives of material
handling are as follows:
It should be able determine appropriate distance to be covered.
Facilitate the reduction in material damage as to improve quality.
Reducing overall manufacturing time by designing efficient material movement
Improve material flow control
Creation and encouragement of safe and hazard-free work condition
Improve productivity and efficiency
Better utilization of time and equipment
It is critical for manufacturing
organization to identify importance of material handling principle as
the critical step in promoting the job improvement process. Manual
material handling significantly increases health hazard for the workers
in from lower back injuries.
In the current competitive and
globalized environment, it is important to control cost and reduce time
in material handling. An efficient material handling process promotes:
Design of proper facility layout
Promotes development of method which improves and simplifies the work process
It improves overall production activity.
Efficient material handling reduces
total cost of production. “MSG Experts” Material Handling - Principles,
Operations and Equipment. ManagementStudyGuide.com. The research
therefore seek to investigate material handling and utilisation in
government organisation
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Raw materials form a critical part of
manufacturing as well as service organization. In any organization, a
considerable amount of material handling is done in one form or the
other. This movement is either done manually or through an automated
process. Throughout material, handling processes significant safety and
health; challenges are presented to workers as well as management.
Therefore, manual material handing is of prime concern for health and
safety professional, and they must determine practical ways of reducing
health risk to the workers. Oniwon (2000) submits that, a high
proportion of operational expenditure is expended on materials. However,
such reasonable investment that determines profitability is often
overlooked by organizations; hence organizations require considerable
planning and control of materials so as to minimize waste which
invariably affects the profitability and survival of organizations. Lee
and Dobler (1977) support this view by postulating that materials are
the lifeblood and heart of any manufacturing system. Consequently there
is the need to ascertain the impact of materials management in
government organisations, adopt better methods of managing materials,
reduce material cost, and eliminate any wastage in the utilisation
process to enhance profitable use and efficiency. The problem
confronting this research is to investigate material handling and
utilization in government organisations.
1.3 Objective of the Study
1 To determine the nature of material handling and utilization
2 To determine the nature of material handling and utilization in government organization.
1.4 Research Questions
1 What is the nature of material handling and utilization?
2 What is the nature of material handling and utilization in government organization?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The study seek to provide the framework
for the effective handling and utilization of materials in government
organisations following reported cases of materials mishandling and
ineffective utilization in the public sector organization.
1.6 Statement of Hypothesis
1 Ho Material handling and utilization in government organization is low
Hi Material handling and utilization in government organization is high
2 Ho Material handling in government organization is not effective
Hi Material handling in government organization is effective
3 Ho Material utilization in government organization is not effective
Hi Material utilization in government organization is effective.
1.7 Scope of the Study
The study focuses on the appraisal of material handling and utilization in government organization.
1.8 Definition of Terms
PROCUREMENT DEFINED
Procurement takes into cognizance buying
wisely and competitively which entails keeping abreast the forces of
supply and elements that regulate prices and availability of materials.
Efficient and effective materials procurement entails constant search
for better values that yield the best combination of competitive and
wise buying that contributes to maximizing organization’s profit.
INVENTORY CONTROL DEFINED
Egberi & Egberi (2011) maintain that
inventory control is the systematic way of locating, storing, and
recording of goods in such a way that desired degree of service can be
made to the operation shops at minimum ultimate cost. Inventory control
has to do with standard control on the ordering size, ordering time, and
the quantities of raw materials left in the store at a given time.
STORAGE DEFINED
Storage of materials entails careful
handling of material and maintains accurate control over them. It shows
how much materials are in the store and when to place order. Effective
handling of material is essential tool for cost saving and increase
profitability.
MATERIAL MANAGEMENT DEFINED
Gopalakrishma et al(2006)
&Ramakrishna (2005) visualize material management from integrated
perspective as they postulate materials management as the function
responsible for the coordination of planning, sourcing, purchasing,
storing and controlling materials in an optimum manner so as to provide a
predetermined service to the customer at a minimum cost.
.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Raw materials form a critical part of
manufacturing as well as service organization. In any organization, a
considerable amount of material handling is done in one form or the
other. This movement is either done manually or through an automated
process. Throughout material, handling processes significant safety and
health; challenges are presented to workers as well as management.
Therefore, manual material handing is of prime concern for health and
safety professional, and they must determine practical ways of reducing
health risk to the workers.
Material Handling
Manual material handling ranges from
movement of raw material, work in progress, finished goods, rejected,
scraps, packing material, etc. These materials are of different shape
and sizes as well as weight. Material handling is a systematic and
scientific method of moving, packing and storing of material in
appropriate and suitable location. The main objectives of material
handling are as follows:
- It should be able determine appropriate distance to be covered.
- Facilitate the reduction in material damage as to improve quality.
- Reducing overall manufacturing time by designing efficient material movement
- Improve material flow control
- Creation and encouragement of safe and hazard-free work condition
- Improve productivity and efficiency
- Better utilization of time and equipment
It is critical for manufacturing
organization to identify importance of material handling principle as
the critical step in promoting the job improvement process. Manual
material handling significantly increases health hazard for the workers
in from lower back injuries.
In the current competitive and
globalized environment, it is important to control cost and reduce time
in material handling. An efficient material handling process promotes:
- Design of proper facility layout
- Promotes development of method which improves and simplifies the work process
- It improves overall production activity.
- Efficient material handling reduces total cost of production.
Principles of Material Handling
Material handling principles are as follows:
- Orientation Principle: It encourages study of all available system
relationships before moving towards preliminary planning. The study
includes looking at existing methods, problems, etc.
- Planning Principle: It establishes a plan which includes basic requirements, desirable alternates and planning for contingency.
- Systems Principle: It integrates handling and storage activities, which is cost effective into integrated system design.
- Unit Load Principle: Handle product in a unit load as large as possible
- Space Utilization Principle: Encourage effective utilization of all the space available
- Standardization Principle: It encourages standardization of handling methods and equipment.
- Ergonomic Principle: It recognizes human capabilities and limitation by design effective handling equipment.
- Energy Principle: It considers consumption of energy during material handling.
- Ecology Principle: It encourages minimum impact upon the environment during material handling.
- Mechanization Principle: It encourages mechanization of handling process wherever possible as to encourage efficiency.
- Flexibility Principle: Encourages of methods and equipment which are possible to utilize in all types of condition.
- Simplification Principle: Encourage simplification of methods and process by removing unnecessary movements
- Gravity Principle: Encourages usage of gravity principle in movement of goods.
- Safety Principle: Encourages provision for safe handling equipment according to safety rules and regulation
- Computerization Principle: Encourages of computerization of material handling and storage systems
- System Flow Principle: Encourages integration of data flow with physical material flow
- Layout Principle: Encourages preparation of operational sequence of all systems available
- Cost Principle: Encourages cost benefit analysis of all solutions available
- Maintenance Principle: Encourages preparation of plan for preventive maintenance and scheduled repairs
- Obsolescence Principle: Encourage preparation of equipment policy as to enjoy appropriate economic advantage.
Material handling operations are
designed based upon principles as discussed above. Material handling
equipment consists of cranes, conveyors and industrial trucks.