PRODUCTION LOGISTICS

Logistics Elements in Materials Flows

Slovak University of TechnologyFaculty of Material Science and Technology in Trnava

Logistics Elements in Materials Flows

They are such an activities go towards transparent, effective and failure –free production logistics processes.

Active elements of production logistics – handling, warehousing, transport, identification , communication, computing and technical facilities and devices. They perform the sequence of non technologic operations with staff who manage it and passive elements in production item of logistics chain.

Passive elements of production logistics – material, packing, transport and handling equipments and information moving, separating, stocking, identifying, completing etc. in production item of logistics chain. It speaks by active elements.

In – Plant Transport and Handling

In-plant transport system is created by these basic elements:

• transported material - the aggregation of materials items by their relations make possible to design the handling units and devices used in material handling,

• transfer and handling units – number of materials which it is handled as one piece in transport process,

In – Plant Transport and Handling

• transport facilities and handling equipments – active elements of logistics transport system – devices mediating the material movement from delivery point into the consumption point,

• staff – personnel responsible for management and performance of transport and handling operations,

• system of organization and management transfer processes in business.

Organization and Management of In-Plant Transport System

Organization by user

It is the most spreaded form of in-plant transport organization also called as decentralized transport system. Transport carries out the subject who sending transport material. Transport equipments and staff are permanent assigned to economic centres , stocks, production plants etc.Chairman or unit planner guards transport management. Disadvantage of this form is permanent assignment the staff and transport vehicles because the re is not possible to usage their available capacities, totally.

Organization by transport vehiclesCentralized transport form guarded optimal utilization of transport devices and staff. The vehicles and staff are situated in one transport department and it borrows to other departments by changing needs. This department covering incidental requirements and peak of transport performances, maintenance and checking of technical situation of transport devices. The management is carried out by controller of central department following the daily requirements and ready needs of particulars units.

Organization and Management of In-Plant Transport System

Generally we differ:• Periodical cyclic transport – it is useful to use it

between two points with great periodically transported materials,

• Periodical continuous transport – usually insuring conveyer and transport lines in mass and productions in large series.

• Circle transport – connection of several points with the shortest way, there is the effort to minimize the no load ride,

Organization and Management of In-Plant Transport System

• Starry transport – material transport form particular objects into central point (buffer stock) and next material distribution from central point into particular consumption sites,

• Transport by shipping system – the shipping system is bases of transport management. It is building-up by knowledge about transport distances , terms of loading. It uses in cyclic periodical and irregular transport and also in circle and starry ones,

• Irregular transport - it is minimized and dedicated to transport of abnormal materials and fastening incidental transport requirement (e. g. external transport).

Classification of Handling Material

We are dividing the material by handling ability into the several material groups. Each group is typical by that the materials which are in it are handling the same or similar way.

• status criteria: - solid, - liquid

- fluid.• transport criteria and set up for transport:

- singe piece,- handling units (palette, container,

packing), - free loading material.

Classification of Handling Material

The main material characters used in its

qualification are:• Physical attributes:

-parameters: width, length, high,

- weight: unit or capacity,

- shape: flat, curved, irregular,

- damage risk: weak, rough surface, corroding,

- badness: explosive, poisonous,

- status: unstable, sticky, worm, wet etc.

Classification of Handling Material

Other attributes:

- quantity: number or volume,

- time: regularity, immediate urgency, season material,

- special rules: given by standards or other regulations.

The Creation of Bearing Handling Units

Handling unit is one or more pieces packing or non packing materials located free or on the palette, in the container, bundled or striped which what we can handle as one piece.

The Creation of Bearing Handling UnitsHierarchical maximum system consists of:

Handling unit of the 1. step:• Basic handling unit matched to manual handling, • Minimal order, shipping amount,• Weight max. 15 kg,• Handling facilities: carrien boxes and crates,

goods wrapped in box, in shrinked foil, sacking goods, soaked in the barrels, demijohns etc.

• Handling way - handy.

The Creation of Bearing Handling Units

Handling unit of the 2. step:• It is useful for mechanical or automated material

handling in intermediate operations handling, • Weight 250 - 1000 kg (16 - 64 units of the 1.

step),• Handling facilities : the palettes, the rolltajners, the

crates, small containers,• Handling way : mechanical by low elevation

vehicle and high elevation vehicle, shelf collator, lay boy crane etc.

The Creation of Bearing Handling Units

Handling unit of the 3. step:• Dedicated specially for long – distance traffic, in

combined railway, road, river, shipping and airlifting transport.

• Weight max. 30 500 kg (10 - 44 units of 2. step),• Handling facilities : great containers ISO series

1D,• Handling way : cranes, special high elevation

vehicles, portalled raising carriages, side transship devices,

The Creation of Bearing Handling Units

Handling unit of the 4. step:• Dedicated for long-distance combined river

and navy transport, Weight min. 400 t max. 2000 t,

• Handling facilities : boat containers,• Handling way : board cranes or direct

entering into the naval vehicles.

The Sorts of Handling Units

Single pieces, the material packs, The bags, The barrels, The boxes, The crates, The pasteboards boxes, The palettes, The containers, The others (can, bottles) etc.

The Sorts of Handling Units

The palette

The system of transit and handling founded by complex palette utilization (see figures) in production, in transport, warehousing, packing etc.Fitting the materials on palette we are going to create bigger handling entities. It makes possible to use transport and handling vehicles (stacking) and so this way effectively mechanize and shorten total handling time.

The paletteIn international point of view, there are using two standardized section plan of palette dimensions:• Euro-palette (standard palette, EUR palette): 800x1200 mm,• Half-palette: 600x800 mm.

Besides if, the palettes are made in these parameters: 1000x1200 mm, 600x1200 mm, 1200x1600 mm, 1600x2400 mm, 2400x3200 mm.

We are dividing the palettes into the particulars groups by these two criteria:Constructional aspect:

• Simple,• Fence,• Cabinet,• Columnar,• Special.

Aspect of used material:• Wooden,• Metal,• Plastic,• Fibre,• From combined materials.

Others Handling Equipments

Carrier boxes are used for handling in intermediate operations transport and assembly and for stocking small parts. Their bottom must be straight and smooth to move them by drum lines. They are used for handy and mechanical and automation handling.

Crates (see figures) are handling and transport device with layboy system dedicated to material loading. They are matched to handy and also to mechanical handling.

The containers

The container is transfer and technical system resident in utilization the containers (see figures) for creation bigger transfer and handling units using the mechanization and automation facilities.

The container has minimal tonnage 1000 kg and loading capacity 1 m3. It is direct transport form that is the transport without necessity to transship the goods. Now, it is the most developed handling systems. It is used in intermediate operations handling, stocking and mostly in internal and external transport.

International standards differ: Containers ISO series 1, Containers ISO series 2, Containers ISO series 3.

The containers

The containersInternational standards indicate „big containers" ISO series 1 as handling unit of the 3. step and they are divided into:

Universal, which are closed or covered (they keep the content before atmospheric exposure), boxed shape for various kinds of materials. There are handled by edge elements using the cranes, side and front transship devices etc.

Special ones, used for ahead dedicated types of materials. They match to special transport and handling conditions. E. g.:

- flat containers,- cistern, enclosed for liquid and bulk material,- thermic, enclosed with regulated internal temperature.

The rolltajners

They are the transfer devices equipped by four wheels carriage (handling unit of the 2. step). They are used in intermediate operation handling, in warehousing where we can not use the palettes. In engineering plants they are used as an parts mobile holding bin at the assembly workstation. There is required high lay out flexibility. The rolltajners dimensions are 600x800x 1500 mm, tonnage 300-500 kg.

The rolltajners handling is handy, mechanical and automated by conveyer, cradle vehicle with expanded cradle handling 2-3 rolltajners together.

The coffins

They handle liquid, sloppy or crisp material by mechanical or automated handling way – cradle wehicle, conveyer.

They create totally or partially closed handling units of the 2. step (e. g. iron or polyethylene bowls contending 500-6000 l). They are stacked.

Transport and Handling Equipments

Transport and Handling Equipments

In term of path, the handling material is moving:• Equipments with moved materials down free path

(transfer vehicles, cranes with non rail traveling, portal cars, loaders, deliveries),

• Equipments with moved materials down fixed path (rail cranes, manipulators and robots),

• Equipments free from path (stock devices, equipments for material edit, transfer bearing facilities.)

Transport and Handling Equipments

In term of handling materials we know devices for:

• Dry materials,• Part materials,• Liquid and fluid materials.

Transport and Handling Equipments

In term of term continuity of handling process

the equipment are divided into: Continuous – continuous flow by fixed set

path (low flexibility), low staff demand, lower operating costs but higher capital costs (conveyer, elevators, transfer lines),

Transport and Handling Equipments

Cyclic – they work interrupted. One transport cycle consist of receipt and material loading, transfer of the material to the destination place, material unloading and transfer the vehicle to the place of next transport requirement (cranes, lifts, transport systems)

Periodical – they are fixed to the stable path. The material is uniting to units. The delivery interval of the material is given as a conjunction of distance between the units and transport rate (aerial cableway)

Others Facilities and Equipments

• Positioners- for assurance the position and orientation of the handling object mostly on roboting technology workplaces (swapper, positioner, tedder),

• Loading – for creation and disassembly handling units, filling and exhausting transfer units (loader and unloder of the bottles, cranes stacking, fixed devices, equipment controlling the profile and weight),

• Warehousing – shelfs, trays,• Identification – weighting machines, thermometer

etc.

Others Facilities and Equipments

We are dividing authoring facilities and equipments for loading, unloading and transshipment of the material relative to transport devices as follows:

Ramp, Balancing and spanning bridges, Dump bridges, Defrosting devices, Shelf - auxiliary facilities and equipment for

warehouse operations.

Packing

Packing is tool or set of tools observing the protective, handling, transport, information and sale functions. It protects the materials not to be defective or lost, during the handling and transport processes. It forms handling units, it is holder of important information for identification the content, sender and recipient.

Packing is important advertising element and helps increasing the sale and business publicity.

Packing

By sort we are distinguishing these: Consumer packing – for one or products set dedicated to

final consumption. It usually has the look of box, sack, bottle etc.

Distribution packing – It matches one type of consumer packing. It is the interface between consumer and transport packing. It mostly has the shape of plate or carton and the consumer packing are covered by shrink foil.

Transport packing – It is an external packing of distribution ones. It usually create palette.

Packing

The packing construction is followed by the specifics the sort of packing material (defect risk during the handling process, climatic, chemical, biological effect, thievery risk), attributes of packing materials and handling way.