Material management is an integral component of the supply chain and manufacturing sectors. The production of business-required materials requires a succession of activities that demand strict planning, execution, leadership, coordination, monitoring, and management. In other words, it involves meticulous attention to every aspect, starting from the conceptualization of the products and culminating in their implementation during the manufacturing process. Materials are regulated in accordance with a set of principles. A person will be in a better position to monitor their belongings if they comprehend these concepts. All of these material-related rules and regulations ought to come naturally to material management professionals and aspiring material managers. In this article, we will discuss about principles of material management in brief with examples for your better understanding.
In its most fundamental form, materials management is the procedure through which an organization ensures it has everything required to acquire, store, and dispatch commodities in an efficient manner. The objective is to transport items from suppliers to organization’s warehouses and then to individuals for manufacturing. The group must determine supply sources, quantities, storage, and distribution timing for beneficial production execution.
Principles of Material Management
The responsibility of materials management is to oversee and regulate the movement of materials. This is crucial because variables such as supply, demand, quality, and transit times are ever-changing. Materials management encompasses the systematic arrangement and supervision of diverse activities pertaining to the requirements for materials and inventory. This begins with the conceptualization of the materials and continues until they are implemented in the manufacturing process. Commencing with the determination of the quantity and nature of resources required, the process concludes with the shipment of those supplies to manufacturing in order to promptly and affordably satisfy client demands. Here is an overview of principles of material management with a detailed explanation for your better understanding.
Principle of Planning
Each stage involved in the movement of objects from one location to another must be meticulously premeditated in adherence to the planning concept. It is crucial to establish precise performance objectives, operation criteria, and functional specifications right from the outset. It is generally accepted that dealing duties ought not to be left to chance, but rather should be meticulously planned in advance. The proportion of effective completed work can range from 25% to 80%. Providing advance notice to management about this action component is reasonable to prevent leaving it to chance.
Always utilize a pallet or another suitable apparatus to support objects prior to placing them on the floor. Ensure that there is sufficient space both before and after the scheduled procedure to stow all necessary items. Your objective should be to utilize the same container across the entire system. Attempt to minimize the frequency of container transfers. Consider, among other things, the column spacing, floor pressures, ceiling heights, and truss limitations.
Principle of Gravity
Notwithstanding its apparent simplicity, this theory is frequently disregarded on account of its simplicity. By understanding how to utilize the gravitational force, one can efficiently relocate a multitude of objects. When transferring objects between locations, employ the laws of gravity according to the principle.
Safety Principle
Successfully accomplishing tasks without encountering any obstacles necessitates the implementation of safe management practices. Select effective and secure material management methods. During handling operations, whether in progress or organization, it is essential to maintain safety. This is due to the fact that primary objective of material handling is to establish secure environments, thereby improving working conditions. Employees significantly elevate the likelihood of errors occurring throughout the production process whenever they relocate items.
Space Utilization Principle
Hence, optimizing the available space is advisable. Strict adherence to this rule is paramount in the designated work area, storage areas, and during item transportation. Leasing a warehouse or factory facility incurs significant expenses. Consequently, investing in space is a financial folly. In order to fulfill this stipulation, square footage in addition to cubic feet must be considered. The majority of individuals employ the square foot as their standard unit of measurement. The quantity of cubic feet per square foot is equivalent to the number of square feet, and there are “clear” stacking heights.
Principles of Mechanization and Automation
Mechanical or automated tools can simplify and speed up object movement. Automation in job management shouldn’t rely solely on technical feasibility or be excessive. Automating them in line with the required duties would offer an improved solution.
By optimizing the automation of material handling duties, operational effectiveness, response time, consistency, predictability, and cost-effectiveness can be significantly enhanced. Analyzing the industry’s transformations over the past two decades, one might discern a reduction in the number of personnel involved in each process step. For this reason, modern technology renders everything more reliable, efficient, secure, and time-efficient. Additionally, everything is more consistent and fluid as a result of everyone’s increased collaboration. Presently, automated palletizing, robotic arm systems, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), and other automated palletizing solutions are among the most vital technologies and instruments used to streamline the end-of-line process.
System Principal
The material manager is responsible for adhering to system directives and ensuring coordinated operations to maximize handling tasks. The integration of diverse transporting and storage responsibilities into a single system could facilitate the operation of numerous processes, including production, inspection, shipping, transportation, and storage. Maintain coordination among as many Handling actions as possible when incorporating them into the design of your system. You can expect to perform tasks such as procure, stock, manufacture, inspect, package, transport, and convey in this line of work.
It is critical to incorporate all facets of item movement and storage in order to construct an operating system that does the following: receives, inspects, stores, manufactures, assembles, packages, unifies, selects orders, ships, conveys, and processes claims.
The Principle of Simplification
Regarding numerous aspects of industrial labor, such as motion economy, efficiency, and many others, the term “simplification” is indispensable. It ought to be an objective for the Material Handling department as well. Primarily, this entails minimizing or eliminating superfluous movements and apparatus in the given context.
Ecology or Environmental Principles
The current state of affairs may occasionally harm a portion of the planet’s inhabitants. In accordance with the ecological principle, it is advisable to utilize the most efficient alternative method when transporting objects so as to minimize environmental damage.
Environmental Principle
Before reaching a definitive decision, it is imperative to consider the energy consumption and environmental consequences of novel equipment and material handling methods, in accordance with the environmental concept of material handling. It is advisable to consider the environmental impact and energy utilization of the apparatus under consideration for the purpose of moving objects.
The Life Cycle Cost Principle
In conclusion, it is critical to conduct a comprehensive economic analysis of all systems and apparatus utilized in the transportation of goods throughout their entire lifecycle. In a comprehensive economic analysis, one should take into account the entire life cycle of material handling systems.
Principle of Material Flow
It is critical to commence the development of a Material Handling system with the design of the Material-flow pattern. This design binds the majority of facilities together. The equipment arrangement substantially impacts this, determining the sequence of procedures.
Standardization Principle
According to this method, material management standardizes handling equipment types and their respective usage sides. Additionally, they must ensure that the equipment is consistently utilized. As long as they do not impede the achievement of performance objectives, all procedures, apparatus, controls, and software should adhere to the principle of standardization in material handling. It is undesirable if this reduces the necessary throughput, modularity, or degrees of freedom. To ensure adherence to worldwide performance objectives, the organization must implement standardized hardware, software, and controls while preserving output, flexibility, and modularity. To ensure adherence to worldwide performance objectives, the organization must implement standardized hardware, software, and controls while preserving output, flexibility, and modularity.
FAQ
How Many Principles of Material Management are There?
Each stage of object movement between locations must be meticulously planned according to the planning concept. It is crucial to establish precise performance objectives, operation criteria, and functional specifications right from the outset.
Why is Quality Control Crucial in Material Management?
In quality control, we inspect every individual unit to ensure it meets the final product specifications. We need to review the production process for this product to identify any required modifications. Organizations can fulfill the expectations of their clientele regarding the excellence of their products by implementing efficient quality control protocols.
How does Material Management Help to Lower Material Costs?
One potential strategy for reducing such expenses is to minimize the following factors: the duration and distance at which employees are required to handle the objects, the expense of the necessary equipment, the potential for harm, and the spatial requirements of the objects. When a business is able to maintain minimal transportation expenses, its production and profitability increase over time.
Final Remarks
Practical Materials Management: This book provides comprehensive information on the subject of materials management. You will possess the knowledge required to utilize this sophisticated tool for business management to accomplish a variety of duties within the organization, including planning, commodities, and location, upon completion of this tutorial. In the context of organizations, materials management entails the oversight and coordination of all the components that influence the movement of materials. This allows you to oversee not only the manufacturing process but also the delivery of the finished product, including the exact location and method of transporting the raw materials. Summing up, this topic related to principles of material management is crucial for the success of any organization. Read more deeply to learn more about the role of material management topic.
