Factors Affecting Materials Handling System

 The followings four factors material handling system:

Production  System: There  are two  basic  types  of production systems. One is intermittent or job  lot production the other  is continuous production. Intermittent systems are used where  a variety of jobs  are being done  at the same time on a variety of machines and in a variety of places. Since a great  deal of flexibility is necessary  it is likely that variable path equipment will be used  more than  fixed path  equipment. In terms  of materials handling  devices lift trucks pallets hand  trucks and trolleys would be  more  useful  in intermittent production  system in  continuous  production  systems. These  materials handling devices  would  not be  so commonly used in  continuous production systems because fixed  path equipment  would be  more  reliable and more  economical in many  cases. In  mass production or  continuous process systems one would  find  extensive use of  conveyors cranes hoists pipe lines and  in modern plants automatic of transfer machines  and tape controlled indexing machines.