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CHEMICAL ENGINEERING R E V I E W S
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UNIT OPERATIONS REVIEW
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II Materials Handling I
THE
broader use of mechanized materials handling equipment by the chemical industry is now an accepted fact. The lift truck, overhead crane. and concevor are recognized items of chemical plant equipment. They are so well recognized that the materials handling engineer now finds himself in the position of having skimmed all the cream off the cost reduction picture. H e often becomes immersed in problenis ~ c h e r e the simple purchase of a lift truck \vi11 no longer act as the panacea; the problem has grown in scope to the point ~ c h e r e systems analysis is noic the order of rlie day. bfanagement has been educated to the point \%.hereit nole takes a Ion? hard look a t any nete proposal. Ir i v a n t s to know how much the s)-stem \vi11 earn for the company and how it ivill improw the profit picture. I n order to provide these answers? the engineer must realize that actual cost figures for materials handling operations are too often hidden under indirect labor charges. These charges are often arbitraril). g i i e s s ~ la t o r completely ignored-in reality. they often represent the very differencr bericeen profit and loss. In a recent article on the concept of cost control ( 7 1 ) . a procedure is presented for establishing and eventually con troll in^ niatrrials handling cost.
Theory and Training Because the practice of inateriais handling has become oriented toward the engineering approach to s>-stems analysis. it is logical that educational institutions in the field are folio\cing this lead by expanding their fac vanced materials handling equipment course \vas offered for the first time this past fall by ivashington Cniversity ( 3 5 ) . Sortheastern University‘s Institute of Industrial and Commercial Rlaterial Handling (3)was extended to eight courses during 1956: and a ne\\-co~irsein \ehich students analyze existing materials handling problems and render solutions direct to management \cas introduced b\Illinois Institute of Technology (1.31, These represenr only a few of the mani. advances already made in the field c i f materials handling education. ;Is industry continues to find morr applications for the principles of rnaterials handling. a yrcatrr need fool. trained prrsonnrl has drvrloped. . i s a result of this need. there has bern a s u b stanrial increase in the nuniher of clinics and symposiums sponsorrd by trndc associarions. .A rrcent articlc 1xihiis1ir.d by F l m mayazinr ( 7 i ) iifii.rs a corn~)lrtc~ reference ro t,ducational opport~initiesi n this field. The C’ollege-Industry (~onimittcc u i i SIarrrialr Handlinq Educaiion (843-1
ROBERT W. WESSON (born 1923, Mount Vernon, N. Y.) received his B.S. degree in engineering from the United States N a v a l Academy. For the past nine years he has been employed by Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Co., and is currently a Project Leader in the Engineering Department. Wesson i s a member o f the American Society o f Mechanical Engineers, the American Material Handling Society, and the American Institute o f Industrial Engineers.
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Soutli Yatcs ilve., Chicago 17, Ill.) i on ti nu ally \corks to promote education,il activity in this field. The latest activity of this group has been tlie production of a slide film of 400 action photograplis illustrating all phases of handling. hfore graphs \cere suliniitrcd Slide Film Coiiiniiitcc, anufacturers and lis( Included in the action shots are trucks. hand trucks, attachments. convc>-ors, unit load pallrts. containcrs, hoists; nionurails. and all othrr (wrrrnt i>-)irsof equipment. l o r those inrrrested in on-the-.joIi trainiiiq. tlie hlaterials Ilandlinq Insritiite (Pitts1)tir~ti22, Pa.) has iriadc avail;ible a rrvisrd listing of 50 ediic.a~ion,il and training films. Tlicse filnis cover 2111 phases of inaterials handliiiq and ;ire pi.ouptxi according 10 I O miijor cateqorirs : baiterics and Imttt~! car?, c ’ t x n r s , fork lift trucks, hand lift triicks. artachments. liandliny in sprcifk intlrist r i c x s , haiidlinq Iirndarnrntals. h;tnrlling ot‘ qircific ~ i r ~ i d u r rsafrt!.. s. a n c l qit,el ~ t r i i 1 ~ Iiiiig aiiplications
Industrial Trucks ‘I’he desirt, for perfection in ciesiyii of lifr truck rquipment reaclitd ii hi+ iiiiint this !.ear. ‘This trend is I)est c~eiril)liiicd liy a discussion of the “i)r
