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Material Handling Methods Applied in Industry By F. L. St. John : the high cost of labor and mate- rials by more effective use of ma- chinery and power increasing output per man and decreasing cost per unit, making the best possible use of the working hours in a day. The movements of materials in many plants is done by unskilled help Perhaps-this same unskilled help may be ‘operating trucks, vehicles and really good modern handling equip- ment, perhaps the plant has been care- fully laid out to expedite material movements, but until the subject of material movement has been given the same careful study as the actual pro- duction, there are possibilities of enor- mous waste. It has been estimated by statisticians that the average methods of material handling in American in- dustries waste more than three bil- lion dollars a year in out of date mate- rial handling methods. This figure is based on the savings accomplished by the few plants which have modernized their methods as compared with the average total volume of goods manu- factured throughout the country. Accurate costs should be kept of per- formance, operation and maintenance eosts, overhead charges, variable and fixed, as well as statistical, which can be simplified and carried on one sheet for each power unit operated for each month and recaped for the year. A re- duction in expense can be made almost daily rather than waiting until the monthly figures are available which, in a large plant, means hundreds of Tex successful modern plant meets dollars loss. The figures also act as a governor on any slack in the line as the daily record will show the tonnage handled and the cost per ton, which the operating head should have every day. With this he can stop any leaks promptly. This plan will operate equally as well if used in a plant or in a transportation company. A good system is to put the handling of materials on a piece work basis. This operates well in several ways. It keeps the operator on his toes, pre- vents carelessness in handling, loss from breakage, etc. For if the mate- rials are not delivered promptly and in good order, it is up to the operators to put them in good order, and he will be more careful with the equipment, knowing that if it breaks down or cannot be operated efficiently, it cuts down his earnings. The result is a personal interest on the part of the operator in keeping his equipment in the best possible shape and the report- ing of any delays in movement which in any way slow up the operation. This plan has been worked out in ‘Several large plants very successfully and has resulted in large savings, both in cost of handling and damage to ma- terials. It eliminates loafing and aids in selection of equipment for proper handling of the job on hand. This puts the men on a friendly and com- petitive basis, prevents overloading and overspeeding, for any mishandling is checked against his time and earn- ings. Maintenance costs have been greatly Performance Rather Than Mechanical Perfection Should be Test of Equipment 50 MARINE REVIEw—May, 1931 reduced where careful inspection has been maintained. One large plant in normal times, operating 150 power units have a weekly inspection and find that it pays. Any parts requiring attention are properly tagged and the machines are sent to the repair de- partment where the work is done. Labor and parts (if necessary) are charged on the work card. The me- chanic signs his name and certifies as to the time spent on the job, and in turn, the foreman removes the tag, signs his name, returns the machine to the operating department and the tag to the office where the superin- tendent approves the charges and passes it on to the bookkeeper to enter against the cost of operating the unit. Practically every plant has its own problems. No two are exactly alike yet the underlying principle of prompt movement of materials at a minimum cost is the objective in every case. New Dock Fitted to Handle Bulk Cargo Efficiently By A. H. Morrill HE Portland Terminal Co., a sub- Dee of the Maine Central rail- road, has, in the past year, construct- ed in Portland harbor a new dock equipped with the latest type of ma- chinery for the transshipments, from ships to cars, of coal, sulphur, fer- tilizer, China clay and other bulk commodities. This plant replaces a former plant which was destroyed by fire in Sep- tember, 1929. The new wharf, which is of pile and timber construction, has a face length of 610 feet and carries two steam operated diggers and three loading tracks. Thirty cars may be set for loading at one placement, these being moved by heavy duty haulers mounted on the diggers. The berth, which is ad- jacent to the main ship channel, has 30 feet of water at mean low tide. Adjacent to the. wharf is a service yard with capacity of 160 cars. This yard is directly connected with the Terminal company’s main classifica- tion yard about 1% miles distant. The diggers, which were furnished by the Mead Morrison Co., are equipped with 3-ton clam shell buck- ets and have a capacity of 550 tons each per hour in free digging, or 250 tons per hour each ‘‘through the ship.”’ The two diggers, exclusive of trimmers on the ship, are operated by one foreman, three operators, two firemen, two chutemen and one groundman. Discharging time for a 4000-tom ship is about eight hours. The steamer PLyMouTH, which discharges regularly at this plant, carries 8200 gross tons and the discharging time averages 17 hours.