Material handling within enterprises is a complex issue. Due to the uneven economic development between eastern and western regions of our country, it determines the diversity of material handling systems. These systems range from state-of-the-art, unmanned material handling systems featuring automated vehicles, automated warehouses, and conveyors, to relatively primitive handling lines still in use from the mid-20th century. Regardless of the level, a common factor is that these systems are tailored to match the economic status, product quality requirements, labor skill levels, and market competitiveness of the enterprises. In other words, there is no one-size-fits-all material handling system; only systems that are economic and suitable. Because conveyor systems are efficient in continuously transporting large volumes of materials between points A and B, with low costs and accurate timing, they are widely used in assembly lines for mass production. Proven to be suitable for mass production, conveyor systems have essentially become synonymous with it. This system is actually determined by the external demand environment, requiring a single type of material, large quantities, and a limited variety. In a society where the living standards are still at the subsistence level, this system aligns with societal needs. As society enters a more prosperous phase, with diverse, personalized, and humanized demands, the identical goods produced by this mass production line are clearly unable to meet market demands. This external demand feedback requires adjustments and changes in the existing production lines in terms of functionality, appearance, patterns, and size. Traditional mass production handling systems are no longer sufficient.
This material handling system is not suitable for the positioning of the enterprise. The root cause of this unsuitability stems from the shift in the economic environment from high-speed growth to stable growth, from the change in people's consumption from monotonous sameness to diversity, and from the change in the general population's living standards from mere subsistence to the development of a moderately prosperous society. Its characteristic is the production of small batches and a variety of products to adapt to the ever-changing consumer market. This production method requires the replacement of a large number of work tools, the transportation of a large number of different raw materials and components, and may involve simultaneously assembling several different products on the production line or frequently switching between different products. These characteristics demand that the enterprise's logistics system have a certain degree of adaptability, i.e., flexibility. A logistics system with such flexibility is suitable for enterprises that need to respond to market changes at any time. For industries with highly personalized consumer demand such as home appliances, light industry, electronics, automotive manufacturing, and cigarette production, the positioning of their logistics systems should be a flexible logistics system with considerable technological content.
For raw material industrial enterprises such as mining, cement, and coal, there is limited demand for changes in the appearance, functionality, and color of their products. However, the increasing demand for their products dictates that their logistics systems do not require flexibility but must continuously adapt to the growing social demand. Consequently, conveyor systems that can efficiently and cost-effectively transport large quantities of materials, easily achieving automation and unmanned operations, are naturally the preferred choice for these enterprises.
The traditional positioning concept of corporate logistics systems is to prioritize cost considerations. Today, the primary focus of corporate logistics systems is to adapt to market changes, followed by strategies to reduce logistics costs.
The purpose of the corporate material handling system is to reduce transportation costs while ensuring normal production, thus maintaining sufficient market competitiveness for the company's products. In modern enterprises, material handling costs typically account for 20% to 30% of the total product cost, while in the mechanical industry, these costs can reach as high as 35% to 40%. Therefore, lowering the operational costs of the material handling system is a way to enhance corporate profitability.
