Decreasing Costs by Improved Handling of Materials

Abstract

water during the course of treatment is relatively small. In the past men needed at the plant for other duties could empty the necessary bags of chemicals into the feeders with very little expenditure of time. It has now become necessary, however, for operators to review the situation. Housing and population growth has greatly increased the amount of water being used. To meet this demand, the output of existing facilities must be enlarged and new plants constructed. Operating expenses have risen sharply, and labor is in short supply. Improved methods of handling materials constitute an increasingly important means of cutting material costs. Through the use of fork trucks (Fig. 1), which are adapted to high stacking of palletized loads, the amount of floor area allocated to the storage of bags of dry chemicals can be materially reduced. Palletized loads can be readily stacked three tiers high. This provides the same reserve supply in one-third the space and affords a considerable saving in building costs. When planning a new facility or modernizing an existing plant, the designer should take into account the many operational advantages that mobile, power-operated equipment provides in elevating, moving, and storing, not only dry chemicals, but also other types of supplies including pipe (Fig. 2), fittings, and meters. The producers of dry chemicals have pioneered many of the advances in handling methods. They have led the way in developing palletized loads and unit loading. Their plants, warehouses, and shipping facilities are developed around the modern fork truck. Most suppliers prefer to load trailers and boxcars with palletized loads. If they are required to hand-load a car, their labor cost goes up. Although, in view of the comparatively small amounts of dry chemicals used daily at the water plant, some planning would be required to arrange for palletized-