From raw materials to manufacture to distribution and consumption, material handling is critical in practically every phase of the supply chain process. Of course, proper inventory management is crucial at all times, but food storage, warehousing, and distribution is one area where safe and effective material-handling systems are especially important.
A well-designed and maintained material-handling system not only protects your food and beverage goods by reducing damage and loss, but it also enhances your business’s productivity, saves handling costs, and aids inventory management and flow.
It’s critical to understand the advantages of proper food and beverage material handling, whether you store your own food products or use a third-party storage partner.
What is Material Handling?
Material handling is a set of procedures for moving, storing, protecting, and controlling materials. The optimum combination of competent and well-trained employees, efficient planning and coordination, and material-handling equipment is required for effective material handling (lift trucks, pallets, slip sheets, ramps, conveyors, etc.).
These components work together to produce an integrated, cohesive system that optimizes logistics and streamlines supply chain operations.
Finally, inventory management that is both safe and efficient can have a significant impact on product quality, customer satisfaction, and your bottom line. As a result, material handling’s importance in logistics and supply chain management cannot be overstated.
Handling Food and Beverage Products Correctly
Material handling is critical in warehousing and distribution regardless of what you’re storing, but it’s even more critical when it comes to food products.
Food handling is more complicated and time-sensitive than handling many other sorts of goods. You want to make sure your items are kept at the proper temperature, that they are properly sealed, that they are pest-free, and that they are conveniently accessible.
Not all warehouses have the infrastructure, tools, or expertise to safely store, handle, and transport food. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your non-perishable food in a certified food-grade warehouse that knows what they’re doing and follows FDA standards.
