MATERIAL HANDLING EFFICACY AND PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES OF PLASTIC MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between material handling efficacy and production efficiencies of plastic manufacturing firms in Rivers State, Nigeria. Material handling efficacy was measured using material movement efficiency and material storage efficiency, while production efficiencies were assessed using resource utilisation and waste reduction. A cross sectional survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised employees of selected plastic manufacturing firms in Rivers State, from which a sample of 148 respondents was drawn. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire, while the formulated hypotheses were tested using the Spearman Rank Order Correlation Coefficient with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 at a 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that material movement efficiency had a significant positive relationship with resource utilisation (rho = 0.641, p < 0.05) and waste reduction (rho = 0.618, p < 0.05). Similarly, material storage efficiency was found to have a significant positive relationship with resource utilisation (rho = 0.583, p < 0.05) and waste reduction (rho = 0.549, p < 0.05). Based on these findings, all the null hypotheses were rejected. The study concluded that effective material handling significantly enhances production efficiencies by improving resource utilisation and reducing waste in plastic manufacturing firms in Rivers State. The study therefore recommended that management of plastic manufacturing firms should invest in efficient material movement systems, optimise storage facilities, and adopt best material handling practices to improve production efficiency and minimise operational waste