Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Warehouse strengths and weaknesses
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Warehouse strengths and weaknesses
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Over the year’s warehouse technology has evolved from using manually operated equipment to automated equipment to store and pick inventory.
In every warehouse facility the goal is to improve efficiency in both the storing and picking of goods. With today’s innovative technology this goal could be accomplished with ease. Every warehouse has its own special needs according to the type of goods that’s received and stored. [11] With today’s technology warehouses are using a variety of state of the art equipment that allows for the efficient storage and retrieval of goods. [5,8] This paper will discuss different types of equipment that has enabled the warehouse in becoming more efficient by identifying the most significant processes in a warehouse.
2.0 WAREHOUSE PROCESS
2.1 RECEIVING PROCESS
The receiving process is the first step in a warehouse process. This may seem boring if the concept is still perceived as a clerk standing with a clip board and manually counting each piece of material as it comes in the door. Today’s technology used in the process of receiving, storing and shipping goods through bar code scanning of each pallet of goods as it enters the warehouse. [1,8] Another method used in the receiving process is a system known as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). [1,6] With this method the there is no need for a receiving clerk’s presents when goods arrive. This process allows the entire pallet contents scanned as it passes through the door via the RFID chip secured to the pallet.
2.2 ORGANIZING
The second step is organizing the goods for storage. Make sure all items get sorted according to their specific needs for such activities as repackaging or relocating to pallets, in containers. [2,9] Receiving...
... middle of paper ...
...ew warehouse technology companies might consider the following suggestions. [8]
Companies should start by evaluating their processes and procedures to make certain they can accomplish the following. [7,8,11]
• Don’t forget about the incoming products
Concentrate on put-away and increasing refill accuracy
• Improve picking accuracy and reduce labor costs by implementing
Pick-by-light or pick-by-voice
• Large pick quantity processes should strongly consider
Package sorting contributes to reduced labor costs
On-time and complete shipments.
• Companies with the task of implementing new automated systems should consider the following: [7,9]
Consider hiring experts to manage the complexities of integrating multiple forms of technology
Take control of their warehouse systems via the use of a single warehouse system
Use proven best in class practices
The Shipping Manager’s activities required a different approach. He used coordination through formal hierarchy. The Shipping Manager assigned the Team Leader tasks that required more supervision and resources. He gave an order to the Team Leader who divided it among his Pullers. The Pullers would enter the tunnel, assemble the order from the various coolers and send it down the track to the awaiting loaders. The Loaders would remove their assigned color-coded stacks and put them in the appropriate trucks for delivery. This process did not require special training but it did require more direction from the Supervisors than the warehouse functions.
Lowe’s is a home improvement warehouse that was founded in 1946 as a single store and since has grown to become the second largest in the world. As technology has evolved, Lowe’s has made many advances incorporating new systems and devices to stay competitive. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the information technology management systems used at Lowe’s. It will look at Porter’s Five Force Model, supply chain management; data base management system, five agent-based technologies, e-commerce and system development lifecycle. Furthermore, it will look at business continuity planning, emerging trends and security vulnerabilities relates to the organization to remain competitive.
The Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (2012) defines RFID as a universal term that is used to describe a system that transmits the identity of an object or person wirelessly, using radio waves. The function of an RFID system is to enable data to be transmitted by a portable device, called a tag, which is read by an RFID reader and processed according to the needs of a particular application (Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility, 2012). RFID tags are a small object that can be implanted or attached into products (clothing, shoes ect.), humans, or animals that enable storing and retrieving data possible. With no physical contact required, this type of data can be collected and read through clothing, the human body, and non-metallic materials. In recent years, RFID tags have been used in identifying animals for health or nonhealth reason...
The Consumer and Industrial Products, Inc a company where their headquarters is based in the United States , also doing business internationally with facilities in Europe, Asia and South America. They are a manufacturing company what produced well known products to individuals and industries. This company is experiencing a great deal of trouble with their internal Payable Audit System (PAS) and how it would purchase goods; receive goods and pays for them. They are challenged with the redundancy and the lack of productivity to their system. They were finding ways to lower costs and eliminating steps in how these processes are getting accomplished. They decided that they needed to change their system and the way they did things at their business. There are some people, their roles and departments that will be closely involved with the process of this project. Some of these important roles will come from Ted Anderson director of disbursements, Peter Shaw the user project manager and Linda Watkins project director for the Payable Audit System (PAS). In addition, the Steering Group and the IS management department will have some important roles to the project too. Finally, there will be several major problems with the development of the project and how the one person would deal with these issues.
Superior success of the computer-controlled logistics methods is present in Tesco in terms of its e-tailing, the procedure of placing grocery orders more the Internet that exploit highly mechanical centralized warehouses and automated logistics structures is more proficient as to compare with groceries in stores. Tesco should be able to create contact to forthcoming customer and reach an exchange of commodities for expenses not always need a visit to a store. Strategies must be improved and evaluated by incorporating
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a computerized ID innovation that uses radio recurrence waves to exchange information between an onlooker and things that have RFID gadgets, or tags, joined. The tags hold a microchip and receiving wire, and work at universally distinguished standard frequencies. Barcodes are much smaller, lighter and easier than RFID but RFID offers significant advantages. One major advantage of RFID is that the innovation doesn't oblige any observable pathway the tags could be perused as long as they are inside the range of the spectator, whereas in barcodes in order to read the barcode the barcode scanner should close around 10-15 fts. In RFID data, for example, part and serial numbers, assembling dates and support history is put away on the tags and catches which help in maintenance of equipments. RFID technology as high value for asset management and inventory systems
From the manufacturers’ warehouse to the shelves, the business must orchestrate a symphony of the right products to the right places at the right times. Walmart serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week in retail outlets, online and on mobile devices. The company is able to offer a vast range of products at the lowest costs in the shortest possible time (Chandran, 2001). The main reason for this incredible growth of Walmart is because its distribution centers are highly automated.
For example, if someone select to buy a furniture. The furniture is ordered, shipped from the manufacturer then moved from the delivery truck to the warehouse. From the warehouse it is moved to the customer’s vehicle or delivered by the furniture retailer to the customer’s home. It costs money every time the product is moved, shipped and loaded. IKEA inventory is stocked at night after the opening hours. IKEA consider minimum setting that is minimum number of products available before reordering and maximum setting that is maximum number of products to order at one time. This process meets customer demand while minimising ordering too few or too many products and lowering cost of lost sales. Logistics managers know what is sold through point-of-sale (POS) data and how much inventory comes into the store through direct shipping and from distribution centres through warehouse management system data. IKEA believes its process and system allows for the right goods to be in the
Methods The facility upgrade would incorporate two key new technologies and an upgrade to an existing system: radio frequency identification (RFID), automated shelving systems, and a robust conveyor belt system. The RFID system will allow automatic tracking and delivery of all parcels in the post office. There will no longer be a need to visually inspect packages daily because the RFID system will allow the clerks to easily check all of the packages in an area in seconds by referencing the system report. Additionally, the clerks will no longer need to scan packages at the delivery point because the system will automatically detect the RFID tags leaving the exit point and mark them as delivered in the
In addition, at the time, the economy was doing great, therefore, using the push system to stock pile inventory was acceptable. However, during the dot-com bust of the 2000’s, its sales and the demand for its products greatly decreased. Unfortunately, during this time, Cisco discovered that it possessed an abundance of inventory, and, wrote off more than $1 billion in inventory. Consequently, the company learned that acquiring inventory in anticipation of market demand, and not factoring in the human element of its business increased its risks of failure. Obviously, Cisco wanted to meet its customer’s demands, however, the problem was that it held more inventory than what the customers were demanding. Nevertheless, afterwards, it knew that it needed to adopt a new, more efficient approach to inventory. Therefore, Cisco had to reevaluate its supply chain system and seek input from IT, customers, suppliers, and finance. Further, by including input from these sources, Cisco adopted the more efficient pull system. The pull system, is dependent upon producing smaller repeating orders. Rather than the push system, which relies on larger less repeating orders. Effective inventory management, when administered correctly, can reduce and keep the inventory to a more desired level. In addition, Cisco discovered that inventory management can reduce inventory levels, enhance cash flow and reduce overall
Weimer, George. ?Robots ?see? factory?s future.? Material Handling Management (Mar. 2002): 25. InfoTrac. Online. Nov. 2002 .
Key Resources of this industry include the automation equipment such as the point of sales system that manages the ordering system from customer to kitchen (Chua, 2015). Self-ordering kiosk are made available to some outlets to reduce queuing and waiting time.
RFID has taken strides from being a far off solution to becoming a mainstream application that helps speed the handling of manufactured goods and materials. RFID is an identification and tracking tool for a product using radio waves. It uses a microchip and a printed antenna that can be then packaged in several different forms such as a label or embedded between layers of a carton. These labels are then used to identify the manufacturer, product category and the RFID enables this identification from a distance and unlike earlier bar-code technology, it does so without requiring a line of sight. (Finkelzeller)
The checkouts used in modern supermarket chains are all capable of EFT and are therefore all considered EFTPOS. In the next few years checkouts or ‘tills’ in all retail shops will use the ICC Barcodes The goods found in supermarkets are labelled with barcodes used to identify specific items on a central database. When the good is scanned a request is sent from the checkout to this main database where the request is handled and the appropriate information returned to that terminal and the correct amount reduced from the stock of that item. The bar codes are formed of lines of different widths and as each line represents a number the resulting code is the information sent to the main computer.
Inventory management is defined because a science mostly established art of guaranteeing that just enough inventory share is command with a company to fulfill demand (Coleman, 2000; Jay & Barry, 2006). it's mostly regarding specifying the size and keeping of stacked product. Inventory management is usually needed at completely distinct spots within a service or within multiple spots of a supply network to guard the standard and planned course of production up against the random disruption of running low upon materials or product. The scope of inventory administration also concerns the good lines between replenishment period interval, carrying costs of inventory, asset management, investment forecasting, inventory valuation, selection visibility,