Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Purpose of warehouses
Activities within a warehouse
Options for ownership
Layout of facilities
Material handling
Packaging
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand the need for warehouses and the role they play
in supply chains
Describe the different activities within warehouses
Compare the benefits of private and public warehousing
Appreciate the importance of good warehouse layout
Discuss the factors that affect warehouse layout and
operations
Review the different types of equipment used in
warehouses
Discuss the use of packaging and the different forms it
takes
PURPOSE OF WAREHOUSES
Stock is traditionally kept in a warehouse
A warehouse is any location where stocks of material
are held on their journey through supply chains.
Warehouses take many forms and do other activities
in addition to storage
There are two main types of warehouse:
Those linked to upstream suppliers and dealing with the raw
materials
Those linked to downstream customers and dealing with
finished goods
Managers can do associated analyses
For instance, open a finished goods warehouse when
Operating costs
Capital costs
Customer service
Control
Flexibility
Management skills
Recruitment and training
Throughput
Physical characteristics of loads – size, weight, etc
Number of loads to be moved – from receipts,
internal movements for sorting, and then deliveries
Distance to be moved – from the size of the
warehouse
Speed of movement required – how quickly the
warehouse has to respond to demands, etc.
Packaging
Most materials are put into unitised loads for
movement
This means that they need packing and
packaging
The most common standards are:
Pallets
Containers
A warehouse is the general term for any place where materials are stored
Warehouses are needed for a variety of reasons, primarily reducing the
overall costs while improving customer service
The traditional function of a warehouse is to store materials, and this
involves a series of related activities
Their role as long term stores is declining, and they are increasingly seen
as a convenient location for other jobs, such as consolidating loads and
postponement
An important consideration is the ownership of warehouses, with a choice
between private and public warehouses
Good layout ensures a fast and efficient flow of materials, and there are
guidelines for this
Storage and material handling equipment can be classified as manual,
mechanised or automated
Packaging is an important aspect of materials handling, as it serves several
purposes including protection, easing movement and passing on product
information.