July 2006 Material Handling Tips & Information Newsletter
The logic of facility layout
Good plant layouts always develop from the general to the specific, never the other way around...
Understanding
the logical movement of people, materials and product traveling between
the front door and the shipping dock is the primary challenge when
developing an efficient plant layout. The ultimate goal is to optimize
the workflow of people and product now and into the future. Good plant
layouts always develop from the general to the specific, never the other
way around...
Protecting records, data, and privacy
Banks, mortgage companies, educational institutions, corporate headquarters, and other providers are increasingly required to keep a larger variety of confidential records and keep them longer. This has caused a paper debacle and adds to security challenges. Security cages can be useful tools in this battle by restricting unauthorized access to these records. Controlling access is key. Besides outright theft, incidental damage can occur if the wrong people are allowed access to vital stored paper records, computers, servers, and other confidential information...
The benefits of intelligent product slotting
Product Slotting is defined as the intelligent location of product
in a warehouse or distribution center for the purpose of optimizing
material handling efficiency. The basics of product slotting are
outlined in this article from CEI Logistics...
Modernizing older AS/RS Systems.
Modernizing older AS/RS Systems
Whether it's poor reliability, low rates of capacity or throughput, an awkward distribution flow, or other problems, the concept of Modernization may hold the answer for you. Technology upgrades make dollars and sense, especially when your existing system can be retrofitted to reach the desired reliability, flexibility, and productivity for a fraction of the cost of new AS/RS...or even an entirely new facility...
Locker colors - what's available quickly?
We've updated the quick ship locker area of our website to include the most recent colors available for shipment in as little as three days. Lockers come in a huge variety of colors, and several of them don't require production runs. For adding personal, secure storage to any plant or facility, these lockers are a convenient and easy option...
Quick Hits...
* The Average Warehouse: Did you know the average warehouse has 17,000
square feet and was built after 1980?
More details from government research available here...
Best Practices in Receiving: There is a good article over at
Operations & Fulfillment about “Best Practices in Receiving”. Receiving
in the distribution center is often overlooked by management in favor of
picking and packing functions, but if receiving isn't done right, it has
a direct impact on order selection efficiency. Product that sits on the
dock or on a pallet in a remote corner of the warehouse isn’t available
for picking.
--A key aspect of receiving is figuring out where to put the product
just received. In the most basic systems, the entire storage system
relies on fixed locations and often the experience of the put-away
operator as well. This may work adequately for smaller operations, but
sometimes there will be problems with stock rotation and stock that
doesn't fit in the fixed location.
--Above all else, think of ways to facilitate the fastest journey from
truck to rack. Every stop, every move, and every item dropped in a
temporary staging area takes space, takes time, increases the chances
for damage, makes stock hard to find, increases errors, and costs you
labor.
--Work with vendors as partners and keep a scorecard. Consider asking
your major suppliers to add pallet tags that can be scanned to identify
a pallet, a carton, or a product to your receiving system. Think about
scheduling your deliveries at times when your order picking volume is
low. Keep a scorecard on your vendors to give them feedback and to
identify those that regularly fail to measure up. Work with vendors to
solve problems, and consider changing vendors if you find resistance or
a failure to improve.
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