Warehouse Management

A complete guide to improving efficiency and minimizing costs in the modern warehouse

Table of Contents

Part One

1. The role of the warehouse
   • Introduction
   • Types of warehouse operation
   • Why do we hold stock?
   • Supply chain trends affecting warehouses
   • The growth of e-fulfillment and its effect on the warehouse
   • Refrigerated warehouses
   • Materials handling and storage in a temperature-controlled environment
   • Energy management and plant maintenance
   • Stock management and housekeeping
   • Health and safety issues
   • Transportation issues
   • Summary and conclusion
2. Role of the warehouse manager
   • Introduction
   • Warehouse trade-offs
   • The warehouse manager’s challenges
   • People management
   • Challenges
   • Attracting and retaining warehouse employees
   • An ageing and constantly changing workforce
   • Operating hours
   • Training
   • Summary and conclusion

Part Two

3. Warehouse processes: receiving and put-away
   • Introduction
   • Receiving
   • Pre-receipt
   • In-handling
   • Preparation
   • Offloading
   • Checking
   • Cross docking
   • Recording
   • Quality control
   • Put-away
   • Summary and conclusion
4. Warehouse processes: pick preparation
   • Introduction
   • Preparation
   • Warehouse layout
   • Summary and conclusion
5. Picking strategies and equipment
   • Introduction
   • Picker to goods
   • Goods to picker
   • Automated picking
   • Handling equipment
   • Storage equipment
   • Summary and conclusion
6. Order-picking methods
   • Introduction
   • Paper pick lists
   • Pick by label
   • Pick by voice
   • Barcode scanning
   • Radio frequency identification
   • Pick by light/pick to light
   • Put to light
   • Comparisons
   • Cost of errors
   • Deciding on type of picking system and equipment
   • Summary and conclusion
7. Warehouse processes from replenishment to despatch
   • Introduction
   • Replenishment
   • Value-adding services
   • Indirect activities
   • Stock management
   • Stock or inventory counting
   • Cycle counting or perpetual inventory counts
   • The count itself
   • Security
   • Returns processing
   • Despatch
   • Role of the driver
   • Summary and conclusion

Part Three

8. Warehouse management systems
   • Introduction
   • Why does a company need a WMS?
   • Choosing a WMS
   • The process
   • Selecting the right WMS
   • What to look for in a system
   • Selecting a partner
   • Before the final decision
   • Implementation
   • Software as a service
   • Cloud computing
   • Summary and conclusion
9. Warehouse layout
   • Introduction
   • Data gathering
   • Space calculations
   • Aisle width
   • Other space
   • Warehouse layout examples
   • Finding additional space
   • Summary and conclusion
10. Storage and handling equipment
    • Introduction
    • Storage equipment
    • Storage options
    • Very high bay warehouses
    • Other storage media
    • Warehouse handling equipment
    • Vertical and horizontal movement
    • Automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS)
    • Specialized equipment
    • Recent technical advances
    • Summary and conclusion

Part Four

11. Resourcing a warehouse
    • Introduction
    • Processing activities
    • Other factors
    • Summary and conclusion
12. Warehouse costs
    • Introduction
    • Types of costs
    • Return on investment (ROI)
    • Traditional versus activity-based costing systems
    • Charging for shared-user warehouse services
    • Logistics charging methods
    • Hybrid
    • Summary and conclusion

Part Five

13. Performance management
    • Introduction
    • Why do we need to measure?
    • What should we be measuring?
    • How to choose the right performance measures
    • Traditional productivity measures
    • New performance metrics
    • Hard and soft measures
    • Integrated performance models
    • Benchmarking
    • Balanced scorecard
    • Summary and conclusion
14. Outsourcing
    • Introduction
    • The outsourcing decision
    • Core activity/core competence
    • Improvement in customer service
    • Cost reduction
    • Labour relations
    • Financial strategy
    • Flexibility
    • Role of third-party contractors
    • Preparing to outsource
    • Choosing the right partner
    • The transition
    • Managing a third-party relationship
    • Why contracts fail
    • The future of outsourcing
    • Summary and conclusion

Part Six

15. Health and safety
    • Introduction
    • Risk assessments
    • Layout annd design
    • Fire safety
    • Slips and trips
    • Manual handling
    • Working at height
    • Vehicles
    • Forklift trucks
    • Warehouse equipment legislation
    • First aid
    • Summary and conclusion
16. The warehouse and the environment
    • Introduction
    • Legislation
    • Warehouse energy usage
    • Energy production
    • The environment and waste
    • Packaging
    • Pallets
    • Stretch wrap
    • Cartons
    • Labelling
    • Product waste
    • Waste disposal
    • Hazardous waste
    • Forklift trucks
    • Summary and conclusion

Part Seven

17. The warehouse of the future
    • Introduction
    • Context
    • Views of the future: the landscape
    • Lean warehousing
    • Views of the future: the warehouse
    • Scenario One
    • Scenario Two
    • Other advances
    • Summary and conclusion

References

Useful websites

Glossary

Index

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