Warehousing Today
Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. Some businesses have central warehouses that feed smaller local warehouses. These are often placed strategically throughout the country to take advantage of shipping routes from major cities.
Warehouses are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns and villages. They usually have loading docks to load and unload goods from trucks. They often have cranes and forklifts for moving goods, which are usually placed on ISO standard pallets loaded into pallet racks. Stored goods can include any raw materials, packing materials, spare parts, components, or finished goods associated with agriculture, manufacturing, or commerce.
Different warehouses are constructed for specific goods. While selecting the types of warehouse, one has to take into consideration the factors like the nature of goods, the quality and the climatic condition. From the point of view of structure, the following types of warehouses are found: classical warehouseis a single storey building divided into various big or small rooms to store of general nature, silois a vertical structure room equipped with mechanical devices, bins are small cylindrical cabins of different sizes meant to store varieties of products, elevator is a big vertical premise and are of craned types, portable warehouse is a type of temporary warehouse which can be removed or set in a short time.
A warehouse is typically divided into areas to support every day processes. First of all, there is the receiving area. That’s where all incoming goods arrive and documentation is checked and recorded. Goods are often unpacked and repacked here to make their format more suitable for warehouse handling. The back-up storage area holds most of warehouse inventory. In the order picking area the goods are selected in the right quantities that mean the quantities required by the customer. Here we also break the bulk. That means, for example, after receiving goods in large quantities (e.g. pallets), we need to pack them in smaller separate units for the customer. The sortation area deals with smaller order sizes. After picking, the goods are consolidated and made ready for dispatch. Some warehouses also provide some additional value beyond receiving, storing and shipping such as labeling, re-labeling product, applying price stickers, a special kitting process. This part of warehouse operations is called collation and value-added service. The final stage in warehouse operations is the marshalling and dispatch area. The goods are brought together to form vehicle goods and are then loaded onto vehicles for onward dispatch.
There are several modern trends in managing storage of goods.
The JIT system promotes product delivery directly from suppliers to consumer without the use of warehouses. Recent retailing trends have led to the development of warehouse-style retail stores when the same building serves as both warehouse and retail store. Another trend relates to Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI). This gives the vendor the control to maintain the level of stock in the store. In some cases, companies even bypass warehousing altogether by using cross docking. Cross docking is a method of moving products from the point of origin or manufacture directly to the consumer. Efficient picking and packaging rely heavily on the logistics management of the warehouse. The slotting profile, or arrangement of stored goods, can have a great impact on how safely and how quickly workers can pick orders and pack them.
Warehousing is simple; it is about getting your products to your customers on time. Unfortunately, simple does not always mean easy. In fact, warehousing is arguably the demanding part of any product based business. An underperforming warehousing operation can cost a great deal of time and money. Inefficiencies and mistakes can lead to overstocking or understocking, late or damaged deliveries, customer credits and cash flow difficulties. And they will always lead to customer dissatisfaction.
6. Give English equivalents for the words and phrases given below. Make up your own sentences with these words and phrases:
быть готовым к отгрузке; запас, управляемый поставщиком; местный склад; нераспакованный товар; облегчить процесс сортировки; отдел сортировки; отдел сосредоточения; оптимизация складской системы; отдельные блоки; перевозка; подходящее количество; подходящий формат; получать товар; приемлемая цена; распределять продукцию; сырье, маркировка, упаковывать заказ, упаковывать в картон.
7. Complete the sentence using words and expressions given below:
raw materials, separate units, software and communications technology, Just In Time; dispatch, overstocking or understocking, labeling, cross docking, receiving area, major cities, warehouse-style retail stores
1. There are many different ways to manage storage of goods and…………....1.
2. These are often placed strategically throughout the country to take advantage of shipping routes from………2.
3. ………….......3 that is where all incoming goods arrive and documentation is checked and recorded.
4. After receiving goods in large quantities (e.g. pallets), we need to pack them in smaller ……..4 for the customer.
5. After picking, the goods are consolidated and made ready for….5.
6. Some warehouses also provide special services such as ...……6.
7. ……………….7 is a method of moving products from the point of origin or manufacture directly to the consumer.
8. By using…………….…..8, warehouses can pick orders more quickly with few errors.
9. Inefficiencies and mistakes can lead to………………..….9.
10. Traditional warehousing has declined since the last decades of the 20th century, with the gradual introduction of……………………10 techniques, ………………….11 and Vendor Managed Inventory.
8. Answer the questions:
1. What are the names of the main areas in any warehouse?
2. What does receiving area mean?
3. What is the back-up storage area created for?
4. What is the difference between order picking area and sortation area?
5. What value added services do warehouses usually provide?
6. What mistakes in warehouse functioning can be the reason of customer dissatisfaction?
9. Translate the sentences using the text “Warehousing Today”:
1. Существует огромное количество способов хранения товаров и сырья.
2. Складские помещения обычно располагаются около крупных городов.
3. Зона приема товара - это отдел, в котором происходит контроль и получение входящего потока товаров и документации.
4. После получения товара в больших количествах в поддонах, необходимо распределить их в отдельные блоки для отправки заказчику.
5. После сортировки товар комплектуется и готовится к отправке.
6. Некоторые склады предлагают также дополнительные услуги, например маркировку.
7. Сквозная система складирования представляет собой процесс приема и отгрузки товара через склад напрямую без расположения груза в зоне долговременного хранения.
8. Некомпетентность и ошибки могут привести к созданию запасов сверх нормы или, наоборот, к недостаточному количеству запасов.
9. Оптимизация складкой системы означает укомплектованность штата, налаженный процесс, правильное ведение отчетов, безопасное хранение и своевременная доставка товара клиенту.
Language notes: REPORED QUESTIONS
10. In threes, take your information from the Transworld brochure opposite and make enquiries and report questions as if the enquirer is on the phone, like this:
A: Do you arrange transportation? D: Ask them if they arrange
B: What did he want to know? transportation.
C: Whether we arrange transportation. E: Do you arrange transportation?
A: Can you store goods? F: He wanted to know if we
B: What did she want to know? arranged transportation.
C: Whether we could store goods.
11. Rewrite the sentences into reported questions, like this:
P: Can I send a container to Turin? He asked/wondered if (whether) he could send a container to Turin.
1.Can I send a container to Rome by trailer?
2.So we are carrying live animals?
3.Will it be cheaper to send goods to Hamburg by road or rail?
4.Can we collect the consignment from their factory?
5.Do we handle corrugated boxes?
6.What are the European trailer charges?
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10. Complete the sentences with suitable relative pronouns “who”, “that,” “which”. Give alternative options if possible. Put brackets round the relative pronouns you can leave out (See Language Notes):
1. She met Mr. Smith ………. ws responsible for consolidating the cargo.
2. This is an equipment ………...we load the cargo into the ship.
3. The clients went to the central warehouses ………..fed smaller local warehouses.
4. The inventory ……….. we hold in the back-up storage area must be replenished.
5. Labeling and marking are the services ……… can be provided by some warehouses.
6. Cross docking is a method ……… allows to move products from the point of origin or manufacture directly to the consumer.
7. The warehouse logistics manager …….. I knew was a professional ……….. was able to do all things excellently: hiring, coaching, directing the staff of over 10 people.
8. The tasks ………. are performed by the warehouse supervisor include receiving, unpacking, checking and storing products and many others.
9. We should implement the Warehouse Management System (WMS) ……….. records all events and actions in the receipt, handling and storage of products and orders in a warehouse environment.
11. Retell the text “Warehousing Today” according to the plan:
A. Types of warehouses.
B. Warehouse areas.
C. The main functions that warehouses perform.
D. Modern trends in managing storage of goods.
E. Simple doesn’t always mean easy.
F. Main points of running warehouses.