Warehousing Logistics (Warehousing Logistics) is the use of self-built or leased warehouses, venues, storage, storage, loading and unloading handling, distribution of goods. The traditional definition of warehousing is given from the perspective of material reserves. Modern "warehousing" is not "warehouse" and "warehouse management" in the traditional sense, but storage under the background of economic globalization and supply chain integration, and storage in the modern logistics system.
With the development of logistics to supply chain management, companies increasingly emphasize the unique role of warehousing as a resource provider in the supply chain. A warehouse is no longer just a warehouse for storing goods.
The change in the role of warehousing, summarized in one sentence, is the transformation of warehouses into distribution centers. The essential difference between a traditional warehouse and a distribution center is that the warehouse focuses on management space, and the distribution center focuses more on management time (that is, item turnover speed). Therefore, the essential difference between the two is that the distribution center manages both space and time.
Role in logistics and supply chain
First, warehousing is the inventory control center in logistics and supply chain. Inventory cost is one of the main supply chain costs. In the United States, inventory costs account for about one-third of total logistics costs. Therefore, managing inventory, reducing inventory, and controlling inventory costs have become the main tasks of warehousing to reduce the total supply chain cost under the supply chain framework.
Second, warehousing is the dispatch center in logistics and supply chain. Warehousing is directly related to the efficiency and response speed of the supply chain. People hope that the accuracy rate of items handled by modern warehousing can reach more than 99%, and can respond quickly to special needs. Same-day delivery has become a business method adopted by many warehouses. Customers and warehouse management personnel continue to improve their goals in terms of accuracy, timeliness, flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs.
Once again, warehousing is a value-added service center in the logistics and supply chain. Modern warehousing not only provides traditional storage services, but also provides post-assembly, packaging, coding, labeling, customer service and other value-added services related to the delay strategy of the manufacturing industry, improving customer satisfaction and thereby improving the service level in the supply chain. It can be said that most of the value-added services in logistics and supply chain are reflected in warehousing.
Finally, warehousing is the main application center of modern logistics equipment and technology. Integrated supply chain management is achieved through the application of modern management techniques and technological methods. Efficiency promotes integrated operation in the supply chain, while software technology, Internet technology, automatic sorting technology, light guide sorting, RFID, The application of advanced technology and equipment such as voice control technology provides the conditions for realizing the improvement of storage efficiency.
Logistics activities
warehousing is a logistics activity first, or logistics activity is the essential attribute of warehousing. Warehousing is not production or trading, but one of the logistics activities that serve production and trading. This shows that warehousing is only one of logistics activities, and logistics has other activities. Warehousing should be integrated into the entire logistics system, and it should be connected and coordinated with other logistics activities. This is a major difference from the past "warehouse management".
Warehousing activities
The basic functions of warehousing activities, or warehousing, include six aspects of item entry and exit, inventory, sorting, packaging, distribution, and information processing. Among them, item entry and exit and inventory management can be said to be the most basic of warehousing. Activities are also the basic functions of traditional warehousing, but the management methods and management levels have been improved; the sorting and packaging of items have been in the past, but they are more general, more in-depth, more elaborate, and even have been linked to the storage of items And the combination of inventory management and the basic functions of modern warehousing; the reason why "distribution" is used as a warehousing activity and as one of the basic functions of warehousing is because distribution is not a general transportation, but a natural extension of warehousing. It is the memory requirement for the warehouse to develop into a distribution center. If there is no distribution, the warehouse will still be an isolated warehouse; as for information processing, it is already a common phenomenon in modern economic activities. Of course, it should also be one of the contents of the warehouse activities. Processing, it will not become a modern storage.
Storage purpose
The purpose of warehousing is to meet the needs of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain. This is a significant difference in depth and breadth from meeting the needs of "customers" in the past. Whoever entrusts and who puts forward the demand is the customer; the customer may be an upstream producer, a downstream retailer, or an enterprise, but warehousing can not only meet the needs of direct "customers", but also meet "indirect". The customer is the customer's customer demand; warehousing should be integrated into the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and the role positioning and service function of warehousing should be established according to the overall demand of the supply chain.
Storage conditions
The conditions of storage are specific tangible or intangible places and modern technology. "Specific" is because the supply chain of each enterprise is specific, and the storage place is of course specific; of course, the physical place refers to the warehouse, freight yard or storage tank. Under the modern economic background, storage can also be in a virtual space To carry out, it also requires the support of many modern technologies. Without modern storage facilities and information technology, there is no modern storage.
Warehousing method
Warehousing methods and levels are reflected in effective planning, execution and control. Planning, execution and control are the basic connotations of modern management. Of course, scientific, reasonable and precise storage cannot be separated from effective planning, execution and control.