| Site |
Notes |
| SuperClub |
A distribution center for recorded music. Most activity is
piece-picking from cartons in both shelving and flow rack.
Did you know that the busiest season is two
weeks after Christmas? (First you get a CD player for
Christmas, then you shop for the music.) |
| A 3PL distribution center |
A warehouse, managed by a third party, for the
distribution of cosmetics. Orders are received until late in
the day, picked mostly from carton flow rack, and shipped the
same day, for next day delivery. |
| Access Business Group |
Another warehouse distributing cosmetics and personal care
items. In this case, orders are known in advance and each
customer receives one scheduled shipment each week. |
| Pearle
Vision |
The national and only distribution center of a US
retail chain selling eyeglasses. They deliver via Fedex to
(almost) anywhere in the US within 24 hours of receipt of
order. Most activity is piece-picking small orders. The
demand for lenses is easy to predict but eyeglass frames are
a fashion item. |
| Toys R Us |
A distribution center for children's toys. There are many
skus and they go to relatively few destinations. Most
activity is picking cartons from pallets; and this DC uses a
fair amount of automation. Business is highly seasonal. |
| Pepsi |
This warehouse distributes beverages such as soda, juice,
water, tea, and so on. There are relatively few skus but they
go to many destinations. Most activity is picking cartons
from pallets, but without automation.
|
| International Truck and
Engine |
A service parts distribution center supporting ITE
products. They have many, many skus, from engines to nuts and
bolts. Most skus are ordered infrequently; but most orders
are urgent because there is a truck — equipment of high
capital cost — idled someplace. |
| Webvan |
A distribution center for an “e-grocer”, which
takes customer orders over the internet and delivers within 12
hours and within scheduled time windows. This facility has an
unusually high level of automation for North America.
(Addendum: Webvan finally went out of business. It was never
able to justify the extensive automation.) |
| Dos Pinos |
A distribution center for dairy products in San Jose,
Costa Rica. It runs three independent operations: One to
distribute foods in each temperature range: frozen,
refrigerated, and ambient. Labor is relatively inexpensive
but the building and rack is expensive because it must be
built to withstand the earthquakes to which the region is
prone. |
| Americold
Logistics |
A distributor of frozen and chilled foods. The design
is determined by the requirement that this warehouse space
must be refrigerated. Guess what the fastest-moving item
is! |
| Ace International |
A distributor of hardware and household goods located
in the Colon Free Trade Zone of the Republic of Panama.
They have low labor costs but must cope with space that is
surprisingly tight. |
| Consolidated
Freightways |
A freight terminal typical of sortation hubs in the LTL
(Less-Than-Truckload) industry. The challenge is to move
diverse freight quickly from arriving trailer to departing
trailer. |
| MedShare |
A distribution center for medical supplies, which
illustrates many of the challenges of humanitarian logistics,
including shortage of resources and the impossibility of
planning ahead in any detail. |
In addition, here is a collection of videos. They have less detail
but give a greater sense of the dynamics of a warehouse and the flow
of material. (Note: Most of these have been prepared by companies
selling automation so these warehouses display an unusual degree of
automation. The appearance of a company video here in no way
constitutes an endorsement of their products.)