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Chapter 11 Computerizing Warehouse Operations. Role of Computers in a Warehouse Help managers manage the warehouse Help operators operate the warehouse By:. Chapter 11 Computerizing Warehouse Operations.
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Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Role of Computers in a Warehouse Help managers manage the warehouse Help operators operate the warehouse By:
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Continuously profiling the warehouse (pinpointing & anticipating problems & shifts in activity levels) Continuously monitor warehouse performance (productivity, shipping & inventory accuracy, order cycle time, & storage density) Continuously simplify operations (reliably optimizing & communicating between warehouse operation and equipment
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) facilitate hand-free & paperless activities Paper is easy to lose Easy to make mistakes (reading or writing) Has to be written (easy to transpose) Cannot communicate real-time (errors are never known) Difficult to cross-dock or interleave Expensive to print, handle and file Easy to damage or smudge
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Automation must: Identify logistics object (container/document/location) Communicate information to operators Present information to operators
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Technology (identification): Barcodes & Scanners RF tags & antennae Smart cards & magnetic strips Vision systems Technology (communication and presentation) RF data comm Synthesized voice Virtual display Pick-to-light systems
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code are used for : Product identification Container identification Location identification Operator identification Equipment identification Document identification
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies: printed bars & spaces - structure of unique bar & space patterns represent alpha-numeric characters – the same pattern represents different characters in different codes Code 39 - widely adopted by industry & government to identify products and containers Interleave 2 of 5 Code - numeric only
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies (continued): 3) UPC (Universal Produce Code) – unique product identifier on retail products 4) Codabar – comprised of 6 unique central characters + 4 unique start/stop characters – primarily non-grocery, POS, blood banks & libraries
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies (continued): Code 93 – accommodates 128 ASCII characters & 43 alpha-numeric characters + 4 control characters (highest data density of the 6 standard symbologies) Code 128 - provides for high density encoding – adopted in 1989 by Uniform Code Council (U.S.) and International Article Number Association (EAN) for shipping container identification
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies (continued): UPC/EAN – developed for grocery POS applications – now used widely in retail – fixed length code suitable for mfgr & item ID only Stacked Symbology (micro symbologies) – Code 16K or Code 49 – potential for small item encoding
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies (continued): a) Code 16 K Packs data in 2 to 16 rows Accommodates 128 ASCII characters 77 characters in less than ½ square inch Code 49 1) Up tp 49 characters per symbol
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Symbologies (continued): 2 Dimensional Codes / High Density Bar Codes Overlapping linear bar codes (1 horizontal + 1 vertical) Can code nearly a full page of data in 1 square inch Examples of 2 dimensional codes includes Code 49, Code 16K, PDF 417, Code One, Datamatrix, and UPS Maxicode
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Coding: Tendency is to code everything GOAL – minimize bar coding to what is required to achieve the communications objectives of logistics Cost & time to print & scan everything can negate productivity & accuracy benefits
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Readers: Contact readers – must touch the barcode portable/stationary uses a wand or light pencil substitutes for manual or keyboard entry process at 50 inches/minute error rate 1 in 1,000,000 costs $700 each
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Bar Code Readers: Non-Contact readers handheld/stationary fixed beam/moving beam/charged couple device (CCD)/video camera/raster scanners can take from 1 to 100 looks at the code during a pass now can recognize, read, verify multiple formats now omni-direction capable regardless of bar code orientation
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Fixed Beam Readers: Stationary light source Requires consistent, accurate code placement
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations RF Tags: data on a chip encased in a tag – read by antennae & decoded Surface Acoustical Wave (SAW) tags are permanently coded – can be read only in a 10 foot radius Used to permanently identify containers Good in harsh environments
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Mag Strips & Optical Cards: Used on bank cards Large quantity of data in small space Can be read through dirt & grease Data can be changed More expensive than bar codes Used on smart cards for employee identification or trailer load identification
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Vision Systems: Takes pictures of objects – codes & sends to computer for interpretation Read @ moderate speeds Accurate depending on quality of light
Chapter 11Computerizing Warehouse Operations Automatic Communication and Presentation Technology Uses Radio Data Terminal (RDT) hand-held, fork-lift mounted, or hand-free Used for inventory and vehicle/driver management Multi-character display, full keyboard Offers tighter control of inventory Affords improved resource utilization