Warehouse: Functions, Activities, Planning, and Location

The warehouse is defined as the place or building where we store the goods or materials and where, sometimes, wholesale products are sold.

Functions and Activities of the Warehouse

The warehouses are centers that are structured and planned to carry out storage functions like conservation, control, and expedition of goods and products, reception, custody, etc. The warehouse is in charge of regulating the flow of stocks.

The activities and main functions carried out in warehouses:

Merchandise Reception

It is the process that consists of entering the goods that the suppliers send. During this process, it is verified that the merchandise received coincides with the information contained in the delivery notes.

It is also necessary to check during receipt of the goods whether the quantities, quality or characteristics correspond to the order.

Storage

It consists of the location of the goods in the ideal areas for it, with the aim of accessing them and that are easily locatable.

For this, fixed means are used, such as industrial mechanical shelves, warehouses, facilities, supports, etc. and internal factors of transport such as forklifts, elevators or conveyor belts.

Conversation and Maintenance

During the time that the merchandise is stored, it must be kept in perfect condition.

The conservation of the merchandise implies the application of the current legislation regarding hygiene and safety in the warehouse, in addition to the special rules on maintenance and care of each product.

MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF EXISTENCE

One of the critical functions is to determine the amount of each product that must be stored, calculate the amount and frequency with which each order will be requested to minimize storage costs

Shipment of goods:

The delivery of goods begins when the customer places the order, starting the process with the selection of merchandise and packaging, as well as the choice of means of transport.

Other operations are also carried out in the commercial storage units Hardwood Heights, such as 

merchandise consolidation, shipping division and cargo combination

Classification of Warehouses

Remember that warehouses can be classified according to different criteria:

According to the structure or in construction

·       Open-air warehouses

·       Covered warehouses

According to the activity of the company

·       Commercial company: A warehouse of merchandise and some cases of containers and packaging’s

·       Industrial company: A warehouse of raw and auxiliary materials, warehouse of diverse materials and warehouse of finished products.

According to Logistics Function

·       Logistic platforms or central warehouses

·       Transit or consolidation warehouses

·       Regional or zone stores and stores

According to the Degree of Automation

·       Conventions stores

·       Automated warehouses

·       Automatic warehouses

·       ACCORDING TO THE OWNERSHIP OR OWNERSHIP

·       Warehouses owned

·       Warehouses for rent

·       Warehouses under leasing

Planning and locations of Warehouses

The companies that need to store may require one or several types of warehouses, having to make the first decision as to whether they will be owned, rented or both.

Once the first step has been completed, the second step is to plan the location, distribution, and design of the spaces, the equipment of the facilities, as well as the mechanical means and human resources for handling and storage of the goods.