1st Edition

Order-Fulfillment and Across-the-Dock Concepts, Design, and Operations Handbook

By David E. Mulcahy, John Dieltz Copyright 2004
    744 Pages 75 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Order-Fulfillment and Across-the-Dock Concepts, Design, and Operations Handbook provides insights and tips that warehouse and distribution professionals can use to make their order fulfillment or across-the-dock operations more efficient and cost-effective. Each chapter focuses on key aspects of planning and managing, making it easy to find information quickly. The text includes guidelines for development and projection of accurate facility, inventory, SKU, and transaction data, as well as design factors. Filled with illustrations, forms, and tables, this handbook helps you develop the skill and knowledge required to design, organize, and operate a productive order fulfillment or across-the-dock operation.

    By applying the recommendations found in this book, you will be able to reduce product damage, enhance product flow, increase employee productivity, improve customer service, reduce operating costs, maintain on-schedule deliveries, and ensure asset protection.

    ORDER-FULFILLMENT AND ACROSS-THE-DOCK STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS
    Introduction
    Piece and Information Flows
    Economic Value
    Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock Operation Serves Your
    Company
    Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock Operation Resources
    Company Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock Operational
    Objectives
    Important Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock Trends and
    Issues
    E-Commerce and the Internet
    Overview

    ORDER-FULFILLMENT AND ACROSS-THE-DOCK OBJECTIVES AND THEIR IMPACT ON YOUR COMPANY'S PROFIT AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
    Introduction
    Order-Fulfillment Activities
    Across-the-Dock Activities
    Piece-Handling Characteristics
    Order-Fulfillment Operation Objective
    Across-the-Dock Operation Objective
    Order-Fulfillment and Across-the-Dock Operation Activities
    On-Schedule and Accurate Performance of an
    Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock Operation and Customer Delivery Activities Means Profits and Satisfied Customers
    How to Improve Your Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock
    Operation
    Short-Interval Scheduling
    How to Project Your Order-Fulfillment or Across-the-Dock
    Operating Budget
    Why Have Capital Investments?
    How Does Your Employee Productivity Affect Your Company's
    Income Statement?
    Reasons for Economic Justification Factors
    Order-Fulfillment and Across-the-Dock Method Implementation
    and Project Management
    When and How to Select and Use a Consultant
    Why Is High Employee Productivity Important?
    Seven Order-Fulfilment or Across-the-Dock Ratios
    Keep It Simple
    It Must Be Cost Effective
    Results Must Be Timely
    Various Measurement Standards
    Employee Productivity Is Tied to Your Annual Expense
    Budget

    ORDER-FULFILLMENT SYSTEMS
    Introduction
    The Basics of Split-Case Order Picking
    Put System Basics
    Other Product Issues
    Storage or Picking Medium
    General Pick-Line Layout
    Types of Order-Fulfillment Systems
    Summary

    GARMENT-ON-HANGER ORDER-FULFILLMENT OPERATIONS
    Introduction
    Hanging Garment or GOH Item
    Base Operational Data and Pick-Area Information
    Peak, Average, and Most Frequent GOH or Customer-Order
    Volumes
    Facility Design Information and Considerations
    SKU Location on the Pick Line or in the Pick Aisle
    GOH SKU Allocation or Profile Methods
    Pick-Area Design
    Building Considerations
    Pick-Line or Pick-Aisle Design
    List of Activities
    Pick-Line or Pick-Aisle Sequence of Activities
    GOH Receiving and Unloading
    GOH Sort-and-Count Activity
    Other GOH Dock-Area Handling Considerations
    Quality Assurance
    Hanging-Garment Steaming
    Plastic Bag Bottoms
    Hanging-Garment Bagging Activity
    GOH In-House Transportation
    Horizontal GOH Transportation
    Nonpowered Horizontal Transportation
    Trolleyless GOH Transport Concepts
    Vertical GOH Transportation
    GOH Static-Rail Storage and Pick Methods
    Hanging Garment Storage and Order-Fulfillment Methods
    GOH Order-Picker Routing Patterns
    Storage and Pick-Area Design Considerations
    Various In-House Hanging Garment Transportation Methods

    Planning a Carton or Full-Case Order-Fulfillment Operation
    Introduction
    Carton or Handling Unit
    Base Operational Data and Pick-Area Information
    Facility Design Information and Considerations
    SKU Location on the Pick Line or in the Pick Aisle
    Pick-Area Design
    Pick-Line or Pick-Aisle Design Parameters
    Purpose of a Carton Order-Fulfillment Operation
    Carton Order-Fulfillment Activities
    Order-Picker Routing Patterns
    Disadvantages and Advantages of Electric Pallet Trucks
    Order Instruction
    Pick-Position Identification
    Electric Tractor or Tugger Method
    Powered Forklift-Truck Method
    Order-Picker Trucks or HROS
    Rail Guidance
    End-Of-Aisle Vehicle Slowdown Devices
    Carton High-Rise Order-Picker Trucks
    Order-Pick Devices
    Carton High-Rise Order-Picker Trucks
    Order-Pick Devices
    High-Rise Truck Routing Methods
    HROS Considerations
    Methods in Which an Employee Walks to Pick Positions and
    Picked Cartons Are Transported Away
    Various Employee Pick-to-Powered Conveyor Methods
    Pick Tunnel
    Underside Deck or Netting
    Determining the Carton-Conveyor Travel Path
    How to Cross the Carton-Conveyor Travel Path
    Carton Travel on a Conveyor Travel Path
    Empty-Pallet Return
    Empty-Pallet Position
    Elevated Employee Walkway
    Stairs
    Order-Picker Routing Pattern
    Order-Picker Instruction Method
    Sorting Method
    Employee Rides to Pick Positions and Picked Cartons Are
    Transported Away
    Stock-to-Employee Pick Methods
    Automatic Order-Pick Methods
    Nonconveyable or Very-Large-SKU Order-Pick Methods
    Carton or Pallet Replenishment
    Types of Pick Position
    Put-Away and Withdrawal Transaction-Verification and
    Inventory-Tracking Methods
    Various Replenishment Methods
    SKU Allocation to the Pick Area
    Various Replenishment Quantities
    Various Timing Methods for Replenishment

    PALLET ORDER-FULFILLMENT OPERATIONS
    Introduction
    Base Operational Data and Area Information
    Facility Design Information and Considerations
    SKU Location in the Storage/Pick Area
    Pallet Storage-Area Design
    Pallet Flow
    Drawings
    List of Activities
    Pallet Rack-Row and Vehicle-Aisle Design Parameters
    Pallet-Handling Sequence of Activities
    Schedule and Yard Control of Vendor and Customer Delivery
    Trucks
    Receiving and Shipping Dock Locations
    Truck Traffic-Flow Patterns
    Delivery-Truck Holding Area
    Landing Gear Pad
    Other Important Truck Features
    Truck-Yard Security
    Truck Loading and Maneuvering Areas
    Truck Dimensions for Docks
    Truck Dock Design Factors
    Unloading and Loading Methods
    Railcar Unloading and Loading Methods
    Various Railcar Dock Designs
    Single Railcar Unloading
    Various Railcar Dock Board Designs to Bridge The Gap
    Bascule Bridge
    Railcar Dock-Area Options
    Pallet Unloading Activity
    Pallet Receiving Activity
    Need for Sufficient, Clear Finished-Floor Space and Aisles
    How to Project the Required Number of Docks
    How to Determine the Dock-Area Size
    Four Important Rack and Facility Dimensions
    Other Important Clearances or Open Spaces
    Ceiling Clearance for Fire Sprinklers
    Other Factors That Affect Employee Productivity
    Physical Components of a Pallet Storage/Pick Method
    In-House Transportation Methods

    SINGLE-ITEM, GOH, CARTON, OR PALLET ACROSS-THE-DOCK OPERATIONS
    Introduction
    Across-the-Dock Definition
    Objective of an Across-the-Dock Operation
    What Is Required
    Who from Your Company Is Involved
    The Vendor Responsibility
    Piece or Customer Identification
    Across-the-Dock Formats and Piece Flow Methods
    Various Across-the-Dock Piece Characteristics
    Receiving and Shipping Dock Areas Are Most Important
    Receiving and Shipping Dock Projections and Other
    Considerations
    Unloading Method
    Piece Change
    Small-Item, Flat Wear, or GOH Across-the-Dock Operation
    Handling GOH or Hanging Garments in an Across-the-Dock
    Operation
    Master-Carton Across-the-Dock Sorting Methods
    Pallet or Unit-Load Across-the-Dock Methods

    Biography

    David E. Mulcahy has been with QVC Corporation since 1999. He earned a B.S. degree in business administration from Salem (Massachusetts) State College and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Dallas. He has more than 30 years of increasingly responsible experience in all aspects of order-fulfillment and across-the-dock operations and international supply chain management. A prolific author and speaker, this is his third book.
    John P. Dieltz is currently employed as an application engineer for the Kingway Inca Clymer Material Handling Company. He earned an undergraduate degree in engineering from South Dakota State University and a Master’s degree in industrial engineering from Iowa State University. He has more than 10 years of experience in distribution working on order-fulfillment solutions for companies shipping different types of products.