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

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.

Table of Contents:
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