the crossdocking operations. These informa tion systems will need to utilize automatic cross docking. In this strategy, the vendor la bels all inbound merchandise with an out identification technologies and Electronic bound store label. When the customer receives Data Interchange (EDI transmissions. Sec the merchandise, it has already been identi ondary requirements will include space and fied. The customer can place the goods on a storage and material handling equipment. conveyor system and let the conveyor system And, of course, changes to the operational ort the product. If the product is not placed procedures will have to occur so that on a conveyor, the product is directed to the crossdocking can be supported. The follo taging location and is manually placed in that ing subsections describe each of these require staging location. The customer is providing ment th e order consolidation of this inbound mer chandise with other merchandise that is await- 3.1 INFORMATION SYS TEMs REQUIREMENTS ing shipment The final crossdocking strategy is sorted/ A successful crossdocking strategy re labeled crossdocking. Inbound product is la quires that a company have asuccessful ware beled by the vendor and the vendor has per formed a pre-sort of the merchandise to build house information systems strategy. The logical loads. The customer is then going to driver behind developing a warehouse infor cross dock the entire unit load upon receipt mation systems strategy is the need for qual ity information with zero information lead The vendor has essentially picked its Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) for the order. In some times. In short, what a warehouse informa Cross docking in the '90s Page
Tompkins Associates tify all outbound cartons and unit loads. This cases, if the vendor is pre-sorting and pre-la- procedure should also result in a net savings beling the product, the product is never re ceived at the customer Distribution Center for the two trading partner The first strategy is unsorted/unlabeled (DC). Instead the merchandise is shipped di cross docking. In an unsorted/unlabeled rectly to the store. In other cases, the mer crossdocking operation, the inbound merchan chandise is sent to a third party or pool dise does not have a final ship-to destination distributor. In either case the merchandise label and the product has not been presorted has already been picked and identified by the by the shipping partner. The manufacturer or vendor and, as a result, the receiving process wholesaler distributor picks the merchandise is streamlined for shipment and builds the shipping loads based on the most economic and efficient 3.0 CROSS DOCKING methods for the shipper. When the product is REQUIREMENTS received, the customer must break down the The key to any crossdocking operation loads, sort the product, label the product for the final store destination and reload the truck. is the information systems that will support The second strategy is unsorted/labeled the crossdocking operations. These informa tion systems will need to utilize automatic cross docking. In this strategy, the vendor la bels all inbound merchandise with an out identification technologies and Electronic bound store label. When the customer receives Data Interchange (EDI transmissions. Sec the merchandise, it has already been identi ondary requirements will include space and fied. The customer can place the goods on a storage and material handling equipment. conveyor system and let the conveyor system And, of course, changes to the operational ort the product. If the product is not placed procedures will have to occur so that on a conveyor, the product is directed to the crossdocking can be supported. The follo taging location and is manually placed in that ing subsections describe each of these require staging location. The customer is providing ment th e order consolidation of this inbound mer chandise with other merchandise that is await- 3.1 INFORMATION SYS TEMs REQUIREMENTS ing shipment The final crossdocking strategy is sorted/ A successful crossdocking strategy re labeled crossdocking. Inbound product is la quires that a company have asuccessful ware beled by the vendor and the vendor has per formed a pre-sort of the merchandise to build house information systems strategy. The logical loads. The customer is then going to driver behind developing a warehouse infor cross dock the entire unit load upon receipt mation systems strategy is the need for qual ity information with zero information lead The vendor has essentially picked its Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) for the order. In some times. In short, what a warehouse informa Cross docking in the '90s Page
Tompkins Associates tify all outbound cartons and unit loads. This cases, if the vendor is pre-sorting and pre-la- procedure should also result in a net savings beling the product, the product is never re ceived at the customer Distribution Center for the two trading partner The first strategy is unsorted/unlabeled (DC). Instead the merchandise is shipped di cross docking. In an unsorted/unlabeled rectly to the store. In other cases, the mer crossdocking operation, the inbound merchan chandise is sent to a third party or pool dise does not have a final ship-to