Warehouses are usually large plain buildings used for commercial purposes for storage
of goods. Warehouses are commonly used by exporters, importers, wholesalers,
manufacturers etc. Warehouses are usually equipped with loading docks to load and
unload trucks and they have cranes and forklifts for moving goods, and are placed on
ISO standard pallets loaded into pallet racks. (See fig 3.1)
Some warehouses are fully automated where products are moved from one place to other
with a system of automated conveyors and automated storage and retrieval machines
which run by programmable logic controllers and also with logistics automation
software. In an automated warehouse the tracking of materials is coordinated by
warehouse management system (WMS), a database driven computer program. Logistics
personnel make use of WMS to improve the efficiency of the warehouse by maintaining
accurate inventory levels taking into consideration warehouse transactions and directing
put ways