automated guided vehicles(see Figure 8-41). Direct, automated loading of loose cases is facilitated with an extendable conveyor.
Dock Management
Automate and optimize dock assignments and route on-site drivers through the site with minimum paperwork and time.
A variety of systems are now in place to improve the management of ship- ping and receiving docks and trailer drivers. Inbound trailers should be assigned to the dock closest to the centro-id of the putaway locations on-board(see Figure 8-42). Outbound trailers should be assigned to the dock door closest to the contents of the load it will pick up.
8.9 WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
The increased attention placed on warehouse and fulfillment operations in the last few years yielded a harvest of improvements in technology and functionality in warehouse management systems. What we used to put in the"wish-list'' column we now place in the"must-have" column in developing WMS requirements. A brief summary of"must-haves" for WMs requirements follows. Descriptions of the various requirements were the focus of Sections 8.2-8.8.
-Warehouse activity profiling
-order activity profiling