Distribution center is how the formation and development

Research on the Formation and Development of Distribution Centers

I. Differences in the Understanding of Distribution Centers

From the current situation, the term "distribution centers" has continued to appear in various fields, and a number of countries have been standardized to give a clear definition of "distribution centers". Some countries have standardized a clear definition of "distribution center". But most fields still use the term "distribution center" according to the understanding of each person. Even in previous years, China's circulation area of foreign research more internal magazine "foreign material management" above, in the "distribution center" term to use, there are differences, the same issue of different articles, different authors of the "distribution center", sometimes does not refer to the same thing. The term "distribution center" is used differently in different articles in the same issue, and sometimes different authors do not refer to the same thing. In fact, the term "distribution center" has not been standardized at home and abroad. Therefore, to clarify the meaning of "distribution center" is very important for the correct distribution, the correct planning and construction of distribution centers, for the correct exchange and communication.

Domestic and foreign distribution centers say the following broad examples:

"Acceptance and processing of end-user ordering information, the upstream delivery of multiple varieties of goods for sorting, according to the user's ordering requirements for the picking, processing, stocking and other operations, and delivery of facilities and institutions" ("Logistics Terms"); National Standard for Exposure Draft);; "distribution center" is very important for the correct development of distribution center. National Standard" Exposure Draft);

"Distribution center is a modern distribution facility engaged in equipping goods (collecting, processing, sorting, picking, and distributing) and organizing deliveries to users to achieve sales or supply at a high level" ("Modern Logistics");

" A distribution center is a facility that receives a wide variety of large quantities of goods from a supplier, performs operations such as inverting, sorting, storing, circulation processing, and intelligence processing, and then prepares the goods in accordance with the ordering requirements of numerous needy people and distributes them at a satisfactory level of service." (Logistics Handbook);

"A logistics node who does not take this singular form of a storage warehouse, but rather a distribution warehouse that performs distribution functions. Also called a base, stronghold, or distribution center." (Japan's "Dictionary of Market Terms");

The above is only a number of authoritative books on the definition of the distribution center of the reference, in order to more comprehensive understanding of the distribution center, here are quoted in some articles and books to help us fully understand the distribution center of some of the descriptions:

"Specialized in the distribution of distribution of the logistics strongholds known as the distribution center" (Logistics and its distribution center). Center" ("Logistics and its application");

"Distribution center is the end point directly connected with the customer." (Foreign Material Management magazine article "Design of Distribution Centers");

"Distribution centers are typical distribution warehouses" (Foreign Material Management magazine article "Design of Distribution Centers");

"Distribution centers (warehouses) are places where goods are stored. place."

"A distribution center (warehouse) is an intermediate storage location for goods from the manufacturer to the retailer, and a distribution center is a warehouse that focuses on the rapid flow of goods for the purpose of centralizing and decentralizing goods." (Modern Integrated Logistics Management);

"Depending on the different operators and different business contents, distribution centers are also known as circulation centers, transportation centers, and storage sites for goods, among many other names." (Logistics Handbook);

"In a typical logistics system, finished goods leaving the production line are first temporarily stored at a location and then finally transported to a location closer to the market, which is the distribution center" (Foreign Materials Management magazine article "Distribution Center Program Management");

Distribution center" its synonyms are: logistics centers, sending centers, logistics terminals, parts centers, inventory points. Despite the different names the functions are identical" (Foreign Materials Management article "Functions and Purposes of Distribution Centers");

"Often, modern warehouses are actually distribution centers" (Logistics Technology magazine article "Warehousing and Distribution Center Establishment Approach");

"Distribution center as a place to carry out commodity distribution and related business, through advanced management, technology and modern information exchange network, the procurement of commodities, goods, storage, sorting, processing and distribution and other business processes to carry out scientific, unified, standardized management, so that the entire process of commodity movement is highly efficient, coordinated, and orderly, thereby reducing Losses, cost savings, to achieve the best economic and social benefits" ("Logistics Technology" magazine article "to build a new commodity circulation system");

"Distribution centers are the base of the end of the logistics" ("Foreign Materials Management" article "Discussion of distribution centers and distribution").

The above different countries, different fields, different industries, different scholars for the different understanding and description of the distribution center, reflecting the "efficiency first" in the economic environment of the market economy, the main pursuit of people is to bring the efficiency of the distribution center, but not overly formal, which should be said to be a useful phenomenon. This should be regarded as a beneficial phenomenon. However, the concept of excessive confusion and long-term can not be the same will reduce the distribution center to promote and guide the role of a new economic phenomenon will also lose the rationality, so that the development of setbacks. Therefore, for the distribution center to identify the meaning, put forward can cover the essence of the definition, in fact, the distribution center has a complete and correct understanding of the standardization of the industry, to guide the development is beneficial.

Two, from the warehouse to the distribution center

Tracing history, many scholars believe that the distribution center is based on the development of the warehouse. The function of the warehouse, thousands of years are as a facility to store goods, China's recent publication of the "Modern Chinese Dictionary", the warehouse is still interpreted as "storage of food and other materials of the building" is a completely static function. Some professional dictionaries more or less dynamic interpretation, for example, "China Materials Management Dictionary" explains the warehouse as: ① specializing in the centralized storage of all kinds of materials, buildings and places; ② specializing in materials receiving and sending custody of the activities of the units and enterprises. From the receipt, send two aspects of the warehouse given a certain dynamic function. However, these definitions do not contain the essential connotation of distribution, so there are a number of scholars directly explain the distribution center into the warehouse is obviously inappropriate.

In the continuous development of society, due to the development of the economy, the total amount of production gradually expand, the warehouse function is also constantly evolving and differentiation. In China, as early as the world-famous China Grand Canal for grain transportation from south to north period, has appeared in the transfer function of the warehouse facilities, the Ming Dynasty appeared different from the traditional storage, reserve as the main function of the new warehouse, and the title of the so-called "turn to move the warehouse" of the name, the main function has changed from "storage" to "storage". The main function has changed from "storage" to "transportation". In the new China after the founding of the country, serving the distribution system of the planned economy, our country appeared a large number to connect the circulation for the function of the "transit warehouse". The further development of transit warehouses and the enhancement of the operational capacity of such warehouses, the emergence of a considerable scale, a considerable number of "storage and transportation warehouses".

In foreign countries, the professional division of labor in the warehouse, the formation of the two major types of warehouses, one type of long-term storage as the main function of the "storage warehouse", the other is to the flow of goods as the main function of the "circulation of warehouses".

Circulation warehouse to short-term storage, high frequency of goods in and out of storage as the main feature, which is similar to our transit warehouses, this function compared with traditional warehouses, there is a big difference. Goods in circulation in the warehouse is often in motion, stay a shorter period of time, there is a high frequency of in and out of the warehouse. The further development of the circulation warehouse, so that the warehouse and the circulation channel linked to the warehouse to form a whole, played a role in regulating the entire logistics channel, in order to differentiate from the warehouse, more and more people will be called logistics centers or circulation centers.

The complexity of the industry in modern society, the diversity of demand and the unprecedented economic volume, as a continuation of the production process, determines the complexity and diversity of the circulation. This situation also determines the complexity and diversity of circulation centers, circulation centers have their own focus on the function, coupled with each field, each industry's own customary term and the term between each other is not standardized for the sake of the decision of the emergence of a variety of calls, such as collection and transportation centers, distribution centers, inventory centers, logistics hubs, logistics bases, logistics groups, and so on. In the seventies after the oil crisis, in order to tap the economic potential of the logistics process, the logistics process has been subdivided, coupled with the market economic system created by the prevailing buyer's market environment to service to compete for the user's competitive results, the enterprise appeared in the "marketing center of gravity", "close to the customer! "marketing strategy, close to the customer a section of the so-called" end logistics "has been unprecedented attention, distribution centers are adapted to this new economic environment, in the warehouse continues to evolve and evolve in the process of the emergence of innovative logistics facilities.

Three, the distribution center in the logistics node

To find out what is the distribution center needs to be clear distribution center in the logistics system status, as well as distribution centers with similar concepts of other logistics facilities to distinguish. From a vertical point of view, the need to clarify the logistics nodes, logistics centers, distribution centers, the hierarchical relationship; from a horizontal point of view need to distinguish between distribution centers, distribution centers, distribution warehouses, warehouses and other different functions of the logistics facilities. Many logistics will be divided into two parts of the logistics network lines and nodes (nodes in some works, also known as points of contact), which intertwine with each other to become a logistics network. Traditional logistics will also be divided into the logistics process of the line of motion and the nodes on the movement of the two forms.

There are three types of logistics nodes:

The first type, the nodes on the transportation line, our country is called "station", for example, cargo station, station, transfer station, grouping station and so on. Contrast with the English vocabulary is Terminal, and Japanese control of the foreign language vocabulary is タ - ミナル. The Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) "Logistics Terms" puts forward two types of logistics nodes, one is トラック-ta-minar (Truck Terminal), corresponding to the term of our country is the automobile transfer station, and the other is コンテナ-ta-minar (Container Terminal). The other is Container Terminal, which corresponds to the term Container Transfer Station in China. Industry standards for these two logistics nodes are explained as follows:

"Facilities established for the transit of goods, such facilities can be parked at the same time more than two cars, which should be part of the automobile transportation industry trucks";

"Container facilities at the point of connection between sea transport and land transport or facilities at the point of connection between containerized railroad transport and automobile transport"

The main business content of the automobile transfer station is the arrival and departure of automobiles and the loading and unloading of automobile transported goods and the changing of loads. Before the establishment of the new distribution system, some of the operations of the distribution center is completed in the automobile transfer station. Therefore, in the form of transfer station logistics nodes and distribution centers are also the origin of the relationship.

After the distribution center is developed independently from the transfer station, the transfer station is to the different means of transport and different scale of transport connection direction. In foreign countries, in order to organize and articulate the system logistics of intermodal transport, began to comprehensive transfer station direction, the emergence of the car, railroad, water transport and even air transport and other modes of transport into one large composite transfer station, this comprehensive transfer station into a modern mode of transport - combined transport and combined "Door-to-door" transportation is an important facility.

The second type, is the transportation line, the end of the transportation line, the transportation line and the handling line junction, the handling line junction, that is, the warehouse. Is in the form of inventory for the reserve logistics facilities. Although many developed countries warehouse function in recent times has undergone substantial changes, a large portion of the warehouse into a large part of the warehouse does not reserve for the main function of the circulation of the warehouse - further evolution of the circulation center. However, in the modern world, any country with a certain economic scale, in order to ensure the normal operation of the national economy, to ensure the normal development of business operations, to ensure that the market operation, in the form of warehouses for the reserve is still indispensable, there are still a large number of warehouses will still be the main function of the reserve, storage. In our country, this type of warehouse there are still a considerable number.

The third type, is the logistics network is known as the logistics center of the logistics business group. And modern economic development, one of the development trend of the logistics node is the increasing degree of intensification, more and more functional, the original single-function warehouses, stations, yards and other logistics facilities are striving to get rid of the limitations of the original facilities, the emergence of the function of the expansion and extension of, for example, many large cities and the sharp increase in the volume of freight transport, the emergence of various types of freight transport between the cities directly to the train (for example, container) Direct shuttle), in fact, the grouping station, railroad freight station and road freight station together; Another example, with the progress of technical means and management means, the past separation of cargo stations and warehouses may be concentrated together, these new logistics nodes is difficult to cover the past stations or warehouses and other titles, in the science of logistics will be the logistics nodes of this type of logistics center is commonly known as the logistics center. Because of this type of center there is a large difference in the degree of concentration and function, as mentioned above, foreign countries, logistics centers are not widely recognized, at the same time, many people will be confused with the logistics center and distribution center, do not make a clear distinction. In the logistics business group (logistics center), it is usually a place where logistics business facilities and functions are concentrated, and there are centrally set up transfer stations, automobile transfer stations, warehouses, wholesale centers, information and intelligence centers, and business organizations, and sometimes even a place where the commercial market and the logistics stronghold are united.

The above three types of logistics nodes, transfer stations, warehouses, although in the facilities and technology has changed a lot, but in the basic functions of not much change, and the third type of logistics nodes, that is, logistics centers, is not previously, can be said to be a unique product of modern logistics.

Logistics center is a concept that covers a wide range of logistics functions, in fact, many kinds of logistics functions of the logistics stronghold of the overall title, we are studying the distribution center, is one of them.

Four, the positioning of the distribution center

Both from the construction of modern logistics discipline or from the requirements of economic development, there is a need for a clear definition of the distribution center of this economic form.

1, level positioning. Distribution center in the entire logistics system, the circulation center is located in the business flow, logistics, information flow, capital flow of the integrated convergence of the place, with a very perfect function; logistics center is located in the logistics, information flow, capital flow of the integrated facilities, its coverage is lower than the circulation center, belongs to the second level of the center; Distribution center if it has a business flow function, belongs to the circulation center of a type of distribution center, if only the logistics jobs are Distribution center belongs to a type of logistics center, can be covered by the circulation center or logistics center, belongs to the third level of the center.

2, horizontal positioning. From a horizontal point of view, and distribution center role is roughly equivalent to the logistics facilities are warehouses, warehouses, freight stations and so on. These facilities can be located in the end of the logistics position to achieve the ultimate allocation of resources. The difference is that the distribution center is the implementation of distribution of specialized facilities, while other facilities can be implemented to pick up, general delivery, rather than in accordance with the distribution requirements of a well-organized and well-equipped specialized circulation facilities.

3, vertical orientation. Distribution center in the logistics system in the vertical position should be: if the logistics process is divided into the vertical order of logistics preparation process for the logistics process of the first end of the logistics process, the trunk logistics process, the end of the logistics process, the distribution center is at the end of the logistics process of the starting point. His position is directly facing the user's position, therefore, it not only assume the function of direct service to the user, but also according to the user's requirements, plays a role in guiding the whole logistics process.

4, system positioning. In the whole logistics system, the distribution center in the system position, is to improve the operation of the whole system. In particular, modern logistics has appeared in many areas of the use of assembly methods to realize the "door-to-door" logistics, will be able to use assembly methods to improve the efficiency of the logistics system as a whole of the logistics object to do a great deal of diversion, the rest is mainly multi-volume, multi-species, small batches, multiple batches of goods, this type of goods is the traditional logistics systems This type of goods is the object of traditional logistics system which is difficult to improve the efficiency of logistics. In a logistics system that includes a distribution center, the distribution center plays a decisive role in improving the efficiency of the whole system. Therefore, in a large logistics system that includes a distribution system, the distribution center is at the core of the position.

5, functional positioning. Distribution center function, is through the distribution and delivery of resources to complete the final configuration. Distribution center's main function is to determine around the distribution and delivery, such as information activities, trading activities, settlement activities, etc. Although the distribution center is also indispensable function, but they are bound to serve and obey the distribution and delivery of the two main functions.

V. Conclusion

As mentioned above, the researcher believes that as the distribution center will be built in large numbers in China, the need to clarify and regulate this economic form. This is what will facilitate future development and management. This researcher believes that the definition used to describe the distribution center can play this role, and to prevent too broad or too narrow an understanding of the distribution center:

The distribution center is an end of the logistics of the node facilities, through the effective organization of distribution and delivery, so that the most terminal configuration of resources can be completed.