Why should we do a good job in warehouse management?

First, the five meanings of warehouse management

1, warehousing is first and foremost a logistics activity.

Warehousing is first of all a kind of logistics activity, or logistics activity is the essential attribute of warehousing. Warehousing is not production or trading, but one of the logistics activities that serve production and trading. This shows that warehousing is only one kind of logistics activities, and there are other logistics activities. Warehousing should be integrated into the whole logistics system and should be linked and coordinated with other logistics activities. This is very different from the past "warehouse management".

2, the basic function of warehousing

Storage activities, or the basic functions of storage, include six aspects: goods in and out, inventory, sorting, packaging, distribution and information processing. Among them, the management of goods in and out of the warehouse can be said to be the most basic activities of warehousing and the basic functions of traditional warehousing, but the management means and level have been improved; The sorting and packaging of goods used to exist, but now it is more common, deeper and more detailed, and even combined with the management of goods in and out of the warehouse, which constitutes the basic function of modern warehousing; The reason why "distribution" is regarded as a storage activity is one of the basic functions of storage, because distribution is not a general transportation, but a natural extension of storage, which is the memory requirement for warehouse to develop into a distribution center. Without distribution, the warehouse is still an isolated warehouse. As for information processing, it is a common phenomenon in modern economic activities and should also be one of the contents of warehousing activities. Without information processing, it is not modern warehousing.

3. The purpose of storage

The purpose of warehousing is to meet the needs of the upstream and downstream of the supply chain. This is significantly different from the past, which only met the needs of "customers" in depth and breadth. Whoever entrusts who puts forward the demand is the customer; Customers may be upstream manufacturers or downstream retailers or enterprises, but warehousing can meet the needs of both direct customers and indirect customers. Warehousing should be integrated into the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and the role positioning and service function of warehousing should be established according to the overall demand of the supply chain.

4. Storage conditions

Storage conditions are concrete tangible or intangible places and modern technology. Say "specific" because each enterprise's supply chain is specific, and the storage location is of course specific; Of course, tangible places refer to warehouses, freight yards or storage tanks. Under the background of modern economy, warehousing can also be carried out in virtual space, and it also needs the support of many modern technologies. Without modern storage facilities and information technology, there would be no modern storage.

5. Method and level of storage

The method and level of warehousing are reflected in effective planning, execution and control. Planning, execution and control are the basic connotations of modern management, and scientific, reasonable and meticulous warehousing is of course inseparable from effective planning, execution and control.

[Edit this paragraph] 2. Warehouse management process

Warehouse management process, including the following links: warehousing process, outbound process, warehouse management, etc.

[Edit this paragraph] III. Warehouse management principle

Because of different inventory items, warehouses have their own separate management principles, such as food warehouses, product warehouses and industrial equipment warehouses. The warehouse management principle introduced in this paper is a common product management principle for reference only. 1, facing the channel for storage. In order to make it convenient for goods to enter and leave the warehouse and move in the warehouse, the basic condition is to keep the goods facing the channel. 2. Stack as high as possible to improve storage efficiency. In order to effectively use the internal volume of the library, it should be stacked as high as possible. In order to prevent damage and ensure safety, storage equipment such as scaffolding should be used as much as possible. 3. Select the location according to the outbound frequency. Goods with high frequency of shipment and purchase should be placed near the entrance and exit, where it is easy to operate; Items with poor liquidity are placed a little far from the entrance and exit; Seasonal items are placed according to their seasonal characteristics. 4. The same variety shall be kept in the same place. In order to improve work efficiency and storage efficiency, the same or similar items should be stored in the same place. The familiarity of employees with the storage location of goods in the warehouse directly affects the time of entering and leaving the warehouse. Placing similar items nearby is also an important way to improve efficiency. 5. Arrange the storage location according to the weight of the goods. When you decorate the place, of course, you should put the heavy things under it and the light things on the shelf. Large items that need manual handling shall be subject to waist height. This is an important principle to improve efficiency and ensure safety. 6. Arrange the storage method according to the shape. It is also important to keep the goods according to their shapes. For example, standard goods should be placed on pallets or shelves. 7. According to the principle of first-in first-out. The most important thing to keep is the items that are easily deteriorated, damaged and corrupted; For items whose functions are easily degraded and aged, we should try our best to speed up the turnover according to the principle of first-in first-out. Warehouse management refers to the management of commodity storage space. Problems that should be paid attention to in warehouse management operation are:

[Edit this paragraph] 4. Problems needing attention in warehouse management

1, the inventory goods should be managed by the location, which is similar to the design of the product configuration diagram, that is, different goods should be stored and put on the shelves according to the principle of classification and partition management. The warehouse should be divided into at least three areas: first, a large number of storage areas, that is, in the form of whole boxes or pallets; Second, a small amount of storage area, that is, the disassembled goods are placed on the display shelf; The third is the return area, that is, putting the goods to be returned on special shelves. 2. After the location is determined, make a configuration map and stick it at the door of the warehouse for easy access. A few storage areas are fixed as far as possible, and the whole box storage area can be used flexibly. If the storage space is too small or belongs to a frozen (hidden) warehouse, it can be used flexibly without a fixed location. 3. Stored goods should not be in direct contact with the ground. First, in order to avoid humidity; Second, due to the provisions of absorbing fresh instruments; The third is neatly stacked. 4. Pay attention to the temperature and humidity in the storage area, and keep it well ventilated, dry and not wet. 5, the library should be equipped with waterproof, fire prevention and anti-theft facilities, to ensure the safety of goods. 6, goods storage shelves should be set up inventory card, goods in and out should pay attention to the principle of first out. You can also use color management methods, such as using different color labels every week or month to clearly identify the date of purchase. 7. The warehouse management personnel shall communicate with the ordering personnel in time so that the goods can arrive at the warehouse. In addition, it is necessary to promptly put forward the early warning notice of insufficient inventory to prevent shortage. 8. In principle, the warehousing and storage of goods should be kept as required, and taken as required. However, considering the efficiency and safety, it is necessary to formulate the operation time regulations. 9, goods in and out of the warehouse to do a good job of registration, to clarify the responsibility of custody. However, some commodities (such as frozen and refrigerated commodities) pay attention to timeliness, and also adopt the practice of combining store inventory with warehouse inventory. 10, the warehouse should pay attention to access control management, and it is not allowed to enter casually.

[Edit this paragraph] V. Discussion on the core of warehouse management-inventory

Warehouse management is an important part of supply chain management, and the original intention of supply chain management is to eliminate all inefficient activities. According to the analysis of Yibo logistics consulting professionals, this inefficient activity will be directly reflected in the two indicators of "time" and "inventory". However, many enterprises always focus on reducing local costs and even spend a lot of time to save a little money. Obviously, this move has deviated from the original intention of supply chain management. Although "inventory" will not be recorded in the monthly profit and loss, it is an indispensable part of the balance sheet. There are many financial performance parameters and non-financial performance parameters about "time", for example, the timeliness of customer order delivery, cash turnover rate, inventory holding days and so on. For enterprises, these turnaround times can reflect the current operating conditions of enterprises. Their improvement will certainly help to improve the overall competitiveness of the supply chain. Take "inventory holding days" as an important part of cash turnover index. Reducing the inventory level and the number of days of inventory holding will help to increase profits, improve shareholders' rights and interests, and release more funds (which can be used for other investments). As we all know, the inventory holding days can be calculated by the formula of "inventory holding days = inventory holding amount ÷ daily average consumption". However, this calculation method often misleads or makes us underestimate the actual total inventory in the supply chain. Because this "inventory holding days" does not include unfinished goods such as in-transit inventory and orders entrusted by suppliers. Obviously, this "inventory holding days" can't truly reflect the current cash flow of enterprises. Inventory is directly affected by time factors. The extension of time will inevitably increase uncertainty. In the process of maximizing inventory revenue, revenue management plays a very important role in supply chain management. If the inventory level is too high, it not only means the increase of inventory investment cost, but also bears more inventory holding cost, and finally has to reduce the price to deal with the surplus inventory, resulting in a decline in total profit; On the contrary, although reducing the inventory level helps to reduce the inventory investment cost and inventory holding cost, the risk of shortage faced by enterprises increases, which may also lead to a decrease in total profit. In the traditional concept, logistics means transportation cost, and procurement means product price. This concept also leads enterprises to ignore the importance of inventory management. In order to win more discounts, the purchasing department will not hesitate to increase the order quantity, thus obtaining preferential conditions such as exempting transportation costs and reducing the unit price of products. Although this helps to reduce the procurement cost, the potential cost burdens such as inventory holding cost and price reduction processing cost are enough to offset the previous procurement cost savings. Obviously, transportation cost and purchase unit price have hindered effective inventory management.