About the case

The warehouse manages various product ranges that are normally sold in small shops located in major heartlands e.g. Toa Payoh or Queenstown. The range of products managed in this ambient warehouse include small electronic appliances commonly found in a home e.g. iron, toaster, vacuum cleaners, fans (box, standing, table top, ceiling), lights and light bulbs (ceiling, bathrooms & bedrooms). There are three main types of storage in the warehouse - item, case/carton and pallet loads. As such, there are various racking systems and materials handling equipment, namely, pallet jacks, powered pallet jacks and electric counterbalance forklift trucks.

Generally, goods are received and placed in the Receiving area to determine the next stage/process e.g. for quality control, crossdocking, returns or to be stored. Orders are sorted and placed in the Dispatch area while they 'wait' to be loaded into delivery trucks to replenish stocks in the small shops. This warehouse does not perform order fulfillment for online sales.

QUESTION ONE - A

You have just joined the company as the warehouse manager and identified four (4) major errors (circle the errors on the layout). What are they and explain why you have considered them to major errors.

QUESTION ONE - B

Suggest how you will resolve each error identified in the previous question. Explain how each suggestion will resolve or ease the negative impacts, without the adoption of technology, thereby improving the operations of the warehouse. You can support your answer by drawing your suggestions for improvement on the layout.

QUESTION ONE - C

You now have some resources to adopt technology to improve warehouse performance. Review the warehouse processes that you have improved in Question One-B. Identify and explain two (2) processes that you believe, can be further improved with relevant technologies. (Tip: a table presenting comparative analysis of possible relevant technologies will help demonstrate your analysis and support your answer).