About Larry Willett Expertise Specialist in 3rd Party Warehousing and eCommerce Fulfillment, Generalist in handling, storage and distribution of most products and commodities including Retail Goods, Food Products, and HazMat
Experience 25 years in retail distribution, both private and 3rd party. President of 3rd party logistics provider in Los Angeles for 10 years
Organizations Warehouse Education Research Council, Council of Logistics Management, International Warehouse Logistics Assn.
Expert: Larry Willett Date: 10/18/2004 Subject: Hi Larry
I am working in...
Question Hi Larry
I am working in a beverage plant and we have a problem.
We try to keep up with the market so we continuily put finished products in the warehouse and we continualy take tem from there to put on the trucks.
Very often some finished products stay there until they are expired, the workers do not put the oldest in the trucks first they put what is in front of them or what is easier to get.
I would like to build a system, "first in first out" wich also consider the layout.
Can you give me some indications?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
Answer Most warehouses address this issue through their Warehouse Management System (WMS) software. Basically, the product is recorded in the computer by date code and location. When orders are issued the warehouseman is given the location to go to and the date codes to pull to fill the order. Two disciplines are vital to making this system work: Stock rotation (putting newer products behind older if it is nessary to utilize the same storage space) and checking to assure that the warehousemen are pulling the product they were instructed to pick, not just the most convenient to them.
I am sure you could set something up in Excel to track your inventory by location. It would take some dedicated clerical effort but would be less costly than having expired product.
