The trucks or trailers that come to the warehouse to drop products off enter the segment of the dock<\/a> that is dedicated to receiving products. The products are unloaded, sorted and screened to determine their destination and then transported to another end of the dock using forklifts, conveyor belts, pallet trucks or some other means of material transportation. The products are then loaded on to the appropriate trucks or trailers that have the assignment of delivering the shipments to specific retailers.<\/p>\n Of course, not all warehouses can use this logistics strategy. However, it is ideal for warehouses that need to distribute products quickly. This can include such products as unpreserved or temperature-controlled goods like food or it can include prepackaged or presorted items ready for shipping.<\/p>\n The reason for the creation of the cross docking strategy is to:<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Provide a central location for products to be delivered and sorted and then combined with similar products that must be delivered to a variety of destinations in the most efficient and fastest manner. Many companies describe the process as a \u201chub and spokes.\u201d There are a number of advantages to the strategy of cross docking that will make it attractive for warehouses to cater to a specific kind of customer. They include:<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Reducing handling. On the other hand, there are a number of disadvantages to cross docking. They include:<\/p>\n \u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A lot of management attention, time and planning to make it work effectively. What is so interesting about the warehouse industry is that there are so many methods of operation designed specifically to enhance efficiency and productivity based on the industries the warehouse serves. For example, there is a logistics procedure used by many warehouses called \u201ccross docking.\u201d Simply put, it is a procedure in which suppliers or … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1067],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-warehouse-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11867,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8147\/revisions\/11867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Warehouse](\"https:\/\/www.bahrns.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/14479788493_1b079c04bc_z-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>
(Courtesy: Brooklyn Brewery at flickr.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Collect a large number of smaller products for loading into one style of transportation to save on transportation costs.\u00a0 Many in the distribution trade call this \u201cconsolidation arrangement.\u201d
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Take in large amounts of products and break them down into smaller loads for easier delivery to customers. This is referred to as \u201cde-consolidation arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\nAdvantages of Cross-Docking<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Eliminating the need to store products.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The elimination of the need for a large warehouse.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Minimizing labor costs because there is no need for workers to store, pick, and package products.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Delivering products to customers quickly.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fuller loads for each trip allowing the warehouse to save in transportation costs and offer less pollution to the environment.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An easier way to screen products for quality.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The elimination of pick locations and order picking.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The savings generated by cross docking terminals because they cost less to construct than common warehouses.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A quicker turn over of products. Products usually spend less than 24 hours in a warehouse with cross docking.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Assurance of more of a full load of products destined for the same end point.<\/p>\nDisadvantages of Cross-Docking<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The cost and time necessary to create a cross docking terminal.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Suppliers who cannot deliver products ready for shipping.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A sufficient number of trucks that can make a cross docking scheme operate smoothly.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The involvement of a high volume of products that will make the venture cost effective.
\n\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Relying on suppliers to deliver the right products in the right amount at the right time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"