Warehousing and Material Handling

What the resources cover

Most of this page is mind maps. They look at why firms need warehouses, what warehouses do and how they are organized. The mind map Warehousing decisions sets out value-adding roles such as consolidation, product mixing and contingency protection, plus public warehousing services such as bonding. The mind map TYPES OF WAREHOUSES links warehouse types to customers, such as retail distribution centers.

Several maps follow a series called Integrated Warehouse Operations. They compare traditional and modern warehouses, and look at consolidate, cross-dock and break-bulk warehouses by distribution model.

Where to start

1. Begin with Warehousing, which lists core functions: storage, order picking, put away, cross dock, and pick and pack.
2. Move to warehousing (lowercase) for advantages, types and the reasons a business needs storage.
3. Read the Integrated Warehouse Operations maps in date order to see how the ideas build.
4. Look at Layout of a unit-load area and Material Handling for the physical side.

Using quizzes and maps together

There are only a few quizzes, so use them well. Read a map first, then take a quiz such as STORAGE AND WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT or Forklift Rules of Thumb. Note the questions you miss and go back to the matching branch of the map. Quizzes named after chapters or courses, such as Chapter 7 GSCM, work well once you know the basics.

A few flowcharts show receiving and checking of materials, and some resources are in Spanish, Turkish or Vietnamese. They can help if you study in those languages.

Where this unit fits

This unit sits in the strand Inventory, Warehousing and Cargo Handling, within the subject Logistics and supply chain. It pairs naturally with the inventory resources in that strand.

Pick one map today, work through it, then try a quiz and see which branches you need to revisit.