They usually
have loading docks to load and unload goods from trucks. Sometimes
warehouses are designed for the loading and unloading of goods directly
from railways, airports, or seaports. They often have cranes and forklifts for
moving goods, which are usually placed on ISO standard pallets loaded
into pallet racks. Stored goods can include any raw materials, packing
materials, spare parts, components, or finished goods associated with
agriculture, manufacturing, and production. In India, a warehouse may be
referred to as a go down.
History A warehouse can be defined functionally as a building in which to store bulk produce or goods (wares) for commercial purposes. The built form of warehouse structures throughout time depends on many contexts: materials, technologies, sites, and cultures.
In this sense, the
warehouse postdates the need for communal or state-based mass storage of
surplus food. Prehistoric civilizations relied on family- or
community-owned storage pits, or ‘palace’ storerooms, such as at Knossos,
to protect surplus food. The archaeologist Colin Renfrew argued that
gathering and storing agricultural surpluses in Bronze Age Minoan ‘palaces’ was
a critical ingredient in the formation of proto-state power.[4]
The need for
warehouses developed in societies in which trade reached a critical mass
requiring storage at some point in the exchange process. This was highly
evident in ancient Rome, where the horreum (pl. horrea) became a standard
building form.[5] The most studied examples are in Ostia, the port
city that served Rome. The Horrea Galbae, a warehouse complex on the road
towards Ostia, demonstrates that these buildings could be substantial, even by
modern standards. Galba’s horrea complex contained 140 rooms on the ground
floor alone, covering an area of some 225,000 square feet (21,000 m²). As a
point of reference, less than half of U.S. warehouses today are larger than
100,000 square feet (9290 m²).[6]
The need for a
warehouse implies having quantities of goods too big to be stored in a domestic
storeroom. But as attested by legislation concerning the levy of duties, some
medieval merchants across Europe commonly kept goods in their large household
storerooms, often on the ground floor or cellars.[7] [8] An example
is the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, the substantial quarters of German traders in
Venice, which combined a dwelling, warehouse, market and quarters for
travellers.[9]
From the middle
ages on, dedicated warehouses were constructed around ports and other
commercial hubs to facilitate large-scale trade. The warehouses of the trading
port Bryggen in Bergen, Norway (now a World Heritage site),
demonstrate characteristic European gabled timber forms dating from the late
middle ages, though what remains today was largely rebuilt in the same
traditional style following great fires in 1702 and 1955.
During the
industrial revolution, the function of warehouses evolved and became more
specialised. Always a building of function, in the past few decades warehouses
have adapted to standardisation, mechanisation, technological innovation and
changes in supply chain methods.
The mass production
of goods launched by the industrial revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries
fuelled the development of larger and more specialised warehouses, usually
located close to transport hubs on canals, at railways and portside.
Specialisation of tasks is characteristic of the factory system, which
developed in British textile mills and potteries in the mid-late 1700s. Factory
processes speeded up work and deskilled labour, bringing new profits to capital
investment.
Warehouses also
fulfill a range of commercial functions besides simple storage, exemplified
by Manchester’s cotton warehouses and Australian wool stores:
receiving, stockpiling and despatching goods; displaying goods for commercial
buyers; packing, checking and labelling orders, and dispatching them.
The utilitarian
architecture of warehouses responded fast to emerging technologies. Before and
into the nineteenth century, the basic European warehouse was built of
load-bearing masonry walls or heavy-framed timber with a suitable external
cladding. Inside, heavy timber posts supported timber beams and joists for the
upper levels, rarely more than four to five stories high.
A gabled roof was
conventional, with a gate in the gable facing the street, rail lines or port
for a crane to hoist goods into the window-gates on each floor below.
Convenient access for road transport was built-in via very large doors on the
ground floor. If not in a separate building, office and display spaces were
located on the ground or first floor.
Technological
innovations of the early 19th century changed the shape of warehouses and the
work performed inside them: cast iron columns and later, moulded steel posts;
saw-tooth roofs; and steam power. All (except steel) were adopted quickly and
were in common use by the middle of the 19th century.
1. Strong,
slender cast iron columns began to replace masonry piers or timber
posts to carry levels above the ground floor. As modern steel framing developed
in the late 19th century, its strength and constructability enabled the first
skyscrapers. Steel girders replaced timber beams, increasing the span of
internal bays in the warehouse. 2. The saw-tooth roof brought natural
light to the top story of the warehouse. It transformed the shape of the
warehouse, from the traditional peaked hip or gable to an essentially flat roof
form that was often hidden behind a parapet. Warehouse buildings now became strongly
horizontal. Inside the top floor, the vertical glazed pane of each saw-tooth
enabled natural lighting over displayed goods, improving buyer inspection. 3.
Hoists and cranes driven by steam power expanded the capacity of
manual labour to lift and move heavy goods. Two more new power sources,
hydraulics, and electricity, re-shaped warehouse design and practice at the end
of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
1. Public hydraulic
power networks were constructed in many large industrial cities around the
world in the 1870s-80s, exemplified by Manchester. They were highly
effective to power cranes and lifts, whose application in warehouses served
taller buildings and enabled new labour efficiencies. 2. Public electricity
networks emerged in the 1890s. They were used at first mainly for lighting
and soon to electrify lifts, making possible taller, more efficient warehouses.
It took several decades for electrical power to be distributed widely
throughout cities in the western world. 20th-century technologies made
warehousing ever more efficient. Electricity became widely available and
transformed lighting, security, lifting and transport from the 1900s. The internal
combustion engine, developed in the late 19th century, was installed in
mass-produced vehicles from the 1910s. It not only reshaped transport methods
but enabled many applications as a compact, portable power plant, wherever
small engines were needed.
The forklift truck
was invented in the early 20th century and came into wide use after World War
II. Forklifts transformed the possibilities of multi-level pallet racking of
goods in taller, single-level steel-framed buildings for higher storage
density. The forklift, and its load fixed to a uniform pallet, enabled the
rise of logistic approaches to storage in the later 20th century.
Typology Warehouses
are generally considered industrial buildings[10] and are usually located
in industrial districts or zones (such as the outskirts of a city).[11] LoopNet categorizes
warehouses using the "industrial" property type.[12] Craftsman
Book Company's 2018 National Building Cost Manual lists
"Warehouses" under the "Industrial Structures Section."[13] In
the UK, warehouses are classified under the Town and Country Planning Act
1990 as the industrial category B8 Storage and distribution.[14][15]
Types of warehouses
include storage warehouses, distribution centers (including
fulfillment centers and truck terminals), retail warehouses, cold
storage warehouses, and flex space.[16][17]
Retail warehouses
Main article: Warehouse
store These displayed goods for the home trade. This would be finished
goods- such as the latest cotton blouses or fashion items. Their street
frontage was impressive, so they took the styles of Italianate Palazzi.
Richard Cobden's
construction in Manchester's Mosley Street was the first palazzo warehouse.
There were already seven warehouses on Portland Street when they commenced
building the elaborate Watts Warehouse of 1855,[18][19] but four
more were opened before it was finished.
Cool warehouses and
cold storage
Main article: Cool
warehouse Cold storage preserves agricultural products. Refrigerated
storage helps in eliminating sprouting, rotting and insect
damage. Edible products are generally not stored for more than one year.
Several perishable products require a storage temperature as low as
−25 °C.
Cold storage helps
stabilize market prices and evenly distribute goods both on demand
and timely basis. The farmers get the opportunity of producing cash crops to
get remunerative prices. The consumers get the supply of perishable commodities
with lower fluctuation of prices.
Ammonia and Freon compressors
are commonly used in cold storage warehouses to maintain the temperature.
Ammonia refrigerant is cheaper, easily available, and has a high latent heat
of evaporation, but it is also highly toxic and can form an
explosive mixture when mixed with fuel oil. Insulation is also
important, to reduce the loss of cold and to keep different sections of the
warehouse at different temperatures.
There are two main
types of refrigeration system used in cold storage warehouses: vapor
absorption systems (VAS) and vapor-compression systems (VCS).
VAS, although comparatively costlier to install, is more economical in
operation.[citation needed]
The temperature
necessary for preservation depends on the storage time required and
the type of product. In general, there are three groups of products, foods that
are alive (e.g. fruits and vegetables), foods that are no longer alive and have
been processed in some form (e.g. meat and fish products), and commodities that
benefit from storage at controlled temperature (e.g. beer, tobacco).
Location is
important for the success of a cold storage facility. It should be in close
proximity to a growing area as well as a market,[citation needed] be easily
accessible for heavy vehicles, and have an uninterrupted power supply.
Overseas warehouses
These catered for the overseas trade. They became the meeting places for
overseas wholesale buyers where printed and plain could be discussed and
ordered.[18] Trade in cloth in Manchester was conducted by many
nationalities.
Behrens Warehouse
is on the corner of Oxford Street and Portland Street. It was
built for Louis Behrens & Son by P Nunn in 1860. It is a four-storey
predominantly red brick build with 23 bays along Portland Street and 9 along
Oxford Street.[19] The Behrens family were prominent in banking and in the
social life of the German Community in Manchester.[20] [21]
Packing warehouses
The main purpose of packing warehouses was the picking, checking, labelling and
packing of goods for export.[18] The packing warehouses: Asia House, India
House and Velvet House along Whitworth Street in Manchester were
some of the tallest buildings of their time.
Railway warehouses
Warehouses were built close to the major stations in railway hubs. The first
railway warehouse to be built was opposite the passenger platform at the
terminus of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. There was an important
group of warehouses around London Road station (now Piccadilly
station).In the 1890s the Great Northern Railway Company’s warehouse was
completed on Deansgate: this was the last major railway warehouse to be
built.[18]
The London
Warehouse Picadilly was one of four warehouses built by the Manchester,
Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in about 1865 to service the new London
Road Station. It had its own branch to the Ashton Canal. This warehouse
was built of brick with stone detailing. It had cast iron columns with wrought
iron beams.[22]
Canal warehouses
Further
information: Canal warehouse All these warehouse types can trace
their origins back to the canal warehouses which were used for trans-shipment
and storage. Castlefield warehouses are of this type- and important
as they were built at the terminus of the Bridgewater Canal in 1761.
Operations
A customised
storage building—a warehouse—enables a business to stockpile goods, eg, to
build up a full load prior to transport, or hold unloaded goods before further
distribution, or store goods like wine and cheese that require maturation. As a
place for storage, the warehouse has to be secure, convenient, and as spacious
as possible, according to the owner’s resources, the site and contemporary
building technology. Before mechanised technology developed, warehouse
functions relied on human labour, using mechanical lifting aids like pulley
systems.
Storage and
shipping systems Some of the most common warehouse storage systems are:
Pallet racking including
selective, drive-in, drive-thru, double-deep, pushback, and gravity flow
Cantilever racking
uses arms, rather than pallets, to store long thin objects like timber.
Mezzanine adds
a semi-permanent story of storage within a warehouse[23]
Vertical Lift
Modules are packed systems with vertically arranged trays stored on both
sides of the unit.
Horizontal
Carousels consist of a frame and a rotating carriage of bins.
Vertical Carousels consisting
of a series of carriers mounted on a vertical closed-loop track, inside a metal
enclosure. A "piece pick" is a type of order selection process where
a product is picked and handled in individual units and placed in an outer carton,
tote or another container before shipping. Catalog companies and internet
retailers are examples of predominantly piece-pick operations. Their customers
rarely order in pallet or case quantities; instead, they typically order just
one or two pieces of one or two items. Several elements make up the piece-pick
system. They include the order, the picker, the pick module, the pick area,
handling equipment, the container, the pick method used and the information
technology used.[24] Every movement inside a warehouse must be accompanied
by a work order. Warehouse operation can fail when workers move goods
without work orders, or when a storage position is left unregistered in the
system.
Material direction
and tracking in a warehouse can be coordinated by a Warehouse
Management System (WMS), a database driven computer
program. Logistics personnel use the WMS to improve warehouse
efficiency by directing pathways and to maintain accurate inventory by
recording warehouse transactions.
Automation and
optimization
Main article: Warehouse
robotics Some warehouses are completely automated, and require only
operators to work and handle all the task. Pallets and product move on a system
of automated conveyors, cranes and automated storage and
retrieval systems coordinated by programmable logic controllers and computers running logistics
automation software.[citation needed] These systems are often installed
in refrigerated warehouses where temperatures are kept very cold to
keep the product from spoiling. This is especially true in electronics
warehouses that require specific temperatures to avoid damaging parts.
Automation is also common where land is expensive, as automated storage systems
can use vertical space efficiently. These high-bay storage areas are often more
than 10 meters (33 feet) high, with some over 20 meters (65 feet) high.
Automated storage systems can be built up to 40m high.
For a warehouse to
function efficiently, the facility must be properly slotted. Slotting addresses
which storage medium a product is picked from (pallet rack or carton
flow), and how they are picked (pick-to-light, pick-to-voice, or
pick-to-paper). With a proper slotting plan, a warehouse can improve its
inventory rotation requirements—such as first in, first out (FIFO) and
last in, first out (LIFO)—control labor costs and increase productivity.[25]
Pallet racks are
commonly used to organize a warehouse. It is important to know the dimensions
of racking and the number of bays needed as well as the dimensions of the
product to be stored.[26] Clearance should be accounted for if using a
forklift or pallet mover to move inventory.
Recent trends
Modern warehouses commonly use a system of wide aisle pallet racking to store
goods which can be loaded and unloaded using forklift trucks.
Traditional
warehousing has declined since the last decades of the 20th century, with the
gradual introduction of Just In Time techniques. The JIT system
promotes product delivery directly from suppliers to consumer without the use
of warehouses. However, with the gradual implementation of offshore
outsourcing and offshoring in about the same time period, the
distance between the manufacturer and the retailer (or the parts manufacturer
and the industrial plant) grew considerably in many domains, necessitating at
least one warehouse per country or per region in any typical supply chain for
a given range of products.
Recent retailing
trends have led to the development of warehouse-style retail stores. These
high-ceiling buildings display retail goods on tall, heavy-duty industrial
racks rather than conventional retail shelving. Typically, items ready for sale
are on the bottom of the racks, and crated or palletized inventory is in the
upper rack. Essentially, the same building serves as both a warehouse and
retail store.
Another trend
relates to vendor-managed inventory (VMI). This gives the vendor the
control to maintain the level of stock in the store. This method has its own
issue that the vendor gains access to the warehouse.
Large exporters and
manufacturers use warehouses as distribution points for developing retail
outlets in a particular region or country. This concept reduces end cost to the
consumer and enhances the production sale ratio.
Cross-docking is a
specialised type of distribution center (DC) in that little or no inventory is
stored and product is received, processed (if needed) and shipped within a
short timeframe. As in warehousing, there are different types of cross-docks.
Reverse logistics
is another type of warehousing that has become popular for environmental
reasons. The term refers to items that are going from the end user back to the
distributor or manufacturer.[citation needed]
Education There are
few non-profit organizations which are focused on imparting knowledge,
education and research in the field of warehouse management and its role in the
supply chain industry. The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC)[27] and
International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA)[28] in Illinois,
United States. They provide professional certification and continuing education
programs for the industry in the country. The Australian College of Training
have government funded programs to provide personal development and continuation
training in warehousing certs II – V (Diploma), they operate in Western
Australia online and face to face, or Australia wide for online only courses.
AS/RS systems are
designed for automated storage and retrieval of parts and items in
manufacturing, distribution, retail, wholesale and institutions.[3] They
first originated in the 1960s, initially focusing on heavy pallet loads but
with the evolution of the technology the handled loads have become smaller.[4] The
systems operate under computerized control, maintaining an inventory of stored
items. Retrieval of items is accomplished by specifying the item type and
quantity to be retrieved. The computer determines where in the storage area the
item can be retrieved from and schedules the retrieval. It directs the proper
automated storage and retrieval machine (SRM) to the location where the item is
stored and directs the machine to deposit the item at a location where it is to
be picked up. A system of conveyors and or automated guided vehicles is
sometimes part of the AS/RS system. These take loads into and out of the
storage area and move them to the manufacturing floor or loading docks. To
store items, the pallet or tray is placed at an input station for the system,
the information for inventory is entered into a computer terminal and the AS/RS
system moves the load to the storage area, determines a suitable location for
the item, and stores the load. As items are stored into or retrieved from the
racks, the computer updates its inventory accordingly.
The benefits of an
AS/RS system include reduced labor for transporting items into and out of
inventory, reduced inventory levels, more accurate tracking of inventory, and
space savings. Items are often stored more densely than in systems where items
are stored and retrieved manually.[5]
Within the storage,
items can be placed on trays or hang from bars, which are attached to
chains/drives in order to move up and down. The equipment required for an AS/RS
include a storage & retrieval machine (SRM) that is used for rapid storage
and retrieval of material. SRMs are used to move loads vertically or
horizontally, and can also move laterally to place objects in the correct
storage location.[6]
The trend towards
Just In Time production often requires sub-pallet level availability of
production inputs, and AS/RS is a much faster way of organizing the storage of
smaller items next to production lines.
Material Handling
Institute of America (MHIA), the non-profit trade association for the material
handling world, and its members have broken AS/RS into two primary segments:
Fixed Aisle and Carousels/Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs). Both sets of
technologies provide automated storage and retrieval for parts and items, but
use different technologies. Each technology has its unique set of benefits and
disadvantages. Fixed Aisle systems are characteristically larger systems
whereas carousels and Vertical Lift Modules are used individually or grouped,
but in small to medium-sized applications.
A fixed-aisle AS/R
machine (stacker crane) is one of two main designs: single-masted or double
masted. Most are supported on a track and ceiling guided at the top by guide
rails or channels to ensure accurate vertical alignment, although some are
suspended from the ceiling. The 'shuttles' that make up the system travel
between fixed storage shelves to deposit or retrieve a requested load (ranging
from a single book in a library system to a several ton pallet of goods in a
warehouse system). The entire unit moves horizontally within an aisle, while
the shuttles are able to elevate up to the necessary height to reach the load,
and can extend and retract to store or retrieve loads that are several
positions deep in the shelving. A semi-automated system can be achieved by
utilizing only specialized shuttles within an existing rack system.
Automated storage
and retrieval system using the highly dynamic TGW Stingray shuttle technology.
Another AS/RS technology is known as shuttle technology. In this technology the
horizontal movement is made by independent shuttles each operating on one level
of the rack while a lift at a fixed position within the rack is responsible for
the vertical movement.[7] By using two separate machines for these two
axes the shuttle technology is able to provide higher throughput rates than
stacker cranes.[8]
Storage and
Retrieval Machines pick up or drop off loads to the rest of the supporting
transportation system at specific stations, where inbound and outbound loads
are precisely positioned for proper handling.
In addition, there
are several types of Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) devices
called Unit-load AS/RS, Mini-load AS/RS, Mid-Load AS/RS,[9] Vertical Lift
Modules (VLMs), Horizontal Carousels and Vertical Carousels. These systems are
used either as stand-alone units or in integrated workstations called pods or
systems. These units are usually integrated with various types of pick to light
systems and use either a microprocessor controller for basic usage or inventory
management software. These systems are ideal for increasing space utilization
up to 90%, productivity levels by 90%, accuracy to 99.9%+ levels and throughput
up to 750 lines per hour/per operator or more depending on the configuration of
the system.
Advantages An
effective automated storage and retrieval system provides several benefits
for supply chain management:
An efficient AS/RS
system helps companies cut expenses by minimizing the amount of
unnecessary parts and products in storage, and improving organization of
the contents of a warehouse. Due to automated processes, it also allows for
more storage space due to high-density storage, narrower aisles, etc.[10]
Automation reduces
labor costs while lowering workforce requirements and increasing safety.[11]
Modeling and
managing the logical representation of the physical storage facilities (e.g.
racking, etc.). For example, if certain products are often sold together or are
more popular than others, those products can be grouped together or placed near
the delivery area to speed up the process of picking, packing and shipping to
customers.
Enabling a seamless
link to order processing and logistics management in order to pick, pack, and
ship product out of the facility.
Tracking where
products are stocked, which suppliers they come from, and the length of time
they are stored. By analyzing such data, companies can control inventory levels
and maximize the use of warehouse space. Furthermore, firms are more prepared
for the demands and supplies of the market, especially during special
circumstances such as a peak season on a particular month. Through the reports
generated by an AS/RS system, firms are also able to gather important data that
may be put in a model for it to be analyzed.[12]
Vertical lift
module VLMs can be built quite high to match the available overhead space in a
facility. Multiple units can be places in 'pods' whereby an operator can
retrieve items from one unit while the other units are moving. Variants include
width, height, load, speed and a control system.
The VLM is a board
controlled automated vertical lift module. Inventory within the VLM is stored
on front and rear tray locations or rails. When a tray is requested, either by
entering a tray number in the built-in control pad or by requesting a part through
software, an extractor travels vertically between the two columns of trays and
pulls the requested tray from its location and brings it to an access point.
The operator then picks or replenishes stock and the tray is returned to its
home upon confirmation.
VLM systems are
sold in numerous configurations, which could be applied in different
industries, logistics, as well as office settings. The VLM systems could be
customized to fully utilize the height of the facility, even through multiple
floors. With the capability of multiple access openings on different floors,
the VLM system is able to provide an innovative storage and retrieval solution.
The rapid movement of the extractor, as well as inventory management software,
can dramatically increase the efficiency of the picking process. This occurs by
simultaneously retrieving and storing trays in multiple units. Unlike large
AS/RS systems, which require a complete overhaul of the warehouse or production
line, the vertical lift modules are modularized, which can be easily integrated
into the existing system, or to be rolled out in gradually over different
phases.
Most common
applications include: MRO, order picking, consolidation, kitting, parts
handling, buffering, inventory storage, WIP, buffer storage, and many more.
VLMs provide floor
space savings, increased labor productivity and picking accuracy, improved
worker ergonomics, and controlled process.
Most VLMs offer
dynamic space storage which measures the tray every time it is returned to the
unit to optimize space, safety features and some offer tilt tray delivery for
increased ergonomic accessibility, and laser pointers which indicate the exact
item to be picked on each tray.
Horizontal
carousels A horizontal carousel is a series of bins which revolve on an oval
track. Every bin has shelves which are adjustable to .75" and can be
configured for a myriad of standard and special applications. An operator
simply inputs a bin number, part number or cell location and the carousel will
rotate via the shortest path. Multiple horizontal carousels integrated with
pick to light technology and inventory management software (a pod of carousels)
are used for order fulfillment.
A wave of orders
are sent to the pod. A group of orders are selected to create a batch. The
operator simply follows the lights and pick round robin from the carousels and
place items in a batch station behind them. Each carousel pre-positions and
rotates when picked. By applying the "product to person" principle,
operators do not have to move from their position to prepare the order.
When the batch is
complete, a new batch is inducted and the process repeated until the wave is
complete. Horizontal carousels can save up to 75% of floorspace, increase
productivity by 2/3, accuracy levels to 99.9%+ levels and throughput up to 750
lines per hour/operator.
Horizontal carousel
systems generally outperform robotic systems for a fraction of the cost.
Horizontal carousels are the most cost effective AS/RS system available.
Robotic
Inserter/Extractor devices can also be used for horizontal carousels. The
robotic device is positioned in the front or rear of up to three horizontal
carousels tiered high. The robot grabs the tote required in the order and often
replenishes at the same time to speed up throughput. The tote(s) are then
delivered to conveyor which routes it to a work station for picking or
replenishing. Up to eight transactions per minute per unit can be done. Totes
or containers up to 36" x 36" x 36" can be used in a system.
On a simplistic
level, horizontal carousels are also often used as "rotating
shelving." 'With simple "fetch" command items are brought to the
operator and otherwise wasted space is eliminated. AS/RS Applications: Most
applications of AS/RS technology have been associated with warehousing and
distribution operations. An AS/RS can also be used to store raw materials and
work in process in manufacturing. Three application areas can be distinguished
for AS/RS: (1) Unit load storage and handling, (2) Order picking, and (3) Work
in process storage. Unit load storage and retrieval applications are
represented by unit load AS/RS and deep-lane storage systems. These kinds of
applications are commonly found in warehousing for finishing goods in a
distribution centre, rarely in manufacturing. Deep-lane systems are used in the
food industry. As described above, order picking involves retrieving materials
in less than full unit load quantities. Minilpass, man-on board, and items
retrieval systems are used for this second application area.
Work in process
storage is a more recent application of automated storage technology. While it
is desirable to minimize the amount of work in process, WIP is unavoidable and
must be effectively managed. Automated storage systems, either automated
storage/retrieval systems or carousel systems, represent an efficient way to
store materials between processing steps, particularly in batch and job shop
production. In high production, work in process is often carried between
operations by conveyor system, which this serve both storage and transport
functions.
Installed
applications Installed applications of this technology can be wide-ranging. In
some libraries, such as at University of Nevada, Reno library, such a
system is employed to retrieve books. Still others in use involve retrieval of
bicycles from a bicycle tree, as in the case of systems in Japan
Document automation
From Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search Document
automation (also known as document assembly) is the design of systems and workflows that
assist in the creation of electronic documents. These include logic-based
systems that use segments of pre-existing text and/or data to assemble a new
document. This process is increasingly used within certain industries to
assemble legal documents, contracts and letters. Document automation systems
can also be used to automate all conditional text, variable text, and data
contained within a set of documents.
Automation systems
allow companies to minimize data entry, reduce the time spent proof-reading,
and reduce the risks associated with human error. Additional benefits
include: time and financial savings due to decreased paper handling, document
loading, storage, distribution, postage/shipping, faxes, telephone, labor and
waste.
Contents
1 Document
assembly
2 In supply
chain management
3 In legal
services
4 In insurance
5 See also
6 References
Document assembly
The basic functions are to replace the cumbersome manual filling in of
repetitive documents with template-based systems where the user answers
software-driven interview questions or data entry screen. The information
collected then populates the document to form a good first draft'.[1] Today's
more advanced document automation systems allow users to create their own data
and rules (logic) without the need for programming.
While document
automation software is used primarily in the legal, financial
services, and risk management industries, it can be used in any
industry that creates transaction-based documents. A good example of how
document automation software can be used is with commercial mortgage documents.
A typical commercial mortgage transaction can include several documents
including:
promissory note
environmental
indemnity
trust deed
mortgage
guaranty Some
of these documents can contain as many as 80 to 100 pages, with hundreds of
optional paragraphs and data elements. Document automation software has the
ability to automatically fill in the correct document variables based on the
transaction data. In addition, some document automation software has the
ability to create a document suite where all related documents are encapsulated
into one file, making updates and collaboration easy and fast. Established
companies in this field includes the likes of Contract Express from Thomson
Reuters
Simpler software
applications that are easier to learn can also be used to automate the
preparation of documents, without undue complexity. For example, Pathagoras
holds itself out as a 'plain text, no fields allowed' document assembly system.
Clipboard managers allow the user to save frequently-used text fragments,
organize them into logical groups, and then quickly access them to paste into
final documents.
In supply chain
management There are many documents used in logistics. They are
called: invoices, packing lists/slips/sheets (manifests), content
lists, pick tickets, arrival acknowledgement forms/reports of many
types (e.g. MSDS, damaged goods, returned goods, detailed/summary,
etc.), import/export, delivery, bill of lading (BOL), etc.
These documents are usually the contracts between the consignee and
the consignor, so they are very important for both parties and any
intermediary, like a third party logistics company (3PL) and governments. Document handling
within logistics, supply chain management and distribution
centers is usually performed manual labor or semi-automatically
using bar code scanners, software and tabletop laser
printers. There are some manufacturers of high speed document
automation systems that will automatically compare the laser printed document
to the order and either insert or automatically apply an enclosed wallet/pouch
to the shipping container (usually a flexible polybag or corrugated
fiberboard/rigid container). See below for external website video links showing
these document automation systems. Protection of Privacy and Identity
Theft are major concerns, especially with the increase of e-Commerce, Internet/Online
shopping and Shopping channel (other, past references are
catalogue and mail order shopping) making it more important than ever
to guarantee the correct document is married or associated to the correct order
or shipment every time. Software that produce documents are: ERP, WMS, TMS,
legacy middleware and most accounting packages.[citation needed]
A number of
research projects have looked into wider standardization and
automation of documents in the freight industry.[2][3]
In legal services
The role of automation technology in the production of legal documents has been
widely recognised. For example, Richard Susskind’s book ‘The End of
Lawyers’ looks at the use of document automation software that enables clients
to generate employment contracts and Wills with the use of an online interview
or decision tree.[4] Susskind regards Document Assembly as one of 10 'disruptive
technologies' that are altering the face of the legal profession.[5] In
large law firms document assembly systems are increasingly being used to
systemise work, such as complex term sheets and the first drafts of credit
agreements.[6][7]
With the
liberalisation of the UK legal services market spearheaded by the Legal
Services Act 2007 large institutions have broadened their services to
include legal assistance for their customers.[8][9] Most of these
companies use some element of document automation technology to provide legal
document services over the Web.[10] This has been seen as heralding a
trend towards commoditisation whereby technologies like document automation
result in high volume, low margin legal services being ‘packaged’ and provided
to a mass-market audience.[11][12][13]
In insurance
Insurance policies and certificates, depending on the type, policy documents
can also be hundreds of pages long and include specific information on the
insured. Typically, in the past, these insurance document packets were created
by a) typing out free-form letters, b) adding pre-printed brochures c) editing
templates and d) customizing graphics with the required information, then manually sorting
and inserting all the documents into one packet and mailing them to the
insured. The various documents included in one packet could include the
following kinds of documents:
Contract
Certificate
State-specific
policy documents
Listing of items
insured and insurance amounts
Amendments
Riders
ID card
Company
information
Marketing material
(other products) A lot of work can go into putting one packet together. In most
policy admin systems, the system will generate some kind of policy statement as
a starting point but might need to be customized and enhanced with other required
materials.
