maini : warehousing & inventory logistics the backbone of e-retail ecosystem

Warehousing solutions for

Retail & e-Commerce industry

e-Retail firms are compelled to put a serious thought about warehousing and inventory logistics as this is

one of the key areas that will help you to economically deliver products into the hands of online

shoppers.

Companies who have realized and worked on this have become run away leaders in online sales

by sheer efficiency of their warehouses and supply chain

that speed orders with ruthless efficiency.

Food for thought

Receiving Shipping

Reserve Storageand

Pallet Picking

CasePicking

BrokenCase

Picking

Accumulation, Sortation & Packing

Cross-docking

DirectPut awayto reserve

DirectPut awayto primary

Replenishment Replenishment

Operation flow in e-retail environment

• Storage capacity

• Effective utilization of available storage space

• Inventory management at warehouses & high demand SKUs

• Stock damages

• Stock identification

• Managing perishables – FIFO

Key problems that efficient warehouses can

solve

• Demand for an increased throughput

• Progressive reduction in order sizes

• Reduced lead times

• Managing higher number of part numbers & higher level of order customization

• Pilferage

Key problems that efficient warehouses can

solve

• Flexible & scalable warehouse infrastructure

Scope of addition of new products/ SKUs

Scope to use the existing infrastructure for different products/ SKUs

Problem: Storage capacity

Solution

Representative image of an e-retail warehouse

• Strategic division of available storage capacity into reserve area and order picking area

• Use of high density racking (high rise) in reserve area

• Use of next gen forklifts, reach trucks and VNAs to service reserve area

• Deploying efficient MHE in order picking area

Problem: Effective utilization of available storage capacity

Solution

Optimized reserve storage area

Problem: Effective utilization of available storage capacity

Optimized order picking areaOrder pickers

Problem: Effective utilization of available storage capacity

• Standard pallet racking with an underpass to increase storage and reduce travel time of equipment

• Gravity flow racks

Problem: Inventory management at warehouses & high demand SKUs

Solution

Problem: Inventory management at warehouses & high demand SKUs

Stacker cranes

Gravity flow

Compact rack

Problem: Enabling quicker stock identification

Solution

• Forklifts with the flexibility to integrate RFID/ barcode scanners

• Storage systems integrated with stock identification features like put to light, bar code scanners, etc.

• RFID reader gates between reserve (High density storage) area & order picking bay

Problem: Enabling quicker stock identification

Tracking incoming goods into reserve warehouse right from the source

Pick to light

RFID scanners RFID reader gate

• Drive in pallet racking increases storage capacity & reduces travel time

• Very high bay warehousing further leverages property footprint potential

Problem: Demand for an increased throughput

VNAs

Drive in pallet racking

High rise warehouses

Solution

• Vertical automated systems solves problems like stock pilferage & damages which is rampant in the industry

Problem: Pilferage & stock damages

Solution

Conclusion• Operational effectiveness of e-retail warehouses depends

on optimizing the available storage space and its division between order picking & reserve storage space

• This enables high utilization of storage space while simultaneously fulfilling orders quickly & reliably with least amount of effort

Thank you