Kyaw's ALB Reflection

Reflection from Educational Field Trip to Army Logistics Base by Saw James Chit Khine

On 24^th November 2008 the LOM students had to go to Army Logistics Base (ALB) in order to observe the real life warehouse processes and distribution industry, to know the different application of the different types of material handling equipment and storage system and to learn how the IT technology is used to enhance the logistics operations performances and production.

First of all, as the according to the structure of the building the type of flow that the ALB used is through flow. The building has 30 meter tall and it is 10 stories tall. The storage system that the ALB use are Bin ASRS for the small items, Pellets ASRS and APIR.

The warehouse use power mobile racking system at the main storage area. The product that are used to store in power mobile racking are the products that do not have high through put level. The purpose of using mobile racking system is to reduce the space utilization of the warehouse. Moreover they use vertical carousel system at medical storage area. At that area there is air conditional to provide the environment that will stretch the life of the products.

The MHEs used at the inbound of ALB are forklift, very narrow aside machine and for outbound they use laser guided vehicle. The type of delivery trucks that are used at ALB are 10foot container truck.

This educational field trip gives me a lot of knowledge about the warehousing and how they store the products. Moreover, I have seen a lot of IT products that are use in material handling. So, I believe that this will help me to adjust with the environment of warehousing industry quickly when I start working because I have learned the real life of warehousing industry through this trip.

WenKai's ALB Reflection

The field trip to the Army Logistic Base was one not to be missed, I don’t think I would get another chance to see for myself and experience how the warehouse operates, and the on-the-spot explanation provided by the staffs.

First up, we were briefed by an employee from the Singapore Technologies Logistics (STL), which were outsource to by the SAF. From the briefing, I got to know that the ALB adopted a centralized approach, with the deployment of modern warehouse technology and latest state-of-the-art IT system, surely you know by now the principals and advantages it offers. One other interesting thing to note was the diverse array of product lines that were stored, such as weapons and equipment, medical supplies and other non-SAF products that were contracted to STL.

We were then brought to the warehouse operation area, where it deployed a through flow layout, due to building constraints and perhaps to provide for better security to product movement the layout offers. And also the Stock Keeping Unit (kit bags for enlistees) that were ready to be picked near the loading bay. The magnificent height of the ALB building which is 20m high to accommodate for high racks, it clearly fulfilled one of it’s principal to optimize warehouse space. Next up was the powered Mobile Racking System installed at the reserved storage, when you compare it to the conventional wide-aisle pallet racking, you can see the much higher versatility and efficiency it offers by utilizing double the amount of space!
Moving on to was the Pallet AS/RS at the outbound area, with this automated system, I see it can cut down cycle time by eliminating the wait, walk and search time.
Off to the 3rd level of the building was the medical warehouse that housed the Vertical Carousel, and Shelving systems for small item storage. The Vertical Carousel was about 10m high containing 74 layers that deals with medical supplies, the fact that the supplies were enclosed in this system with humidity control and were only visible upon reaching the order pickers showed the importance and value of the product, and the protection offered by the system.

The MHE used at the inbound area was the Automatic Guided Vehicle that is very useful in a fast moving environment, and the Pallet AS/RS as stated earlier at the outbound area.

To summarize, this trip provided me an invaluable experience and deeper insights into logistic operations, I now have a better understanding and clearer picture of what’s said in the book and lectures!

KaWo's ALB Reflection

It was the 1st time officially for me to visit a warehouse. Before going into the warehouse I had already studied the different types of storage equipments, however I am shocked to see the actual size of some of the racks which they are using. Besides the physical size surprise me, the electricity usage is the other thing that attracted me to keep an eye on. As we visit the 2nd floor, which is the medical storage area, the whole room is air-conditioned, so the 1st thing that comes into my mind is the electric bill that they are paying for the air-conditioning. However, once we reach level 3, we feel the “real heat”, and I heard from most of the course/class mates (including me) that we are vowing not to work in environments which are similar to the level 3……….Ha-Ha

It is a very benefiting field trip for us, because all the equipments we are seeing in the warehouse are all the things we will be touching in the future, so it is a very good executive summary for every one of us. And this helps us to prepare what to expect to see in the near future.

This field trip showed us the real life in an actual real warehouse; the staff there also explains what the daily routines in the warehouse are and how they handle the goods in the different stages. Overall it was a very fun and interesting trip for us. I hope there will be more chances for us to visit other types of warehouses e.g. cold chain etc.

Jarrold's ALB Reflection

Hi again! This post will be about the trip to the Army Logistics Base(ALB).

At first thought, this trip was an ideal one to provide us with first hand experience of real life logistics operations.

First on the agenda was the talk delivered by one of the senior staff there. We understood SAF's efforts to integrate the supply chain, history of ALB, and also the advancements in warehousing and logistics processes that ALB possess.

Next, ALB had a through-flow layout, and having the loading and unloading bay at opposite sides made me realise how ALB emphasised on security and movement, with SKU goods ready for picking close to the loading bay. Quick and efficient material handling and movement was essential. The height of the ALB building was about 20metres/18 racks high. ALB is a centralised warehouse, occupying about the size of 45 football fields, of which some can be saved for future development.

Storage systems used were:

• mobile racking system
• vertical carousel system(VCS)
• pallet automated storage and retrieval system(Pallet ASRS)
• Bin ASRS

The vertical carousel system which was about 10metres was located on the Medical Warehouse Floor and stored general medical supplies. This detailed system which looks like a consume chamber provides enhanced security as products are visible only upon reaching the order picker.

Containing 74 layers, a light scanner has an advantage of a full proof system. What impressed was how tactful ALB was in handling and maintaining its products. A humidity control function and efficient maintenance by technicians made this system all the more value-adding.

The powered mobile racking and shelving system had a censor, acting as a safety alarm. ALB installed such a safety device, showing they treat employee safety as utmost importance. If a person is close between the shelves, the alarm will alert other employees to bring help. Material handling equipments (MHE) used was the automated guided vehicle(AGV) at the inbound area and the Pallet ASRS at the outbound area. The AGV was useful in fast moving warehouses and what impressed was observing the wonders of a fully automated system.

The final part of our trip was knowing how the SAF had changed in its goals. What had me interested, was the change in trend of armymen equipment, and advancements in uniform technology that enhances military performances.

Finally, special thanks to the staffs' effort in providing us with a deeper insight into logistics operations and the impact of changes in our industry nowadays.

Introducing Group Members

Hi Everyone!

This blog will be managed by the four of us, Jarrold, WenKai, KaWo and Kyaw. As much as possible, we hope to update this blog with relevant and related information.

Hopefully, this can become an interactive learning platform for all of us to understand the subject of Distribution Centre Management better!

Through this blog, we hope you help you gain a better understanding of the different trends facing warehouses and distribution centres of today. Do feel free to comment in our tagboard, we would do our best to answer any queries.

Remember to drop by:

trendschallenges-warehousing.blogspot.com

Lastly,

to a happy and exciting journey for us all! :)

Happy Holidays !