The existing production and trading process could not do without such an important object as a warehouse. In logistics, the organization of his work is one of the conditions for the proper organization of the movement of inventories, products from producer to consumer.
The types of warehouses that function in modern conditions allow such premises to meet the most varied requirements of participants in production and trade relations. Depending on the type to which the warehouse belongs, it performs certain functions.
To be able to properly plan the movement of goods from the enterprise to the buyer, logisticians must take into account the features of the premises. They create various conditions for the storage of goods and inventories. Therefore, the features of each type of warehouse should be understood and taken into account by each logistician in their work.
Main purpose
Before you consider the main types of warehouses, you should understand the essence of this structural unit. Storage rooms perform a number of functions. Warehouse is a building, site or complex of structures that are used to store various commodity values. In such premises a certain amount of material stocks, finished products is accumulated. This allows you to flexibly respond to fluctuations in supply and demand in the market for goods. At the same time, it becomes possible to synchronize the speeds of material assets in the technological cycles of manufacturers and the processes of delivery and sale of finished products.
All main types of warehouses are limited to a certain territory, which is protected by relevant organizations. Indoors, appropriate storage conditions are created.
In addition to storing commodity values, the presented structural units allow us to process the products received here in order to maintain its quality. The staff serving the warehouse, aligns the received goods in volume, time and assortment.
Structure
Types of warehouses, structures of premises and buildings are characterized by a certain structure. It may include several basic elements. This primarily includes storage buildings, as well as the surrounding area.
Each warehouse has shipping and loading systems. These include special equipment, areas for receiving or sending goods, ramps. Most of these facilities have inland transport. Various equipment of the warehouse belongs to this category, the types of which depend on its features. These can be trolleys, loaders, escalators, elevators, etc.
The structural elements of the warehouse also include sections of the processing of goods. For example, these are packaging lines, packaging lines, a system for applying a barcode, as well as sorting and ordering. In order to be able to store goods, a warehouse requires the use of shelving, containers, refrigeration equipment and other special systems to maintain the required quality of inventory. Any warehouse also has an accounting system. It can be computerized and manual. The first option in modern conditions is much more common.
Classification principles
Modern cargo storage facilities are one of the most important nodes in logistics. There are different types of them. Types of warehouses are distinguished in accordance with different characteristics.
The size of the storage room can be from small objects to buildings that occupy large areas. According to the height of the stacking of goods, one-story and multi-story buildings are distinguished, in which equipment can lift goods to a rack up to 24 m high.
By design, the warehouse can be open, half-closed (it has only a roof) and closed. According to the storage parameters, there are ordinary and special objects in which certain conditions are created (humidity, temperature, lighting).
The mechanization of such nodes may be different. There are warehouses where exclusively manual labor of workers is applied. Most often, storage rooms are partially or fully mechanized.
If various communication lines adjoin the warehouse, this object is called port, rail, and deep. According to the assortment, specialized, mixed and universal objects are distinguished.
Types of jobs
Each object of the presented type performs three basic operations. The types of work in the warehouse are designed to serve the input, internal and output flow of material assets. At the first stage, personnel and equipment unload the transport, and also assess the quality and quantity of the goods.
Internal flows are served with the aim of adequate movement of goods in the warehouse. Inventories are sorted, packaged, stored in appropriate conditions, etc.
The work of the warehouse with the output flows is reduced to loading goods on transport. In this regard, zones of loading, acceptance, storage, sorting, forwarding, as well as offices of maintenance personnel, administration are distinguished.
Classification of warehouses in the Russian Federation
In our country, a special classification is applied, which allows us to divide the presented objects into main types. Appointments of warehouses, their characteristics allow us to distinguish several main groups.
Currently, the most commonly used RMS system, which was developed by the association of domestic companies. This approach is very similar to the global principle of classifying warehouses. However, the RMS system takes into account to a greater extent the requirements of buyers and tenants for this type of property. At the same time, main issues are taken into account, which are primarily paid attention to by the organizations of the central regions of our country.
All objects intended for storage of goods are divided into 4 groups. They are indicated in Latin letters. When classifying a warehouse as a particular category, its design, location, basic functions and features of the facility are taken into account. It also evaluates its transport links with other objects important for the organization, logistics areas.
The scale of the premises, the types of storage in the warehouses of products, the assortment must be taken into account. When choosing such objects of fixed assets, it is necessary to accurately calculate the needs of the company for the rational use of premises for storage of commodity values.
Class A Warehouse
Class A includes such types of warehouses at the enterprise or trade organization that were built in accordance with high modern building standards and requirements. These are single-story buildings, the height of which is more than 8 m. This allows you to install standard multi-story racks inside.
The floor in the room must not be defective. It is perfectly smooth and has an anti-friction coating. A clear temperature regime is maintained inside the Class A warehouse. The gates are equipped with equipment for creating thermal curtains.
It is mandatory to use a modern fire safety system with the functions of extinguishing fires of powder or sprinkler type fires. Also at such facilities installed new security systems, video surveillance. There are computer communications fiber-optic type. This allows you to maximally view the internal and external space with the absence of "blind spots" where there is no video equipment.
Gates, areas of reception and shipment of goods in a class A warehouse have automated systems for opening doors, raising a ramp.
Access to such facilities should be convenient. Most often they are located next to the main transport routes. This type of warehouse is often preferred by trading enterprises that sell products both wholesale and retail.
Class B
There are rooms with somewhat simplified characteristics, however, not inferior in the convenience of the previous category. Class B includes such species. The size of the warehouse in this category can be impressive. However, it is a multi-storey building, which allows it to occupy a smaller area compared to Class A buildings.
The height of the ceilings of such objects is in the range of 4.5-8 m. The floors are smooth, covered with asphalt or concrete. They do not have anti-friction coating. The temperature in the room in winter does not fall below +10 ° C.
The shipping area has a ramp, there is a security system and fire safety. Offices combined with storage facilities. They use modern communication systems, telecommunications.
Access to such warehouses may not be so convenient, but the building is not far from the factory or the city.
Class C and D warehouse
Considering the types of warehouses, it is necessary to note such classes as C and D. For many enterprises this is the most acceptable option. Class C warehouse is a heated room with ceiling heights from 3.5 to 18 m. The temperature is kept at a level of +8 to +14 º in the winter.
Transport goes inside to carry out unloading and loading, for which the gate is always kept in zero position. The flooring may be concrete, asphalt or tile.
Class D is characterized by the least requirements. It can be an unheated basement, a bunker or a hangar. Civil defense objects also fall into this category.
Depending on the category of premises , the cost of purchase or rental is determined. Therefore, the company must take into account its needs. If additional amenities are not required, you can give preference to a low-class warehouse. But in most cases, the operation of an object of class A or B simply can not do. The costs of its maintenance and rental pay off as a result of the organization.
General Warehouse
Considering the types of warehouses, it should be noted that there are common facilities and own premises of the enterprise. In the first case, the organization rents a room or part of it for the needs of its production.
This is necessary in the case of a small turnover or the sale of seasonal goods. It is more profitable for a company to pay for services to the owner of a public warehouse than to maintain its own facility. The need for storage facilities at such enterprises is less.
The small size and proximity of the property to the consumer makes it profitable in some cases. For example, when a company enters a new market, where forecasting is complicated by a number of factors, a public warehouse can reduce the company's financial risks. Moreover, it is not required to attract additional investments.
The company will not need to hire qualified personnel to service the facility, as well as carry out inventory management. Many large enterprises use the services of a public warehouse. This allows you to store products as close to the consumer as possible, reduce transportation costs.
Own warehouse
However, not in all cases of the organization it is advisable to rent a room. Sometimes it’s more correct to buy your own property. This is necessary if the turnover is characterized by large volumes. Most often, such facilities are in close proximity to production.
Also, many types of warehouses use this system. If the sale is characterized by high volumes and concentrated in close proximity to the buyer, it is more profitable to maintain your own warehouse. The organization equips it properly.
Most often this is a property of class "A" or "B". Here, accounting and inventory management by a trading company is carried out. She hires qualified specialists, organizes the trading process (wholesale, retail), and also sets the cost of material assets that are offered to the consumer.
Large industrial enterprises also have their own warehouses. They store stocks, semi-finished products and finished products. If the turnover of such a company is characterized by large volumes, it is more advisable to maintain your own warehouse than to rent such a premises.
Having examined the existing types of warehouses, we can conclude that when choosing such an object, their features should be taken into account. This will allow the company to organize the system of storage and movement of inventory items as efficiently as possible. The minimum cost of maintaining and maintaining warehouse sites will optimize working capital and increase financial results. The process of organizing such objects is taken very seriously, producing a number of mathematical calculations and studies.