9. Storage and Warehouse Systems

This chapter emphasizes the importance of efficient and effective handling of materials within various departments of a factory or another suitable type of business. It highlights basic requirements such as accessibility of every section of storage space, selecting proper placement of every inventory item, implementing appropriate storage policies, and keeping adequate control of these policies. This chapter represents an effort to address various factors considered to be relevant when designing a storage and warehouse system; to achieve this goal it discusses fundamental principles required for the formulation of practical and efficient storage policies. First, receiving and shipping operations are studied, followed by the introduction of dedicated and random storage policies. Models for storage capacity and specific procedures for storage capacity determination are formulated next. The chapter closes with dock planning and design, warehouse system design, and basic considerations for determining the dimensions of an automated storage and retrieval system.