ROLES & EFFECTS OF PALLETS
everything about pallets.

Group members:
Muhammad Afiq
Muhammad Seth
Razif

Temasek Polytechnic, LOM

Thursday, December 18, 2008 @ 10:12 AM

Afiq's Reflection

It was my first time visiting Army Logistics Base(ALB). The trip gave me an interesting opportunity to experience a somewhat different type of goods handle in logistics. In this case, mainly army goods. Furthermore, I now have a better understanding of how a warehouse functions.

So basically, ALB's warehouse has all the 5 main operation areas; goods in, main storage, order picking, marshaling and goods out. One significant learning factor would be knowing how ALB uses the through flow layout to handle goods. Through flow meaning the entrance and exit of the warehouse are opposite of each other.

ALB uses a variety of storage systems. What I've seen is pallet ASRS, bin ASRS, vertical carousel system, Very Narrow Aisle(VNA) and mobile racking. Of all these storage systems, I am mose interested in the vertical carousel system. I was hoping for a huge carousel that handles bulky goods but instead, it was a rather reasonable sized and tall storage system. This particular machinery stores mainly medical products. It also has a safety system that stops the vertical rotation of the machine whenever anyone passes through the sensor. This also reduce the risk of pilferage since the goods are safely kept in the carousel.

I also saw afew material handling equipments such as palletjacks, forklifts and laser guided vehicle. All these equipments quickens the rate of picking and storage within the warehouse. Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to see the laser guided vehicle functioning. It will be interesting to see the equipment being able to handle goods without anyone manually functioning it.

All in all, the trip was worthwhile. Furthermore, it was my first time visiting a warehouse and actually seeing what is going on in there. Being able to actually see them, I have gained the first hand experience of warehouse functions. It was a great learning opportunity at ALB.