The functions of a warehouse, or simply its definition, shouldn’t only be confined to “being a storage area.”
Basically, one of the main functions of a warehouse is to store goods and have it released when needed. It is a traditional definition which regards a warehouse as a storage facility for different kinds of materials and things. Warehousing may be differentiated into two basic kinds. These are:
a. Finished goods warehouse
This kind of warehouse receives goods from an inside source, stores it, then ships it to outside users.
b. Raw materials warehouse
In this case, goods are shipped from an outside source, which will then be stored in the warehouse. These goods will be shipped to an inside user as needed.
One of the functions of a warehouse that most people know is storage. Even a student could imagine a large warehouse with boxes and crates piled up and organized in columns. This is one of the functions of a warehouse that retailers give importance to. Without warehouses, a store owner must have his own storage room built, which will cost thousands.
A warehouse is also responsible for dispatching goods to different receivers. A clothing warehouse, for example, plays a great role in shopping malls because without a system and a team distributing clothes, the racks in mall kiosks would be empty.
In this developing world, the functions of a warehouse have evolved, too. More and more industries take advantage of the many things that could be done in a warehouse. Firms implement technologies to improve the functions of a warehouse. Different kinds of businesses have different needs, so warehouse managers change the way they work by matching its capacity.
One of the functions of a warehouse that was brought about by technology is organizing goods to be delivered. Today, some warehouses not only stores goods but also repacks them prior to delivery. An effective system requires a warehouse to accomplish this.
Warehousing is a valuable industry that does not only refer to the storage function. Its objective is not only to maximize what a warehouse could do but do meet the customers’ needs. Together with its workers, the right goods could be delivered on time, whether in mass or in a few boxes.
To learn more about the functions of a warehouse and its objectives, join Dr. Enrico Mina, Senior Lecturer and Director of Executive Master of Business Administration Program (EMBA) of Papua New Guinea University of Technology as he discusses on this topic on September 27, 2017 at the RCBC Plaza Makati.
For more information, visit this link.
