第七章Warehousing and Distribution Centers.ppt

Chapter 7 Warehousing and Distribution Centers Text A. Public and Private Warehouses A common distinction among warehouses is whether they are public or private. Distribution centers can be either, although they emphasize distributing rather than storing goods. Public Warehouses Public warehouses are analogous to common carriers in that they serve all legitimate users. Also similar to the common carriers, they have certain responsibilities to their users. Public warehouses are used by firms that either cannot justify the costs of having their own facilities, or prefer not making a commitment to owning and operating their own facilities[1]. In most analyses of a firms warehousing needs, public warehouses are considered as the initial alternative. They offer more in the way of flexibility in terms of both space needs and location than would be offered by any system of company-owned facilities. They require no capital investment, and space is rented as needed. Some public warehouses are specialized. They may handle only refrigerated goods, steel, or household goods, or even be grain elevators. Maritime general cargo transit sheds in ports perform some public warehouse functions, although they are oriented more toward moving cargo through than they are to storage. Many examples could be cited of a public warehousemans functioning as an integral link in a product distribution channel. In a city with ten dealers for one make of electrical appliance, none of the dealers might stock an inventory. The only models they possess are on their showroom floors. Once they make a sale, they notify the public warehouse, which delivers a unit directly to the buyers residence from the warehouse stock. The warehouse notifies the factory of the sale, and the factory replenishes the warehouses stock. In this instance, the stock in the inventory in the warehouse belongs to the manufacturer, a factory distributor, or an area-wide dealer. warehouse performs functions that would other