Operation mode:
A warehouse with chaotic storage, sometimes called random storage, is essentially a shelf system for placing products. So far, we haven't found any difference from those warehouses with fixed storage locations. The particularity of chaotic warehousing lies in its logistics mode.
This has to start with the division of goods: the warehouse staff put the goods into the shelf system and find an empty shelf to put down. Each shelf and each product slot has a unique number. Staff use hand-held scanners to scan the shelves and corresponding goods, and then the computer will store the location of the goods.
When the order comes down and needs to be picked up, the computer will output the bill of lading. According to the database, this bill of lading takes the staff to the shelves where the corresponding goods are accurately stored. In order to keep the database up-to-date, every product should be scanned when it is removed from the shelf.
Also, chaotic storage does not mean automatic management. It is possible to automatically operate a chaotic storage system, but this is not always the best choice. For example, Amazon people need a lot of manpower to participate, because an experiment simulating the storage process found that hiring warehouse staff is more economical than automation.
Advantages:
Compared with traditional warehouse management, chaotic storage is more flexible and can respond more quickly according to various product changes. This reduces the workload of planning, because in the chaotic storage, no matter the overall quantity of various products or the sales volume of a certain commodity, there is no need to plan in advance.
In addition, chaotic storage can manage the available storage space more effectively, because vacant locations can be immediately re-stored. In a fixed storage system, some shelves are reserved for a project, even if the actual inventory of the project is very small.
Random storage can save time, not only in inventory, but also when you come to order. The goods in the warehouse are simply placed in empty positions on the shelves. Whenever someone comes to pick up the goods, the computer will calculate the best path and display it on the bill of lading. This method shortens the working distance of staff. Moreover, Amazon's bill of lading is not obtained by screening orders, which means that the goods that need to be shipped out must be linked to the delivery through an extra step.
Using chaotic storage will also greatly reduce the amount of training for new employees. They don't need to remember the overall layout of the warehouse or some storage location. This also makes it easier to replace old and new employees or hire seasonal workers in the peak season.
Requirements for random storage:
Intuitively, most people put similar things together, but they are actually arranged according to predefined characteristics. This will cause all the books to be placed in one section of the warehouse and all the toys to be placed in another section.
But this is unnecessary in a chaotic storage management system. The storage of products only needs to meet the most basic storage conditions. There is no need to consider more detailed features. In the chaotic warehouse, all kinds of items are placed directly next to each other, such as books, toys, sports equipment, electronic products, DVDs, jewelry, digital cameras and so on.
There are exceptions for items with short storage life, because they are not worth storing. These items are usually too heavy or too large for normal storage operations. Objects like this need to be stored separately. Perishable products are also not suitable for chaotic warehouse management.
Needless to say, all goods must have bar codes and enter them into the database. All storage bits should be handled in the same way. The computer needs something like a warehouse map, so that it can calculate the best pick-up path.
Chaotic storage depends on a stable and reliable warehouse management system. If the computer crashes or loses data, the warehouse operation may be suspended until the problem is solved.
This storage method is especially suitable for distribution centers with large handling capacity and small inventory of each kind of goods. This is usually the case with Internet retailing.
Moreover, orders often involve different kinds of items, and classified storage will not be of great benefit. On the contrary, Amazon staff deliberately don't put similar goods together, but because the similarity between mixed shelf goods is smaller, the accuracy of picking up goods is improved.
The word "chaotic storage" is only understood from the perspective of human beings, and it is not chaotic at all for computers. For a software in warehouse management, a chaotic warehouse management system is nothing more than a series of calculations and database operations.