Conceived as a guide for students , teachers and logistics professionals, the book “Storage Processes and Systems” addresses and explores the fundamental principles for making the practices carried out in a warehouse more efficient and developed correctly, through a comprehensive approach that goes from planning to daily operation.
Humberto Cortés , co-author of the book, said that it has a history and is the “distillation of many years ago, of a consensus among specialists who reached an agreement to establish the best storage practices.”
For Cortés, who said he has always had an academic interest, the text “is part of a warehouse engineering process,” so he assured that the work could lead students to obtain answers and a diagnosis of the practices carried out in a distribution center .
During the presentation of the book, he said that it contains theoretical foundations that lead to practice, so its objective is to put it into the hands of students.
Francisco Giral , who is also co-author of the text, praised this work and pointed out that what is sought is to share best practices and define which systems help the warehouse operate efficiently .
During his participation, he said that the supply chain has to be aligned with the business strategy , and pointed out that in order for the relocation of production lines in Mexico ( nearshoring ) to be taken advantage of, there must be trained workers.
He pointed out that some practices carried out in warehouses, now known as distribution centres, even include the transport of goods, and what is known as the last mile. “The warehouse is part of the last mile, but it is not everything,” he said.
Mexico is not among the top places in logistics competitiveness, although it has a diverse geography and compared to some South American countries “we are not so bad,” but on average “we are below developed countries,” Giral said.
In turn, Carlos Soto , another of the authors, said that the book addresses the processes faced by those who work in a warehouse , the practices carried out in these facilities, from the reception of the goods to the final delivery. “It is a book in which exercises are poured,” he said.
“It is a guide that can be developed to provide a diagnosis to the warehouse manager to determine their areas of opportunity and make their processes more efficient,” he stressed, adding that the book can help to see the degree of maturity of the logistics process implemented by a company.
The work takes on relevance in the sense of infrastructure, because some companies want to implement the first-in , first-out system , known as FIFO , but they do not have the correct storage tools.
In an interview with T21 , Carlos Soto considered that by 2025 the main logistical challenges in the supply chain are how to deliver the product in the shortest possible time , and how to make that approach with the end customers without increasing operating costs.
“Nowadays, every time we assign a process or assign a step, it has a cost, which, in turn, is paid by the consumer or by the same distributor or producer,” he said.
Meanwhile, Virgilio Paniagua , president of the #SoyLogístico Association , stated that in Mexico there is still very little talk about logistics, which is why this book promotes this type of information.
He stressed that Mexico is a logistics hub and that several nations would like to have the position that our country has and be close to the largest market in the world, which is the United States, although he said that infrastructure is lacking in this sector, such as in customs, in addition to the fact that technology is required to compete better.
In his presentation, he recalled that logistics processes in warehouses did not exist before, and stressed that this work complements the knowledge that exists in the field. He also pointed out that the last mile is something that has existed for some years, in what were home deliveries, so it is a strategy that has been applied for a long time.
According to the book, it is estimated that poor warehouse management can lead to losses of more than 20% of a company’s profits, which is why proper management in distribution centers is important.
The text “Storage processes and systems” is the first material of its kind in the #SoyLogístico Association library with the support of Netlogistik , and addresses, among other points, key issues such as warehouse design and layout, considering factors such as location, available space and the characteristics of the products to be stored.
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