Book Reviews

Warehouse Management - Gwynne Richards

This is a thought provoking book and should be welcomed by any warehouse keeper wanting to improve and develop their business.  It is forward looking, ‘The Future is always beginning now' but it also contains much time tested advice.  There is continual emphasis on close customer relationships at all stages of any project, from the initial planning to the ongoing implementation and the need to achieve a realistic assessment of what the customer needs within an agreed cost framework.  With regard to the ongoing relationship Figure 143 encapsulates scenarios too easily forgotten in the hectic day to day business environment, and reminds us that ‘divorce is always expensive'!  For me the most important theme of the book was keeping your customers and developing with them through both technical innovations and using a bit of lateral thinking.  The case study of Norbert Dentressangle and Goodyear Dunlop detailing the initiative of bringing in another tyre manufacturer into the warehouse and so achieving integrated dispatches was a practical and different solution which could be used in other scenarios, as it presents ‘a win win' situation for all concerned.

There is much useful guidance on all aspects of new systems of both handling and storage. There is also a brief look at what is developing for the future, the factors affecting these developments including a discussion of internet shopping and the changes and possibilities it is bringing.  The section on the necessity of a   Warehouse Management System (WMS) and the pitfalls when selecting it contains sound advice. Whilst the Waitrose case study, actually on voice picking, has an attached list of useful do's and don'ts' for many different applications.

The layout of the book allows for cherry picking on all aspects of warehousing, and the book is enlivened by pithy quotes such as that dire objection to change that it has always been done that way!  It isn't perhaps an easy read, but it is a valuable contribution to warehousing, offering as the banner on the cover states practical guidance to improved efficiency whilst minimizing costs.

Roger Williams, Chief Executive, United Kingdom Warehouse Association