| A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of | | | | retrieval: Computer storage, Hard drive, Computer |
| goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, | | | | memory. Store and forward, relaying information |
| importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport | | | | through one or more intermediate stations which |
| businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain | | | | temporarily store the information. Collections of |
| buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They | | | | stored information: Archive, or archives, a collection |
| come equipped with loading docks to load and unload | | | | of records. Books store the wisdom of the ages |
| trucks; or sometimes are loaded directly from | | | | Memory stores the record of experience. |
| railways, airports, or seaports. They also often have | | | | Warehousing & Storage |
| cranes and forklifts for moving goods. | | | | Warehouse Store |
| Some warehouses are completely automated, with | | | | A warehouse store is a retail location with a limited |
| no workers working inside. The pallets and product | | | | variety of merchandise sold in bulk at a discount to |
| are moved with a system of automated conveyors | | | | customers. This type of store is also referred to as a |
| and automated storage and retrieval machines | | | | "Big Box" or "Price-Impact" store because of the |
| coordinated by programmable logic controllers and | | | | spartan, warehouse style of the interior and the low |
| computers running logistics automation software. | | | | prices. These stores tend to feature black text on a |
| These systems are often installed in refrigerated | | | | yellow background in marketing and in decor. Many |
| warehouses where temperatures are kept very cold | | | | warehouse stores are operated by traditional grocery |
| to keep the product from spoiling, and also where | | | | chains both as a way to attract lower income, value |
| land is expensive, as automated storage systems can | | | | conscious consumers and to maximize their buying |
| use vertical space efficiently. These high-bay storage | | | | power in order to lower costs at their mainstream |
| areas are often more than 10 meters high, with | | | | stores. |
| some over 20 meters high. | | | | A warehouse store differs from a warehouse club in |
| The direction and tracking of materials in the | | | | that it doesn't require a membership fee. |
| warehouse is coordinated by the WMS, or | | | | Warehouse Club |
| Warehouse Management System, a database driven | | | | A warehouse club is a retail store, usually selling a |
| computer program. The WMS is used by logistics | | | | limited variety of merchandise, in which customers |
| personnel to improve the efficiency of the | | | | pay annual membership fees in order to shop. The |
| warehouse by directing putaways and to maintain | | | | clubs are able to keep prices low due to the no-frills |
| accurate inventory by recording warehouse | | | | format of the stores. The concept of warehouse |
| transactions. | | | | clubs first began in the United States. |
| Recent developments in marketing have also led to | | | | Warehousing & Distribution |
| the development of warehouse-style retail stores | | | | Warehousing & Distribution is one of the four |
| with extremely high ceilings where decorative shelving | | | | aspects of marketing. A distributor is the middleman |
| is replaced by tall heavy duty industrial racks, with | | | | between the manufacturer and retailer. After a |
| the items ready for sale being placed in the bottom | | | | product is manufactured by a supplier/factory, it is |
| parts of the racks and the crated or palletized and | | | | typically stored in the distributor's warehouse. The |
| wrapped inventory items being usually placed in the | | | | product is then sold to retailers or customers. The |
| top parts. In this way the same building is used both | | | | other three parts of the marketing mix are product |
| as a retail store and a warehouse. | | | | management, pricing, and promotion. |
| Storage Solution | | | | A warehousing or distribution center for a set of |
| Storage solution may refer to: | | | | products is a warehouse or other specialized building |
| Small, mobile containers designed to hold food or | | | | with refrigeration or air conditioning which are supplied |
| other goods: | | | | by transport, such as aircraft, truck, rail or ship, and |
| Container (cargo), a shipping container, storage for | | | | then re-distributed to retailers or wholesalers. |
| cargo transport. | | | | The food distribution system of the United States is |
| Food storage, containers such as Tupperware and | | | | dominated by distribution centers or warehousing, |
| Rubbermaid brands. | | | | which have helped to cut the cost of supplying food |
| Magazine (artillery), an item or place within which | | | | in the United States, and make food only a small part |
| ammunition is stored. | | | | of the cost of living there. |
| Packaging and labelling, commercial packaging used to | | | | Distribution centers or warehousing are foundation of |
| store consumer goods, such as boxes, bottles, and | | | | a retailing network. They allow a retail location to |
| cans. Furniture designed to hold small objects: | | | | stock vast numbers of products without incurring an |
| Bookcase, Cabinet (furniture), Chest (furniture), | | | | explosion in transportation costs. The way a typical |
| Cupboard, Desk, Sideboard (hutch), Refrigerator, etc. | | | | distribution network operates is to have centers |
| Larger containers typically designed to store special | | | | setup throughout a commercial market. Each center |
| kinds of objects or substances: Reservoir (water), an | | | | will then service a number of stores. Large |
| artificial lake Storage tank. | | | | distributions centers for companies such as Wal-Mart |
| Dry cask storage, storing high-level radioactive waste | | | | service 50-125 stores. |
| Special rooms, or parts of buildings, designed for | | | | Because a large retailer might sell tens of thousands |
| storage: | | | | of products from thousands of vendors, it would be |
| Storage room, Closet, Cellar, Attic. Special buildings, or | | | | impossibly inefficient to try to ship each product |
| collections of buildings, designed to hold large objects, | | | | directly from each vendor to each store. Many |
| or a great many objects of a particular type: Shed, | | | | retailers own and run their distribution networks, while |
| Depot, Garage (house). | | | | smaller retailers may outsource this function to |
| Warehouse, a commercial building for storage of | | | | dedicated logistics firms that coordinated the |
| goods | | | | distribution of products for a number of companies. |
| Self storage, public storage facility. Ammunition dump, | | | | A warehousing or distribution center will have a |
| a military storage facility for live ammunition and | | | | General Manager that manages the facility. This |
| explosives. Devices designed to store and release | | | | individual will then have a number of department |
| electrical charge or energy: Capacitor, stores electric | | | | managers that report directly to them. Each |
| charge, Battery, a store of electricity. | | | | department is then composed of supervisors and |
| Devices designed for information storage and | | | | warehouse workers. |