第1章物流について

To understand logistics, we can examine its evolution from ancient times to the present, which gives us a glimpse into its current state. It began with person-to-person handovers, followed by land transport by horse, ox, or camel, and maritime transport by ship, followed by steam-powered trains and ships, and finally by modern-day airplanes and trucks. With the development of transportation equipment, small-scale transportation has evolved into mass transportation.
The focus of the evolution of logistics is on transportation routes and means, as well as the needs and context of the times. For more details, please refer to "A New Logistics History from the Edo Period to the Reiwa Period" by Hirohito Kuruse.

Logistics begins with a point of departure (logistics hub) and a point of arrival (logistics hub), and there are lines (land, sea, and air) connecting these.
Multiple connections between these points and lines form a logistics network.
While some logistics networks emerge naturally, most are systematically constructed under the supervision of national and prefectural governments, city and regional planning organizations, and other organizations. For details, please refer to "Logistics and Urban Regional Planning" by the IBS "Cities and Logistics" Study Group.

This book explains how to calculate the volume and facility size of logistics facilities located at logistics hubs. The scope of application of Tera calculations is for incoming goods packaged in cardboard cases, and assumes store delivery and mail order shipment.

From now on, in Tera calculations, logistics facilities will be referred to as distribution centers rather than logistics centers, in order to reflect the limited scope of application of logistics facilities.

Section 3: Development of packaging and logistics

It is no exaggeration to say that the development of transportation equipment was brought about by the evolution of shipping containers.
From an era when unpackaged goods were transported by hand, to a time when goods were transported by horse or camel in bags made from animal skin or stomach, to an era when goods were transported by sea in burlap sacks, straw bales, or wooden barrels, to the modern era when goods were transported by air using metal and resin and standardized containers, the development of packaging and transportation methods is interdependent.

Currently, most truck transport is often packaged in cardboard, and this cardboard packaging has contributed to the development of loading and unloading equipment at distribution centers. For example, palletizing goods has made it possible to transport large quantities, stack them on shelves to prevent damage, and transport them by conveyor.
The spread of palletization has led to the standardization of pallets and the modularization of cardboard, which has increased the loading efficiency of containers and trucks.
Modularization is a method of increasing the flat loading area of a pallet by adjusting the length and width of the cardboard, and includes three-dimensional modules that add height to the cardboard. This method determines the dimensions of each product and the number of cardboard boxes based on the cardboard box size determined by this module calculation.

The spread of cardboard has contributed not only to transportation but also to the automation and mechanization of distribution centers. Another factor is the spread of plastic containers for storing loose products.

The disadvantages of cardboard packaging include:
1. Bulk picking requires transporting products in and out of the warehouse and storing them on shelves. When the number of products in a cardboard box is reduced after picking, the weight becomes lighter, making transport and storage unstable and making automated transport and storage difficult.
2. Cardboard box dimensions vary depending on the product, and if even one dimension of the length, width, or height is too large (small), it cannot be transported or stored by automated machines. Cardboard cases of different shapes have poor storage efficiency.

Plastic containers compensate for these drawbacks. Plastic containers allow for stable transport and storage even when empty, and their dimensions are standardized.

Section 4 Distribution Center System

Tear calculations involve the selection and sizing of logistics equipment.

Distribution centers are broadly divided into logistics information management systems, logistics equipment systems, and work operation management systems.

1. Logistics Information Management Systems (Logistics Management and Equipment Control)
Logistics information management systems receive arrival schedule information and shipping instruction information from a higher-level host computer (a computer that integrates sales, purchasing, and inventory information), carry out the necessary tasks, and then send arrival and shipping confirmation information to the higher-level host computer.

The host computer centrally manages inventory information and manages it using SKUs (Stock Keeping Units).

Centralized management is a management method in which data is stored in a single database (the host computer's database) rather than distributed across multiple computers. All computers (terminal computers) access the database to update inventory and receipt data in real time. SKUs are the smallest units used to manage arrival, storage, and shipping. SKU management involves managing the same product, including its expiration date and production lot number. If 100 items have an average expiration date of 5 days, the distribution center (logistics management) will identify and manage them into 500 categories.

In addition to the logistics management system that manages the data described above, the distribution center's information systems also include an equipment control system that controls the transmission and reception of handheld terminals (PCs held by workers) and operates equipment.

2. Logistics Equipment System
The logistics equipment system is explained in a separate chapter.

3. Work Operations Management System
The work operations management system is the job of the operations manager, who arranges the necessary personnel, determines the order and methods of work, manages the progress of work, and ensures the distribution center operates according to plan.

Section 2: PCB analysis and logistics equipment

Distribution centers receive items by item and ship them by destination, and storage is also by item.
There is also storage by destination, where items are shipped in advance and stored by destination, and then shipped on a specified shipping date.
However, this is a special case, and Tera Calculation 2 does not take storage by destination into account.
In distribution centers, each process of transportation, warehousing, storage, retrieval, sorting, and inspection exists in "pallets (P), cases (C), or bulk (B)," and the storage and handling equipment and work operations differ depending on the PCB.
PCB analysis is an analysis that determines the quantity of each PCB in a distribution center and allocates the optimal equipment and work operations.
Tera Calculation 1 is software that separates and tallies items into C (cases) and B (bulk), and can extract the C and B quantities for each process in the distribution center from the EIQ matrix tallies.
Pallets (P) are considered to be deformations of cases during transportation and storage, and are treated as case shipments.

Section 1: Commercial Distribution and Logistics

Commercial distribution refers to all commercial activities from supply (producer) to demand (consumer or producer) until payment is collected. For details, please refer to other works.

Logistics is the part of commercial distribution that actually involves handling products. It involves transporting, storing, sorting, logistics processing, packaging, and delivery.

Commercial distribution and logistics are linked, involving the exchange of information such as expected and confirmed arrivals, shipping instructions and confirmed shipments, and inventory management information.

Companies compete on product value and price, but consumers will choose companies with superior logistics (fast, accurate delivery, and quality assurance) for the same product value and price. This consumer need is why logistics is positioned as a corporate strategy.

However, things have been changing in recent years. Environmental issues and labor shortages due to a declining birthrate have led to a time when logistics must be fundamentally transformed.

Distribution centers are actively introducing mechanization and automation to reduce staffing. Currently, large distribution centers are introducing unmanned transport systems and robots, such as factory automation. Storage and transport methods for bulk shipments are particularly evolving.

Mechanization and automation require the analysis of shipping data, and Tera Calculation 1 fulfills this role. In Tera Calculation 2, you will learn how to calculate the scale of equipment when that equipment is installed.

Section 2 Types of logistics

Logistics can be divided into several types depending on the cargo being transported.
From a perspective centered on secondary industries, which have historically contributed to the development of logistics, the movement of cargo from primary industries (agriculture, forestry, fishing, etc.) to secondary industries (manufacturing and processing, construction, mining) is called procurement logistics, the movement of cargo between secondary industries is called production logistics, and the movement of cargo from secondary industries to tertiary industries (wholesale and retail, accommodation and food services, etc.) is called sales logistics. These three types of logistics are called arterial logistics, likening them to the blood vessels in the human body.
On the other hand, there is also return logistics, which moves in the opposite direction to arterial cargo, recovery logistics, in which used products are taken back by producers as recyclable waste, and waste stream, which is collected entirely as garbage. These three types of logistics are called venous logistics.

In addition to this, with the development of information and transportation, a type of logistics has emerged that cannot be classified as arterial or venous logistics above.
This is logistics resulting from e-commerce (electronic commerce).
Transactions are categorized as BtoB (Business to Business), BtoC (Business to Consumer), and CtoC (Customer to Customer).

One of the reasons for the expansion of e-commerce logistics is the logistics environment, where sellers can do business without having logistics functions, such as through logistics agents.

While arterial logistics and venous logistics are categories that focus on secondary industries, there is also a category called consumer logistics, which covers all logistics that deliver consumer goods. It is said that consumer logistics will expand, but this is a natural progression in which sellers and buyers (the parties involved) can connect directly once the information and volume environment is right.

Section 6: Distribution Center Design

1. In-house Facilities and Outsourcing

2. Location and Scale

3. Planning Concept

① Clarifying the Problem, ② Calculating the Investment Budget, ③ Basic Concept of the Planning System

4. Section 3: Project Management (Construction Step II)

5. ① Project Organization and Roles, ② Project Activities

6. Section 4: Setting Basic and Planning Conditions (Construction Step III)

7. ① Requirements Analysis, ② Setting Planning Conditions

8. Section 5: Logistics Center Planning (Construction Step IV)

9. ① Considering the Overall Site Layout and Model Plans, ② System Comparison, Review, and Evaluation, ③ Finalizing Master Plan Specifications

10. Section 6: Design and Construction Management (Construction Step V)

11. ① Approach to Architecture and Logistics System Equipment Design, ② Construction Management

12. Section 7: Creating Operational Manuals (Construction Step VI)

13. ① Operations Manual, ② On-site Work Manual, ③ Operation Manual

14. Section 8: Logistics Center Handover (Construction Step VII)

15. ① Commissioning and Capacity Testing (Comprehensive Testing), ② Handover Checkpoints

16. Section 9: Maintenance and Preservation (Construction Step VIII)

17. ① Maintenance and Preservation Concepts, ② Roles of Users and Maintenance Service Outsourcing Companies, ③ Maintenance Planning and Budgeting, ④ Remote Maintenance

Section 1: Basic flow of the distribution center

At the distribution center, goods are received and stored by item, then sorted and shipped by destination. Logistics equipment and operations are selected based on the volume of goods at each stage from receiving to shipping.
The receiving berth is the entrance to the distribution center where the delivery company's truck arrives, and is customarily the place where the delivery company unloads the goods.
Work at the distribution center begins with an incoming inspection (quantity inspection) of the goods unloaded in the receiving area, confirming that the quantity is as ordered and confirming that the goods have been received. In rare cases, a quality inspection (checking shape, dimensions, damage, deformation, freshness, etc.) is also conducted.
After incoming inspection, the goods are transported to the storage area and stored on vacant shelves. At this time, the number of items stored in each location is recorded (this is called location management).
In addition to shipping, the storage area also involves moving goods to increase storage rates (creating vacant shelves). This is called location relocation. In rare cases, there are also distribution centers that perform distribution processing (tagging and bundling: pressing and repackaging clothing, diluting and bottling beverage concentrate, etc.).
Products (items) to be shipped in cases are removed from the storage area in bulk for multiple destinations and sorted by destination using a sorter (or manually onto a shipping cart).
Products (items) to be shipped in bulk are replenished by item from the storage area to flow or medium-weight shelves installed in the shipping work area, and then picked (picked) from the flow or medium-weight shelves according to destination. The reason flow or medium-weight shelves are used is because the storage areas are high up and large, making small-lot shipping inefficient.
After sorted products undergo shipping inspection (quantity inspection), they are stored in the shipping area for their destinations (by shipping route) to be loaded onto the same truck.
Customarily, the carrier loads the trucks that arrive at the shipping berth, and the distribution center confirms the shipment after confirming that the carrier has received the goods.

Section 3: Considerations regarding system design

System design involves building systems for equipment, work operations, and information to create the optimal layout for a distribution center. This optimization is explained below.
There is no correct answer for optimization, and multiple layout proposals are compared and considered repeatedly. For example, starting with layout A, consider layout B, which uses the latest equipment. If the increase in capital investment costs for layout B is greater than the reduction in work costs, then layout B cannot be considered optimal. System C should then be created to reduce the investment costs of layout B.
In this way, logistics system design is a process of refinement through trial and error.
To determine optimization, examples of equipment and work operations are required to serve as a basis for comparison. However, in many cases, past examples are unavailable (or difficult to obtain). When no past examples are available, multiple proposals created by the system designer are required.
In the author's experience, a good distribution center to use as a basis for comparison is one that uses PL fixed shelving, flow shelving, and medium-duty shelving for storage, and forklifts and carts for loading and unloading equipment, as used in Tera Calculation 2. If we count a distribution center with this configuration as one distribution center, regardless of whether it's small or large, I believe that more than 80% of distribution centers nationwide (percentage unconfirmed) have a similar configuration.

The procedure is to use Tera Calculation 2 as Option 1, then create Option 2 by changing PL fixed shelving to PL motorized shelving (or PL automated warehouses). By examining these two options and developing countermeasures, a trial-and-error process can be used to build a system with the best return on investment (optimal).

Tera Calculation 2 is primarily intended as educational software, but it can also calculate facility size and floor space by specifying the commonly used PL fixed shelving, PL motorized shelving, PL automated warehouses, flow shelving, and medium-duty shelving.

We believe it is also useful as a comparison tool when considering target logistics facilities.

Note: While not included in Tera Calculation, safety is a top priority for distribution centers. Safety standards include government regulations, internal company standards, and manufacturer safety standards.

The next most important factor is the work environment, ensuring no excessive strain on employees, sanitation, and product quality. These two points must be considered and evaluated at the same time as "optimal."