Amazon's warehouse management system operating mode -Bin Big Secret

Amazon warehouse in the UK there every day during the festival over 400,000 merchandise waiting to be shipped to the country.
Inventory replenishment methods cargo system, which has two components: an inspection and inventory area separating cargo area; 2 bound cargo and inventory number...
Seized goods area and inventory area separated from the surface, who seized goods seized goods route shortened, while the inventory area can use three-dimensional storage, storage density increases, there is a clear advantage, but it also led to a complex system logic, especially replenishment logic extremely complex and difficult to operate.
The number of cargo and inventory binding, there is a clear advantage, if will implement this idea to the extreme, it will naturally appear goods-bit system This article deals to introduce, as called Stock cargo bound cargo system, referred to as Bin system, which is Amazon's warehouse management system.

Bin system operating procedures
1. Receipt:
The purchase order is actually seen as a cargo receipt, vans seen as another cargo, the goods receiving clerk individually transferred from the purchase order to the cargo van's cargo up. Such high operating precision, and efficiency is very high.

2. Added:
Added actually be transferred from the shelves of goods cargo space (wagon) in goods to process cargo storing on.
Added operating by batches, each wagon as a batch, a batch contains several shelves operation. Each shelf operation involves only one SKU, in operation, you need to enter information system are: shelves SKU, target cargo space, shelves quantity (batch number already contains the information of cargo vans).
In Bin systems, due to the number of cargo and goods bound to, so when added to the operation and does not require a one-time into the same SKU cargo space, but can be arranged flexibly to what the actual situation remaining shelf two, three or even more cargo space.
It can be seen, at Bin systems, shelving member with considerable flexibility, to see wher there are gaps, it can be put wher the goods. Such coffers, although looks very messy, all sorts of things on the shelves stood, chaotic, but in fact all the information stored in the cargo system can always satisfy any need.

3. Inventory:
Bin system in each cargo space in memory, respectively, several SKU, how much of each SKU number, this information is stored in the cargo system. Moreover, since each stock corresponding to the physical operations in the system, so the physical and system updates are synchronized.
In such cases, inventory can at any time, any cargo operation. Instant, the inventory shelves simultaneously, seized goods and other operations, for inventory accuracy is absolutely no influence. This is no other system can not be done.

The seized goods:
In Bin system, due to the quantity of goods bound cargo, so while generating seized goods batches, you can specify the seized goods location, only the specified requirements are seized goods will be considered cargo route planning systems.
For example, the order requires 10 SKU A, and the current available stock a total of 23 SKU A, these 23 goods are located Location A, B, C on, respectively, 8, 9, 6, in which the system uses of 10, for example, occupy eight, two from Location A, B, respectively, the Location 8 個 and two stock property Location B on A is set to "Order occupation inventory."
When the seized goods, according to all the positions occupied cargo space inventory, automatic path planning of seized goods. When the seized goods, can only be detected in the "Order occupied stock," and can not be detected common stock.
When detected goods seized goods, on seized goods container, it is also a special kind of cargo.

5. Shipping:
When shipping goods orders contained in the seized goods is transferred from the vessel to the parcel, parcel number and they can trace.
In summary, Bin system the goods, cargo space, the number of binding relationship to achieve the ultimate. Benefits of doing so can see, the cargo system used by Amazon and the above principles consistent support from a sales volume of $ 40 billion per year, and can support up to a larger scale.
But also must soberly to, Bin system can achieve precise management of inventory, but the cost is very high. First, Bin system database structure is relatively simple, although relatively simple, but large amounts of data, any stock transfer operations must be synchronized with the system, resulting in a great load on the database to read and write, the reliability of the database system, stability very high demand; secondly, all operating and inventory systems are required to synchronize the transfer of equipment, these devices must have the ability to move, as if each operator must be equipped, this investment is very huge. Symbol of the most commonly used with mobile RF scanners, for example, one would nearly 8,000 yuan, one for each operating employee, then put the device is very large.

Highlights Bin System
1. The entire warehouse, all the physical space for the delivery of goods are marked container (in fact, cargo space), container and goods, goods inventory quantities binding.
In receipt process, for example, in the Bin system, the operator, after closing the purchase order, yielding the kind often placed in vans (pallet or trolley), and this case is a container wagons. Van has its own serial number (which is equivalent to cargo space number), the number of all the goods and freight car in this are bound together.
Vans and purchase orders are many relationship, that is to say, if the purchase order is relatively large, it can be placed in more than one shipment of goods in the car, while a smaller purchase orders, purchase orders can also be placed in a plurality of transport the van.
Bin system after use, you can see two clear benefits:
A. before receipt is often confirmed after the inventory number, and then confirm receipt quantity in the system; the system after using Bin, purchase orders can be considered as a cargo space, and action is the goods receipt from the purchase order goods bits transferred to the wagon's cargo space. Therefore, you can use the side while scanning operation upon receipt of receipt of way. To do so, the receipt and the number of points together, improved efficiency, and more importantly, one by one is actually scanning the system points the way, receiving personnel can focus on checking whether the goods qualified, improve the quality of receipt.
B. After receipt, since the number of freight vehicles and goods are recorded in the system, who can be directly added to the shelves. Data directly in accordance with vans can, without having to match the purchase order data when shelves. This helps balance the workload of staff shelves, but also improve the accuracy.

2. Different container (cargo), have different properties, corresponding to different operational tasks.
Goods in the warehouse, is actually in constant circulation process, involving the actions are: receiving, shelves, storage, seized goods, shipments, which seized goods, shipments are likely to be due to the order, allocation, return of demand initiated. Various operational aspects involved in the container (cargo), set to a different property, can only be used by the corresponding operation corresponding.
That is to say, the container can only be used for the receipt of receipt and its related operations, such as the shelves, and not for the subject goods; container return seized goods can only be used for the return seized goods, and not available for orders seized goods.
After such a provision, a container can only be used to their property associated with the operation of, and not abuse, reducing operational errors. For example, after receiving complete, goods received only put freight receipt at the car, but can not put the van used in the seized goods, such confusion does not occur.

3. Data structure design, SKU and Location-many relationship, a SKU can be stored in a plurality of Location, Location to be one store multiple SKU.
Each SKU in each Location record number have made. In addition, still we need to introduce the concept of the current inventory property. Inventory number which corresponds several classification referred to in inventory structure.

4. Any changes to the operation of cargo space, must be synchronized with the system.
For example, in the mobile goods (goods moving goods from one place to another on the cargo) operation, you need to enter the system parameters are: moving goods SKU number, the number of mobile goods, cargo source, target cargo. For example, in one SKU O of N moving from Location A to Location B, before and after the shift cargo operations, cargo-related data records are as follows:
As another example, in the seized goods, if a pick-up in-kind goods, goods wher you need to enter the cargo space in the system, the number of items of goods SKU number. In the actual inspection goods operation, the system is often specified cargo space, the operator is to follow the system prompts went to a cargo space, remove the goods, scanning SKU to complete the seized goods operation.