1. Warehousing is first of all a logistics activity

Warehousing is a kind of logistics activity, or logistics activity is the basic attribute of warehousing. Warehousing is not production or trading, but one of the logistics activities for production and trading services. This shows that warehousing is only one of logistics activities. There are other activities in logistics. Warehousing should be integrated into the whole logistics system and should be linked and coordinated with other logistics activities. This is very different from the "warehouse management" of the past.

2. Basic functions of storage

The basic functions of warehousing activities or warehousing include the entry and exit of goods, inventory, sorting, packaging, distribution and information processing. Among them, goods in and out and warehouse goods management can be said to be the most basic activities of warehousing, but also the basic functions of traditional warehousing, but management means and management level has been improved; In the past, there were sorting and packaging of goods, but now they are more common, deeper and more elaborate, and have even been combined with the warehousing and in-warehouse management of goods, forming the basic function of modern warehousing; The reason why "distribution" is regarded as one of the basic functions of warehousing activities and warehousing is that distribution is not general transportation, but a natural extension of warehousing. Warehouse development into a distribution center is a memory requirement. Without distribution, the warehouse is still an isolated warehouse; As for information processing, it has become a common phenomenon in modern economic activities, of course, it should also be one of the contents of warehousing activities. Without information processing, it would not be a modern warehouse.

3. Purpose of storage

The purpose of warehousing is to meet the upstream and downstream needs of the supply chain. This is a marked departure from the past in terms of the depth and breadth to meet the needs of "customers". Customers are the ones who entrust and demand; Customers may be upstream producers, downstream retailers, or businesses. However, warehousing must not only meet the needs of direct "customers", but also meet the needs of "indirect" customers, that is, customers; Warehousing should be integrated into the upstream and downstream of the supply chain, and its role and service function should be established according to the overall demand of the supply chain.

4. Storage conditions

Storage conditions are specific to tangible or intangible sites and modern technology. When we say "specific", because every enterprise's supply chain is specific, the storage location must be specific; Of course, a physical place is a warehouse, yard or storage tank. Under the background of modern economy, warehousing can also be carried out in virtual space, which also needs the support of many modern technologies. Without modern storage facilities and equipment and information technology, there is no modern storage.

5. Storage method and level

The method and level of warehousing is reflected in effective planning, implementation and control. Planning, execution and control are the basic connotation of modern management. Scientific, rational and fine warehousing is inseparable from effective planning, execution and control.

1. From the perspective of supply chain, the logistics process can be viewed as consisting of a series of "supply" and "demand". When the pace of supply and demand is not consistent, that is, the two processes do not connect well and the product produced is not immediately consumed or there is demand but no product to meet the demand. In this case, you need to build a product reserve to store the products that cannot be consumed immediately to meet subsequent demand. Between supply and demand, the book says, there is both a physical "flow" and a physical static. Static is the storage of physical objects. The static state of the physical object is to better connect the two dynamic processes of supply and demand.

2. Warehousing ensures the quality of goods before moving on to the next stage. Inspection of product quality at the warehousing stage can effectively prevent fake and inferior products from entering the market, protect the rights and interests of consumers, and protect the reputation of manufacturers to a certain extent. There are two main steps to ensure product quality through warehousing: one is to carry out quality inspection in the warehousing process to check whether the goods meet the warehousing requirements, and it is forbidden to mix unqualified products into the warehouse; The second is to try to prevent physical and chemical changes in the storage process of products, in order to minimize the loss of goods in stock.

3. Storage is a necessary condition to ensure the smooth process of social reproduction. The warehousing process of goods is not only the necessary guarantee for the smooth circulation of goods, but also the guarantee for the social production process.

4. Warehousing is an important means to speed up the circulation of goods and save the circulation cost. Although goods are stored at rest in the warehouse, which leads to increased time and financial costs, in fact, overall, this not only leads to lost time and financial costs, but also helps to speed up circulation and save operating costs. When we talked earlier about the need for warehousing, we already mentioned that warehousing is an effective way to reduce transportation and production costs, thus reducing total costs.

5. Warehousing can be ready for entry into the market. The warehouse can complete sorting, packaging, quality inspection, sorting and other procedures before the commodity enters the market. This can shorten the working time of subsequent links and speed up the flow of goods.