Yard Management System Software Transforms Yard and Warehouse Operations
Warehouses have yards; so have docks. And these yards are typically a confusing jumble of containers, trailers, trucks, material handling equipment, loading bays and people who have (or might not have) business in the yard. One thing is clear. If you want to exercise control over the contents of the yard, you need good yard management system, preferably software based.
Warehouses and docks constitute an integral part of the modern day global supply chain. The faster the contents of the warehouses and docks turn around, the more effectively the supply chain functions. As these contents move through the yards, the efficiency of yard management plays a key role.
What do we mean by yard management and how does yard management system software help?
Yard Management
In busy yards, valuable merchandise is constantly on the move. Trucks (and ships) bring them in, and take them out. The first task of yard management is to keep track of items that come in and go out. Incidental to this is the task of tracking who brings what and when. Only authorized merchandise must enter and leave the yard.
Yard management systems seek to keep track of all vehicles entering and leaving the yard, and the identity and quantity of the merchandise they transport. Traditionally, the gatekeeper kept track of these things, checking documents and vehicle contents, and noting down details. This was a time consuming and error prone procedure.
Yard Management System Software
Modern yard management system software can use RFID - Radio Frequency ID - devices to keep track of vehicles, containers, and even their contents. Even people entering the yard might be asked to carry RFID badges. These devices make it possible to track everything in real time, not just at the gate.
Handheld readers can read RFID codes and this eliminates the need of noting down details by hand. Instead, the information read by the readers is passed on to server computers that track and account everything - vehicles, drivers, employees and materials.
It becomes possible in such a scenario to ensure complete visibility of all these remote persons and objects from a central computer console. You can track trucks and trailers from the moment they enter the yard to the moment they leave. And materials can also be tracked through arrival, storage, any internal movements, and final dispatch.
Instructions can be passed from the central console, where the complete picture is available on screen, to drivers and material handlers. Materials can thus be unloaded at or loaded from clearly identified locations, and stored at available and clearly designated areas. When the time comes to pick up a specific item to execute an order, the yard management software will know exactly where the item is stored.
It thus becomes possible to manage all transactions precisely and transparently. The software would typically have a graphical interface to clearly identify what is what, and where. For example, full information about every trailer will be available on the screen - type of trailer, status, condition, ownership and even fuel gauge information.
Benefits of Yard Management System Software
All work would be precise and purposeful, eliminating wasteful searches for merchandise, vehicles, drivers, etc. Making decisions also becomes easy because you have full information at a glance, including information about the most likely arrival times of each consignment.
With the kind of control possible with the modern YMS software, losses from different factors, such as pilferage, deterioration, accounting errors, etc, can be minimized. Further cost savings result from the increased productivity of all labor and truck movements.
Customer queries can be answered quickly and accurately, and orders can be fulfilled faster. And that means customer satisfaction, and more business from them.
Modern yard management system software can indeed transform not only yard operations but also the operations of the entire warehouse.