Receiving and processing the ordering information of end users, sorting all kinds of goods shipped from upstream, picking, processing, assembling and other operations according to the ordering requirements of users, and delivering the facilities and institutions of goods. On the basis of scientific improvement, the Operation Instructions for Logistics Enterprises authoritatively pointed out the design, process and mode of distribution centers.
(B) "Logistics Manual" on the definition of distribution center
"The distribution center is a facility that receives a variety of large quantities of goods from suppliers, carries out operations such as inversion, classification, storage, distribution processing, information processing, etc., and then prepares goods according to the ordering requirements of many demanders, and delivers them with satisfactory service level."
(C) the definition of "modern logistics"
Distribution center is a modern circulation facility engaged in goods preparation (collection, processing, distribution, picking and distribution) and organizing delivery to users to achieve high-level sales or supply.
(d) The Japanese Dictionary of Market Terms explains the distribution center.
"It is a kind of logistics node. It does not appear in the form of a single warehouse, but a distribution warehouse, also known as a base, stronghold or distribution center. The purpose of the distribution center is to reduce transportation costs and reduce the loss of sales opportunities. To this end, establish facilities and equipment, and carry out operations and management. "
(e) Description of distribution center in the practical manual of freight logistics.
Distribution center (DC) is a modern circulation facility to realize distribution business. "Distribution" in distribution is the main business of distribution center, which is completely completed by it; Moreover, the delivery can be completely undertaken by it, and can also be completed by social freight enterprises.
According to the national standard "Logistics Terminology" of People's Republic of China (PRC), logistics places and organizations engaged in distribution business shall meet the following conditions:
1. mainly serves specific users;
2. The distribution function is sound;
3. Perfect information network;
4. Small radiation range;
5. Multi-variety and small batch;
6. Give priority to distribution, supplemented by warehousing. The distribution center plays a good role in the following aspects:
1, reducing trading and circulation links;
2. Produce economies of scale;
3. Reduce customer inventory and improve inventory guarantee;
4. Establishing business cooperation with many manufacturers can effectively and quickly feed back information and control the quality of goods.
5. The distribution center is the material and technical basis for developing distribution activities in modern e-commerce activities. Storage, one is to solve the problem of seasonal time difference between production plan and seasonal commodity sales. Secondly, in order to solve the problem of balance between production and consumption, ensure the normal distribution demand and meet the random demand of users, the distribution center should not only reserve a certain number of goods, but also store and maintain them to ensure the quantity and quality of the reserved goods.
Distribution centers serve a large number of production enterprises and commercial outlets (such as chain stores and supermarkets). The distribution center needs to deliver all kinds of packaged goods to users in time according to their requirements to meet the needs of production and consumption. In order to successfully and orderly complete the task of distributing goods to users and better play the role of ensuring production and consumption demand, distribution centers usually need to build modern warehouses and equip them with a certain number of storage equipment to store a certain number of goods. Some regional large-scale distribution centers and distribution centers that carry out "agent distribution" distribution business not only store goods in the process of distributing goods, but also store more goods and more varieties. Because the distribution center has the ability to store goods, the storage function has become one of the important functions of the distribution center after the assembly function and distribution function. The function of the distribution center is to complete the final allocation of resources through distribution and delivery. The main functions of the distribution center are determined around distribution, such as related information activities, trading activities and settlement activities. Although it is also an indispensable function of the distribution center, it must serve and obey the two main functions of distribution and delivery.
Therefore, the distribution center is the node facility of terminal logistics. By effectively organizing distribution, the terminal configuration of resources is completed. (1) warehousing and distribution center
Generally speaking, in the buyer's market, the distribution center with strong warehousing function needs greater inventory support to sell finished products, and its distribution center may have strong warehousing function; In the seller's market, the supply of raw materials and spare parts needs to be supported by a large amount of inventory, and this supply and distribution center also has a strong warehousing function. The distribution center of large-scale distribution needs a lot of inventory, or it may be a warehouse distribution center.
Some distribution centers to be built in China are in the form of centralized inventory, with large inventory and mostly warehousing.
(2) Distribution center
Basically, there is no long-term storage function, and the distribution center only distributes and delivers goods in a temporary or in-and-out way. The typical way of this distribution center is that a large number of goods are put in and discharged in a certain batch, and a large cargo distributor is used. After purchasing, the goods directly enter the conveyor belt of the goods distributor, and are delivered to each user's cargo space or directly to the delivery vehicle, and the goods are only slightly stagnant in the distribution center. In Hanshin Distribution Center in Japan, there is only temporary storage in the center, and a large number of storage depends on large supply warehouses.
(3) Processing and Distribution Center
The distribution center has the processing function. According to the needs of users or market competition, the distribution center processes the distributed materials and then distributes them. In this distribution center, there are processing activities such as sub-packaging, packaging, primary processing, centralized blanking and product assembly. Many materials have pointed out the processing function of distribution center, but there are few examples of processing and distribution center. Coal blending and distribution were carried out in Shanghai and other cities in China, and coal blending and processing were carried out at distribution points. The ship plate processing and distribution center jointly built by six shipyards in Shanghai and the original ministry of materials and equipment BeijingShearing Factory belong to this type of center.
The distribution centers of world-famous chain service stores KFC and McDonald's all belong to this type of distribution center. In the field of industry and construction, concrete mixing and distribution center also belongs to this type of distribution center. (1) Supply Distribution Center
The distribution center performs the function of supply, and it is a distribution center that organizes supply for one or some users (such as chain stores and joint companies). For example, the distribution center of large supermarket chains; Replace the parts distribution center where the parts processing factory delivers goods, so as to rationalize the supply from the parts processing factory to the assembly factory. The main feature of supply-oriented distribution center is that the distribution users are limited and stable, and the distribution needs of users are relatively certain, so it belongs to enterprise users. Therefore, the variety of centralized inventory in the distribution center is relatively fixed, and the purchase channels of the distribution center are relatively stable. At the same time, an efficient distribution process can be adopted.
(2) Sales and Distribution Center
The distribution center performs the sales function with sales operation as the purpose and distribution as the means. There are generally three types of distribution centers: one is the distribution center where manufacturers sell products directly to consumers, and there are many such distribution centers abroad; The other is that circulation enterprises, as a way of their own operation, set up distribution centers to expand sales. Most of the distribution centers proposed in China now belong to this type, and there are many examples abroad. Third, it is a cooperative distribution center between circulation enterprises and production enterprises. Comparatively speaking, the development trend at home and abroad is mainly the direction of sales and distribution centers.
The users of the sales and distribution center are generally uncertain, and there are many users, and each user buys a small number, which belongs to consumer users. This kind of distribution center is difficult to carry out planned distribution like a supply-oriented distribution center, and its planning is poor.
The inventory structure of centralized inventory in sales distribution center is also complicated, and picking and distribution technology is generally adopted. Sales-oriented distribution centers often use the same distribution methods to achieve better business results. (1) Urban Distribution Center.
The distribution center with the city scope as the distribution scope can be directly distributed to the end users because the city scope is generally within the economic mileage of automobile transportation and the distribution is carried out by automobile. Therefore, this kind of distribution center is often combined with retail operation because of its short transportation distance and strong response ability. Therefore, it is beneficial to engage in multi-variety, small batch and multi-user distribution. Sendai wholesalers and distribution centers introduced in the logistics manual belong to this type. Beijing food distribution center built in China also belongs to this type.
(2) Regional distribution center.
With its strong radiation capacity and inventory preparation, the distribution center distributes to users at the provincial (state), national and even international levels. This kind of distribution center has a large distribution scale, generally speaking, there are many users and a large distribution batch. And it is often delivered to the distribution center of the next level city, as well as business offices, shops, wholesalers and enterprise users. Although it also engages in sporadic distribution, it is not the main form. This type of distribution center is very common abroad. According to the nature of the delivered goods, it can be divided into food distribution center, daily necessities distribution center, medicine distribution center, cosmetics distribution center, household appliances distribution center, electronic (3C) product distribution center, book product distribution center, clothing product distribution center, auto parts distribution center and fresh processing center.
(l) Operating bulk cargo distribution centers. This distribution center mainly provides raw materials, cooking oil, petroleum and gasoline. For processing plants, most of them are built near railways or ports.
(2) Raw material distribution center. The raw materials referred to here are mostly goods loaded in containers.
(3) Manage the distribution center of each commodity. These goods usually refer to goods transported by containers and pallets, mainly manufactured goods, such as food.
(4) Operating a frozen food distribution center. This distribution center has the function of freezing.
(5) Special commodity distribution center. This distribution center mainly deals in special commodities, such as toxic substances, inflammable and explosive substances, medicines and so on.