TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– Aims to discover the different technologies used in warehouse stock control.Design/methodology/approach– The paper begins with a review of optical and radio‐frequency product‐labelling technologies, and then examines various devices and systems for reading these labels and integrating stock control into back‐office databases. It then looks at techniques for finding the goods within the warehouse, from simple address labels to radar positioning and inertial navigation, considering both operator‐based and guided vehicle handling systems.Findings– Labelling technologies facilitate automatic product identification. Rugged handheld computers with wireless communications give real‐time capability and integrate stock control into wider software systems for efficient resource management. Speech synthesis provides one man‐machine interface enabling workers to order‐pick under database control. Automated readers record products entering and leaving the warehouse, theoretically removing the need for stock taking. Automatic guided vehicles are now available to stack and retrieve goods in the warehouse.Originality/value– Provides engineers with an overview of the diversity of solutions employed in warehouse stock handling.
VL  - 28
IS  - 2
SN  - 0260-2288
DO  - 10.1108/02602280810856660
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/02602280810856660
AU  - Connolly Christine
ED  - John Billingsley
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Warehouse management technologies
T2  - Sensor Review
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 108
EP  - 114
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -