Logistics and Warehouses

A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities, towns and villages, strategically positioned to be close to main transport facilities suci as ports, roads, stations and rivers. They usually have loading docks to load and unload goods from trucks. Sometimes warehouses are designed for the loading and unloadirg of goods directly from railways, airports, or seaports. They often have cranes and fcrklift trucks for moving goods, which are usually placed on ISO standard pallets loaded into pallet racks. Stored goods can include any raw materials, packing materials, spare parts, components, or finished goods associated with agriculture, manufacturing, or commerce. Organising a warehouse well is essential for efficient loading, storing and unloading of goods, as it saves time, space and therefore money. Over the last twenty years warehouses have changed a lot, mainly due to new technology and business demands Modern warehouses are now almost fully automated they require very few people to run them and they employ ‘Just in Time' techniques, so goods are never stored tor very long, meaning savings in space and money.

 

1. Why is the location of a warehouse so important?

2. What type of equipment is commonly used in a warehouse?

3. Why is the organisation of a warehouse so fundamental?

4. What factors have caused warehouses to change in recent years?

5. What are the consequences of automation in a warehouse?

 

Positioning tools.

From using the sun, the moon and the stars to the development of compasses and maps and in very recent times the technology of satellite GPS systems and radar, man has always needed a way to find his bearings, whether travelling on foot, at sea or in the air. Navigation is as fundamental for humans today as it was in the past, and with all the sophisticated technology now available navigation tools are not just used to stop people getting lost.

Consider the transport industry for example. A GPS tracking system on a truck can ensure that a driver takes the best route - avoiding traffic, saving time and petrol costs - but it also helps the transport company to monitor the driver and ensure that he respects the speed limits, only travels at the permitted times and rests at regular intervals for the required amount of time, respecting the law and increasing safety. It can even allow the company to find the vehicle in case of theft!

You have probably used maps on the internet or your mobile phone, and have seen how satellite images can now identify places with incredible detail, even looking into your living room from the sky above! This can be useful for planning a trip before you leave or finding a friend’s house; but the technology is also used for a whole series of professional purposes: from calculating weather to urban planning and even security and warfare.

Like all forms of technology the GPS has a few disadvantages of course - it is not always 100% reliable - the suggested route may not always be the best, because some problems are not signaled or the information transmitted to the map is not completely accurate; and some people consider that GPS is an invasion of their privacy. However, this technology is obviously here to stay, and destined to improve; and, if used properly, its advantages are clearly greater than its drawbacks.

 

The Radar

The word RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging. It is a technology which was properly used for the first time during the Second World War by the allied troops against the Germans.

Basically, a radar is an anti-collision tool and can measure the bearing and the distance of a selected target. It is therefore a vital aid on ships and airplanes, especially in case of low or blind-visibility navigation.

To detect a target's position the radar dish or artenna sends out pulses of electromagnetic waves. When these waves hit the target their echo is returned to the aerial and transformed into visual signals shown on a screen called PPI (Plan Position Indicator) or display. The capacity of the antenna to concentrate the irradiation energy in the dish is called gain. The whole process is based on the principle that radio waves bounce off solid surfaces. It is therefore possible to determine the bearings and distances of far away targets and deduce information about potential hazards. The Radar can also be used to find out the position of a ship at sea, but only in the case in which a fix (a fixed point of reference on the land) is available. For this, other more precise, handy and faster tools, like the GPS, are used.

 

 

1. What does the word Radar mean?

2. When was it properly used for the first time?

3. What type of wave does it make use of?

4. What is the working principle of the radar?

5. Can you defire the term ‘gain'?

6. What is a fix?

 

Road safety

 

Of all the areas of human activity where safety is a concern the field of road transport is probably the most important. Road accidents are one of the most common causes of accidental death in the world, with an estimated 1 million people dying in road-related accidents every year, so it is logical that a lot of time and money are spent on constantly improving road safety across the planet. Great developments in this field have been achieved in recent times, in particular with regard to the safety of vehicles and roads themselves - just consider the airbag, ABS braking, improved road layouts, speed bumps, cat's eyes, better signposting, draining asphalt and in very recent times the introduction of sobriety devices - which drivers have to breathe into before they can start a vehicle. Today the focus is shifting to the pedestrian, after statistics have shown that the majority of victims of road accidents are people on foot or on bicycles. The use of cycling lanes, underpasses for pedestrians and reduced speed limits in urban areas are just a few examples of hew greater attention is now being paid to improving the safety' of people on foot or non-motorised transport.

 

1. Road safety is one of the most important areas of__________________________________

2. A lot of people die every year because of_________________________________________

3. Great developments have helped improving road safety, for example new cars equipped with airbag and______________

4. Today most victims of road accidents are pedestrians or_____________________________

 

The Bridge

 

The room from which a ship wheel. The ship’s is commanded is known as the bridge. In this room there are usually three or more men working to control the ship’s movements: the captain, an OOW officer of the watch, an AB - able seaman, and a pilot. Like many other forms of transport, the direction of the ship is controlled by a steering wheel located on the bridge. The throttle - which provides the forward and backward movement of the vessel, is also controlled from this area. On all ships visibility is obviously very important, both for safe navigation and, in the case of warships, to be able to see the enemy. On most modern ships the bridge is in a high position _r and provides a near 360' view.