SUMITOMO HEAVY INDUSTRIES TECHNICAL REVIEW
Physical Distribution System in Food Distribution Center
Takayuki MIYATANI and Kenji NISHIMAE

Physical Distribution System in Food Distribution Center

The role of a food distribution center is to provide stable fixed-time and fixed-term delivery by achieving efficient management and logistics operations of the center with high accuracy and by maintaining and controlling the quality of products. In addition, it must meet vendor requirements to reduce the store operation cost and reduce the inspection works. The warehouse management system (WMS) realizes customer-specific requirements as well as packaged functions such as inventory control, food quality control and high shipment accuracy by customizing them. The center selects and supports optimal items from equipment such as RF-terminals, digital display devices, picking carts and sorters. By food categories, there are various types of distribution centers, including dried food (DC) distribution centers for processed foods and beverages, fresh food (TC) centers for daily-delivered foods and chilled foods with short best-before periods, as well as frozen-food delivery centers for storing frozen foods.