On the 28th of November, all of us at LOM had a day we'll always remember. I'm talking of course about the field trip to the ALB (Army Logistics Base).
The impressive 3 storey building with built-in floor area of approximately 60,000 square metres was owned by ST Logistics and had over 60 distribution points for RSAF from the building itself.
First off for the trip when we arrived was a talk about the storage-and-retrieval tech and distribution processes in the building, which allowed for maximum land use and efficient moving of goods in order to develop a seamlessly integrated supply chain.
After the talk, we were led to the Pallet ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System). Used for receiving and picking, it was a fully computerised system which could be accessed and operated from different floors within ALB. The height of the first floor was high as it had to accomodate the high racks, as the ALB utililises a through flow concept along with SKU items being prepared for distribution near the loading bay.
From there, we headed on to the second floor where the vertical carousel system was applied. Optimizing warehouse height usage especially for stores requiring air conditioning and dehumidification, it was mainly used to store medical supplies and other necessities.
Lastly, on the third floor was the Bin ASRS, after which we were herded to the shipping area at level one.
One of the features shown was the Automatic Guided Vehicles. Based on a laser-guided system, it could easily change it's path and it allows unsupervised movement of goods both horizontally and vertically.
With all that said, after seeing the through-flow process, we all left for home our minds filled now with more than just dust.
Thursday
Anwari's.
HEY ALL!This is blog facilitator Anwari bringing to you my personal experience on the ALB trip (sorry it took so long people).
Its purpose? To witness logistics operations first-hand.
Expected it to be plagued with armed officers and uniformed personnels, but there were onli regular middle-aged men.
Currently, ST logistics oversees the ALB's operations.
The trip kicked off with a talk which showcased the ALB's various storage-and-retrieval tech and distribution processes. More than any customer of a specialist logistics company, RSAF demands maximum land use and more importantly, efficient moving of good should the need arise.
Infrastructure-wise, The ALB stands at 20m to accomodate the High Racks and utililises a throughflow concept along with SKU items on standby situated near the loading bay. As the enlistment period was nearing, the loading area was piled with kit bags awaiting our young males.
Various storage systems were employed, such as the double deep pallet racking, vertical carousel, mobile racking system, and shelving systems for smaller item storages like medicinal supplies. The double deep pallet racks held higher throughput (shoes) and heavier items (tyres)at the lower end, conforming to textbook content. The vertical carousel on the 3rd storey was 10m and greatly diminished pilferage and damage by obscuring direct view of the product. Lastly, Mobile racks were operated through controllers.
Material Handling Equipments or MHE for short, such as the AGV and Pallet AS/RS were present. However we weren't lucky enough to catch them in action.
Well, moving on to the important stuffs!.....
I have to say the food was commendable. Don't get me wrong, I meant quantity-wise.
Complaints, complaints =D. How spoilt can TP LOM be?
Pluspoint: The chairs were comfy
Till then.
(Mein comfy chair)
Nicholas' reflection.
Hello, Nicholas here. Here are my sentiments on the ALB (Army Logistics Base) field trip.
When we first got to the place, I thought to myself that there would be troops and other military personnel around, but boy was I wrong. We were led to a conference room where some random guy started giving us a speech. The chairs were so damn comfy everyone felt like sleeping, but the chair wasn’t the only contributing factor. No cameras were allowed inside though...which was pretty sad since the whole logistics base looked pretty impressive.
He informed us about the details of the company. The height of the ALB was around 2 storeys high, which is approximately 20 meters. This was to cater to the High Racks and it utililises a through flow concept along with SKU items on standby situated near the loading bay. What caught my attention was the carousel system in the warehouse for smaller items. The carousel saves ALOT of time sorting and searching for a small item and as they are all labeled accordingly.
Further explanations and observations allowed me to note down the following systems present in the logistics base:
- Pallet Automated Storage and Retrieval System
- Mobile Racking & Shelving System
- Laser-guided Vehicle
- Radio frequency identity (RFID) system
Using these systems and technology, the amount of time, money and resources used by the ALB greatly decreases, thus ensuring a smooth, fast and efficient flow of goods throughout the entire warehouse.
Oh, and did I mention, the food they provided was pretty kick-ass. Well technically, only the samosas were good. But hey, it was free, and we’re all Singaporeans.
Cheers! ;D
Shiwei’s personal reflection on the ALB trip.
At first I thought that ALB is fully controlled and operated by the government, but the presentation made me realised that part of ALB is contracted to ST Logistics and there are 70 over distribution points for SAF from ALB.
The first thing they showed us was the Pallet ASRS. Its capacity is 1 pallet at a time with a maximum weight of 1 ton. It is used for receiving and picking. Next they showed us the high racks and the estimated height of the 1st floor is about 20m to accommodate the high racks. Powered mobile racking system is used to store or retrieve pallets for the high racks. Next is the demonstration of the powered mobile storage.
On 2nd floor they showed us the vertical carousel system and I found out that the height of 2nd floor is about 10m. That whole area is used to store medical supplies.
I was most interested in the vertical carousel system . There are sensors in it to detect the picker’s hand and stop the movement of goods. While walking around, we were told that there are specific routes for man and machines to move, this is to ensure safety in ALB.
Lastly, we were brought to 3rd floor where they showed us the Bin ASRS. It has a capacity of 29000bins, height of 9m, length of 84m and width of 13m. Since the ceiling is just slightly above the height of the Bin ASRS, the height of the 3rd floor should be about 10m.
Towards the end of the trip, they brought us to the shipping area of level 1 and that is when we knew it was a through-flow. Lastly, they showed us the laser guided vehicle and told us that the delivery trucks used at ALB are 15 by 20ft.
My trip to ALB was really an eye-opening experience!
Wednesday
Introducing;
From left: Nicholas, Anwari, Raqin, Shiwei
Nicholas 0702405B:
Peranakan.
Untamable hair.
Deliquent tendencies.
HOBO.
Anwari 0704273B:
Rojak.
Narcissist.
Plastic surgery 900.
VIRGIN.
Raqin 0701849B:
Ma-lay.
Spare a dime?
Homophobe.
UNWARRANTED SELF-IMPORTANCE.
Shiwei 0702732I:
Chinkie-Winky
Furry
Thongs.
LONELY.
Together, we are going to share our much anticipated views on DCM and the ALB field trip.
Peranakan.
Untamable hair.
Deliquent tendencies.
HOBO.
Anwari 0704273B:
Rojak.
Narcissist.
Plastic surgery 900.
VIRGIN.
Raqin 0701849B:
Ma-lay.
Spare a dime?
Homophobe.
UNWARRANTED SELF-IMPORTANCE.
Shiwei 0702732I:
Chinkie-Winky
Furry
Thongs.
LONELY.
Together, we are going to share our much anticipated views on DCM and the ALB field trip.
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