System and method for manufacturing and shipping products according to customer orders
First Claim
1. A manufacturing facility, comprising:
- a building with first, second, third, and fourth exterior walls, wherein the first and third walls form opposite sides of the building and the first and third walls each include a first portion adjacent to the second wall and a second portion between the first portion and the fourth wall;
a shipping unit that occupies a first region of the building, the shipping unit comprising;
a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock located adjacent to the first portion of the third wall; and
a parcel dock located adjacent to the second wall; and
an assembly unit in which products are assembled according to customer orders and packaged to form finished products, the assembly unit occupying a second region of the building, the assembly unit comprising;
component-receiving docks located adjacent to the second portion of the first wall; and
packaging-receiving docks located adjacent to the second portion of the third wall, such that components and packaging flow into the second region of the building through the second portions of the first and third walls and the finished products flow out of the first region of the building through the second wall and the first portion of the third wall.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A distribution facility according to the present disclosure includes a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock and a virtual bill-of-lading system having a display within the LTL dock. The display provides a pallet identifier and a box count for each pallet in a shipment of products, such that a carrier representative can determine how many boxes belong on each pallet by reference to the display. The LTL dock includes a pallet staging area that occupies no more than approximately thirty-five square feet. A manufacturing facility according to the present disclosure receives components and packaging through portions of first and third walls and discharges finished products though a second wall and a portion of the third wall.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A manufacturing facility, comprising:
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a building with first, second, third, and fourth exterior walls, wherein the first and third walls form opposite sides of the building and the first and third walls each include a first portion adjacent to the second wall and a second portion between the first portion and the fourth wall;
a shipping unit that occupies a first region of the building, the shipping unit comprising;
a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock located adjacent to the first portion of the third wall; and
a parcel dock located adjacent to the second wall; and
an assembly unit in which products are assembled according to customer orders and packaged to form finished products, the assembly unit occupying a second region of the building, the assembly unit comprising;
component-receiving docks located adjacent to the second portion of the first wall; and
packaging-receiving docks located adjacent to the second portion of the third wall, such that components and packaging flow into the second region of the building through the second portions of the first and third walls and the finished products flow out of the first region of the building through the second wall and the first portion of the third wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A manufacturing facility comprising:
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a shipping unit that includes a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock;
a virtual bill-of-lading (VBOL) system with a display within the LTL dock, the display providing a pallet identifier and a box count for each pallet in a shipment, such that a carrier representative can determine how many boxes belong on each pallet by reference to the VBOL display; and
a pallet-staging area within the LTL dock, the pallet-staging area occupying no more than approximately thirty-five square feet, whereby a first pallet in the shipment is placed in the pallet-staging area, visually inspected by the carrier representative to verify that the corresponding box count is accurate, and then moved into a shipping container before a second pallet in the shipment is placed in the pallet-staging area for inspection, such that the carrier representative accepts all of the pallets in the shipment without all of the pallets being staged together in the pallet-staging area. - View Dependent Claims (10)
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11. A distribution facility comprising:
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a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock;
a virtual bill-of-lading (VBOL) system with a display within the LTL dock, the display providing a pallet identifier and a box count for each pallet in a shipment, such that a carrier representative can determine how many boxes belong on each pallet by reference to the VBOL display; and
a pallet-staging area within the LTL dock, the pallet-staging area occupying no more than approximately thirty-five square feet, whereby a first pallet in the shipment is placed in the pallet-staging area, visually inspected by the carrier representative to verify that the corresponding box count is accurate, and then moved into a shipping container before a second pallet in the shipment is placed in the pallet-staging area for inspection, such that the carrier representative accepts all of the pallets in the shipment without all of the pallets being staged together in the pallet-staging area. - View Dependent Claims (12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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13. A method of assembling and shipping products in a building with first, second, third, and fourth exterior walls, the first and third walls forming opposite sides of the building, the first and third walls each including a first portion adjacent to the second wall and a second portion between the first portion and the fourth wall, the building including a first region that houses a shipping unit and a second region that houses an assembly unit, the method comprising:
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receiving components into the assembly unit via the second portion of the first wall;
receiving packaging into the assembly unit via the second portion of the first wall;
using the components and packaging in the assembly unit to assemble and package finished products;
transporting the finished products from the assembly unit to the shipping unit; and
shipping the finished products out of the shipping unit via a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock located in the first portion of the third wall and a parcel dock located in the second wall, such that the components and packaging flow into the second region of the building through the second portions of the first and third walls and finished products flow out of the first region of the building through the second wall and the first portion of the third wall.
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21. A method of shipping products from a distribution facility that including a less-than-trailer-load (LTL) dock, a pallet-staging area within the LTL dock, and a virtual bill-of-lading (VBOL) system with a display within the LTL dock, the pallet-staging area occupying no more than approximately thirty-five square feet, the method comprising:
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displaying a pallet identifier and a box count for a first pallet in a shipment in the display, such that a carrier representative can determine how many boxes belong on the first pallet by reference to the VBOL inn display;
placing the first pallet in the pallet-staging area, such that the carrier representative can visually inspect the first pallet to verify that the box count for the first pallet is accurate;
after the carrier representative has visually inspected the first pallet, moving the first pallet from the pallet-staging area into a shipping container;
displaying a pallet identifier and a box count for a second pallet in the shipment in the display; and
placing the second pallet in the pallet-staging area after the first pallet has been moved from the pallet-staging area, such that the carrier representative accepts all of the pallets in the shipment without all of the pallets being staged together in the pallet-staging area. - View Dependent Claims (22)
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Specification