# Chaotic Storage from Amazon.....and my workshop



## richg99 (Dec 14, 2017)

Long, but you will learn something, so it might be worth it..... richg99

Ordering from Amazon... This is wild.
I found this quite interesting. I cannot imagine how they developed this system. Most have shopped Amazon at least once. Hope you find it interesting also and it will WOW you. 

For those of you who worked in distribution businesses this is an eye-opener and for those of you who buy from Amazon, now you know why they can keep their prices down, ship accurately as ordered and quickly.

As the world's largest online retailer, Amazon needs somewhere to put all of those products. The solution? 
Giant warehouses. Eighty to be exact. Strategically located near key shipping hubs around the world.
The warehouses themselves are massive, with some over 1.2 million square feet in size (111,484 sq. m).

*And at the heart of this global operation are people (over 65,000 of them), and a logistics system known as Chaotic Storage.*

Chaotic storage is like organized confusion. It's an organic shelving system without permanent areas or sections.
That means there is no area just for books or a place just for televisions (like you might expect in a retail store layout). The product's characteristics and attributes are irrelevant. What's important is the unique barcode
associated with every product that enters the warehouse.

Every single shelf space inside an Amazon warehouse has a barcode. And every incoming product that requires storage is assigned a specific barcode that matches the shelf space in which it will be stored. This allows free space to be filled quickly and efficiently.

At the heart of the operation is a sophisticated database that tracks and monitors every single product that enters/leaves the warehouse and keeps a tally on every single shelf space and whether it's empty or contains a product.

There are several key advantages to the chaotic storage system. First is flexibility with chaotic storage, freed-up space can be refilled immediately. Second is simplicity. New employees don't need to learn where types of products are located. They simply need to find the storage shelf within the warehouse. You don't need to know what the product is, just where it is. Lastly is optimization. Amazon must handle millions and millions of orders. That means that at any given moment there is a long list of products that need to be 'picked' from the shelves and prepared for shipment. Since there is a database that knows every product required for shipment and the location of each product inside the warehouse, an optimized route can be provided to employees responsible for fulfillment.

Since Amazon deals with such a wide variety of products there are a few exceptions to the rule. Really fast-moving articles do not adhere to the same storage system since they enter and leave the warehouse so quickly. Really bulky and heavy products still require separate storage areas and perishable goods are not ideal for obvious reasons.

In this storage system, a wide variety of products can be found located next to each other, a necklace could be located beside a DVD and underneath a set of power tools This arbitrary placement can even help with accuracy as it makes mix-ups less likely when picking orders for shipment.
Overall it's a fascinating system that at its core is powered by a complex database yet run by a simple philosophy. It's Chaotic Storage. There's no better way to put it.

*Heck, I've been doing Chaotic Storage for 50 years or so. My desk at the office was clearly a fore-runner of Chaotic Storage. The Computer system that tracked where everything was ... my Brain (which worked better 30/40 years ago!).

Since I am retired, I've applied these methods to my garage and my workshop. I've failed somewhat since, in my shop, I do have a couple of racks along one wall full of screws, springs and other items. However, Chaos is slowly taking over. The tiny drawers with Wood Screws have gradually been filling with a few washers; machine screws and other similar devices. It won't be long for Chaos to complete its mission.

Thanks for sending this on. I am going to let my kids know that, after I am gone, my shop; boat; fishing tackle; and other items all were kept neat and complete for resale using a well recognized Chaotic Storage Method, approved by Amazon.*


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## LDUBS (Dec 14, 2017)

You always find it in the last place you look. 

I saw a video of the robots moving the pods in and out of the shelf spaces in one of these mega distribution centers. It is pretty incredible.


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## bcbouy (Dec 14, 2017)

there's a ginormous amazon distribution center right behind our work yard.the place is beyond huge.i hit golf balls on to their roof from our yard just for fun.


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## richg99 (Dec 14, 2017)

*i hit golf balls on to their roof from our yard just for fun.*

I'll bet you get plenty of roll.......


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## bcbouy (Dec 14, 2017)

probably,but the roof is as long as a par 4 at least.they had some a/c guys poking around up there last summer.they must have collected at least a couple hundred balls.we do some work beside a driving range a few times a year and i fill up at least 3 five gallon pails.


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## richg99 (Dec 14, 2017)

Balls....yes, I play OPB's a lot.

Other People's Balls


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## KMixson (Dec 15, 2017)

I have a chaotic storage system but mine is broken. I try to put things away where I can find it in the future but I still have a hard time finding it.


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## Jim (Dec 15, 2017)

:LOL2: 

My buddy works for a/the company that makes the track/belt systems to move those pieces from one place to another.


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## LDUBS (Dec 15, 2017)

The bench in my garage has 24 drawers under it. Even though I have a terrible memory, I know exactly which drawer has what. And that includes the "junk drawers". Haha.


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## Johnny (Dec 16, 2017)

my wife now works for the Amazon Distribution Center in Central Florida
and she is adding to the chaos daily LOL LOL. (but brings home a nice paycheck).

when I had my 2500 sq.ft. sign shop, I had a person that was solely responsible
to ensure all tools were put back in their designated places and to keep clutter from
becoming an eyesore and safety hazards. (hahahahaha "eyesore and safety hazard"
coming from the guy that was almost killed by a piece of wood couple of months ago).





I really miss my Sign Shop Office !!! the most organized, friendly and comfortable place to conduct business.





.


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## richg99 (Dec 16, 2017)

I had a number of offices, but none had a fireplace.


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## -CN- (Dec 16, 2017)

LDUBS said:


> You always find it in the last place you look.


Well you don't keep looking for it after you find it do you?


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## LDUBS (Dec 16, 2017)

-CN- said:


> LDUBS said:
> 
> 
> > You always find it in the last place you look.
> ...



See, you just proved the theory! Haha.


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