LOG208

Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2022

Warehouse Management and Technology

Tuesday, 24 May 2022 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

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Time allowed: 2 hours

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INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS:

1. This Timed Online Assignment (TOA) contains FOUR (4) questions and comprises
FOUR (4) pages (including cover page).

2. You must answer ALL questions.

3. If you have any queries about a question, or believe there is an error in the question,
briefly explain your understanding and assumptions about that question before
attempting it.

4. You MUST submit your answers via Canvas (similar to TMA submission) at the
end time of this TOA (as stated on this cover page). The 15 minutes grace period as
shown on Canvas is strictly meant for technical issues encountered during submission.
Thereafter, you will not be able to submit your answers and you will be considered as
having withdrawn from the course. No appeal will be allowed.

5. Your submission should consist of only one file and must not exceed 500MB in size.
The file must be a Microsoft Word file saved in .docx format. All answers are to be
typed. Flowcharts and graphs may be scanned or photographed and embedded in the
Word file provided it does not exceed the file size limit of 500MB. Images of
handwritten answers will not be marked.

6. To prevent plagiarism and collusion, your submission will be reviewed by Turnitin.

The Turnitin report will only be made available to the marker and you will not be able
to view it.

7. The University takes plagiarism and collusion seriously, and your Turnitin report will
be examined thoroughly as part of the marking process.

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Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2022
You must answer ALL the questions. (Total 100 marks)

Question 1

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges for supply chains globally.
Thanks to the vaccines, the global economy is slowly starting to emerge from the COVID-
19 pandemic. But the pandemic has left one very severe issue: global supply chain
disruption.

(a) From the logistics perspective, explain two (2) possible reasons for the supply
chain disruptions.
(8 marks)

(b) Outline two (2) feasible solutions that you think can best help to mitigate the
impact of supply chain disruption in the warehouse.
(9 marks)

(c) Before COVID-19, a certain warehouse employee worked 22 days per month and
8 hours per day. Based on past records, this employee could pick 4,000 packages
per month. Now, this employee works 15 days per month and 10 hours per day,
and can pick 3,000 packages per month.

What is the difference in this employee’s productivity based on units picked per
hour?
(8 marks)

Question 2

Designing a practical warehouse layout is a crucial process as it has a direct impact on the
efficiency and productivity of the warehouse. A warehouse currently uses wide pallet
racking in its warehouse. The space set aside for the warehouse is 90 m x 120 m x 11 m.
One length module is highlighted in the figure shown. The pallet size is 1.2 m x 1 m and
is short-side facing. The width of upright is 0.2 m.

(a) The clearance is (0.05 + 0.02*X) m, where X is the last digit of your Student PI
number.
Example: If your Student PI number is W1234567, then X = 7 and the clearance
is (0.1 + 0.01*7) = 0.17 m.

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Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2022
 Calculate the number of length modules that can be accommodated in the
warehouse. State all necessary assumptions. You should show computations for
two options where the length modules are positioned along:

(i) the longer side of the warehouse

(ii) the shorter side of the warehouse.
(11 marks)

(b) Following from part (a), suppose you recommend the option that maximises the
number of length modules in the warehouse. Assume the width module is 5m and
the height module is 2m. How many pallets can be stored in this warehouse? State
all necessary assumptions.
(14 marks)

Question 3

A 3PL company has three warehouses located in Tanjong Pagar, Tuas, and Changi area.
The costs and revenue information for these three warehouses are listed below:

Tanjong Tuas Changi Total

Pagar ($ K) ($ K) ($ K) ($ K)
Gross revenue 1200 800 1000 3000
Cost of warehouse operations
Storage Management Cost 700 600 500 1800
Transportation Management Cost 100 50 80 230
Customer Management Cost 60 30 20 110
Sales and Marketing Cost 50 40 40 130
Admin Cost 15 10 12 37

(a) Compare the profitability of these three warehouses using traditional costing and
activity-based costing (ABC). Which method will you recommend the company
to use?
(13 marks)

(b) The company plans to adopt robotics in all three warehouses. Review the possible
benefits and disadvantages of adopting robotics in warehouse operations.
(12 marks)

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Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2022
Question 4

In 2021, with consumers hit by the double whammy of the closure of Jurong Fishery Port
and the tightened restrictions, online grocers have seen a spike in demand for food items
and fresh deliveries. Major players like RedMart, FairPrice and Dairy Farm Group, which
operate supermarket chains Giant and Cold Storage, have seen increased orders as more
Singaporeans stayed at home.

(a) Demonstrate three (3) main challenges on warehouse operations that you think
are faced by companies that handle fresh food deliveries.
(12 marks)

(b) What impact would the increasing demand of fresh food ordered online by
customers have on the environment? Comment on three (3) challenges.

Develop three (3) relevant environment protection measures that in your opinion
can help companies to mitigate these challenges.
(13 marks)

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Timed Online Assignment – January Semester 2022