Analysis Of Information Systems Of A Wal-Mart Distribution Center

Analysis Of Information Systems Of A Wal-Mart Distribution Center

Wal-Mart distribution centers have many business processes that facilitate their inventory process. This role consists of receiving large quantities of items from a few vendors in order to ship small quantities of those items to many retail locations. These business processes employ several information systems to support the efficiency of production as well as maintain the accuracy of the inventory. These information systems range from handheld wireless devices for inventory processing to mainframe computers that process the individual retail store’s orders. The purpose of this paper is to share a detailed description of the inventory control process and their many devices.
The receiving end of the business process has many information systems that support it. The part of the information system that starts the receiving process is the website that vendors use to schedule an appointment for a delivery. The website sends a delivery confirmation code number to the mainframe, which is used when the drivers arrive to the destination. This code is then entered to update the mainframe when the delivery arrives and confirm that it is the proper date and time. Once a delivery has arrived the mainframe creates a unique identification code for each pallet as well as generates a pallet move that appears on the thin clients attached to each receiving cart. The thin clients are used to report to the mainframe when a pallet is received on the receiving dock and print a label with the pallet’s code. Handheld barcode scanners serve the function of reporting to the mainframe when a pallet has been hauled from the receiving dock to a location close to its storage location, which is then displayed on the thin clients for the forklift operators to know it is ready to be put into storage. This is when the thin clients on a forklift will notate that there are moves available. When a forklift driver picks up the pallet the thin client then reports when a pallet has been moved to its...