Yi Lin's Reflection

Army Logistics Base (ABL) is a centralised warehouse, developed to produce a seamlessly integrated supply chain and enhance inventory management. Some of the items stored are autospares, general and medical supplies. ABL adopts a Through flow layout. Each warehousing floor has a height of approximately 30 metres. The types of storage system install are pallet/bin ASRS, vertical carousel, narrow aisle and mobile racking.

VNA forklift is used to assist in narrow aisle racking. For small items (medical supplies) that require temperature and humidity control, the vertical carousel system is used. Units of bins are driven electronically to bring the parts to the pickers. It maximises space utilisation, accuracy and safety. If you put your hand at the opening when it is rotating, the machine will stop. At the enlistee equipment warehouse, through flow layout is adopted with live storage system whereby new goods are stored near the inbound and old ones are being stored near the outbound. (FIFO)

In the past, at the outbound, enlistee is to collect their equipments at the counter. Now, there is an E-mart where it pack and deliver. Path for vehicle and human are separated which is a good practice to ensure safety. In the autospare warehouse, it uses the bin ASRS (width 13m, height 9m) which have a capacity of 2900 bins. Cranes are used to move the bins to the location. (1hour: 60bins)

Overall, I think that ALB meets the objectives of warehousing and it is a good role model for other warehouses.

Roland's Reflection

The field trip visit was indeed an eye opener for me. I would never have imagined that Singapore's first centralised logistics base - the Army Logistics Base (ALB) is such an efficient storage facility that saves land and increases storage capacity. In fact, the development of the state of the art ALB has freed up labour, saved land and also allowed quicker retrieval of stocks, thus improving efficiency and effectiveness.

From my observations, I realized that ALB adopts a through flow layout because the incoming and outgoing functions are at opposite ends. Each warehousing floor has a height of approximately 30 metres. Therefore, the storage systems installed are vertical carousel, pallet/bin ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval System), high rack narrow aisle racking, mobile racking and shelving.

Vertical carousel system is used to store medical supplies and items. These medical items require temperature and humidity control and therefore are stored in an air conditioned room to ensure goods safety. Vertical carousel system is preferred because it increase cubic capacity of warehouse and provides excellent product security as well as minimizes employee injuries.

In addition, at the autospare warehouse, bin ASRS (width 13m, height 9m) which has a capacity of 2900 bins, is used. Cranes are then used to move the bins to the location at the rate of 60bins per hour. The fully computerized ASRS is easy to operate and allow fast access to materials.

Lastly, I discovered that VNA Truck is used in narrow aisle racking. At the enlistee equipment warehouse, through flow layout is also adopted with live storage system whereby new goods are stored near the inbound and old ones are being stored near the outbound. In this case, First In First Out (FIFO) system is applied.

It was indeed a fun and enriching experience for me. Learning DCM would never be so boring again!

Yan Ni's Reflection

The Army Logistics Base (ALB) is a centralized warehouse which was conceptualized to meet the Army’s growing demand for logistical support. ALB has a total of 14 unloading bays. From my observation, the loading and unloading bays are located opposite each other – ALB adopts a Through Flow. The height of each warehousing floor in ALB is approximately 30 meters. Also, ALB has installed different storage systems such as the Mobile racking system, Pallet/Bin Automated Storage Retrieval System, and Vertical Carousel.

Mobile Racking System is located at the main storage area. It basically caters to slow moving and homogeneous items. Therefore, space is fully utilised in ALB, and it also reduces the time for its workers to search for exact location of the items. The vertical carousel in ALB is used to store medical supplies & items. They are stored in air-conditioned rooms as temperature & humidity control is essential. In addition, as demonstrated, units of bins are driven electronically to bring the parts to the pickers - I was astonished by the fast movement of the bins. Consequently, I learnt that thevertical carousel enables improvement in the speed and accuracy of order picking, as well as maximizes the cubic capacity utilisation in ALB.

Pallet/Bin ASRS can be found in the Autospace warehouse. Pallet ASRS is able to store up to 13500 pallets. As for Bin ASRS, it has a capacity of 2900 bins, and cranes are used to move the bins to the location at a rate of 60bins/hr. Hence, the fully computerized ASRS has maximized efficiency in the warehouse.

The Material Handling Equipment consist of the laser guided vehicle and VNA trucks. The laser guided vehicle can be found in the marshalling area, where it tracks loads with more accuracy using radio frequency, and then picks and packs the items. The VNA truck is used to assist the movement of the items in the VNA racking system where the aisle is only 2m wide.

The trip to the ALB was undoubtedly a rewarding experience as it enhanced my knowledge on the actual warehouse processes and distribution industry practices. It had provided me with an eye opening opportunity to observe how the storage systems or handling equipments were actually operated. ALB has also provided a safe and conducive environment for its workers. Moreover, ALB managed to show us the efficiency and effectiveness in its performance - the automation technology that it has adopted. Ultimately, I was really glad for the great experience!

HuiLing's Reflection

The Army Logistics Base (ALB) is Singapore first centralised warehousing facility. The ALB serves as an advanced and efficient military warehouse facility for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). From my observation, ALB adopted a through flow layout with a total of 14 loading bays. Each warehousing floor is approximately 30metre in height. The ALB is also equipped with a modern warehouse handling system, which includes the Automated Storage and Retrieval System, Mobile Racking and Shelving System, Vertical Carousel and Laser-guided Vehicle. I believe that these system can greatly increase the productivity of the warehouse activities.

The vertical carousel is used to store small item that requires temperature and humidity control such as medical pills. It has a part- to- picker concept where unit of bins are driven electronically to the picker. It allows the height of the building to be fully utilised and it enhance the security of the warehouse as it restrict access to unauthorized personnel. The Laser guided Vehicle can be seen in the marshalling area and operators key in data to instruct the vehicle to the location. I can observe that for safety purposes, path for vehicles and human are separated. The storage services would include binning of stock, QA surveillance, maintenance, pick and rack, and stock taking. Some of items stocked are general supplies, medical supplies and auto spare. At the autospare warehouse, bin ASRS which has a capacity of 2900 bins, is used. The speed is at 60bins per hour.

E-mart outlet is one of ALB distribution channel. Enlistees can now place an order on the E- mart outlet and equipment will be pack and deliver to them. This shows that logistic today has improved tremendously. The trip was definitely an enriching experience for me!

The People - Introduction

Yan Ni, The Leader

"Hey, I’m Yan Ni. I’m currently pursuing a Diploma in Logistics & Operations Management in Temasek Polytechnic. Prior to this, I was once involved in the roving operations of Chingay, which prompted an interest in me to pursue a Diploma in LOM. Until now, the days in LOM has been challenging yet rewarding.

I don’t talk excessively unless needed. Nevertheless, I’m considered amiable if I know you well enough. During my past time, I enjoy basketball, msn, online games, reading, sketching, and graphics. And an interesting fact about myself: I had created graphics of a different genre for my favourite online game. Hence, I believe that my ability in creating graphics will be an asset to this blog! "


Roland, The Assistant

"DCM is the game and Roland is my name. I am currently studying Logistics & Operations Management in Temasek Polytechnic. Since young, I am always fascinated by the product flow in the supply chain and how do they actually distribute the products from one place to another. That was one of the reasons why I studied Logistics in Temasek Polytechnic. Being a reserved and soft spoken person, I enjoy reading and cycling during my leisure time. I hope that after reading my blog, more people would share the same enthusiasm as me towards learning more about DCM."


Yi Lin, The Script

"Hi everyone, I am Yi Lin from Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma of Logistics and Operations Management. I am a rather friendly person and I love helping my friends whenever they need me. Also, my friends had commended that I’ve a nice set of handwritings and that’s a thing which I’m very proud of. I’m a Korean mania due the influence of my best friend who is a Korean. Although I don’t understand Korean, I enjoy watching Korean dramas and listening to Korean songs, Thus, I am determined to learn Korean. Some of my favourite singers are Wonder Girls, Girls generation, SS501 and SG wannabes. During my free time, I like to go swimming or shopping with my friends or family. Something funny about me is that, whenever I am supposed to go for swimming saviour (Gold), I will always fall ill. And it happened twice! Therefore, as of current, I am still a swimming saviour (Sliver)."


Hui Ling, The Bulb

"Hey everyone! I’m Hui Ling. I am currently studying at Temasek Polytechnic, in hopes of pursuing a diploma in Logistics and Operations Management. I consider myself as a friendly person whom is committed to every friendship that I have made. Since young, I have been actively involved in table tennis; this included winning competitions, trainings, and team work. Therefore, Table Tennis is certainly an important part of my life! In addition, I’m a dog lover and I recently adopted a dog. Although most of my friends commented that my dog is not adorable, he’s still my ‘little angel’. He is very picky about his food, thus I have to hoax him like a baby to eat. My house is also described as an animal farm as I have adopted several other animals such as a cat, two bunnies and some hamsters."