Effective Cross Docking for Improving Distribution Efficiencies

Cross docking is a warehousing strategy that involves movement of material directly from the receiving dock to the shipping dock with a minimum dwell time in between. Cross docking can effectively bring substantial reductions in the transportation cost without increasing the inventories while simultaneously maintaining the level of customer service. Cross docking can also lead to the reduction of order cycle time, thereby improving the flexibility and responsiveness of the distribution network. This paper provides a framework for understanding and designing cross docking systems and discusses techniques that can improve the overall efficiencies of the logistics and distribution operation.