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WMS Software: A Modern Day Invention

Oldest Types Of Warehouses
From Entombed Pharaoh’s Treasures To The Speicherstadt

In ancient times, it was not necessary to have sophisticated accounting of a Pharaoh’s treasures that were entombed for his afterworld’s journey.  Even in the case of the Speicherstadt, the oldest commercial warehouse in the world located in Hamburg, Germany, it was not required either.  Yet today’s warehousing needs are vastly different and an operations manager wouldn’t think about not having a savvy wms software system to manage it all.
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The Great Pyramids

The great Pyramids housed a pharaoh’s remains, those of his servants, and numerous objects of value or personal meaning.  The first pyramid was built in 2630 BCE.  While a Pyramid’s primary function was not as a warehouse in any modern day sense, they did inventory belongings and hold many items connected to the deceased individual. 

Even pyramids in South America, the Mayans in particular, contained sacred items often in large numbers, though again, they were not used as inventory for commercial purposes.  Still, pyramids in general served as large structures containing a significant number of items of great value and worth. 

The Speicherstadt

Built from 1823 to 1927, the Speicherstadt of Hamburg, Germany literally means ‘city of warehouses’ and is the largest timber pile structure in the world.  Unlike the Pyramids, it was designed for commercial purposes and was comprised of numerous warehouses that held goods and products.  During the early years of the Speicherstadt’s construction, Hamburg was a duty-free zone.  As such, it was an ideal location for large scale warehousing. 

In the later 1800’s, Hamburg could not be duty-free but the German Empire did maintain it as a free port.  Later on, during World War II the network of warehouses were partially destroyed.  Consequently, portions were demolished and rebuilt using different support structures, had multiple stories and entrances on both land and water.

After the war, Speicherstadt became a national historic site and, as such, is currently are true multi-use building network.  Where once it was merely merchant warehouse, it currently has museums, a modern railway, and ongoing warehouse storage.  Items held in storage portions of the Speicherstadt today include an astronomical 1/3 of the world’s carpet production, coffee, tea, cocoa, maritime equipment and electronic goods.

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Warehouses of Castlefield

Castlefield, England has some of the earliest warehouse construction as well.  The Dukes Warehouse was built in 1771.  Soon after, the Grocer’s Warehouse was constructed.  The Merchants Warehouse was built around 1827, with the Kenworthy and Staffordshire Warehouses to follow.  Flour, grain and cotton were primary products stored in these buildings, though they also contained other products from time to time. 

The New Warehouse, Victoria and Albert Warehouses, and the 1830 Railway Warehouse, all of which had both a street entrance and canal ports.  Between 1896 -1898, the Great Northern Warehouse was built and is the largest and most modern of the group.  Notably, it was one of Britain’s large steel-framed buildings with hydraulic lifts.

Warehousing has changed significantly from the early days of commercial enterprise when all accounts were done by human hands.  Fortunately, in the 21st century we have sophisticated wms software systems that help manage products and fulfillment for multiple customers.  Without it, managers and staff would be hard-pressed to remain accurate and efficient.

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For information on wms software essential for effective warehouse management, please visit www.3PLCentral.com.

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