Download Revised `A Day in the Life of a DC` (NOT FROM THE BOX

Revised ‘A Day in the Life of a DC’ (NOT FROM THE BOX Perspective)
It all starts at the Manufacturing plant. The buyer at UNFI checks the inventory daily at the warehouse
to identify what needs to be purchased for distribution to our customers. The buyer then creates a
purchase order to put the wheels in motion and buy the boxes of product.
At this point, boxes are loaded onto a pallet at the manufacturing plant in preparation to be shipped to a
UNFI distribution center. UNFI will backhaul these boxes from a manufacturer or contact a third party
carrier to determine who will bring them to the UNFI distribution center. Next, the carrier contacts
UNFI to setup a delivery appointment. After the appointment is set, the trucking company loads the
boxes onto the trailer. Product travels many miles on the trucks or by rail in hot or cold weather to get
to its final destination – UNFI.
Some of the pitfalls for boxes as they are moved down the road include temperature – it could get too
hot or too cold and product could be refused at the warehouse. There is also the chance that boxes
have been loaded improperly which may cause damage to the product and refusals from UNFI. Boxes
arrive at the DC at specific appointment times and if they are late, the DC could refuse the shipment and
reschedule the delivery for another date.
When the product arrives at the UNFI Distribution Center, it is unloaded by a receiver who uses a report
called ASN – Advance Ship Notice- this report includes details such as temperatures and case quantities
and helps to ensure that the quantity is the same as what the buyer purchased and checks for any
quality issues such as damages, temperature integrity and expiration date. Boxes are then transported
by a receiver. With WM – Warehouse Management system it is easy for receivers to know which aisle
the product is assigned to and where there are pick slots and reserve slots. The pick slots are designated
for the next boxes to be shipped to the store. The reserve slots are for product that will be used to
replenish the pick slots when they are empty.
Product gets ordered based on how often it is sold. When boxes get placed in a reserve slot, they stay
there until they are sold to a customer. The product that is there first gets sold first. This is called First
in First out (FIFO). When product does finally get to the pick slot, systems like Vocollect are used to
select it. Selector’s performance is tracked using APT- Associate Performance Tracking. Selectors
prepare pallets of boxes to be shipped to a store – their next destination. It is important that
precautions are taken at great length to eliminate any damages. Pallets are shrink wrapped with special
wrapping that prevents crushing and damages. After product is loaded and wrapped by the loader at
UNFI, it is ready to move to the door of the truck that will take it to their next destination.
Cool Trax controls the temperature of the product in the truck. Some product has to be kept at minus
10 degrees or it will melt. Other products need to stay at 32 degrees to ensure the cold chain integrity.
Maintaining the right temperature is crucial for food safety and quality.
The UNFI driver now gets into the truck that it loaded with product and drives to customer sites from
New York to Boston or anywhere the customer needs.
Drivers use a system called People Net. When the truck stops at a store, the store receivers take the
temperature of the product to ensure it is in the required range. If it is not in the required temp ranges,
it will have to go back to UNFI for processing. The store receiver also checks the accuracy of the order to
ensure they got what they ordered.
If products pass the temperature test, the UNFI driver takes the pallet to the cooler or storage area of
the store. The store receiver is now responsible for placing product in the proper section of the store
for readiness to be sold to customers. The store employee then cuts the boxes open, unloads the
product and places a price tag on it or on the display case to indicate the product cost to the customer.
Product stays in the display case or cooler until it is selected for purchase by a customer and brought to
their home to enjoy!