Year 2000: strategies for Y2K's impact on materials handling systems
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 9/1/1998
The Y2K programming bug in older computer systems and the costly extermination it requires are truly "once in a lifetime" phenomena, notes Mike Kotecki, vice president, customer service and outsourcing, HK Systems. "Is it too late to develop 11th hour planning for Y2K problems?" he asks, rhetorically. Not necessarily.News media, government, and industry have all preached the coming doom and destruction for computers worldwide, of course. There's a vision of undesirable reactions of computer programs when their software's internal clock generates the number 2000 for the millenium year.
In general, Kotecki says, there are three categories of Year 2000-related problems for computerized materials handling systems:
- Cosmetic issues-For example, the system operates functionally true, yet operator screens or reports may not be formatted correctly.
- Nonfatal system anomalies-In these situations, the system will continue to operate, but materials may be delivered in the wrong order.
- Fatal failures-Here, the computer program stops completely because of an irreparable error in the program or operating system.
"In case you have not been paying attention lately, you have probably invested some time thinking about the Y2K readiness of business computers for which you are responsible," says Kotecki.
"Apparently," he continues, "most people in the nation have reacted with a plan to evaluate and to make compliant their systems to prevent heads from rolling at the same time the ball drops in Times Square." Facility budgets that are normally allocated to new capital expenditures, equipment, and maintenance, are being redirected to test, patch or replace operating systems, hardware, and application software.
The supplier community has also felt the shock wave of "zero phobia," the HK exec notes. "Requests for resources to validate old programs, and to perform surgery on both aged and not so aged applications are at a feverish pace. Software that runs warehouses and DCs has traditionally been composed of highly customized programs that suit a facility's equipment and operations. The materials handling universe is fast approaching the time when the hours needed to complete the necessary conversion exceed the available resource hours remaining," he declares.
Fortunately, a number of courses of action are still available:
- Contact the original supplier or integrator of your system to ask for an assessment of your system. Make sure to ask for written substantiation of any Y2K-ready claims.
- Research the suppliers of the systems's hardware and software for information about the readiness of all associated products.
- If any doubts remain, try again to secure approval for an on-site professional audit of your system.
- Ask the system supplier about any available Y2K support services.
- Print hardcopy reports of inventory and orders pending regularly, especially those due right before the end of 1999.
- Document and distribute a contingency plan in your facility. Be prepared to receive, store, process and ship materials should any computers become disabled. This may require you to have some manual materials handling operators on hand on a contingency basis.
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