Inventory And Warehouse Management

Provida has significant experience in implementing warehouse management solutions for mid-sized Australian businesses. Our warehouse clients include Australian companies like Champion (TNF) Sportwear, Crabtree & Evelyn and Salesforce Agencies. On this page, we have highlighted the various functions of the Acellos WMS that is sold and implemented by Provida.

One of the basic processes in Accellos WMS is intake. It is one of the ways of bringing goods into the warehouse. Intake takes place usually based on a purchase order, which is usually transferred by data interface in the corresponding form from the ERP system in which it originates (this typically concerns an order of goods from a supplier). There are also versions of goods intake without a background material.

During goods intake, the worker has the option to after commencing or continuously print out labels with bar codes for marking of received goods - product, pallet, stacking and others. Intake very often takes place concurrently with stacking, but one of the options is also intake in two steps - intake of goods to intake space (there can subsequently be e.g. a quality check etc.) and only then stacking takes place (see next step).

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Stacking often takes place concurrently with intake, when the stock clerk after identifying the intake document stacks the goods at the same time. During the process you can let the system recommend the optimal storage place for stacking of goods, with consideration of adjustable parameters - capacity of storage location, turnover of goods, size, mass etc. After processing of purchase order - ending of intake and stacking - the corresponding information is subsequently transferred into the ERP system.

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A sales order is usually transferred to the Accellos WMS system via data interface from the ERP system. After transfer of order into Accellos WMS it has to be allocated: the process for allocating an order is an operation that reserves goods from warehouse stock for picking based on a customer order or work order typically transferred by data interface from ERP system. The allocation process can be automatic or manual. In the event of goods reservation not being possible for various reasons, there are always several ways of how to deal with such a situation. These include the automatic reduction of amount on order or automatic generation of supplementation requirements, or partial allocation and generation of retroactive order.

A sales order in Accellos WMS can acquire the following statuses:

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Replenishment is a process that is recommended automatically by the system as standard based on unsatisfied requirements for reserving goods from warehouse stock. Another version for replenishment is automatic generation of requirements based on set minimum and maximum capacity of picking storage places. The generated requirements for replenishment contain instructions about what goods are to be replenished in what amount, from what storage location and to what storage location. In the case of replenishment, a larger number than the system recommends can of course be replenished.

The system can be configured for automatic printing of labels (or sheets) with requirements for supplementation. It is also possible to automatically print out lists of items for picking as soon as order allocation takes place.

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Replenishment is a process that is recommended automatically by the system as standard based on unsatisfied requirements for reserving goods from warehouse stock. Another version for replenishment is automatic generation of requirements based on set minimum and maximum capacity of picking storage places. The generated requirements for replenishment contain instructions about what goods are to be replenished in what amount, from what storage location and to what storage location. In the case of replenishment, a larger number than the system recommends can of course be replenished. The system can be configured for automatic printing of labels (or sheets) with requirements for supplementation. It is also possible to automatically print out lists of items for picking as soon as order allocation takes place.

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Accellos WMS fully supports work with sets (also called kits). A set is a collection of several various products that logically fit together and they are treated within the warehouse and warehouse processes as a unit (one product). At the same time, it is possible to look at a set as several independent component products the warehouse stock of which is kept independently.

Accellos WMS supports two basic warehouse processes relating to sets: setting up of the set from its components (production of set) and stacking of a set originated in this way into the warehouse, and processing of requirement for picking set from warehouse for customer. Background materials for setting up a kit are the 'piece list' and also the work (production) order. Both of these documents are usually automatically transferred from the ERP system. The piece list defines what components the set is made up of, the work order then gives the requirement for setting up a certain amount of given sets. When processing the production order in WMS Accellos the necessary components for setting up the kit have to be picked from the warehouse and transported to the workplace (is defined as a special storage location). This process actually works similarly as picking of a common sales order. The worker then confirms ending of production of the given amount of kits at the workplace via a mobile terminal. That leads to the consumed components being deleted from warehouse stock and to stacking of produced kits that can then be treated as an independent product.

When processing a requirement for picking and dispatch of a kit (as part of a usual sales order), Accellos WMS can then adapt to the kit as to a usual product (in such a case it first has to be produced and stacked in the manner described above), or automatically during the download process of the sales order the kit can be broken up into its components according to the piece list. In the first case, the worker picks the kit as any other usual product, in the second case he/she has to independently pick all components of the kit in the required amounts.

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Re-stacking is a function that enables the transfer of goods in the warehouse by using the WMS system. Just as for the supplementation process and intake process, a recommendation of a storage location for stacking can be requested from the system via a mobile terminal.

Accellos WMS supports two basic varieties of re-stacking:

Second version of re-stacking - two-step - simplifies re-stacking between geographically distant locations and enables for example recording goods "on the way." For re-stacking in two steps you can automatically print out labels for marking the re-stacked goods for easier orientation.

During re-stacking you can also move all the contents of the storage location or e.g. create new pallets and mark them with labels with SSCC codes.

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The process for picking in Accellos WMS represents a succession of requirements for picking individual items for sales order, which are displayed on the mobile terminal screen in the order determined by rules for setting up picking routes. These rules can be fully configured and will also enable inclusion of specific parameters determined by the customer - for example mass and size. Questions of the mobile terminal during picking of one item are in the minimum recommended version a requirement for confirmation of the correct storage location being visited, removal of the correct product and confirmation of picked amount. Questions that the terminal displays during picking of item are adjustable - you can display or require the entering of user parameters or entering of number of dispatch package into which it is being picked.

The packing as standard takes place during picking, when the Accellos WMS system stores the picked item into the assigned (by scanning bar code) dispatch package or into the last open dispatch package. During picking, new dispatch packages can be established for which dispatch labels are automatically printed out and at the same time packing sheets are printed out for closed packages. The system also enables work with dispatch packages - e.g. movement of goods between individual packages or creation of new packaging at the same time as printing of labels and marking by SSCC codes. This enables the use of different packages for picking and dispatch.

The Accellos WMS system of course enables wave picking, i.e. consolidation of multiple sales orders into 'waves'. Orders consolidated like this can be picked at once and significant time savings can be made. A special case of picking is picking controlled by voice, which an independent article is devoted to.

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The process for picking in Accellos WMS represents a succession of requirements for picking individual items for sales order, which are displayed on the mobile terminal screen in the order determined by rules for setting up picking routes. These rules can be fully configured and will also enable inclusion of specific parameters determined by the customer - for example mass and size. Questions of the mobile terminal during picking of one item are in the minimum recommended version a requirement for confirmation of the correct storage location being visited, removal of the correct product and confirmation of picked amount. Questions that the terminal displays during picking of item are adjustable - you can display or require the entering of user parameters or entering of number of dispatch package into which it is being picked.

The packing as standard takes place during picking, when the Accellos WMS system stores the picked item into the assigned (by scanning bar code) dispatch package or into the last open dispatch package. During picking, new dispatch packages can be established for which dispatch labels are automatically printed out and at the same time packing sheets are printed out for closed packages. The system also enables work with dispatch packages - e.g. movement of goods between individual packages or creation of new packaging at the same time as printing of labels and marking by SSCC codes. This enables the use of different packages for picking and dispatch.

The Accellos WMS system of course enables wave picking, i.e. consolidation of multiple sales orders into 'waves'. Orders consolidated like this can be picked at once and significant time savings can be made. A special case of picking is picking controlled by voice, which an independent article is devoted to.

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The standard function of the Dispatch module in the Accellos WMS system is comprised of resources for records and work with dispatch packaging. The main functionality of the module is recording dispatch and the option of re-packing packaging (i.e. creating a new dispatch packing for the system and locating goods located in other packing into it). As standard the dispatch process takes place based on a dispatch document (transportation etc.), which contains a list of sales orders for dispatch. After identification of dispatch document, summary information is displayed and similarly as during picking the worker is navigated to dispatch areas and the loading of dispatch packing is required.

During the dispatch process, various information can again be displayed on the mobile terminal, entering of information can be requested (licence plate of lorry, driver's name) and checks can be performed (loading onto the right lorry, the right packet being dispatched)

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The functionality of stocktaking in Accellos WMS represents an effective way of maintaining order in the warehouse. Accellos WMS enables several versions of stocktaking, e.g. continuous stocktaking that can be used if an inconsistency is ascertained in the physical status of the warehouse at the storage location with record status or complete stocktaking according to various criteria - according to date, product, storage location etc. An advantage of stocktaking is that work at the warehouse does not have to be stopped for its use. Only if there is a change in the status of the warehouse by stocktaking for goods that are on orders these orders must be reallocated.

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