Inbound execution is the completion of inbound planning process, which is receipt and putaway of inventory. Inbound execution is one of the most critical factors that directly influence the throughput of a warehouse. The impact of where and how inventory is stored in a warehouse directly influences the time taken to putaway, replenish and pick inventory. There is a significant amount of time that is spent in warehouse layout and configuration based on the type of inventory received, how the inventory is received, and the equipment used to receive and putaway inventory.
The receiving process in a warehouse involves acceptance of goods from the carrier and then the physical process of checking and receipt of inventory. The process of acceptance is to verify number of packages (cases or pallets) against the bill of lading or packing slip that the carrier provides. If an ASN is available for the shipment received, a preprinted sheet is used to verify the contents. The process used to receive inventory into a warehouse is completed through Radio Frequency (RF) Mobile Terminal, console or MHE like a receiving sorter.
For some inventory that is received in a warehouse the pre-packaging steps has to be performed before putaway. For example, in the parts industry, screws are received in large boxes or bags and are packaged into appropriate inventory UOM packs before putaway. These pre-packaging activities requires a different location to be allocated in a warehouse. The ability to automate these procedures based on the SKU being received significantly reduces labor requirement.
The provides comprehensive functionality to effectively manage inventory execution process. It also provides complete visibility to specific shipment available in the supply chain. The also enhances this visibility by tracking the acceptance of inventory from a carrier. This feature of the enables warehouses to pre-receive product based on the number of packages (cases or pallets) received and routes these packages to the appropriate business area. The business process configuration allows modeling of the physical process in a warehouse.
The also permits diversion of inventory received into the appropriate area based on quality profiles, cross-dock requirements or putaway preferences. It also allows to model a warehouse individually or distinctly from the other warehouses based on its layout and MHE deployments.
The information captured during the receiving process is visible through consoles for audit as well as tracking purposes. The ability to track individual activities in a warehouse allow for productivity tracking and reporting.