For the usage of E-WMS Replenishment following prerequisites apply:
This document has following sections:
The replenishment generation process can be divided in two main parts: calculating the requirement and calculating the picking advice. These are two different steps before a picking advice is send picking.
'Calculating requirements' is the same as 'Generating replenishment orders'.
If you want to use replenishment based on preconfigured minimum and maximum levels per location, following applies:
The rules for calculating the requirement in this case are:
If you want to use replenishment based on requirements for sales orders and production orders, following applies:
A typical difference of order-based replenishment compared to replenishment based on minimum/maximum stock levels, is that the total quantity required can be spread over all target locations, until the total quantity needed is available. If the maximum of all target locations is however lower than the total requirement, than the total requirement cannot be replenished at that time. As soon as there is 'room' again on the target locations (which can be combined with the setting 'Regard picked as issued'), the remaining requirement can be replenished to the target locations having room. 'Real-time replenishment' offers the possibility to automate the process of replenishing picking locations as soon there is room because someone picked stock.
The rules for calculating the required quantity in this case are:
From release 412, you have additional selections available for order based replenishment (see next chapter).
From product update 412, you have the option to generate replenishment orders only for the requirements of sales orders, or only for requirements of production order materials.
When generating replenishment orders in the control center, you have several selections available based on sales orders and production orders, including the choice 'None' for sales- or production orders. When using Auto queue to automatically generate replenishment orders, similar settings are available (see next section 'Auto queue for replenishment').
From release 412, you can choose to generate separate replenishment orders per target (sales- or production order, or selection code). This enables the possibility for the warehouse employee to see for which target order he is replenishing, by using the scanner replenishment submenu 'by reference 2'. 'Reference 2' is automatically filled by E-WMS with the target order number or selection code. When generating separate replenishment orders per 'selection code', the replenishment orders are generated per different order type (sales/production) and per selection code. When not creating separate replenishment orders, the replenished quantities can be a total for several orders (bulk replenishment).
You can configure in the WMS replenishment settings to always generate separate orders, and in addition you can still change this when generating orders in the control centers.
Please note that generating separate replenishment orders per target order has some side effects:
Therefore, generating separate replenishment orders will only work when you are generating replenishment orders, pick and process these replenishment orders, and then pick and process the sales- or production orders; or when you use different target locations per production order.
To illustrate, following scenario may not show the correct target order number in 'reference 2':
The following scenario would show the correct target order number in 'reference 2':
Or, because of a different target location, this scenario would also work:
You can automatically generate replenishment orders and picking advices for these orders, using E-WMS 'Auto queue'. When working with Real-time Replenishment, the usage for Auto queue is mandatory. To work with Auto queue, following is required:
In release 412, additional Auto queue settings 'Requirements: Sales orders' and 'Requirements: Production orders' have been added.
Once a replenishment order is generated, a replenishment advice can be (automatically) generated, depending on the Replenishment advice settings. The setting 'Immediate advice' determines whether a picking advice is automatically generated, after replenishment orders have been generated.
An advice is calculated based on the settings in menu System, General, Settings, WMS Replenishment, section Picking advice. Even when the setting 'picking advice' is disabled, E-WMS will still look at actual available stock. If no advice can be generated then an error report will show and the replenishment order (the requirement) will remain in status 'New'.
The Replenishment advice setting are explained in this document.
The replenishment process consists of following steps:
'Picking' is the only step not performed in the Control Center (or by a service). All steps except 'picking' can be automated, using the E-WMS Auto queue service and the E-WMS Replenishment RF service.
After configuring the replenishment settings, the control center in menu WMS, To be processed, Inventory replenishment, Control center can be started.
All steps in the control center are described in this document. Picking
When scanning replenishment orders, the target location is not scanned but assumed, and is shown as instruction text when opening an advice line.
Scanning replenishment is about scanning the stock issue.
On the scanner, select menu '5 Replenishment'. Depending on scanner settings you may see a submenu :
By using a specific submenu, you can search and scan replenishment orders: by order (Replenishment ID), by item code, by source location or by 'Reference 2' (=target order, or selection code; from release 412).
When all lines are done, following screen shows:
This document shows more information on general use of the WMS client (edit or delete scanned lines, for example).
It is possible to configure a minimum stock level you want to preserve at the source locations or source warehouse. Just configure 'WMS Item Locations' for these source locations, as you would for the replenishment target locations. The 'minimum' defined per location will not be touched by E-WMS Replenishment. In this case, it is necessary to replenish either only from 'bulk' type locations (to be configured in the Route Optimizing setting 'location policy') or use another warehouse as source warehouse, otherwise there is no clear distinction between target and source locations in 'WMS item locations'. You can also define a minimum stock level ("Minimum PO level") at warehouse level (item maintenance, tab 'Inventory'). The usage of the minimum per warehouse can be managed by the Replenishment setting 'Check: minimum stock'. This minimum is only applied when replenishing to another warehouse. When you defined minimum levels both on WMS location level and on warehouse level, then the maximum of these two (sum of minimum location levels versus minimum at warehouse level) will be regarded as not to be used for replenishment. When configuring minimum stock levels per (source) location, WMS Replenishment will always apply and preserve these minimum levels. The Replenishment setting 'Check: minimum stock' only applies to the minimum level at warehouse level, not at warehouse location level.
It is possible to exclude quantities reserved for Exact Globe Next stock allocations as available stock for replenishment. To preserve allocated stock in the source warehouse and prevent usage of these quantities in WMS Replenishment, enable the setting 'Include: allocated to stock' in the general WMS Replenishment settings, section "Generate replenishment orders". This is only applied when replenishing to another warehouse, because stock allocations only exist on item- and warehouse level and not on warehouse location level.
E-WMS Replenishment supports replenishing within the same warehouse, or between two warehouses. When replenishing to more than one warehouse, please note following:
If you do not use locations, the minimum and maximum stock levels are determined from the item/warehouse link in Inventory, Items, Maintain, 'Inventory' tab for the selected item.
The replenishment requirement will be based on the current shelf stock and the 'minimum PO level' when the stock in this warehouse is 10 or less (when the setting 'requirements only' is disabled) and will be filled to the maximum (or minimum, depending on the Replenishment setting 'Stock replenishment'). When in this case the shelf stock was zero and the setting 'Stock replenishment' was set to 'maximum' , a replenishment advice of '50' will be the result.
When the setting 'Requirements only' is enabled, the requirement will be based on currently planned fulfillments for sales- and production orders from this warehouse. When the setting 'Stock replenishment' is set to maximum level, the requirement is always the maximum defined for this warehouse (even when this is less or more than required for fulfillment). When the setting 'Stock replenishment' is set to minimum level, then the requirement is either the minimum level set for the warehouse or the quantity required for fulfillment (the highest value is applied). When the maximum level set for the warehouse is less than the requirement, then the maximum will be advised - more items "will not fit". See sample scenario's 6, 7 and 8 below.
In all scenario's, locations P1 - P4 are locations of type 'pick location', and locations B1 - B4 and 'REC' are locations of type 'bulk location'. Item code '1000' is a standard (non serial/batch) item.
There are no sales orders open for this item. Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is disabled, so requirement would be calculated based on minimum and maximum stock positions. The setting 'Stock replenishment level' is set to "maximum level", so the pick locations should be replenished to the maximum level when the stock level drops below the minimum. Advice generation in this case:
Same stock positions as in scenario 1, no sales orders. Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is disabled, so requirement would be calculated based on minimum and maximum stock positions. The setting 'Stock replenishment' is set to "purchase order level" (minimum level), so the pick locations should be replenished to the minimum level. Advice generation in this case:
Same stock positions as in scenario 1, one sales order for quantity 60. Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is enabled, so the requirement is calculated from sales orders and production orders The setting "Stock replenishment' is set to "maximum level", so the pick locations should be replenished to the maximum level Advice generation in this case:
Adding 40 to P1 gives a total stock of 75 (P1:50, P3:20, P4:5) , filling P1 to the maximum and total enough for fulfillment.
Same stock positions as in scenario 1, one sales order for quantity 60. Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is enabled, so requirement is calculated from sales orders and production orders The setting 'Stock replenishment' is set to "purchase order level" (minimum level), so the pick locations will be replenished to the minimum level, or to the quantity required for the orders
Advice generation in this case:
Adding 25 to P1 gives a total stock of 60 (P1:35, P3:20, P4:5) , enough for fulfillment.
Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is disabled, so the requirement is calculated from minimum and maximum location stock levels The setting 'Stock replenishment' is set to "maximum level" Control Center Replenishment selection: issuing warehouse = "1", receiving warehouse = "2". Advice generation in this case:
Source location 'B4' has enough to pick '100' in one 'stop', this advice depends on the picking advice settings for Replenishment. When changing the advice settings to 'make locations empty', the advice is calculated as:
The minimum and maximum stock levels are set in Item Maintenance, tab 'Inventory', properties of warehouse '2'. Active replenishment settings: The setting 'Requirements only' is disabled, so the requirement is calculated from minimum and maximum stock levels The setting 'Stock replenishment' level is set to "maximum level" Control Center Replenishment selection: issuing warehouse = "1", receiving warehouse = "2". Advice generation in this case:
The minimum and maximum stock levels are set in Item Maintenance, tab 'Inventory', properties of warehouse '2'. There is one sales order (approved and confirmed) to be fulfilled from warehouse 2 for quantity 40.
Active replenishment settings: 'Requirements only' is enabled 'Stock replenishment' is set to "purchase order level" (minimum level) Control Center Replenishment selection: issuing warehouse = "1", receiving warehouse = "2". Advice generation in this case:
The minimum and maximum stock levels are set in Item Maintenance, tab 'Inventory', properties of warehouse '2'. There is one sales order (approved and confirmed) to be fulfilled from warehouse 2 for quantity 75.
Troubleshooting
When generating replenishment orders does not show the items or quantities you expected, then this document has some troubleshooting tips.