E-WMS

E-WMS receipts: guided receipts and free receipts

Introduction

There are two basic processes for purchase receipts: guided and non-guided (free). This document describes the basics of these two types of processes.

Details

Purchase receipts can be scanned two ways in E-WMS: guided (sending advice lines to the scanner) and free receipts (starts at the scanner without sending lines picking).

Guided receipts

When using guided receipts, purchase orders are sent to the scanner prior to scanning the receipts, resulting in 'receipt advice' lines on the scanner. On the scanner, a list of purchase orders (PO's) to be received is shown, and optionally a list of PO lines can be shown after selecting the PO. Having an advice on the scanner, allows more control and validation on items and quantities, for instance when receiving less or more than planned.

Practically, it should be known which PO's are to be received (which PO's are in the truck), to limit sending PO's picking too soon.
When PO's have been sent picking, the PO lines are blocked in Exact Globe Next purchase order entry, to prevent changing lines which these are possibly being scanned.

Sending picking can be done two ways: manually in the E-WMS control center, or automatically using Auto queue.  When using Auto queue, you have limited selection options to determine which PO's are sent picking. You can limit this by the planned delivery date (only the PO's planned until today +2 days for example), and you can enable Auto queue for a specific warehouse only, using E-WMS service schedules.

When using guided receipts on a scanner, you have to match all planned PO lines of an order sent picking. It is however possible to choose the option 'Order is done' on the scanner, setting all remaining and open PO lines for that PO to 'zero received' and ending receipt for that PO.

Receipt lines are only read back (either manually in the Control Center or by the WMS RF Receipts Service) when all lines of a PO are scanned and the PO is complete on the scanner. Only after that, the receipts can be processed as shelf stock into Exact Globe Next. E-WMS 'real-time transfers' offers the possibility to transfer received stock (from receipt dock to warehouse locations) before it is available as shelf stock.

Free receipts

This method allows scanning of receipts without sending purchase orders to the scanners first. This method is typically used when for incoming goods (containers or trucks) the PO's are unknown, or cannot be unloaded or easily scanned per PO (random scanning).

The scanner operator can enter either the supplier code, or a purchase order number when known. Using this method, validation on the status of purchase orders is limited on the hand terminal.

When the order number is left empty on the device, E-WMS will, after reading back, try to find the oldest purchase order for the selected supplier and item. If not present (with the right status) an error report will show, or, the setting 'Unplanned items: Create PO' determines whether new PO's can be created for 'unplanned' received items.

In this search for an appropriate purchase order, order lines which already have a specific 'picking' state ('picking', or 'picking error') are not excluded in this search, because that might result in creating a new purchase order for the received item, which may also be undesired. Therefore it is best practice to not use 'guided receipts' and 'free receipts' at the same time; or always scan a specific purchase order number in Free Receipts. 

When only free receipts are used, you can disable the setting 'Send/export orders' to hide the button 'Send to scanner' in the Control Center.

A benefit of using free receipts is the fact that the separate scanned lines can be read back and processed as soon as one receipt line is finished (pressing STOP on the scanner). In contrast to guided receipts, you do not have to match first all PO lines of the scanned PO.

Functionality which is not available in free receipts includes: Auto queue for receipts (since PO's are not sent picking), real-time transfers, cross docking, pivot point.

Pros and cons

Related documents

• Auto queue
• Cross-docking
• E-WMS process properties compared - guided and non-guided
• Pivot point
• Real-time transfers
• Receipt registration module settings
• Receipts scanner settings
• Service schedules
   
  
• E-WMS start page