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E-WMS Crossdocking explained

Pick-IT documentation

Introduction

Crossdocking is the act of transferring received goods directly to the shipping dock, to be issued, instead of first storing these goods in the warehouse. This will be typically be done when these goods are required for sales orders to be shipped on short notice, or for production orders requiring the incoming materials on short notice. The details in this document are based on the functionality as provided in product update 407.

       

 

General

One of the tools you will need to apply crossdocking, is software which is aware of your fulfillment requirements during registration of receipts. Exact E-WMS offers crossdocking functionality in the 'guided' receipts process on the hand terminal.

E-WMS has crossdocking logic built-in at these places in the E-WMS software:

  • during receipt registration of purchase orders on the hand terminal, for items required by sales orders
  • during receipt registration of purchase orders on the hand terminal, for items required by production orders (available from product update 407)
  • during receipt registration of production orders, for items required by sales orders (available from product update 404)
     
  • when generating a picking advice for sales orders
  • when generating a picking advice for production order materials (available from product update 407)


This document contains following sections:

 

Prerequisites

To be able to use crossdocking, following prerequisites apply.

         License

  • SE1312 E-Warehouse location (and usage of locations enabled)
  • SE1380 E-WMS I
  • SE1385 E-WMS terminal user (per hand terminal)
  • SE4250 E-WMS Production (for crossdocking advice in production receipts or for crossdocking of production materials)

    or (old license structure):
  • SE5700 Pick-IT Basic
  • SE5705 Pick-IT Route Optimizing
  • SE5760 Pick-IT RF
  • SE5791 Pick-IT Basic Terminal user (generally needed per scanner)
  • SE5740 Pick-IT Production (for crossdocking advice in production receipts or for crossdocking of production materials)


    Usage
  • Usage of wireless E-WMS hand terminals (ASP)
  • Usage of 'guided' receipts (send purchase orders picking, prior to starting receipt scanning)
  • 'Crossdocking' setting(s) enabled in E-WMS Receipt registration settings
  • 'Picking advice' enabled for Sales Order Fulfillment or Production Issues

 

Rules

Following rules apply for E-WMS Crossdocking.

  • Starting from 407, you are able to exclude items from the crossdocking process. In earlier releases, crossdocking is a mandatory step for all received items which are to be fulfilled on short notice.
  • Starting from 407, you can configure a specific crossdock location per item. In earlier releases, you can use only one general crossdocking target location.
  • The warehouse used in the purchase order and  the warehouse used in the sales order line or production order material line must be the same warehouse. In other words: E-WMS will only scan for crossdocking requirements in the same warehouse as the receipt warehouse.
  • E-WMS Replenishment does not combine well with crossdocking; a replenishment order would still be generated for order lines already having 'crossdocked' stock available.
  • When using Pick&Pack, a picking advice for a 'crossdocked' order line will advice to pick the stock from the crossdock location, and move it to the packing location
  • Crossdocking is currently not supported for materials for make items where 'Explode - fulfilment' is enabled
  • Serial/batch items or SKU items are supported in the crossdocking process, but the crossdock reservation is not created on serial/batch level or on SKU level, just on (crossdock) location level. When generating a picking advice for crossdocked serial/batch or SKU items, the crossdock location will be advised, but the advice could include any batch or SKU available at the same location. It is possible to overrule an advised batch or SKU during order picking. It is assumed that you will put a label or paper on the pallet, stating for which order the stock position is intended.
  • The crossdock receipt has to be processed (as shelf stock) in Exact Globe Next, before the picking advice will recognize and advice the crossdock location.
  • Sales order lines or material lines where a specific S/B number was entered, are ignored by E-WMS crossdocking. For these lines it is assumed you want to issue specific existing S/B numbers.
  • Order lines which are allocated to another purchase order than currently being received, are excluded from the current crossdocking receipt
  • When starting a receipt scan, crossdock advice lines are generated based on the ordered quantity in the purchase order, before the actual received quantity is scanned
  • Starting from 407, you can specify what status an order should have before it is regarded for crossdocking requirements. Before 407, a sales order does not need a specific status ('authorized' or 'confirmed') to be included for a crossdocking advice

 

Functionality

You have following functionality available in E-WMS crossdocking.

Crossdocking of items required in sales orders:

  • Enable or disable crossdocking for requirements for sales orders when scanning E-WMS (guided) purchase receipts
  • Enable or disable crossdocking for requirements for sales orders when scanning E-WMS production receipts (404)
  • Limit crossdocking for sales orders only to orders allowing 'partial delivery'
  • Use a general crossdocking location for sales orders, or configure a specific crossdock location per item (407)
  • Configure up to how many days in advance you want to crossdock for sales orders, based on 'today' versus the planned delivery date per sales order line
  • Configure which status sales orders should have before being considered as requirement for crossdocking (407)
  • In combination with crossdocking of production materials: define the priority for crossdocking, when the same received item would be required in sales orders and production orders

Crossdocking of items (materials) required in production orders (all from 407):

  • Enable or disable crossdocking for requirements for production orders when scanning E-WMS (guided) purchase receipts
  • Use a general crossdocking location for production orders, or configure a specific crossdock location per item for production orders
  • Configure up to how many days in advance you want to crossdock for production orders, based on 'today' versus the planned start date per production material line
  • Configure which status production orders should have before being considered as requirement for crossdocking
  • In combination with crossdocking for sales orders: define the priority for crossdocking, when the same received item would be required in sales orders and production orders


Settings

Crossdocking in purchase order receipts can be enabled for two types of order requirements: sales orders or production materials. Crossdocking can be enabled for both or one of these processes, in menu System, General, Settings, E-WMS Receipt Registration. For details on these settings, please refer to document E-WMS Receipt Registration settings. Crossdocking in production receipts scanning is available for requirements for sales orders and can be enabled in menu  System, General, Settings, WMS Production Receipts.

In the hand terminal receipt settings, it is advisable to set the setting 'Location/Display which value' to 'Empty' or to 'Advice', to avoid having a fixed receipt location proposed, other than the crossdock location.

When crossdocking SKU items, and you do not want to print a SKU label for each crossdock scan, then it might be better to disable the WMS receipts setting 'Auto. SKU label screen'. For normal non-crossdock receipts, you however have to initiate SKU label printing manually, by pressing the OPTIONS and SKU button on the hand terminal.

Documentation links:

 

Item settings

There are several crossdocking settings and preferences available in item maintenance, WMS button. These settings are explained in document WMS button in item maintenance. These settings give the possibility:

  • to exclude items from the crossdocking process, in case specific items need to be stored always in the warehouse, or when an item should only be crossdocked for sales order requirements and never for production orders;
  • to set a specific 'crossdock size' per item, in case an item can only be handled or transported in a specific packaging, for example computer chips on a roll, or containers containing fluids;
  • to use a specific crossdock location per item, per crossdocking process (sales orders or production orders).

 


Process

Purchase order receipts

When crossdocking is enabled, each time an item is scanned in guided purchase receipts, and when there are requirements matching the crossdocking settings, the original receipt order line sent to the scanner is split into separate advice lines, one for each order requiring the received item. These advice lines are enriched with an instruction text referring to the sales order or production order. This splitting of advice lines is done after scanning the received item, and before scanning the received quantity or serial/batch number.

In this sample, received item 1000G is required for several sales orders and production orders. As soon as the purchase order line is selected on the hand terminal, or the item is scanned, WMS will generate crossdock advice lines based on the planned quantity in the purchase order, and show the first order line based on configured priority (in this case, 'production orders always first'):


After scanning the first receipt, the scanning screen will return to an empty screen (since E-WMS cannot predict what item will be unloaded from the truck next).
On scanning or selecting the same item, you can select the next crossdock advice line. In the sample below, sales order 1017 is next.

 

After the whole receipt is scanned, read back and processed (the Globe item card will only show total quantities per receipt location), the crossdocked quantities will be advised when generating an E-WMS picking advice for these sales orders or production orders.

 

Points of attention


Production backflush items
Backflush items will typically not be picked using E-WMS, but will be processed automatically when receving the production order in Exact Globe Next or when processing a production receipt in E-WMS. Backflush items can be excluded from an E-WMS production picking advice. In the receipts process, crossdocking will only be enabled for backflush items, when backflush lines are also included (setting enabled) in the E-WMS production issues picking advice. Exact Globe Next is also not aware of a 'crossdocking' location used by E-WMS. When the material would be crossdocked in E-WMS, but the material line is backflushed while processing a production receipt, then the default item location (as planned in the production order) will be used, which is not necessarily the same as the crossdocking location. You could also choose the 'exclude' backflush items always from crossdocking.

Production: guided issues and free issue scanning
When stock is crossdocked for production orders in E-WMS receipts registration , then that stock position on the crossdock location will be adviced again when generating a picking advice in E-WMS guided production issues. However, when scanning free material issues (hand terminal menu: Production, Issues, Issues) then there is no validation whether you are scanning materials from a crossdock location. This means there would be a risk, issuing stock which was intended for another production order. E-WMS crossdocking will work best, when using 'project bins' per production order, or when putting a paper with the production order number on the crossdocked stock.

E-WMS guided issues primary usage will be, to get a logical sorted picking list so you can gather the materials needed to start a production order. Materials already available on the production crossdocking location (which may well be a production floor location, when in the same warehouse) may in fact not have to be 'picked' anymore from warehouse storage. Guided issues is however also used to process the actual issue, so crossdocking locations will still be part of the material picking advice.

Summarizing quantities
E-WMS crossdocking will always generate separate crossdock advice per (sales- or production) order, and not one total for the requirements of all sales orders. This means E-WMS Crossdocking will work best, when marking the crossdocked stock with the (sales or production) order number for which it is intended. Also when using the E-WMS item setting 'crossdock size': this size is applied per separate target order. Putting aside more than needed for one order, does not influence the quantity to put aside for the next order. This means that this 'crossdock size' will be more efficient to use for production orders, and not as much for sales order purposes.

Serial/batch number allocated
When you allocated (entered) a specific serial/batch number in the sales order line or in the production material line, E-WMS will ignore this line for crossdocking purposes. Allocation a S/B number would mean that you want to use a specific, probably existing S/B number, and therefore crossdocking cannot be applied, since crossdocking advice lines are already generated on the hand terminal before quantity and S/B number are scanned.

Purchase units
When a purchase order would normally be received while scanning purchase units; for crossdocking the received unit will always be changed to the default sales unit of an item.

Order allocations
A purchase order for which crossdocking is started, can already be allocated to a sales order or a production order. E-WMS applies order allocations as following:

  • the allocated sales- or production order for the currently received purchase order, will have highest priority for crossdocking (will be shown first as crossdock advice)
  • sales orders or production orders allocated to another purchase order than currently being received, are excluded from crossdocking for that current receipt

Warehouse
E-WMS will only generate crossdock advice lines for order- or material lines in the same warehouse, as used for the purchase order being received. This is because only one warehouse can be used when processing the receipt of a purchase order.

Partial delivery
For Exact Globe Next it can be configured per sales order, whether 'partial delivery' of the order is allowed. In E-WMS crossdocking settings, crossdocking can be limited to only sales order allowing partial delivery. This 'partial delivery' setting is however not available for production orders, so crossdocking will always be initiated for any open material line (when matching the other criteria, like date range or order status), including 'backorder' material lines (split lines after partial issue). This also applies to sales order with backorder lines. Therefore it is not possible to limit crossdocking to production orders for which enough materials are received to produce the whole order. The received quantity is only scanned after the crossdock advice lines have been generated (based on the ordered quantity in the purchase order) on the hand terminal.

Stock already available on a crossdocking location
When scanning a crossdock receipt, E-WMS checks whether stock was already put aside on the crossdocking location, for the current order to crossdock for. The quantity to crossdock will then be adjusted, if stock has already been crossdocked for the same order. However, when stock is stored on a crossdocking location outside of the crossdocking process, then this stock is ignored as 'available' for crossdocking purposes, since E-WMS cannot determine to what purpose that stock was put there. This applies to the location configured per item, and to the general crossdock location.

Real-time transfers
'Real-time transfers' are disabled for crossdocking receipt lines, since crossdocked stock is not transferred by scanning. Instead, the receipt location is changed to the crossdock location.

Crossdocking SKU items
When using SKU items in crossdocking, you will basically build one SKU per separate crossdocked advice line; or you can crossdock in sales units without assigning a SKU number for this stock.


Related documents

keywords: cross docking cross-docking cross dock cross-dock

     
 Main Category: Attachments & notes  Document Type: Support - On-line help
 Category:  Security  level: All - 0
 Sub category:  Document ID: 19.816.430
 Assortment:  Date: 16-12-2020
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