Introduction

This document describes the rules for the E-WMS picking advice location policy and SKU advice policy, per product update 413.

For description of these settings in release 407 and earlier, please see this document.

Description

Settings for a location advice policy are available in following WMS setting tabs:

• WMS Fulfilment advice
• WMS Replenishment
• WMS Production Issues

The following basic polices are applied when selecting stock to be picked, in this order of priority:

• Serial/batch (S/B) policy
• SKU policy
• Location policy
  

These policies can be enabled or disabled for each WMS module's settings.

Location policy

The location policy is the last step in calculating of what stock to pick. For serial/batch items this would only apply when one 'end date' or batch is advised, stored on several locations, or when the S/B advice is disabled. 

Full SKU first from bulk location

This setting is only enabled when SKU Management is activated, and overrules the location advice policy, specifically when the 'location advice policy' is set to 'Pick locations only', to pick full SKUs directly from bulk locations. The stock on picking locations can then be left for smaller sales orders, without having to replenish stock again when used for large orders. 

You have following choices:

• Full SKU: Advice stock from bulk locations, for following SKUs:
  • Full: current SKU stock is equal to the SKU default quantity and the stock received on the SKU;
  • Overfull: current SKU stock is more than the default SKU quantity but equal to the stock received;
  • Incomplete: current SKU stock is less than the default SKU quantity, but equal to the stock received on the SKU.

  SKUs with the best matching quantities are first selected (after first applying a serial/batch- or FIFO advice).
  Excluded from this selection are 'broken' SKUs: SKUs where the current stock quantity is less than the stock received on the SKU. 

• Broken SKU: Apply for broken SKUs only; to clean out broken SKUs on bulk locations first.
  Broken SKUs are SKUs where the current stock quantity is less than the stock received on the SKU.
  Excluded from this selection are full, overfull and incomplete SKUs.
  SKUs with the best matching quantities are first selected (after first applying a serial/batch- or FIFO advice).
  
• None: SKUs are never advised from bulk, when you location advice policy is set to 'picking locations only'.

This configuration would be selected when working with E-WMS Replenishment, however the replenishment advice does not predict what stock would be advised to pick direct from bulk locations in the sales order advice. Replenishment would still replenish these 'full SKU' quantities to the picking locations. The only exception is when the WMS scenario '1. Generate replenishment orders, send sales orders picking immediately' is active. In that case, the replenishment orders are based on already created sales order picking advices, and therefore full SKUs directly picked from bulk are no longer advised for replenishment.

Location advice policy
This setting offers following choices:

• Pick and bulk locations: both pick and bulk locations are advised, without any priority for either 'pick' or 'bulk' locations
• Pick locations first: first advice available stock on locations of type 'None' or 'Pick location'. Only advise bulk locations when there is insufficient stock on the pick locations.
• Pick locations only: stock on bulk type locations is disregarded, even if there would be insufficient stock available on the pick locations. Even older batches on bulk locations are disregarded.  See remarks above for setting 'Full SKU first from bulk location'
• Bulk locations first: first advice available stock on locations of type 'Bulk'. Only advise picking locations when there is insufficient stock on the bulk locations.
• Bulk locations only: stock on picking locations (type 'None' or 'Pick location') is disregarded

When WMS orderpicking scenario'1' is enabled, this setting is preset to 'Picking locations only', and cannot be changed.

S/B in orderline: pick and bulk
This setting was introduced in release 408 for support of order picking scenario '1. Generate replenishment orders, send sales orders picking immediately'. When a serial/batch number is entered in an order line, a regular S/B advice based on batch dates is bypassed. In the case when picking locations are configured to store 'variable batch' or 'variable end date', so to store only one batch at a time, it would not be possible to replenish a specific batch until the picking location is empty. Or vice versa, when the order-specific batch would be replenished to the picking location, other batches cannot be replenished to that location for other orders, until that location is empty.

When enabled, order-specific S/B numbers can be advised from either pick- or bulk locations, overruling the regular location advice policy.
When disabled, order-specific S/B numbers are only advised according to the location advice policy.

When scenario '1' is active, this setting is disabled and preset to 'on', and order-specific batches are replenished to bulk locations allowing breaking up, near the item main location. So the order picker has to be sent to these bulk locations.

Pallet quantity from bulk
This setting was introduced in release 413, and is only visible when SKU Management is disabled, and when usage of warehouse locations is enabled.
The setting offers the possibility to pick larger quantities directly from bulk locations, instead of from picking locations.
Please see this document for more details.

When disabled, then item setting 'Pick from bulk: quantity' is ignored.

Picking locations
You are able to configure what location policy you want to apply for pick locations. These are locations configured as 'Pick location' or as 'None' in warehouse maintenance.

• Minimize number of locations: Advice the locations which would minimize the number of stops. For instance: you need 50, and stock is available on locations A:40, B:10 and C:60, then location C would be advised. The advantage of this configuration is less 'stops', and the disadvantage is that you may create leftovers on the pick locations.
  
• Make locations empty: First advise the locations with the least stock, to make room to replenish the pick locations again. Using the same sample case as above, you now would visit locations A and B to pick 40 + 10 items. The advantage of this configuration is that locations are picked clean to make room for new stock, the disadvantage is that you may have to visit more locations during order picking.
  

Bulk locations
You are able to configure what location policy you want to apply for bulk locations:

• Minimize number of locations: Advice the locations which would minimize the number of stops. For instance: you need 50, and stock is available on locations A:40, B:10 and C:60, then location C would be advised. The advantage of this configuration is less 'stops', and the disadvantage is that you may create leftovers on the pick locations.
  
• Make locations empty: First advise the locations with the least stock, to make room to replenish the pick locations again. Using the same sample case as above, you now would visit locations A and B to pick 40 + 10 items. The advantage of this configuration is that locations are picked clean to make room for new stock, the disadvantage is that you may have to visit more locations during order picking.
  

Picking locations: SKU policy
You are able to configure what policy you want to apply for SKU stock on a picking location. This policy is only applied after applying above location policy, and only per single location having multiple SKUs on stock. When a picking location can hold a maximum of one pallet, then above location policy already preselects stock, and this SKU policy does not apply.

• Avoid breaking, minimize number of SKUs: pick (from) as less SKUs as possible, and use as much complete SKUs as possible. Do not advice part of a SKU when this quantity can be picked otherwise.
• Avoid breaking, clean out SKUs: visit as much SKUs as possible to pick these empty, and make room for new stock. Do not advice part of a SKU when this quantity can be picked otherwise.
• Minimize number of SKUs: pick (from) as less SKUs as possible.
• Clean out SKUs: pick (from) as much SKUs as possible to pick these empty

Bulk locations: SKU policy
You are able to configure what policy you want to apply for SKU stock on a bulk location. This policy is only applied after the location policy, and only per single location having multiple SKUs on stock. When a bulk location can hold a maximum of one pallet, then above location policy already preselects stock, and this SKU policy does not apply.

• Avoid breaking, minimize number of SKUs: pick (from) as less SKUs as possible, and use as much complete SKUs as possible. Do not advice part of a SKU when this quantity can be picked otherwise.
• Avoid breaking, clean out SKUs: visit as much SKUs as possible to pick these empty, and make room for new stock. Do not advice part of a SKU when this quantity can be picked elsewhere as a whole.
• Minimize number of SKUs: pick (from) as less SKUs as possible.
• Clean out SKUs: pick (from) as much SKUs as possible to pick these empty and make room for new stock

Remarks: Picking Advice

• When the setting 'picking advice' is disabled, then:
  • all order lines are sent picking without checking the available stock first. The only stock check is done on the scanner (when enabled), and after reading back and validating in the control center.
  • the ordered quantity will always be advised from the item's default location, regardless if there would be enough stock available on that location.
  • the quantities for the order lines that were sent picking, are not reserved within E-WMS stock reservations. Only after scanning an issue, the scanned quantity is reserved.
    
• When 'picking advice' is enabled, the available stock is calculated before sending the advice lines to the scanner.
  
• When SSCC registration is enabled during orderpicking and you are using single pallet locations, than the advice will present the picking list optimal for the order picker: per pallet. When not using Route Optimizing or not using single pallet locations, the order picker has to change the picked quantity manually for each picked pallet to link the next SSCC number to that quantity - or scan the pallet EAN128 barcode which could include the pallet quantity.
  
• If you are frequently fulfilling fresh products - direct from your production line to the shipping dock -, then WMS picking advice may not 'see' this fresh stock as available yet, because you sent the sales order to the scanner prior to processing the (production) receipt. The picking advice is static once calculated, and is not updated while order picking. In that case it may be advisable to disable 'picking advice', to still send the order picking despite having insufficient stock at the moment of sending picking.
  
• A picking advice will only work optimally if you have real-time stock transaction processing, so if you use WMS ASP in combination with the WMS RF services, allowing for background processing.
  
• 'Picking advice' must be enabled for following E-WMS functionality: SKU Management, Pick&Pack, Cross docking
  
• The calculated picking advice is not sorted yet (by location). The sort order of the lines to be picked depends on the setting 'Picking method' in section 'Send to scanner' of the respective WMS module, so sorting is only done during the step 'send do scanner'.
  
• When using SKU Management, the SKU- or location setting 'Allow breaking up SKU' restricts the advice when part of a SKU is needed. When breaking up is not allowed, this may lead to the error message 'insufficient stock or SKU stock not allowed'. This document shows more restrictions resulting in 'insufficient stock' advice error.

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