Insights

By Rick Loh, CEO, NW Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd

Walk into many warehouses late in the afternoon and you will see a storekeeper sitting at a desk with a pile of delivery notes, picking slips and count sheets, keying the day's movements into the ERP. Until that pile is cleared, the system is describing the warehouse as it was this morning.

That gap is behind most everyday warehouse problems: stock nobody can find, the wrong item shipped, a count that never quite matches. This article looks at what Infor LN and Infor CloudSuite Industrial Enterprise (CSIE) already provide for warehouse control, and how barcode and mobile scanning closes the gap between the physical move and the system record.

What LN already gives the warehouse

Infor CSIE is the cloud edition of Infor LN, so the warehousing functions below apply to both. Infor's documentation describes a structured flow for each stage.

Receiving and putaway. Goods are received against an inbound order. In location-controlled warehouses, LN then generates inbound advice that tells staff which location the goods should go to, and a storage list can give more detailed putaway instructions. Once the goods are put away, the order line moves to Put Away status.

Picking. On the outbound side, LN generates and releases outbound advice, which allocates stock from specific locations. A picking list is then generated and confirmed once the goods are picked.

Shipping. Shipments can be frozen while documents such as packing lists and delivery notes are printed, then confirmed when the goods leave the warehouse.

Cycle counting. LN generates cycle count orders based on each item's ABC class and counting interval. You can block stock points during a count to prevent miscounts, set tolerances for variances, require approval or a recount, and have LN post the adjustment when the count is processed.

Labels. LN Warehousing can print handling unit labels, with the barcode type defined by label layout and by warehouse activity.

The process design is already in the system. What usually lets it down is the moment of data entry.

Where warehouse accuracy slips

Errors tend to creep in at the same five points:

• Receiving. A wrong item code or quantity is keyed from the delivery note, or the receipt is entered hours after the goods arrived.

• Putaway. Goods go to the nearest empty rack instead of the advised location, so the system location is wrong from day one.

• Picking. Similar part numbers sit side by side, the picker relies on memory, and picks are confirmed in bulk at the end of the day.

• Cycle counts. Count sheets are filled in by hand and keyed in later, so a typing error shows up as a stock variance.

• Shipping. Nobody makes a final check that what is on the pallet matches the shipment.

Each slip is small. Together they explain why stock records drift and people stop trusting the system.

Scanning at the point of work

Barcode scanning fixes the moment of entry. Instead of reading a code and typing it, the operator scans the label on the item, the location or the document. The system records exactly what was scanned, at the time the work is done rather than later at a desk.

NWSM Barcode is our own barcode product for Infor LN, built and supported by the NWSM team. It replaces keyed warehouse and production movements with four scan flows:

1. Receipt, so incoming goods are scanned in rather than typed.

2. Issue, so material issued to production is scanned out.

3. Complete, so finished output is scanned as it is reported complete.

4. Transfer, so stock movements are scanned as they happen.

These are the movements most often typed late or typed wrong.

Insight, our Android app for Infor LN, takes mobile transactions further, with modules for Receiving, Material Issue, Report Production, Inspection and Shipment. For dispatch accuracy, the Shipment module lets staff confirm shipments from a handheld device at the loading bay instead of on paper.

Picking and cycle counting run on LN's standard processes described above. If you want those scanned as well, we can scope it with you, starting from what LN already does.

Get the basics right before you scan

Scanners only help if the data behind them is sound. Before going live, check:

1. Labels. Decide what gets a label (items, locations, documents or handling units) and where labels are printed.

2. Locations. Make sure every rack and bin exists both physically and in LN, with the same code on the label as in the system.

3. Units of measure. Agree whether staff scan cartons, packs or pieces, and make sure LN converts between them correctly.

4. Coverage. Test Wi-Fi wherever people will scan, including mezzanines and cold rooms.

5. Exceptions. Train staff on what to do when a label is damaged, a delivery is short or an item has no barcode.

Where to start

Do not scan everything at once. Pick the flow where errors hurt most, often receiving, because a wrong receipt spoils every transaction after it.

First measure where you stand with your own numbers: receipt corrections last month, shipments that went out with errors, and how far your last cycle count was from the system. Repeat the check a few months after go-live. Your own before and after figures are the best evidence that the change is working.

Accuracy pays off beyond the warehouse too. When receipts and shipments are right first time, purchase matching, invoicing and stock valuation need less correction.

Talk to us

If you run Infor LN or CSIE and your warehouse team still types most of its movements, we would be glad to walk through your receiving or dispatch area with you and point out where scanning would make the biggest difference. Contact NWSM at inquiry@nwsm.com or +603 7713 5388.