Wms Questions

1. Are locators mandatory for WMS ? 2. What is WMS enabled Inventory? 3. How WMS Enabled inventory different from normal Inventory? 4. What are the Transactions we use in WMS? 5. What setup you do to enable WMS for an inventory organization ? 6. What is LPN ? 7. What is cost group ? 8. What are the different rules you can setup in WMS ? 9. What is pick wave ? 10.Where do you use multi-level LPN ? 11.Explain put away rules ? 12.What Are The Different Status Of A LPN And What Does Each Context Mean ?

Ans: Oracle Warehouse Management system (WMS) defines a context for each LPN to denote the current state of the LPN. The table below summarizes the LPN context codes currently defined in Oracle WMS.

LPN Context Value 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Description Resides in Inventory Resides in WIP Resides in Receiving Issued out of Stores Pre-generated Resides in Intransit Resides in Vendor Site Packing context Loaded to Dock (for shipment) Prepack of WIP Picked

Definitions of Context Values Resides in Inventory ============== An LPN with a context of 1 indicates that material associated with this LPN has been costed and accounted for in inventory. A LPN with this context may not be used when receiving material against a standard or inspection routed receipt, but may be used during a direct delivery routed receipt. Outbound transactions can be performed on LPNs with a context of 1. Resides in WIP =========== An LPN with a context of 2 indicates that material associated with this LPN is currently being transacted in WIP (Work in Process). Therefore, the associated material is not yet in inventory and has not been costed to Inventory. Resides in Receiving =============== An LPN with a context of 3 indicates that material associated with this LPN have been received using a standard routing or inspection routing receipt and have not been put away yet. Therefore, the associated material is not yet in inventory and has not been costed to inventory.

Issued out of Stores ============== LPNs with a context of 4 are no longer tracked by the system, and hence, no longer associated with a locator within the warehouse. The system does however retain history information pertaining to transactions this LPN was involved in and material it was associated with prior to leaving the warehouse. LPNs shipped out of inventory receive this context and may not be re-received. Pre-generated ========== When LPNs are pre-generated by Oracle WMS and have not been used yet, they are not associated with any physical material. They can be printed and used to identify material during any stage of the material management process such as inbound, replenishment, outbound, and so on. Essentially, this context refers to LPNs that are ready to be used. Resides in Intransit ============= A LPN with this context is an indication that it is currently moving from one location to another. Possible uses for this are when a LPN is moved from one organization to the next, for example while the LPN is on a truck. The LPN is in an intermediary state, but resides within the entire system. This context is used only for inter-org transit or internal sales orders where an indirect shipping network is defined between the organizations. Resides in Vendor Site ================ When a vendor sends an Advanced Shipment Notice (ASN) to Oracle WMS, the system internally generates LPNs and associates them with material information on the ASN. These LPNs receive a context of 7. Material associated with LPNs of this context are not on-hand or costed until it is actually received. Packing Context (Used as a Temporary Context Value ) ============ This context is temporary and used internally by the software as an intermediary. It should not be used or referenced anywhere including the setup of picking or put away rules. Loaded for shipment =============== An LPN loaded for shipment has just been loaded onto a carrier ready to leave the warehouse. Once the entire carrier leaves the dock, the LPN obtains a context of 6 Resides in Intransit or 4 Issued out of Stores. Prepack of WIP =========== LPNs that reside in WIP and are associated with material that is pre-packed by WIP receive this context. This context adds an extra level of granularity to an LPN’s usage within WIP. This is used when the system has associated the LPN with material and printed the labels, but the material has not yet been physically packed. Picked ===== LPNs picked during the picking process receive this context. They are intransit within the warehouse.

13.What are task management activities you can do in MWS ? 14.Explain cross-docking feature ?

Cross Docking Speeds Shipments, Reduces Handling. Moving goods directly from the loading dock to an awaiting outbound vehicle sounds simple, but implementation of a crossdocking system takes considerable planning. Manufacturers that have done it successfully, however, say the effort is well worth it.

Cross docking helps users control the supply chain rather than react to it, speeds order shipment, and cuts handling costs. The concept is simple: inbound products intended for a specific customer location are intercepted at or near the loading dock, consolidated, if necessary, and sent directly (often across the dock) to an outbound vehicle. There's no put-away, storage, or picking. Cross-docked items fill outstanding orders or, in a worse case, are expedited to speed shipment of products on back order. Handling is typically by unit load or case, but sometimes reaches the "each" level. "Cross docking really is a way to satisfy a foreseeable, immediate demand," says Kerry Naliwajka, director of warehouse system implementations for Logility Inc. WarehousePro, Logility's warehouse management system (WMS), has cross-docking capability. In operation, cross-docking systems work much like the one at electrical part maker Square D's distribution center in Mechanicsburg, PA. Personnel affix bar code labels to truckloads of incoming shipments arriving from throughout the company's world-wide plant network and scan them for data that's then fed into a WMS. If the WMS determines that the product is sold, it's moved directly to the shipping dock and loaded onto an outbound trailer. At the same time, any required paperwork is generated, including invoice. While the concept may be simple, implementation takes considerable planning. Not all products are suited for automated cross docking, and cross docking all incoming product is often impractical. The right materialhandling hardware and management software are essential, and the facility must be able to accommodate additional receiving and shipping activities and the staging of incoming and outgoing trailers. The facility also must provide adequate space for sorting incoming goods and consolidating outgoing shipments. Finally, implementing an automated cross-docking operation may require changes in the supplier's manufacturing process. However, the effort is well worth it. Eliminating put-away and picking, two of the most costly operations in a warehouse, cuts expense and reduces handling. Reduced handling means less damage. In addition, since product isn't stored, inventory turns increase, cutting inventory carrying costs. Another advantage is increased throughput. "We would not be able to process the amount of product we do in a manual facility," says Ken Landego, vice president of sales and marketing at USF Distribution. USF also reduced cycle times using its system, designed by Alvey Integrated Business Solutions. "We can receive product much later and have it out in much shorter time," he says. Cross docking's advantages have fueled its rapid growth, especially for shipments destined for retailers. According to a recent study by Kurt Salmon Associates for the International Mass Retail Association, cross docking in the retail sector has roughly doubled in the past two years. Penetration in manufacturing is generally believed to lag behind retail but also is growing. In operations using cross docking, the percentage of product handled in this manner varies from 1% or 2% to all shipments. Facilities that are set up for 100% cross docking fill orders from just-in-time manufacturing operations like those commonplace among automakers; most will not assume a supplier's inventory carrying cost. Fast-moving products and special or back orders are most frequently chosen for cross docking. However, advantages result from cross docking slow movers too, particularly if arrivals and shipments can be planned according to a regular schedule, such as a particular day of the week. Crossdocking decisions also should factor in such volume variations as season demand or discount promotions. Any evaluation also offers an opportunity to look beyond one's immediate operation back to suppliers and forward to customers' practices. "There may be better ways to ship or receive," says Jim Cahill, vice president at Alvey Integrated Business Solutions. Not every situation or product is suitable for cross docking. For example, in a product handling system based on a first-in, first-out philosophy, a cross-docking system gives preference to newly arriving product over goods already in inventory to fill outbound orders. It's also almost impossible to cross dock products slated to receive value-added services such as vendorspecific labeling or repackaging. More than anything else, cross docking depends on accurate collection and transmission of product and shipping data, as well as the ability to use the information to make decisions. As a result, "The software side of the system is probably the most challenging," says USF's Landego. While there are standard cross-docking packages, most must be modified to reflect customer-specific shipping and reporting needs, he says. At the heart of most operations is a WMS with cross-docking capability or a crossdocking management system (CMS) with warehousing capability. "There's a vast difference between warehousing and cross-dock management," says Joe Munley, manager of distribution at BJ's Wholesale Club Inc. With the retailer's two distribution centers cross docking more than 75% of their incoming orders, BJ's opted for the CMS from McHugh Software International Inc. In addition to all the necessary cross-docking features, the system incorporates the warehouse management functions needed to accommodate the goods destined for storage. The biggest benefit of the system, says Munley, is an improved flow of merchandise. For those looking to replace or install a warehouse management system, "choose a package that has the proper level of support for the type of cross docking that you need to do," says consultant Don Derewecki, executive vice president of Gross & Associates. "If you already have a WMS, check into the functionality of the system to see if it will do [cross docking]," he says. "If not, see if there's an add-on module you can

purchase." What functions should a WMS have? "This is an area where you need to devote a lot of attention, especially in the preplanning stage," cautions Landego. It's essential to select an open architecture that can be modified easily to accommodate different needs. A full-featured WMS enables instant identification of orders suitable for cross docking. It also pools product for truck loading. "You can't cross dock unless you know what's where," explains Burt Schaffer, regional general manager at Tompkins Associates. Because newly arrived goods must flow through the system without delays for information-gathering, bar code readers and software must be capable of handling any code that might be encountered. When cross docking back orders, the WMS must be able to access the order file and identify the orders. With back orders, vendors may also have to redo credit checks to determine if approval is still valid. Such extra work will likely negate the chance to cross dock unless the system can do it in real time. Another desirable WMS feature is its ability to consider shipment-specific trailer loading requirements. This is essential if loads are built for a route with multiple stops. Under that scenario, cross docking needs to factor in the account loading sequence of the trailer so docks don't become cluttered with outbound product being staged for most efficient delivery. Similarly, maintaining family or product groupings is essential if the cross-docked order is going to a retail outlet that wants shipments grouped by department because it's easier for personnel to handle and put away. A WMS also must be able to communicate up and down the line. For example, receiving needs to know in advance about incoming goods. If there is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, it needs to be advised that a product was received and immediately shipped. Down the line, communication with an electronic data interchange (EDI) package enables the system to generate an advance ship notice (ASN) for the customer on a timely basis. Counting and allocation also are important crossdocking software features. "There needs to be an automatic plan of what to do if a shipment is short," says Jim Apple, director at a consulting firm called The Progress Group who worked on a cross-docking project for Tesco, a large grocery store chain. Conversely, if orders are rounded up to the next logical handling unit, software should identify and account for any leftovers and then manage the handling and storage of those items. The more sophisticated systems make possible what's known as opportunistic cross docking. As the software identifies incoming product, "It cancels any picks for it that have been scheduled but not accomplished and replaces them with merchandise arriving on the receiving dock," says Dan Trew, vice president of product strategy for Catalyst International, whose WMS has a cross-docking option. Higher efficiency results. However, "Most cross-docking failures are due to insufficient understanding of the requirements for successful cross docking and a lack of planning for the execution," writes Schaffer in a paper entitled "Implementing a Successful Cross-Docking Operation." A successful cross-docking system isn't planned casually. A formal program must: address partnering and communication issues with other members of the distribution chain; ascertain confidence level in the quality and availability of product; review existing and anticipated requirements for personnel, equipment, and facilities, including communications and control within the cross-docking operation; provide tactical management. To accomplish all this, action steps must be sequentially addressed. This will help ensure that all the products that can practically be cross docked are considered. Because suppliers must take on new product labeling tasks and deliver smaller quantities more frequently, the importance of involving them early in planning cannot be understated, according to Chris Stephenson, director of research and development at EXE Technologies Inc. The company recently added a cross-dock component to its EXceed warehouse management system. Cross-docking experts also stress the importance of flexible systems. "Needs will change," says Landego. Plan sufficient capacity to handle the end-of-the day peak, as well as future growth. At the same time, be conservative with predictions. Don't forget to consider potential downtime due to equipment glitches, maintenance requirements, and product and process variability. Also, make provisions for handling and storing products that can't be cross docked because of an error, lack of an outbound trailer, or other problem. Finally, make sure there are sound business reasons to automate. "This should encompass not only the economics of moving product, but also the economics of supporting customer needs and improving the quality of the product or service offered," says Landego. MA

15.What is bulk picking ? 16.Can WMS support over picking ? 17.What is express picking ? 18.Explain the cartonization features ? 19.What is warehouse control board ? 20.Can we use MSCA without WMS ?

Ans : MSCA : Mobile Supply Chain Application. 21.What is the Difference Between Invoice & manifest ? Ans : manifest contain Item details in the carton like serial number, item name, quantity, order detail, delivery, customer detail. Invoice contain price, quantity item order number . No serial number in invoice . 22.What is MSCA ? Ans: MSCA : Mobile Supply Chain Application. 23.What are warehouse management strategies ? 24.What is the diff between LPN & Pallet? 25.What is LPN? 26.What is Pallet? 27.What are the commonly used transactions in WMS? 28.Tell us about your experience in warehousing? 29.What is FIFO, LIFO in ware house management? 30.What is Warehouse Management System & Why to use it ?

Ans : A warehouse management system, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, putaway and picking. The systems also direct and optimize stock putaway based on real-time information about the status of bin utilization. Warehouse management systems often utilize Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) technology, such as barcode scanners, mobile computers, wireless LANs and potentially Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to efficiently monitor the flow of products. Once data has been collected, there is either a batch synchronization with, or a real-time wireless transmission to a central database. The database can then provide useful reports about the status of goods in the warehouse. The objective of a warehouse management system is to provide a set of computerized procedures to handle the receipt of stock and returns into a warehouse facility, model and manage the logical representation of the physical storage facilities (e.g. racking etc), manage the stock within the facility and enable a seamless link to order processing and logistics management in order to pick, pack and ship product out of the facility.

The primary purpose of a WMS is to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse – you might even describe it as the legs at the end-of-the line which automates the store, traffic and shipping management. The objective of warehousing management is to help in optimal cost of timely order fulfillment by managing the resources economically. Warehouse management = "Management of storage of products and services rendered on the products within the four walls of a warehouse"

WMS Benefits :

• • • • • • •

Faster inventory turns More efficient use of available warehouse space Reduction in inventory paperwork Improved cycle counting Reduced dependency on warehouse personnel Enhanced customer service Improved labor productivity

Advantages for WMS Users : For Management: WMS can help management to access an instant picture of • • • • •

How much inventory exists in the warehouse How many orders are currently being shipped What are the stages of processing of pending orders Staff productivity details Goods shipped by the warehouse over any given period of time.

30. Why should you use cartonization? Cartonization is the process that suggests a container for packing items based on packing constraints such as cubic volume of items and container volume. Cartonization logic is most often invoked prior to picking when the orders are pick released. Typically cartonization is used in this fashion to suggest an appropriate sized box or carton for loose item picks in the forward pick area. Oracle WMS can also generate a UCC-128 shipping label for the suggested carton. Subsequent picking in WMS can be done using "Pick by label" i.e. operator scans the shipping label and applies the label to the suggest container. The picks for that carton are now dispatched to the operator on the hand held device. Some use cases of cartonization are as follows:

•

Pick eaches into a pregenerated carton LPN: This type of cartonization is frequently used when a warehouse operator picks eaches into an either a tote or a shipping carton. Cartonization should be restricted to warehouse area that stocks loose items. Cartonization should allow item commingling. This cartonization technique is ideal for order pick with "pick and pass" option.

•

Cartonization with shippable cases: This type of cartonization is typically used when cases or full pallets with standard pack quantity are picked and a pre-generated shipping label is applied at the time of picking. Cartonization should be restricted to warehouse. In addition, cartonization should merely suuggest packing the standard pack quantity of each case or a pallet into the cartonized LPN. This cartonization technique is not suitable for "Pick and Pass" option. The picked cases should ideally be moved to staging area on a conveyor where they should be consolidated and palletized.

•

Pick cases into a pregenerated pallet LPN: This type of cartonization is used when a warehouse operator picks cases into a pallet. Cartonization should be restricted to In addition, item commingling can be allowed such that a mixed pallet can be built during picking. This cartonization technique is ideal for case picks using order pick or discrete pick. "Pick and pass" option can also be used with this cartonization technique.

The biggest benefit of cartonization is the ability to perform one step pick and pack of items directly into a shipping container. If the order to be picked spans a number of warehouse zones, you can use either cluster picking or "Pick and pass" option to decrease the travel time as well. The alternative to cartonization would be a 2 step process where you pick items into a tote followed by a downstream packing operation into the final shipping container. Clearly cartonization saves an additional pack operation. However you will also miss-out on one advantage that the 2 step process offers: additional validation during packing operation. If you plan to pick high value items using cartonization you could possibly have an exception based validation process using a weighing scale interface.

E-Business Suite Release 12.1 This release is important for WMS as there are many powerful features available in this release. The main features for WMS are: a. Forward Pick Area Replenishment: This includes demand driven "Pull" and "Push" replenishment to a pick area from reserve or bulk area. b. High Volume Case Picking: Ability to generate case labels and perform picking and labeling of multiple cases using a single task. Cases can be picked and loaded to conveyor (Pick To Belt) or picked on to a pallet (Pick to Pallet). c. Flexible Cartonization: Enables "Pick and pass" and "Zone Picking" directly into shipping cartons.

d. Cluster pick using labels: Enables cluster pick or batch pick of multiple orders directly into pre-labeled shipping cartons. e. Load Sequencing and Dock door appointment synchronization: Leverage transportation planning and carrier appointment in Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) to plan execution in WMS. Ensure that material is staged to the right dock door at the right time.

31 .

What is Manifest Picking?

The term "pick manifest" simply means a list of orders or cartons that need to be picked and "manifest picking" essentially allows a warehouse operator to pick multiple orders in one pass using a list of orders or shipping cartons. Therefore manifest picking does require either a paper list of orders or shipping labels with order information or cartonized LPN labels. So what is involved in Manifest Picking?

•

First: The operator builds a pick manifest at the start of picking operation by scanning multiple cartonized LPNs or sales orders. • Second: The operator picks the material for the orders using a set of interleaved pick tasks. This way more than one order can be simeltaneously picked in a single pass of the pick zone. • Third: Once all tasks from all orders are picked, the operator either drops the picked LPNs or performs a "Pass" to the next zone. benefits : Reduced travel time and significant improvement in operator productivity. Imagine the possibilities: in a single sweep of the warehouse the pick operator can pick 4-5 or even 20-30 orders. 32 . What is the difference between cluster pick and manifest pick?

Ans : Not a whole lot. They are similar i.e. both allow a batch of orders to be picked simultaneously. However manifest picking gives you greater control over what orders you want to pick. The pick operator can select what orders to pick. This is especially useful when you have cartonized LPNs.

33.

What are Cartonized LPNs?

Ans : Cartonized LPNs are simply shipping carton labels that are generated when orders are released to the warehouse. The shipping carton label indicates what size of carton to use when picking a bunch of items belonging to an order. So cartonized LPN label not only identifies the physical size of the carton but also identifies what order and what items need to be picked into it. If cartonized LPNs are used to build a pick manifest, the operator can directly pick and pack into a shipping carton. This means that the packing operation at the end of the pick line can be eliminated. 34. Manifest Picking and Pick/Pass ? Manifest picking can also be used in a pick and pass mode where the pick manifest is built by scanning the pick cartons placed on a picking cart. The picking cart can be passed from one zone to another until it reaches the end of the line. Note: Oracle Warehouse Management can help you decrease inventory, improve labor efficiency and increase space utilization. 35. What is Pick and Pass in WMS? 36. What is Pick face in warehouse ?

37. When Less orders leads to more Work ? When Less is More ? Ans : How do you reconcile the fact that while the overall warehouse volume is down you still need more workers in the warehouse to ship all the orders? A WMS customer recently pointed out this seemingly perplexing fact in a customer conference. So what is going on? Didn't we tell you before that for a warehouse the customer is really the "king"? In this case customers are merely responding to a low overall low demand and uncertainty. They do not want to hold down inventory and one of the

ways to do that is by decreasing the order size and ordering more frequently. What is overall impact to the warehouse? Two words: "More work!!" This is not all. Smaller order sizes also mean challenges from a transportation perspective including a rise in costlier parcel or LTL shipments instead of cheaper TL shipments. Here is a hypothetical scenario where a customer reduces the order size by 10% and increases the order frequency by 10%. As you can see in the following table, the overall volume declines by 1% but the warehouse has to ship roughly 10% more lines meaning more work but less products shipped out the door. Order Frequency (Line Count) Order Size (Units) Total Volume Change (%) 100

100

10,000

-

110

90

9,900

-1%

If you want to see how "Less is More" looks in graphical terms, look below. As you can see, depending upon lot size decrease and and order frequency increase, you may end up shipping less in $ terms as well as overall volume. However since the number of lines have gone up, you end up with increased work and activity in the warehouse: Even though the volume is down, there is going to be more work in the warehouse in terms of number of lines shipped. The operators need to pick more discrete orders, pack them into more shipping containers and ship more deliveries. What do you do differently if you are facing this situation? In this case here are some obvious steps to take: Uno: Change your pick methods. If you are used to doing order picks, it needs to go out the door. You need to evaluate batch picking and grouping techniques. Go for cluster picking, go for zone picking, pick and pass...anything that improves your picker productivity. More than anything, cluster picking works like a charm and above all, its simple and very effective. Dos: Are you minimizing "touch" points in your pick process? Consider doing one step pick, pack and confirm i.e. pick and pack stuff directly into shipping cartons. Done correctly the container will not require any more "touch" points all the way to the trailer loading. Use cartonization! Tres: Are products being picked from an optimized pick face? Consider automated "pull" or "push" replenishment into your pick face. This way more picks happen from an optimized pick area and automated replenishment avoids stock outs in the pick face. While on the topic of pick face, ensure that the items are slotted correctly. This involves making sure that high demand items are occupying the golden zones. Cuatro: Are you tracking labor productivity? If not there needs to be a concerted push for having labor standards in place. 38 . What is Label printing in WMS? 39. What is CUPS? CUPS is the standards-based, open source printing system developed by Apple Inc. for Mac OS and other UNIX-like operating systems. 40. WMS R12.1.2 Some features in WMS ? a. Labor Reporting from Wave Planning Dashboard: You can get a labor estimate for waves prior to release. This will be a great tool to preview the impact of a wave on warehouse resources and fine tune your labor deployment prior to release b. Crossdocking and Wave Planning: Wave Planning also estimates the fill rate by crossdocking. You can establish crossdock rules and let wave planning estimate the fill rate from crossdocking c. Cancel Tasks: This option gives an easy to use functionality to cancel a task directly from warehouse control board.

41. What is Advanced Wave Planning capabilities and forward pick replenishment ? Ans :

42. What is SSCC-18 ? Ans : The 18-digit after Application Identifier is the LPN, also known as SSCC-18(Serialized Shipping Container Code). This number is 18 digitals long, and it is globally unique. SSCC-18 tells any operator what the product is and where it is from. 43. GS1-128 Labeling ? Ans : the GS1-128 label is derived from Code 128, a simple symbology that translates numbers and characters into what's commonly known as "barcode". GS1-128 looks like a longer version of the typical barcode. It stores not only the serial number, but also the company and the application identifier. In essence, GS1-128 is an advanced barcode that provides the relevant business context in addition to identifying a product.

44. Genealogy ? Ans : Genealogy is a tool that captures and maintains product composition history . Lot Genealogy The most commonly genealogy in warehouse operations is in the form of "Lot Genealogy". Lot genealogy tracks the composition and where used history of a lot through split, merge and move. WMS automatically logs these transactions performed on any given lot and displays them in a tree-like structure. Lot genealogy is particularly useful in product recall situations. As an example, lot genealogy can be used when a company issues a recall for all finished goods containing a tainted lot of supplier raw material. Serial Genealogy Serial genealogy is the complimentary version of lot genealogy commonly used for discrete manufacturing. Serial genealogy is recorded upon job assemblies when the operator enters the generated serial numbers for each assembly. Serial genealogy works seamlessly with lot genealogy in the case of lot -> serial transactions. The ability to track individual item is useful in the case of asset maintenance and returns. As an example, it is possible to look up a returned faulty return product's serial number to compile a list of components and assemblies.

Note : The extensive automation at MTN includes interface with •

• • • • •

45.

Conveyor for item transport High Speed Sorter for item routing Put to Light for packing accuracy ASRS Carousel/Lift for inventory Security and Storage Optimization Check Weight Scale for shipping accuracy Automated Carton Erectors for package creation and Automated Carton Labeling

======================================================== ===============

Oracle Warehouse Management System Overview Oracle Warehouse Management System (WMS) is advanced inventory module with lot of unique features that improves productivity of distribution centers, manufacturing or inventory handling facilities. Oracle WMS supports manual data entry, bar code readers scanning for data entry as well as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanning. WMS can be enabled at Inventory organization level. Key business processes supported by Oracle WMS: • • • • •

Inbound Logistics (Receiving, supplier returns, corrections) Stocking and internal inventory movements WIP Job assembly completion, component issues Outbound Logistics (pickimg, packing, shipping) Reverse logistics (customer returns)

LPN is an object carries the location where it is residing and items that are holding. LPN need not be a physical object, it could be logical grouping. LPN simpley a group of items represented systematically. The major advantage of LPN is less number of transactions. Entire LPN can be transacted at once instead of by each line that LPN holds. License Plate Numbers (LPN):

Material Status: This

is one of the beautiful features of WMS, you can assign status to an item, lot or serial number. Each status is defined with a list of permissble transactions. Eg. if you have status called ‘No Sale’ and set the rules such that shipping is not allowed but all other internal inventory movements are allowed. Material status can enforce this kind of business rules. Label printing: WMS

partially supports this fucntionality. You can define label formats and fields (data) needed, you can associate this with WMS rules to print the label automatically. WMS can generate xml output, but you need a 3rd party label printing/formatting tool to actually print. This is another major functionality offered by WMS module. In standard Inventory module Inventory valuation accounts are derived by subinventory setups. In WMS based on cost group rules you can have different valuations independent of subinventories. Cost groups:

When a matrial is received you need to receive into stock. In a major distribution center it is often complex to know where to store the material. WMS offers putaway rules that can be setup based son Putaway Rules:

business criteria. Eg. If all hazarad material categy must be received into hazardous area then putaway rules can be setup. WMS Rules engine: WMS

rules engine enforces the rules defined for putaway, cost group or label printing. You can simulate the results based on set of rules defined.

Warehouse Management Profile Options Oracle Warehouse Management Profile Options PROFILE OPTION SHORT CODE

PROFILE OPTION NAME

WMS_EPC_SASN_COL

WMS: EPC ASN Serial import column

WMS_EPC_ENCODING

WMS: EPC Generation Encoding

WMS_IGNORE_EQUIPMENT

WMS: Ignore Equipment

WMS_LABEL_FOR_CYCLE_COUNT

WMS: Label Printing for Cycle Count

WMS_SYNCHRONOUS_TCPIP_LABEL_REQUE ST_DELAY

WMS: Synchronous TCP/IP label request delay

WMS_ALLOW_MIXED_STATUS

WMS: Allow Mixed Statuses in an LPN

WMS_DEPLOYMENT_MODE

WMS: Deployment Mode

WMS_LABEL_FILE_PREFIX

WMS: Label file prefix

WMS_EXPRESS_RETURN

WMS: Express Returns

WMS_PUTAWAY_ONLINE

WMS: Online Putaway

WMS_SUGGESTION_STALE_PERIOD

WMS: Suggestion Stale Period

WMS_PRINT_MODE

WMS: Label Print Mode

WMS_SUBINV_LOCATOR_DELIMITER

WMS: Subinventory/Locator Delimiter

WMS_BARCODE_FONT_NAME

WMS: Barcode Font Name

WMS_BARCODE_TYPE

WMS: Barcode Type

WMS_SEQUENCE_PICKS_ACROSS_WAVES

WMS:Sequence Picks Across Waves

WMS_CB_DEFAULT_SOURCE_TYPE

WMS: Default Source Type for Control Board

WMS_ASSIGN_TASK_TYPE

WMS: Assign Task Types

WMS_RFID_USER

WMS: RFID User

WMS_LABEL_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY

WMS: Label output directory

WMS_ITEM_REVISION_DELIMITER

WMS: Item/Revision Delimiter

WMS_PO_LINE_DELIMITER

WMS: PO Number/Line Delimiter

WMS_EPC_LASN_COL

WMS: EPC ASN LPN import column

Warehouse Management Concurrent Programs Oracle Warehouse Management System Concurrent Programs CONCURRENT PROGRAM SHORT CODE

CONCURRENT PROGRAM NAME

PURGE_WMS

Purge WMS History Tables

WMSDEVRR

Resubmit Device Requests

WMSASNI

WMS ASN DISCREPANCY REPORT

WMSSTCON

Consolidation Report

WMSPRPUT

Pre-generate Putaway Suggestions

WMS_GENERATE_LPN

Generate LPN

PREPACK

Prepacking Container at WIP

WMSGRULE

Generate all enabled WMS rules

WMSLCPUP

Update Locator Capacity

WMSSCHS

Scheduled Shipment Report for Direct Shipping

WMSSCHS1

Scheduled Shipment Report for Direct Shipping

WMSCPTYR

Warehouse Space Utilization Report

PURGE_WMS1

Purge WMS History tables

WMSRCAPI

Register Custom API’s

WMSGCAPI

Generate Custom API System Packages

WMSBLKPR

Create bulk pick tasks after pick release

WMSTARCM

Archive WMS Tasks

WMSTARCW

Archive WMS Tasks Worker

WMSTUARM

Un-Archive WMS Tasks

WMSTUARW

Un-Archive WMS Tasks Worker

WMS_LMS_STANDARDIZE

Program to Standardize Non-Standardized Lines

WMS_LMS_COPY_ACTUALS

Program to copy actual timings to expected timings

WMSCBTAC

Warehouse Control Board – Manage Tasks

WMS_LMS_PURGE_TXNS

Program to purge Labor Tracked Transactions

WMS_LMS_PURGE_SETUP_HIS TORY

Program to Purge Labor Setup History Records

WMS_LMS_LABOR_PRODUCTI VITY

Program for processing the data for Labor Productivity Analysis

WMS_LMS_EXP_RES_REQ

Program to process data for Expected Resource Requirement Analysis

WMS_LMS_CALC_ACTUALS

Concurrent Program to calculate Actual Timings

WMSCDEXP

Concurrent Program that finds crossdock window exception

WMSSTCON_XML

Consolidation Report

WMSCPTYR_XML

Warehouse Space Utilization Report (XML)

WMSSCHS1_XML

Scheduled Shipment Report for Direct Shipping

WMSASNI_XML

WMS ASN DISCREPANCY REPORT

WMSDKOTM

Synchronize Dock Doors with Transportation Management

WMSALREMO

Allocate Replenishment Move Order

WMSDYREPL

Pull Replenishment

WMSPUREPL

Push Replenishment

WMS_LAUNCH_TASK_RELEAS E

Launch Task Release

WMS_WP_PROGRESS

Concurrent Program to track wave completion status

WMS_WP_EXCEPTIONS

Wave Planning – Catch Exceptions

PLAN_WAVE_CP

Wave Planning Plan Wave

RELEASE_BATCH_CP

Wave Planning Release Wave

WMS_WAVE_PLANNING

Wave Planning Initiate Process

WMSWPRBS

Wave Planning: Rule Based Planning

WMSPALOC

WMS post-allocation processing

WMSPALOC_SUB

WMS post-allocation processing: sub-request

How to prevent receiving a Purchase Order PO, when the PO is in Requires Reapproval status? It is available to receive PO even though PO is in Requires Reapproval status. This is the intended functionality. The functionality has always been to allow Receiving if the PO Shipment Line (po_line_locations_all record) has approved_flag='Y', regardless of the PO Header status. Once the PO Shipment is Approved, it remains Approved (and is eligible to be Received) until the PO Line or PO Shipment Line or PO Distribution is changed such that Reapproval is required for the PO Shipment Line. Please review Note 352095.1 (PO With Status of Requires Reapproval or In Process Allows Receipt) if po_line_locations_all.approved_flag does not change to 'R' when the PO Header changes to Requires Reapproval.

How to receive Complex Purchase Orders PO? When trying to retrieve the complex PO in the core applications receiving form (Nav > Receipt > Receipts) the error "APP-PO-14094: No records meet your search criteria" is encountered when searching on the Complex PO number. Answer: Complex PO's are not received via the core application forms. Complex POs are transacted using the Buyers Work Center and are processed by Receiving Transaction Processor (which runs automatically). The receiving forms are not used for Complex PO receipts. When you create and approve the complex PO and then Create the Work Confirmation this step populates the complex po receipt data into the receiving interface (rcv_transactions_interface table) and then Buyers Work Center/ iSupplier calls the Receiving Transaction Processor (RVCTP) to process the receipt. Please check the Transaction Status Summary form (complex PO uses Immediate receiving mode) in the core application to see if the record has failed in the receiving interface (Nav > Receiving > Transaction Status Summary). If the record is not there, then please check to see if it already has been received. Work Confirmations can be created from iSupplier Portal, iProcurement, and the Professional Buyers Work Center in Purchasing (the most frequent place where this is done). If there are no problems with the the receiving interface tables and no errors, and nothing is in the PO_INTERFACE_ERRORS table, then please create an SR to the iSupplier Portal product.

How do Internal Orders process through Purchasing, Order Entry and Inventory? The internal order process can start with Inventory, MRP or it can start in the purchasing module. All requisitions imported from Inventory or MRP will be loaded with an AUTHORIZATION_STATUS='APPROVED' unless the requisitions are created by Inventory's Min-Max Planning Report and those can only have an AUTHORIZATION_STATUS='INCOMPLETE' when the profile option called 'INV: Minmax Reorder Approval to Approved' is set to prevent requisitions from being created in an approved status. The Min-Max Planning Report must be run with the Restock parameter set to Yes in order for the requisitions to be imported. For the requisitions created from the MRP and Inventory modules, the Requisition Import program must be run in order to move records from the requisition interface tables to the historical PO_REQUISITION_HEADERS_ALL, PO_REQUISITION_LINES_ALL and PO_REQ_DISTRIBUTIONS_ALL. All internal requisitions created in the Purchasing module will directly insert into the historical requisition tables bypassing the interface tables. When each requisition is approved, data will be inserted into the MTL_SUPPLY table. When the items on the requisition are stocked in inventory, the supply data can be viewed from the inventory form called Item Supply/Demand. Once the Internal Requisition is approved, a user should run Create Internal Sales Orders (from a Purchasing responsibility) to load the internal sales orders interface tables called in Order Entry. After the Create Internal Sales Orders has completed, a user should run Import Orders from an Order Management or Order Entry responsibility, using the Order Source and Type as it is shown in the

Purchasing Options form under the Internal Requisition tab. At that point, Oracle Workflow will process the internal sales order using the workflow definition listed for the Transaction Type definition in Order Management. When the workflow completes the Shipping Network is checked to see if the Transfer Type between the source and destination organization is In transit or Direct. If the Transfer Type is In transit, then the Inventory manager will load the Receiving tables so the Internal Requisition can be found in the Receipts form [PO-Receiving: Receipts]. At the same time, the Inventory manager will insert an issue transaction into MTL_TRANSACTIONS_INTERFACE and will process it through to MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS and MTL_ONHAND_QUANTITIES. This will decrement the source inventory organization's on-hand quantity. When the receipt is delivered, the receipt will be inserted into the receiving historical table called RCV_TRANSACTIONS. If the internal requisition's Destination Type is Expense, there will be no receipt transactions added to the inventory tables. If the internal requisition's Destination Type is Inventory, the receipt transaction will move through MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS_TEMP and insert into MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS and MTL_ONHAND_QUANTITIES. This will increment the on-hand quantity in the receiving inventory organization. If the Transfer Type is Direct, then the Inventory manager will insert an issue transaction into MTL_TRANSACTIONS_INTERFACE and will process it through to MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS and MTL_ONHAND_QUANTITIES. This will decrement the source inventory organizations on hand quantity. For Direct Transfer Types with a destination type of Expense, the only transaction that will move through inventory will be the issue transaction; however for destination types of Inventory will additionally have a receipt transaction created, which will automatically move through MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS_TEMP and insert into MTL_MATERIAL_TRANSACTIONS and MTL_ONHAND_QUANTITIES without any user actions needed. This will automatically increment the on-hand quantity in the receiving inventory organization.

Why Receipt Tolerance Is Not Considered And Over Receipt Quantity Is Allowed? You find that while creating a receipt, the tolerance is not accounted and over receipt quantity can be received. Example 1. Create a PO with line quantity = 10, shipment quantity = 10. At shipment Receiving Controls -> Over Receipt Tolerance: Tolerance=5% Action=reject More tab from Shipments shows: Receipt Close Tolerance = 0 Invoice Close Tolerance = 0 2. Navigate to the Enter Receipts form. 3. Query the PO and note that the line to be received comes in with '0' quantity 4. Enter a quantity to be received, like qty = 20 and save. 5. Receipt number is issued, no errors are received. Note: There is no pop message/warning about over receipt tolerance. 6. Navigate to the PO Summary form and query the PO shipment. Shipment is 'Closed for Receiving', quantity Ordered = 10, quantity Received = 20 Answer:

This is possible when blind receiving is allowed in the Receiving Options for the Inventory Organization involved. When blind receiving is enabled, Receipts form shows zero quantity when the PO is queried and thereafter user is allowed to receive any quantity irrespective of the over receipt tolerance and the action associated to it. If users do not want this possibility, then 'Allow Blind Receiving' flag in the Receiving Options of Inventory Organization should be unchecked. This will not allow users to receive more than the tolerable quantity. This is explained Bug 6070256- While Creating Receipt, Tolerance Is Not Considered & Over Receipt Qty Is Allowed

How To Restrict List Of Inventory Organizations In Change Organization Window? Navigation: Inventory Resp > Setup > Organizations > Organization Access In the Organization Access form, you can specify which organizations a responsibility can access by mapping responsibilities to organizations. Once this mapping is set up, a user logging into an Oracle Manufacturing product is restricted to the organizations mapped to the responsibility chosen. The Change Organization window is restricted as well. Until you assign an organization to a responsibility in this window, all responsibilities have access to all organizations. Therefore, the Change Organization window will list organizations for which the responsibility has access and those for which no restrictions have been defined. Only once an organization is entered in the organization access form will it not be accessible to other responsibilities. Example: Three inventory organizations are defined, IO1, IO2 and IO3. On the Organization Access form, restrict IO1 to responsibility Purchasing Super User. No restrictions defined for IO2 and IO3. When a user is in Purchasing Super User responsibility, they will see all 3 organizations in Change Organization form. But a user in any other responsibility will only see IO2 and IO3 in Change Organization form. Refer to 'Defining Organization Access' in Inventory User's Guide for more details.

===================================================================== SELECT wlpn.license_plate_number, msnt.fm_serial_number --mmtt.allocated_lpn_id , mmtt.transfer_lpn_id , wlpn.lpn_id , mmtt.content_lpn_id , --wlpn.license_plate_number FROM

wms_license_plate_numbers wlpn,

mtl_material_transactions_temp mmtt,

mtl_serial_numbers_temp msnt WHERE wlpn.lpn_id = mmtt.cartonization_id AND mmtt.item_serial_control_code 1 AND mmtt.transaction_temp_id = msnt.transaction_temp_id -- and msnt.FM_serial_number = 'H005039187' AND wlpn.license_plate_number = 'S10000325099LPN' ======================================================== ================

Successful WMS Implementation Project - Part 2 By aditya.agarkar on February 20, 2007 9:34 PM

In Part 1 of this post I blogged about WMS implementation projects and the severe consequences of failure. What is the mantra for a sucessful WMS implementation? What makes a WMS implementation project a failure or a success? Here are some thoughts:

Build a Team for Success

A failed WMS project has organizational issues from its inception. The project team either does not have the authority to make decisions about the project or lacks the expertise in WMS and/or warehouse processes. Absence of executive sponsorship also hampers the project.

A successful WMS project gets the team building part right. This is the first critical step for a WMS implementation project. Most successful projects have an executive sponsor, usually a key executive from the operational side of the business who has a stake in the success of the project. The executive involvement is necessary to get necessary resources, resolve conflicts as well as handle contingencies. Besides its also important to dedicate resources for important roles such as project manager, WMS experts and business champions. While the project manager could be an internal resource, it may be necessary to staff the WMS experts from outside. They could be either consultants or new employees who have successfully "been there and done that" elsewhere. However it's very important to staff this team with internal business champions. These are end users who have the trust and respect of the warehouse employs and is familiar with the warehouse environment. Chosen carefully they can act as powerful change agents. These are the people who will own the system after golive when the consultants and contractors have departed. Begin with the end in mind

A failed WMS project has the characteristics of old wine in a new bottle. People responsible for the project succumb to the natural tendency of implementing the new system the old way. The project team either lacks the foresight or has other agenda besides success of the project. A successful WMS project team knows that gaining operational efficiency is after all the #1 reason for implementing WMS. Their approach is forward looking. The new WMS processes are designed after careful scrutiny of the current processes. The team looks out for inefficiencies in the current process and how WMS can help resolve it. A successful WMS implementation team does not rely on WMS features alone to deliver the benefits. While looking at software features is a good idea, it's also important to pay attention on things such as warehouse layout, warehouse storage policies, work assignments, resources and automation equipments, etc. WMS implementation project as an opportunity to get things right from the very beginning. This opportunity should not be squandered. A successful project also considers the future growth of the enterprise while designing processes today.

Manage Expectations

A failed WMS project starts with unrealistic expectations about the project. Other times these projects start with no clear-cut criteria for project success. Either way it's a recipe for failure.

A successful WMS project starts with manageable set of expectations. Most successful WMS projects start with modest goals. The project team does not oversell the benefits early on as it's so much better to underpromise and over deliver than the other way around. While some features may appear to be cool, it's important to rationalize if they are feasible for your warehouse. Do you have all the data that is needed, is the date accurate, what will be the impact on productivity if additional data input is needed, does the technological infrastructure exist to support the feature, how reliable is it? Minimize Customization

A failed WMS project attempts to customize the product to suit its current processes. While customization itself is not a bad thing as many WMS projects need some degree of customization. It's the customization that works around the best practices ingrained in WMS or compromises the maintenance or upgrade aspects of the system that is bad.

A successful WMS project has minimal customization. A successful WMS project treats customization as the last resort. When nothing else such as change in processes or work around would be feasible. The customization is also carefully planned. Only the public APIs or Open interface tables are used. Customization is authorized only after a careful cost benefit analysis. Document Everything

A failed WMS project has poor knowledge management policies. The warehouse policies, procedures and process are not documented while the project is on-going. When an important project member leaves the project, critical information about the project also walks out the door. A successful WMS project treats documentation of procedures with utmost importance. Documents are prepared for warehouse processes and policies, configuration document, technical architecture, change management and patching policy and user training. These documents are formally assigned to project team members who are responsible for maintaining it.

Formulate a Change Management Policy

A failed WMS project does not have a well laid out change management and patching policy. Configuration changes and patches are often applied without testing. Worse the patching may occur with total disregard to warehouse schedules. A successful WMS project has a 3 system approach. Changes are rolled from development instance to test instance for QA. Only after changes or patches pass muster are they rolled into production. A successful WMS project also looks at recommended patch list available on Metalink and applies these patches prior to go-live..

Do not underestimate Testing

A failed WMS project underestimates the importance of testing. A successful WMS project tests the hell out of WMS before they go live. Any configuration changes such as profile options, rules changes are tested before they are rolled over to production environment. Successful WMS project also do a "day in the life" testing. This is a mock run of an actual go live environment. The testers are the end users themselves. This is a good way to test system stability, ability of the system to withstand volume, technical and network infrastructure. It also tells you if the end users are adequately trained in the system or just shooting the breeze.

Plan Adequately for Go-Live

A failed WMS project does not adequately plan for Go-Live. They either choose a wrong time to go-live, fail to anticipate problems and often start with incorrect inventories.

A successful WMS project diligently plans for the D-date by doing the following:

1.

Go-Live Date: It sets a realistic date for WMS go live. This is done well in advance. The go-live is usually scheduled on a weekend or a holiday (if its not a 24X7 operation). If the warehouse observes seasonal variations in demand, the go-live is scheduled during lean times

2.

Facilities Planning: Physically mark your warehouse areas prior to go-live. Use barcode tags and mark the aisles prior to go-live.

3.

Set help Desk: It's realistic to expect problems in the first few days. A help desk is setup to resolve these issues. The people manning the help desk are experts from the project team. They know if an issue is user/training issue or a configuration issue or a genuine technical issue for which a TAR needs to be opened.

4.

Inform trading partners: It's essential to keep vendors, customers, carriers etc informed about your go-live schedules. This is all about managing expectations. That way any delays or changes will not come as a surprise to them. Its also a good idea to close all open transactions prior to go-live.

5.

Perform physical inventory: With a new WMS, you want to start with a clean slate. You don't want your warehouse operators to distrust the system from day 1. Therefore go ahead and do a wall-to-wall physical inventory prior to go live.

6.

Equipment Planning: Equipments such as handhelds, label printers, desktops are placed where they should be. Employees are trained to handle them, recharge them and troubleshoot basic issues.

7.

Contingency planning: If shit can happen, it will. Question is what will you do if it does? What are you going to do if network infrastructure is down? Handheld devices are not working? Carousel isn't spinning? System performance is abysmal? It's important to have a contingency plan. It could just be as simple as manual picking and shipping. Important thing is to be prepared for such an eventuality.

Continuous Improvement

A failed WMS project ends with go-live. The next project is initiated only when the current system is unstable, unusable or out of support. A successful WMS project knows the importance of continuous improvement. Most successful WMS projects start with modest goals and continually refine their usage of WMS. They are up to date with patches and new WMS releases. Features are implemented and system is patched round the year.

======================================================== ======================================

Improving Warehouse Inventory Accuracy Inventory inaccuracy is a nightmare for any warehouse. If left unchecked, inventory inaccuracy can lead to a negative feedback cycle of declining productivity and increasing inaccuracies. A downward spiral where warehouse productivity declines and feeds even more inaccuracies in the system. Left to itself, inventory inaccuracy erodes profitability and warehouse efficiency in a big way: a. Poor customer service when a wrong product is shipped to a customer or a wrong delivery date is promised b. Increase in Backorders because ATP system thinks there is plenty of stock c. Lost productivity when operators run around looking for missing products

d. High product obsolescence when the missing products are "found" but too late to be of any use e. Direct hit to profitability when there is an inventory write off f. High inventory levels because you need the extra safety stock to hide the inaccuracies g. Inefficient warehouse usage when you need to stop warehouse operations to carry a physical count in order to satisfy auditing requirements Here are some steps that you can take in Oracle WMS to improve accuracy:

1.

Use RF devices to transact on the spot. This is the easiest way to improve inventory accuracy. When transactions are recorded on the spot in real time, there is less chance of error. This means going paperless and using task management in WMS to convey pick instructions to operators.

2.

Train Warehouse Personnel to follow documented procedures when exceptions occur in the warehouse. The warehouse workers should be familiar with the procedure when an exception occurs e.g. if a product is not found as suggested by the system or damaged, the operator should know how to log exception and follow the steps.

3.

Find and fix root cause when exceptions occur in the warehouse. Task execution using RF is a great way to record exceptions in real time as they occur. Analyze exception data in warehouse control board to see where and why exceptions are occurring? Are more exceptions being recorded for certain items or certain employees? Why? If a shipment of wrong product was detected, where did that pick come from and was the inventory corrected for the original item? Was wrong putaway the cause for a pick exception?

4.

Storage Policy of items in your warehouse also impacts accuracy. To avoid picking the wrong items, make sure that items similar in appearance are stored apart from each other. Commingling items in the same locator is also a recipe for shipping inaccuracy. You also need to make sure that locators properly marked and physically distinguishable. When slotting items in the locator make sure that the locator corresponds to the item velocity and has enough space to store the maximum quantity of item specified. If a locator stock is overflowing into warehouse aisle, its usually not a good sign. If you have negative inventory allowed flag enabled in your warehouse, you need to question really hard as to why is it needed?

5.

A counting policy is a must for every warehouse. Cycle counting a great way to gradually improve inventory accuracy. While eliminating yearly physical count is a noble goal, it can only be achieved when the warehouse has reached a certain threshold of accuracy level.

6.

Bar codes or RFID are great auto-ID technologies to improve accuracy. Barcodes have an error rate that is significantly lower than human data entry. Additionally DFI feature in WMS can further improve accurate data entry.

7.

Checks in warehouse processes to ensure accuracy. Example of such checks could be an additional packing step to scan items prior to putaway or shipment, a weighing scale linked to a divertor to weigh and compare standard and actual weight of LPNs bound for storage or staging, etc.

8.

Check Digits is another way to improve data entry accuracy. When you dispatch an operator to a suggested locator how do you make sure that the picks are coming from the suggested locator and not from any warehouse locator? Locator check digit is a great way of ensuring that operators perform picks and putaway at the same physical locator as the data entered in WMS.

Advanced Replenishment Replenishment is an important driver in boosting fulfillment efficiency especially in those warehouses that fulfill a large number of orders with relatively small order quantities. In this type of scenario Warehouses can be divided into zones based on material characteristics and inventory sorting e.g. a warehouse can have a bulk area that is optimized for high density storage and a forward pick area optimized for high volume picking. The forward pick area can improve order fulfillment and enhance picking productivity by minimizing travel and material handling. It is used commonly by warehouses that process large number of smaller orders and hence process units picks or each picks. The material in the forward pick area is replenished from the reserve or bulk area which stores pallets, cases or eaches as shown in Figure 1. It typically stocks material based on the demand and helps enhance material flow in a high volume unit/each pick environment. The quantity to be replenished depends on the requirements for the item in a wave as well as the available capacity of the locators. The locators can be fixed or dynamic. For a fixed item locator replenishment always occurs to the same locator where as for a dynamic locator replenishment occurs to a dynamically identified locator. The forward pick area replenishment feature released in R12.1 supports two different types of replenishment that can be used in the warehouse: - Pull Replenishment - Push Replenishment Pull replenishment can be considered for items with uniform demand. It is called “pull” as it is initiated based on the demand, the concept is that the warehouse pulls replenishments into forward pick area based on sales order demand. It is activated during sales order release as seen in Figure 2. If the forward pick area does not have enough stock a replenishment request is automatically created, and the order lines waits for the replenishment to be completed before a task can be assigned to an operator (as shown in Figure 3). A pick task is automatically created when replenishment task is completed. Push replenishment is suitable for items with non-uniform demand. It is called “push” replenishment as it is initiated prior to release the pick waves and the replenishments are pushed to the forward pick area before the orders are picked. The forward pick area is stocked up with the future demand based on orders coming into the warehouse in a given time period. Push replenishment can be conditional based on certain parameters. With insufficient quantity in the forward pick to fulfill the orders before they are released for picking, replenishment is requested. Some of benefits of using replenishment:

1. Eliminate Fragmentation – Replenishment allows warehouses to setup rules to pick full cases or pallets without breaking them to eaches hence maintaining the packing integrity. The loose units in the bulk area often render the pallet unusable for movement as an entity also leading to inefficient resource allocation. However, the cases or pallets once brought to the forward pick area can be broken to loose units thus also improving labor productivity. 2. Prevent Backordering – Warehouses that have inventory will not backorder material simply because it is not in the forward pick area or in a particular subinventory. Instead replenishment is automatically requested, and a replenishment task is created to move the material from the reserve area. Following completion of this replenishment task, a pick task is automatically created thus preventing backorders. 3. Replenish Flexible Quantity – Replenishment occurs based on a fixed multiple and a min-max quantity. Warehouses can change either or both parameters to adjust to the optimal quantity for replenishment. During peak season the forward pick area can be expanded and quantity to be replenishment changed for different items. Maximum quantity to be replenished should be careful chosen. Too low of a maximum quantity will create very frequent replenishment requests. Conversely, with too high of a maximum quantity, the forward pick area leads to non-optimal storage. 4. Minimize Travel Time – Warehouse operator’s travel time is minimized by reducing the number of trips to the source inventory. Instead of fulfilling every order from the source subinventory, a replenishment request accumulates the total quantity for a line item in a pick wave. This request replenishes the forward pick area, and the operator can then fulfill the orders from this location. Note : Some of the powerful features Release ..12.1 a. Forward Pick Area Replenishment: This includes demand driven "Pull" and "Push" replenishment to a pick area from reserve or bulk area. b. High Volume Case Picking: Ability to generate case labels and perform picking and labeling of multiple cases using a single task. Cases can be picked and loaded to conveyor (Pick To Belt) or picked on to a pallet (Pick to Pallet). c. Flexible Cartonization: Enables "Pick and pass" and "Zone Picking" directly into shipping cartons. d. Cluster pick using labels: Enables cluster pick or batch pick of multiple orders directly into pre-labeled shipping cartons. e. Load Sequencing and Dock door appointment synchronization: Leverage transportation planning and carrier appointment in Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) to plan execution in WMS. Ensure that material is staged to the right dock door at the right time.

Distributed WMS and Advanced Wave Planning