Warehouse Operations Archives – unicommerce.com #1 Cloud based E-commerce Software Solutions to manage Order, Inventory, Warehouse Thu, 22 Feb 2024 11:59:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://infowordpress.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/03105610/favicon.png Warehouse Operations Archives – unicommerce.com 32 32 Vendor Onboarding Process – Prerequisites of Warehouse Management System https://unicommerce.com/blog/warehouse-management-vendor-onboarding-procurement/ https://unicommerce.com/blog/warehouse-management-vendor-onboarding-procurement/#respond Thu, 05 Oct 2023 16:25:27 +0000 https://unicommerce.com/?p=47630 The success of your e-commerce business depends heavily on your ability to handle your inventory, order, warehouse and return operations without any obstructions or errors and to achieve that, you must have the right Warehouse Management System taking care of your requirements. But to make the right decision of choosing a technologically advanced Warehouse Management […]

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The success of your e-commerce business depends heavily on your ability to handle your inventory, order, warehouse and return operations without any obstructions or errors and to achieve that, you must have the right Warehouse Management System taking care of your requirements.

But to make the right decision of choosing a technologically advanced Warehouse Management System you need to be well accustomed with all the processes involved that differentiate the best from all the rest. 

Vendors help you with all your daily needs and supplies whether they are for your business needs or facility requirements. You need them for almost everything on a regular basis, even multiple vendors to fulfil a variety of your demands at different prices or quantity.

But with different vendors involved, you may need separate ways to keep a track of their details, your demands, prices for your supplies, delivery times of each product and much more. 

The process of vendor selection and onboarding can be a real task if you do not know where to look for them, but with a fully integrated and completely automated WMS solution, you get to screen out the most appropriate service providers that align well with your business needs.

Steps of Vendor Onboarding Process:

1. Creation of Vendor Agreement

At first, you need to gather up all the information that you could find about your Vendors and then include them in a well-elaborated and clearly defined agreement. The necessary conditions and clauses your agreement should have include:

  • Full name and addresses of both parties 
  • Goods and Services Offered 
  • Confidentiality of information exchange
  • Coverage of loss or damages
  • Causes if Termination of contract

2. Development of Guidelines for Payment Processes

After an agreement has been made between both parties, it is necessary to lay some guidelines in terms of payments in order to avoid any issues or disputes. 

Your ability to convey clear and understanding rules on payment processes can help your vendors not only be well informed on all aspects of their services but also to improve the quality of services offered to you. Major points to keep in mind when you are developing guidelines for payments, include:

  • Quoting Final Prices for Product Offerings 
  • Providing correct details of payable accounts 
  • Highlighting terms of payments 
  • Generating detailed and clear invoices of services offered
  • Following industry tax standards 

3. Establishment of Rules for Delivery

As the two fundamental requirements are cleared up, you need to also provide your conditions for how you expect the vendors to make deliveries of the products and services.

Figure out your expectations first based on your consumer reach and demands and then go ahead with some basic instructions for your vendors to follow, such as:

  • Providing a proper timeline for deliveries
  • Conveying reasons for delay if any
  • Ensuring to meet delivery requirements
  • Highlighting types of insurances offered for each service 
  • Implementing proper security support for products

4. Registration of Vendor and form updation in ERP system

To seize the vendor onboarding process, you need to register your vendors on a portal to ensure all terms are agreed upon and conditions are met. 

Post-registration, the vendors need to:

  • Add documents that specify their service capabilities
  • Declare adherence to company policies of performance
  • Provide industry-specific compliance documents
  • Add purchase order and invoice transmission preferences

5. Dry run and testing of complete inward cycle

It is necessary to test a purchase-sales workflow to get a fair idea of the forward proceedings and to do that you can begin with product purchases. The method to do so includes:

  • Choose a preferred vendor and initiate a purchase order 
  • Finalize a small amount for a fixed purchase price
  • Generate the purchase order invoice
  • Complete the payment to the vendors
  • Post receiving the orders, start your sales process
  • Dispatch your products and initiate customer invoices
  • Get the payments, analyze the process and contemplate the results of the test

6. Segmentation and Prioritization of vendors

With more vendors, you need more management and the level of that can vary for each one of them. This task can be carried out by segmentation and prioritization of vendors based on their role and dependency for your business.

Vendor segmentation is done by figuring out how aligned are your vendors to the business model you have selected and what would be the exit strategy for your business in case of disputes. 

You can basically segment your vendors into four sections, based on your relationship with the more than just the delivery of services:

  • Emerging – the ones who help you set a strong foot in an emerging market with unique and innovative services 
  • Strategic – those who are the primary service providers for your business and are well aligned with all the requirements of your business.
  • Tactical – the ones that can be of low assistance to your business and majorly provide transactional support.
  • Legacy – those who have been providing essential services for your business in the past but now little value of their support.

Depending on the role each of your vendors play in supporting your business you need to decide which to prioritize and focus on. It is necessary to develop strong and steady acquaintance with your vendors, rather than just being fixated on the pricing and delivery of performance by them because that will help you and your business achieve better overall performance, have value-driven participation from your vendors and maximize your profits for the long haul.

Once the entire process of Vendor Onboarding is completed, you need to move on to the next step of your warehouse management which is of Procurement.

Procurement is a process where your service providers agree to the entire framework of operations set in the onboarding process and then provide their services to you based on those exact terms and conditions. 

Important Steps for the Procurement Process:

The important steps to ensure the Procurement process happens without any difficulties include:

1. Sales Forecasting

Sales forecasting helps you decide what and how much to ask from your vendors in order to seamlessly deliver good customer service. 

In procurement processes, this activity is carried out by the internal sales team and involves analytical estimation of future sales based on sales data acquired in the past months, ongoing or upcoming trends, industry-wise comparisons etc.

The analyzed report is then sent to the procurement team which further sends an ASR or Advanced Shipping Request to the vendors.

2. Vendor Updation on Availability of Products

ASR sent to the vendors contain all the information about the quantity required and based on that vendors confirm availability of goods post which a Purchase Order request is raised by the warehouse. 

3. Shipping Notice and Consignment Generation

After a Purchase Order or PO is raised, the vendors create an ASN or Advanced Shipping Notice and then ship the required amount of products to the warehouse. 

These processes are must-have deliverables of a robust Warehouse Management System to strengthen the overall productivity of a business, helping them scale up profits and Unicommerce is one such platform that provides a 360-degree experience to businesses who wish to achieve the same.

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Smart Inventory Control: How FIFO & FEFO Methods Minimize Stock Losses for Business https://unicommerce.com/blog/how-to-minimize-stock-losses-for-your-business-using-fifo-fefo/ https://unicommerce.com/blog/how-to-minimize-stock-losses-for-your-business-using-fifo-fefo/#respond Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:00:13 +0000 https://unicommerce.com/?p=270868 The post Smart Inventory Control: How FIFO & FEFO Methods Minimize Stock Losses for Business appeared first on unicommerce.com.

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Deadstock, obsolete inventory, and damaged stock are some of the terms that give us a threat in a jiffy. While these circumstances possess the power to increase operational costs for retailers, poor management can lead to a huge loss of both inventory and infrastructure.

Furthermore, the market witnessed accelerated sales in top categories, including FMCG, Fashion and Accessories, Health and Pharma, and Beauty and Personal care. So if you are retailing in these categories, then your stock rotation is a strong approach to negate the damage of stock losses. 

This approach can enable retailers to streamline this pressing concern and control the movement of products in and out of their warehouses. In a nutshell, it’s all about managing the rotation of your inventory in the warehouse setup so that you don’t have to go through the losses.

Now the next question that comes to our mind is, how to actually resolve these challenges for the retailers? Let’s delve into two methods that can be employed to address this issue in detail!

FIFO & FEFO: A Brief Overview

In various industries, the concept of batching plays a crucial role in optimizing processes and maintaining efficiency. Batching refers to the practice of grouping items or tasks together based on specific criteria for processing or handling. 

One common approach to batching is the use of FIFO (First-In-First-Out) and FEFO (First-Expiry-First-Out) methods. Let’s explore these two stock rotation methods commonly used in warehouses and retail businesses.

difference between fifo vs fefo

1. FIFO (First-In-First-Out)

In the FIFO method, you strive to sell the products that come into your warehouse first. By adopting this approach, you can effectively reduce the risk of products becoming obsolete over time. This way, you ensure that older inventory is sold before newer stock, maintaining a fresh and up-to-date product selection.

Check out how Upscalio implemented FIFO and successfully achieved an exceptional order fulfillment rate of over 99.99%.

what is fifo - first in first out

[Must read: Overcome Inventory Challenges With FIFO Based Picking]

2. FEFO (First-Expired-First-Out)

As the name suggests, this pattern follows the selling of products that expire first. This method places significant emphasis on ensuring that items with earlier expiration dates are sold first. By following FEFO, you can guarantee the delivery of high-quality products to your customers, enhancing their satisfaction and trust in your business.

what is fefo - first expired first out

But what happens when you fail to follow these two methods?

Consequences of Failing to Follow FIFO or FEFO

Failing to adhere to the FIFO or FEFO methods can lead to several consequences, resulting in additional costs and challenges. Some of the potential negative outcomes include:

  • Increased stock expiration cost on the shelf 
  • Premature obsolescence cost of inventory
  • Increased risk of product deterioration or pilferage 
  • A surge in returns due to delivery of order returns
  • Additional labor and time required to locate products in the warehouse

highly regarded advantages of stock rotation methods

Now that we are well aware of the costs you will have to suffer from if you don’t follow these stock rotation methods, let’s delve deeper into some of the most significant advantages that many leading businesses experienced after incorporating FIFO and FEFO methods into their daily warehouse operations.

Why Is Stock Rotation Best Practice in Inventory Management?

fifo vs fefo - which stock rotation methods suits your business bestThe stock rotation method is the practice of regularly replenishing and rearranging stock to optimize its efficiency and freshness. Here are four highly regarded advantages of implementing stock rotation methods:

1. Reduction of Obsolete Inventory

When the inventory becomes obsolete, it results in significant product losses and can adversely impact your business. By following FIFO and FEFO methods, you can mitigate the chance of exactly that and sell your products before they expire or become outdated. 

2. Higher Rate of Customer Retention

If the stocks are rotated in the warehouse, the chance of customers getting low-quality products gets reduced. This improved the confidence within the organization, working efficiently towards achieving high profits and offering an enhanced post-purchase experience to customers. 

3. Minimizing Inflation Impact

It’s very common for the inflation rate to go down and up in an economy. While following these two patterns will lead businesses to sell stocks that were produced earlier, contributing more toward business profitability.

4. Organized Warehouse Space

If the stock rotation methods are followed properly, warehouse operations become more streamlined. How? With two aisles to unload and load the stock, businesses can ensure that by following FIFO and FEFO, the redundant movement of inventory can be avoided appropriately. 

Discover how Unicommerce’s agile expiry management propelled The Urban Company to achieve 8X growth. 

Now, you might be wondering about the deciding factors in choosing between FIFO and FEFO.

FIFO vs. FEFO – Which Method Is Best Suited for Your Business?

When it comes to managing your inventory, selecting the appropriate method can significantly impact the efficiency of your business. Understanding the industry preferences of each method can help you make an informed decision for your specific business needs.

FIFO Method:

If your business involves dealing with FMCG, fashion products, or consumer electronics, FIFO is the recommended method for you. This method works particularly well for items that are stocked seasonally or have a limited shelf life. Moreover, it also works best with products having short demand cycles like fashion. 

FEFO Method:

Similar to FIFO, the FEFO method is commonly used for businesses handling food items, medicines, cosmetics, or any other products with limited expiration dates. With FEFO, the focus shifts from the order of arrival to the earliest expiration date. This method ensures that items with the closest expiration dates are used or sold first, reducing the risk of products becoming obsolete or unsellable.

Discover how stock rotation methods like FIFO and FEFO facilitated The Man Company in achieving seamless batch-level traceability.

Take Action to Minimize Stock Losses Today!

To conclude the same, now you know how important it is to implement FIFO and FEFO methods if you actually want to reduce stock losses and streamline your entire supply chain. Using a robust and stable inventory management software and warehouse management system, you will be able to do exactly that. While it will allow you to follow the methods aggressively, the efficiency of automation will enable you to reduce any further discrepancies while making batches and sorting them.

Additionally, you also get to enjoy plug-and-play e-commerce integrations across multiple sales channels, managing crucial business tasks, such as returns management and cycle counts. With a comprehensive solution in place, you can mitigate stock losses while enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of your supply chain management.

Related read:

  1. How is Batch Management Critical in Warehouse Operations?
  2. Essential WMS Features That Let You Attain Operational Capabilities
  3. How to Implement a Barcoding System in 5 Easy Steps!
  4. How does Warehouse Management System Works?
  5. FMCG Industry Challenges in India
  6. UniShip – Advanced Logistics Tracking Platform
  7. UniReco – Automated Reconciliation of Orders, Returns and Payments
  8. Key Challenges & Benefits of Marketplace Payment Reconciliation
  9. Benefits of Shipping Notifications

Discover Unicommerce’s Success Story with Leading Brands –

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How is Batch Management Critical in Warehouse Operations? https://unicommerce.com/blog/how-batch-management-is-critical-in-warehouse-operations/ https://unicommerce.com/blog/how-batch-management-is-critical-in-warehouse-operations/#respond Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:29:03 +0000 https://unicommerce.com/?p=269455 The post How is Batch Management Critical in Warehouse Operations? appeared first on unicommerce.com.

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Table of Contents:

  • What is Batch Management?
  • Top 6 Operational Challenges Faced by Organizations
  • Importance of Batch Management Systems
  • How to Use Batch Management in Warehouse Operations?

What is Batch Management?

The batch management system enables an organization to monitor its inventory efficiently and effectively while keeping track of its internal or external operations. Batch management helps the company split the produced goods into several batches depending upon the date, time, and quantity of production, ensuring that the right batch is shipped first, lowering wastage.

Batch management is helpful for any business, product manufacturer, or service provider, ranging from clothing, medical and pharmaceutical, food industry, FMCG, etc.
Let us look at the challenges organizations face in their warehouse operations and how a batch management system provides an efficient approach to this problem.

Operational Challenges Faced by Organizations

Some of the typical inventory management challenges if proper batch management is not used are:

1. Changing customer demand

The consumers’ demand in the marketsis also essential. fluctuates continuously, which is impossible to predict. Therefore, keeping too much stock could increase your liability wherein it is difficult to sell, thus incurring losses. On the other hand, holding too little can lead to the consumer’s demand not being fulfilled. This situation can be controlled and managed efficiently using batch management.

2. Irregularities due to physical paper documentation

It is not easy and feasible to manage all the inventory physically, which is time-consuming, costly, and inaccurate.

3. Lack of skilled inventory personnel

It is not always possible to find qualified personnel who can manage inventory strategy single-handedly and are up-to-date with the latest technology in batch management. Only upgrading the inventory management platform is not enough; capable management is also essential.

4. Complexities in managing warehouse space

Managing space in a warehouse is a very tedious business; keeping track of available space is necessary so new inventory can be ordered and stocked accordingly. A batch management system can help plan new stock delivery as per available space.

5. Perishable, fragile stock

Perishable, fragile, and low-shelf life goods need special care and management for storage. They require particular inventory controls and a damage prevention strategy provided by a batch management system.

6. Inefficient actions and procedures

Using the process of manual inventory management along with a simple technology is easy if there is one warehouse to manage and if the inventory is small. However, as your business starts growing from shipping a few hundred orders a day to multiples of 1000 to 10,000+ daily, it becomes mandatory to use reliable batch management and inventory systems in warehouse operations.
A batch management system helps control the inventory by tracking the movement of products which automatically helps in smooth inventory functioning and end-to-end inventory development.

Importance of Batch Management System

Using a batch management system for warehouse processes makes the overall operations efficient. Some of the benefits include:

1. Control over quality – Batching management in a warehouse helps trace a defective product, reducing the chances of delivering faulty or low-quality goods. It helps stop the delivery of a batch that is faulty.

2. Tracking a batch quickly and accurately – A serial number given to a specific batch can be tracked easily. It helps improve logistical processes as a product can be easily tracked using the serial number and one can help optimize storage, delivery, and recall processes.

3. Reduced chances of human error – Keeping track of inventory in a physical form with human intervention will sometimes cause errors, mistakes, theft, and negligence, leading to loss, increased expenses, and inventory shortage. Thus, maintaining a barcode system with scanning machines is important.
how to use batch management in warehouse operations

How to Use Batch Management in Warehouse Operations?

For any modern enterprise that has to manage a large inventory of products, a Warehouse Management Software (WMS) is widely used to streamline logistics and improve profitability. The organization can track the expiry of products and analyze customer questions and the return process for specific batches using batch tracking. To implement batching in your operations, you can start by:

1. Using batch numbers

Having a batch number for each consignment enables the organization to easily track each product and manage the additional process. Each batch can have its own unique number, including relevant information like purchase price, purchase date, and expiry date. Using this batch number, the warehouse can essentially get end-to-end traceability of goods, which include:

  • Planning efficient distribution of products
  • Understanding shortage or high quantities of particular products in the supply chain
  • Identifying goods ready for delivery
  • Managing product returns and recalls

2. Implementing an intelligent WMS to centralize operations

In today’s digital age, the intelligent warehouse management system (WMS) is all about creating an ecosystem of machinery and digital tools that interact with each other via the internet. Called the Internet of Things (IoT), this new technology enables your warehouse operations to be streamlined and is useful for tracking, finding, and storing particular products. Using this batch management system in warehouse operations, you can essentially gain the benefits of:

  • Streamlining data related to your warehouse or warehouses in a single platform
  • Reducing workflow challenges and addressing any gaps that you can find
  • Using predictive analytics to make data-driven decisions using batching processes
  • Reducing the cost and resources required to manage warehousing processes

3. Automating stock management and distribution

A great way to improve overall warehouse management is automating the warehouse processes. While warehouses rely only on batch management for efficient shipping and distribution, it can also help improve stock management as it enables the WMS software to accurately keep track of key decisions like:

  • Which products are understocked?
  • Which needs to be replenished soon or will be out-of-stock?
  • Does the warehouse already have enough products in your batch to satisfy the sales orders?

This will improve your inventory management and help you account for the spike in sales, understand product movement for each batch, and make data-driven decisions on placing orders for a fresh batch.

The Final Word

With increasing demand and complexity in warehouse management and supply chain logistics, having an efficient batch management system for your inventory can help streamline your organizational workflow and even help reduce time, cost, and resource requirements for managing warehouse operations.

In most cases, the FIFO (First In First Out) model works ideally and is efficient when the goods do not have a shelf life. So for electronic goods, home appliances, and mobile and car accessories, warehouses can rely on the FIFO model and deliver their orders accordingly.

However, when it comes to goods with a shelf life, such as FMCG, packaged food, fruits, vegetables, baby care products, etc., the FEFO (First Expired First Out) method needs to be applied. This ensures that goods expiring soon are picked first and shipped when an order is placed.

Since managing these processes with vast volumes of goods is extremely difficult and strenuous, a warehouse management system is an ideal option. Technology can help track and raise alerts on goods depending on their expiry, purchase date, and other criteria. With the help of batch management software, this entire operation is made much more efficient, ensuring that processes work optimally and enabling the WMS to fetch coherent information.

Explore our platforms:

  1. Integrated logistics management system
  2. Automated payment reconciliation system

Recommended Read:

Uncover Big Brand Success with Unicommerce!

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Simplifying Receiving and Putaway Operations of Warehouse: Prerequisites of Warehouse Management https://unicommerce.com/blog/warehouse-receiving-putaway-operations/ https://unicommerce.com/blog/warehouse-receiving-putaway-operations/#respond Wed, 06 Jan 2021 19:01:36 +0000 https://unicommerce.com/?p=48893 If you are an e-commerce business, no matter how big or small, you need to have your warehouse operations in order to scale up and keep your business running smoothly. But managing and maintaining the complete warehouse operations for your business is not at all an easy task or something to be done manually as […]

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If you are an e-commerce business, no matter how big or small, you need to have your warehouse operations in order to scale up and keep your business running smoothly.

But managing and maintaining the complete warehouse operations for your business is not at all an easy task or something to be done manually as your business grows over time.

Not having standardised guidelines and processes in place to run your warehouse is the most common issue faced by millions of businesses, but by working on this very basic yet crucial part of your day to day operations can help you achieve higher productivity and increase your overall profitability.

The second blog in our 5 part series of warehouse focused write-ups deals with the first two most important and conventional processes necessary for a warehouse to run smoothly, the processes of

  1. Receiving of fresh stocks
  2. Put-away of fresh stocks

Starting off with the Receiving operations of a warehouse, the process involves the transfer of goods and services from one party to another in the form of new stocks or supplies.

Receiving Operations of Warehouse

The process is highly sensitive to the e-commerce wms staff and needs complete accuracy and efficiency to ensure the credibility of the transaction and to avoid any liabilities on your part.

The process of receiving is essential for a business both in terms of fulfilling consumer demands as well as maintaining uninterrupted operations within the facility as stocks are required for both functions.

Receiving operations require financial documentation of the inventory received in order to create errorless accounting and payments for the goods asked for. The process involves a full procedure to account for each shipment received and includes the steps to:

  • Checking the quality of goods received
  • Confirming the condition of items acquired
  • Ensuring the quantity of inventory obtained
  • Allocating space to the goods in the warehouse
  • Preparing paperwork in accordance to shipments

Even the slightest of error in any one of these procedures can cost the company to pay for any loss, damage or theft of an item, directly impacting the overall profitability of the business. To ensure no such thing happens, it is necessary for businesses to onboard a technologically advanced and automated warehouse management system that streamlines the process of receiving as well as putaway.

To ensure your receiving process is highly efficient and eliminates room for error, you need to incorporate the below cycle:

1. Unload the shipment

Receiving begins as soon as the shipment is unloaded from the transport to the unloading docks of the warehouse and the following steps ensure smooth unloading of the items:

  • Quantity of the shipment is checked
  • Invoice Receipt Note or IRN is generated
  • Goods are kept in the Bulk area for verification
  • Receipt of the logistics is signed to release the transport
  • GRN or Goods Receipt Note for detailed inspection of goods is done

2. Verify the delivery

Post the IRN and GRN creation the next step involves cross-checking all details of the goods received. You have to make sure that the delivery received matches the requirements raised in the purchase order which includes all the details right from descriptions and quantities of each order.

Include the following points in your checklist:

  • Product Codes
  • Shipment description
  • Weight of the cargo
  • Condition of orders received
  • Damages or missing items

If you find any inconsistencies between the purchase order and the consignment records, raise a query right away to avoid any issues with the suppliers

3. Generate Unique Barcodes

Once the verification is done, the process of adding the received goods into the warehouse stock begins, and that is done by either created unique barcodes for the consignment or adding the pre-existing barcodes into the system and based on the shipment type, classifying them as:

  • Item Level – unique SKU is given to each item, done for products like mobiles, televisions, etc
  • SKU Level – the same SKU is given to a group of items, done for products like bottles, cutlery, etc
  • None Level – a single SKU is given to the entire shipment, done for products like pens, food items, etc

These SKUs are then organized for better storage and monitoring. For each SKU, shortage-debit notes and excess notes are created along with uploading extra GRN columns and manufacturer batch-codes as and when required. The data of these notes may include manufacturing and expiry dates, factory number, belt number etc.

4. Perform Quality Checks

After each shipment is accounted for and given unique identification for easy acknowledgment, the next process in line is to perform specific quality control checks which further distinguish the received items as good or bad inventory. The process of QC involves:

  • Having random checks on each shipment
  • Analyzing quality, size, condition of items
  • Marking good and bad inventory
  • Providing shelves to good inventory (putaway process, discussed further in the blog)
  • Initiating RTV or return to vendor for bad inventory

Both good and bad inventory needs to be recorded and information of the same needs to be sent to the suppliers as well as the payroll team to complete the process of receiving.

5. Issue Payment Information

After carefully examining the items received, a payment receipt is to be generated and sent to the concerned accounting teams which then proceeds to carry out these steps to ensure right payouts:

  • Match the payment receipt post QC with that of the invoice received on the shipment
  • In cases of any differences, the final amount payable is that of the good inventory received
  • Initiate payments and record the final invoice for future use

Putaway Operations of Warehouse

When the process of receiving is all done and the payments are cleared out, the putaway operations of the good inventory received in the warehouse begins.

As the name goes, putaway of goods received from various vendors, refers to the process of allocating the best accessible places within the warehouse to ensure optimized warehouse operations, faster picking and packing, smoother deliveries and overall better customer experience. With the right putaway process, your business will experience:

  • Efficient storage of goods
  • Higher safety of products
  • Accurate documentation of goods
  • Better Utilization of space
  • Easier access to products
  • Lesser time to locate items

The right warehouse management system enables eCommerce businesses to achieve all of the above by providing highly effective putaway processes.

Putaway and shelf allocation are done based on order rotation, dimensions, weight, fragility, categorisation, and some other properties of each product and the structure of the warehouse.

A putaway list is generated and a worker is assigned to carry out the process by scanning SKU barcodes in the list and assigning locations for each of the items based on their demand, time to pick and pack, size and life.

1. Direct Putaway

The process of direct putaway requires immediate shifting of the incoming inventory to a specified location in the warehouse. Using the direct putaway method, saves a lot of time as shipment received is directly placed at a designated location and is easier to trace and cut shorts for your delivery preparations.

2. Dynamic Putaway

The dynamic putaway method requires storing of received goods at the first available space allowing more convenience in terms of accessing the inventory when needed.

For shipments that are rather similar in quantity, quality and characteristics, the dynamic approach can be preferred. Using dynamic putaway you ensure faster deliveries of items higher on demand and help you manage your warehouse space in a better way.

3. Fixed- location Putaway

Allocating a permanent or fixed space to the incoming shipment is what this type of putaway process does. This method allows your warehouse staff to be familiar with each of the placements and be quicker on initiating picking, packing and delivery processes.

Using the fixed putaway process you get to have a higher functioning warehouse as it will be better managed and gives you the flexibility to prioritise goods based on their demand cycle.

Having the right technology solutions that allow you the ease to know exactly where your inventory is and makes your receiving process hassle-free is crucial if you wish to expand your business and provide great service to your customers.

Now that you have understood the method of putaway, you also need to understand that putaway happens for a number of activities whenever and wherever your products are moving.

Putaway can be done in majorly 3 different ways based on your requirements and storage availability.

Putaway process is required for every single time your product leaves its designated shelf and is taken to another location. Businesses may require putaway processes:

  • For when your products go for a photoshoot, sampling, etc
  • For transferring stock or fulfilment of stocks from one location to another
  • For cancelled items after they are picked, packed but not shipped

To tackle each such putaway process, you need to have a robust and fully automated warehouse management system that can keep checks on all the ongoing and upcoming putaway requirements and give you real-time updates.

The warehouse management system of Unicommerce allows you to manage both of the major tasks of receiving and putaway with utmost proficiency, accuracy and effectiveness. The platform provides over 8 different putaway methods right from:

  • Putaway of Cancelled Items
  • Putaway of GRN items
  • Putaway of Gate Pass items
  • Putaway of items ‘not bad’ post-inspection
  • Putaway of Picklist items
Putaway also happens during the process of returns, cancellations and exchange of products that include

  • Putaway of Returned Items
  • Putaway of Reverse Pickup
  • Putaway of Returned Item received

With Unicommerce, streamline your operations, enrich your overall productivity and experience the true potential of your business today. Click here to know more about our services or request a demo now!

Read our next blogs in the warehouse management series to understand the right ways to perform the most significant operational processes of Picking, Packing and Dispatch, Returns and Cancellations. 

  1. Prerequisites of Warehouse Management: Vendor Onboarding and Procurement.
  2. Boost the Efficiency of Warehouse Operations with Packing and Dispatch
  3. Enhance the Operations of the Warehouse with Order Picking: Process and Methods
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