Navigator WMS is a powerful tool for managing your warehouse. This page lists Frequently Asked Questions and answers. If you have a question which is not
answered here, please feel free to call us on 1300 136 419 or email to: navigator@rfbs.com.au.
Typically, the user will request the next pickslip from one of the available Pick Groups.
If the user has permission to work on the group they have selected, a group-specific allocation routine is used
to assign one or more pickslips for the user to work on. The methods used to allocate pickslips can be customised
to suit your business, however the basic models are as follows:
- Simple Allocation :- The highest priority pickslip is allocated to the user from the pick group
specified.
- By Customer :- Once the simple allocation process has completed and a pickslip is assigned, the WMS
continues to allocate all other pickslips from this group shipping to the same customer (and address code).
This means that orders to ship 'with next goods' are automatically provided to a user for picking. This
process can save on freight because multiple orders can be sent on the same freight consignment.
- Manual :- The warehouse manager can manually assign work to individual warehouse
staff.
There are also various methods available to the warehouse manager to control when and how pickslips are given to users.
For example:
- Pickslips may be put 'on hold' (priority 0) to prevent these orders being sent to a user.
- Pickslips may have their priority increased/decreased to ensure the pickslip is picked sooner/later.
- Pickslips may be directly allocated to a picker for picking.
- The priority of a pickslip may be tied to the carrier pickup time. This process means that pickslips for the next carrier to arrive are always being picked next.
Conversely, if the carrier for a pickslip is not arriving until tomorrow, this pickslip has a low picking priority.
Simply assign the pickslip to a user and tell the user to commence picking. They will be given this order to
pick.
If the stock is available in a bulk storage location (but is not yet available), the picker can request the
pick line be postponed. The operator is taken on to the next item to pick and will come back to the postponed
item later in the picking process for the order. If there is no stock in the warehouse, the user can opt to
skip picking the item, in which case a discrepancy alert is issued to the warehouse manager. The item is not
re-displayed to the user.
Absolutely. The pickslip is tied to the user and can be retrieved on the same or a different device. This is
very useful if stock must be transferred from a bulk bin or a scanner battery
goes flat etc.
Roughly 6 months before you "go live" with Navigator WMS, you should approach your top 10 suppliers and tell them of your intentions. Request
that they commence putting barcodes on the products from the next shipment using either your or their product code or a registered barcode type
like GS1's EAN13. Attempt to clear old stock out of the warehouse by picking the non-barcoded items first.
If your suppliers cannot apply barcodes to the products, you can apply a barcode to either each individual item or to the front of "bulk" carton.
Each method has its drawbacks, so the best solution for your company may be a hybrid of both approaches. The disadvantage of each method is as follows:
- Printing barcodes for each item. This can be time consuming and therefore expensive. If however, the items are expensive and a mis-pick
could be very costly, this is a worthwhile process. Try to evaluate if the time taken to perform this step is really going to be beneficial in the longer term.
- Printing a barcode for the front of the carton. This is much quicker to perform, however it is possible that goods have been misplaced during a
putaway or transfer process - so scanning a barcode on the pallet racking or front of the carton might not assist you to with accuracy.
- Applying the product barcode to the racking. This approach is not recommended
because goods may be moved without the label being changed. This can result in
despatch errors.
In most warehouses without a warehouse management system, products are stored sequentially by product code.
Since similar products generally have similar codes, it is easy to pick one product to the left or right of the item requested (for example, pick a 35g tub instead of a 100g tub).
Physical separation of similar looking items, as well as barcode scanning of each item will prevent this from occuring.
The WMS allows you to physically separate similar-looking stock and simply tell the system where each product is located. Electronic pickslips automatically use this information
to direct the user to the correct bin.
RFBS have a product called Navigator WHL, a combination of mobile computer, battery powered thermal transfer
label printer and software to allow you to perform the following process in a single pass through your warehouse:
- Record a product barcode against each product in the warehouse.
- Record the length, width, height and weight of each product for cubing and freight purposes.
- Print sequential, barcoded, location labels with a customisable location code format to attach to racking.
- Record the current location of the product.
- Export all captured data to a CSV file for processing in Excel; or import directly into Navigator WMS.
Navigator WMS keeps detailed information on warehouse activity. When picking,
for example, Navigator records:
- The staff member who performed the pick;
- The time / date the pick was allocated to the user;
- The time / date the pick was started;
- The time / date each item was confirmed.
- The time / date the last item was scanned (i.e when the pick slip was completed)
By increasing visibility, Navigator WMS can help you to identify warehouse problems including:
- Items stored in 'difficult' locations (e.g. commonly picked items which require a ladder or forklift to access them)
- Picking locations being too small (leading to delays due to frequent out of stock/replenishment)
- Inadequate performance of picking staff
Absolutely not. Navigator is a tool to assist the Warehouse Manager be more productive by allowing him/her to focus on
managing exceptions instead of routine warehouse issues. By providing real-time information to the manager, they are able to make
more informed decisions on warehouse staffing levels, product storage etc.
There are number of key aspects of Navigator WMS which assist with accuracy:
- Warehouse / Bin-level inventory: Navigator provides visibility at a more detailed level than many accounting systems.
- Cycle counting: Bin counts may be randomly audited or cycle counted in a planned manner. Navigator WMS can automatically
generate cycle count instructions based on:
- By product;
- Bins accessed today;
- Bins accessed by a specific user;
- Bin / products not verified in over X days (the number of days between verification is based on product class);
- Manual (selected by warehouse manager);
- Empty bins - this helps to identify stock which has been moved without a transaction being recorded;
- +1 / -1 (bins either side of picking bays accessed today )
- Scanning: The importance of using barcode scanning to verify product barcodes cannot be understated.
|
Efficiency
Accountability
Traceability
Sustainability
Productivity
Visibility
Flexibility
|