Vendor returns
Purchase order Return Merchandise (RM) orders are created in the system. When they are printed, they are released to the TWL Order Drop Manager. Vendor returns are processed in the same manner as customer orders and warehouse transfers that are shipped from your warehouse. They are dropped to the floor, picked, packed, and shipped to the vendor. Synchronization back to the system is based on which carrier you use. Are you using a shipping interface, also known as a host-managed carrier. Are you using a TWL-managed carrier to ship the products to the vendor. If you are using a shipping interface, synchronizing occurs after the products are packed. If you are using TWL to ship, synchronizing occurs after shipping.
Purchase order RM orders are processed in TWL Order Drop Manager because the RM represents inventory that is leaving your warehouse; however, the RM is inherently a purchase order (PO), so the PO is processed by the WL Entry Batch Receiving Report.
Return merchandise entry
When a purchase order RM is entered in Purchase Order Entry, the Return Adjust Reason is required. If the Return Adjust Reason is tied to a Reason Unavailable in SA Table Code Value Setup, then the entire purchase order contains the same Reason Unavailable. You can still change the reason at the line level.
Because the Reason Unavailable is specified by line item, additional line items must be entered if you are returning stock for other unavailable reasons. If you are returning several unavailable products with various unavailable reasons, enter each on a separate line. You can specify the Reason Unavailable in the Returns tab.
For example, you are returning a total quantity of 20 of product 1-001. A line item is entered for 10 with an Reason Unavailable that indicates the products were damaged by the carrier. Another line is entered for 10 with an Reason Unavailable that indicates a vendor return. A specific set of Reason Unavailable codes is permitted in TWL.
See the allowed reasons in the Unavailable stock section of this topic.
When the RM is printed, the line is released to TWL. You are not prompted to allocate the unavailable quantity when you drop the order if a non-TWL unavailable reason is used. Instead, a blank Reason Unavailable code is assigned to the line and the picker is directed to a location with available stock. When you process the order in the WL Entry Batch Receiving Report, the on hand quantity is reduced. The quantity is reduced in the same way that Purchase Entry Receipt of Inventory processes unavailable reasons that do not have sufficient quantity.
If the reason that is entered in Purchase Order Entry is valid in TWL, the reason is released to TWL when the RM is printed. When the order is dropped from the Order Drop Manager, select a location. That location must contain stock matching the Reason Unavailable that is assigned to the RM in the system. This is referred to as allocating stock.
Stock that is assigned to each Reason Unavailable must be stored in a separate location to facilitate damaged goods processing. After you allocate stock, individual pick records are created based on your selections. After it is picked, the RM must be packed and shipped. When the RM is synchronized to the system, the General Ledger updates for the Reason Unavailable types are combined and posted against the unavailable inventory account.
If you select a location that does not have a sufficient quantity, you must allocate stock. Otherwise, you receive error messages and the order is not dropped. After you allocate the required stock for the order, you can drop the order again and picking records are created.
System quantities
If you receive an error message when you enter the RM, you must investigate the unavailable quantities in both systems. Then, you can complete the RM. You can perform a lookup on the quantities in each unavailable type in Product Unavailable Inventory Entry.
The quantities and unavailable reasons can also be viewed in TWL Outbound-Order Management-Order Inquiry.
Review out-of-balance conditions before you make any adjustments. The out-of-balance condition might be due to timing issues if the batch processing reports have not updated the system balances.
Unavailable stock
In the system, stock that is not available for sale is maintained in a separate quantity balance in Product Maintain Balances Entry. In TWL, unavailable stock is categorized by the reason that stock is unavailable for sale. TWL contains hard-coded Reason Unavailable types to separate different types of damaged stock for disposition. This table shows the Reason Unavailable types that were set up in SA Table Code Value Setup when you implemented TWL:
| Code | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C | Customs Hold | Reserved for future use. |
| H | Return Hold | Inventory is held for return processing |
| I | Inventory Hold | Goods that are damaged within the warehouse |
| L | Liquidation | Customer returns that have some value |
| O | Overage | Received more than ordered |
| Q | QA Hold | Inventory that is in the process of inspection |
| R | Returns Hold | Inventory that is received from a customer |
| S | Scrap | Customer returns that cannot be salvaged |
| T | Transport. Hold | Goods that are damaged in transit by the carrier |