Blocking or unblocking warehouses

You can block a warehouse for inbound procedures, outbound procedures, or both.

For example, you can block inbound and outbound procedures for a warehouse if the warehouse must be closed temporarily for inspection.

You can impose these types of blockings:

  • Full block

    Full block on warehousing procedures.

  • Interactive block

    Override blocking allowed except blocks on confirm shipment or confirm receipt.

If you impose a full block on inbound procedures, the receipt and inbound inspection procedures are not allowed for the warehouse.

If you impose a full block on outbound procedures, the outbound, outbound inspection, and shipment procedures are not allowed for the warehouse.

An interactive block on inbound procedures blocks the confirm receipt step. For the other inbound steps (for goods already received), a warning is displayed and you are prompted to cancel the procedure or to continue.

These are the other inbound steps:

  • Generate and release inbound advice
  • Print and confirm storage lists
  • Put away stock

If you perform the outbound steps of a warehouse transfer and an interactive inbound block is imposed on the receiving warehouse, you are warned that the receiving warehouse is blocked.

An interactive block on outbound procedures blocks the confirm shipment step. For the remaining outbound and shipment steps, a warning is displayed and the user is prompted to cancel the procedure or to continue. Assembly, internal inventory movements and inventory adjustments are also allowed.

Setup

Warehouse blockings are specified in the Warehouses (whwmd2500m000) session.

To impose an inbound block, select one of these values for the Blocked for Inbound field:

  • Yes = full block.
  • Interactive = interactive block.

To impose an outbound block, select one of these values for the Blocked for Outbound field:

  • Yes = full block.
  • Interactive = interactive block.

If you specify a full or interactive inbound or outbound block, a warning is displayed if there are uncompleted procedures for the warehouse. You are prompted to specify or cancel the block. For example, if you impose an interactive inbound block and there are unconfirmed receipts for the warehouse, a warning is displayed.

Warehouse block affects zones and locations

An inbound or outbound block that is specified for a warehouse affects the zones and locations of the warehouse. An inbound warehouse block also blocks the zones and locations of the warehouse that accommodate inbound movement, even if no transaction blockings are specified for the zones or locations. Similarly, an outbound block also blocks the zones and locations of the warehouse that accommodate outbound movement.

Note: 

If an inbound or outbound block is specified for a warehouse, the transaction blocking check boxes for the zones and locations of the warehouse are not updated in these sessions:

  • Warehouse - Location (whwmd3100s000)
  • Warehouse - Storage Zones (whwmd3110s000)
  • Location Blocking by Transaction (whwmd6111m000)
  • Zone Blocking by Transaction (whwmd6112m000)

Creating warehousing orders

If a warehouse is fully blocked for receipt and inbound inspection procedures, you cannot create manual inbound warehousing orders for the warehouse. If a full block is imposed on outbound and shipment procedures, you cannot create manual outbound warehousing orders.

You can create manual warehousing orders for warehouses that have an interactive block, but confirming receipts for inbound orders or confirming shipments for outbound orders is not allowed.

Warehousing orders for blocked warehouses can be generated from, for example, purchase or sales orders.

If the warehouse is fully blocked, the process stops after the initial step of the warehousing procedure.

If the block is interactive and the warehousing procedure is automatic, a message saying that a block is imposed is displayed, but the warehousing procedure is carried out and stops at the confirm receipt (inbound) or confirm shipment (outbound) step.

In either case, to process the orders you can wait until the block is lifted or cancel the warehousing orders and create new warehousing orders using unblocked warehouses.