Prepacking Advices

A prepacking advice is a document or entity which advises the picker or warehousing clerk to repack handling units or anonymous inventory in stock for matching the demand which can be shipped when required, without additional repacking during the outbound process.

The prepacking advice is created for this demand from a projected shipment. This advice allows the shipment planner to provide instructions to the warehousing clerk. The warehousing clerk repacks the inventory according the demand before picking all the inventory and moving to a staging location.

After the repacking is complete, the handling units that are created are linked directly to the related outbound order lines to block the inventory for other demands. Sequencing is required to position the prepacking advice in the Outbound process.

Note: 

Only one prepacking advice is allowed for a shipment.

Overview of the process

  • Prepacking advice can be created from the shipment session (whinh4130m000/whinh4630m000) using the option ‘Create and Open’ in the Prepacking Advice menu (action)
  • The data is defaulted from the Shipments (whinh4130m000) session.
  • Handling units can be generated and filled up with contents from inventory. These handling units are committed to the outbound order line after the stock points are committed.
  • The prepacking advice is created. The shipment data cannot be modified as the ‘Allow Changes to Shipment’ check box is cleared in the Shipment header.

Handling Units

The handling units are linked to the shipment lines as well as to the prepacking advice. The status of the HU is set to Projected. The references linked to the prepacking advice lines are also applicable to the handling units.

The shipment planner, as well as the packer can create new handling units for the prepacking advice to allow repacking in inventory. These handling units are also set to Projected status and are linked to the related shipment lines. The projected handling unit quantity can exceed the shipment line projected quantity. These additional handling units must be linked to a specific prepacking advice line, as the reference information and specific order line details are applicable for the handling units as well.

For prepacking advices, handling units can also be created using these sessions:

  • Pack Actual Stock Point (whwmd5248m000) session.
  • Actual Stock Points (whwmd5148m000) session
  • Prepacking Advice Lines (whwmd5545m100) session. This session can be used only if handling units do not exist for the prepacking advice line.
  • Using the handling unit (GBF Browser) tree with the Create Handling Unit option.

Virtual Node

The virtual handling unit nodes must be created when repacking is required for the prepacking advice, to allow the handling unit structure to be complete when the packing is finished.

Fill-up in inventory

When the shipment planner has approved the prepacking advice, the packer can do his job and prepare the handling unit structure in inventory. When the handling units are built in inventory the handling units are set to Packed, the child handling units are set to Packed to Parent.

When the packing is performed in inventory, the references linked to the prepacking advice lines are also applicable to the handling units. When the handling unit template contains virtual nodes as the bottom node, the fill up in inventory must generate these handling units.

The fill-up in inventory process creates inventory commitments.

Inventory commitment

After a handling unit is packed, the packer can complete the prepacking advice. This results in the commitment of the packed handling unit. The handling unit status is set Committed instead of the In Stock status and the stock points are blocked before packing is performed. Actual inventory commitments are not created. However, the stock points are committed, resulting in the stock point being partially unavailable due to the committed quantities.

Committing actual stock points

When actual stock points are created for the prepacking advice, the inventory is automatically committed for the outbound order line. Updating or deleting an actual stock point also updates / deletes the inventory commitment. When an actual stock point is canceled the commitment in the stock point is removed.

When checking inventory availability during the outbound advice process, you must check if stock point is available.

Committing handling units

Handling units that are built (in inventory), based on the prepacking advice must be committed using an inventory commitment.

These handling units which are packed for the prepacking advice, are Committed when the prepacking advice is set to Complete. With this commitment, the handling units are linked to the outbound order lines related to the projected shipments.

You can undo the commitment, to release the inventory for other demands when required.

Completion

A packer can set the prepacking advice to Complete status. This is the final stage of the prepacking advice process.

These tasks must be executed as part of the process completion:

  • Check for unpacked actual stock points
  • Commit the handling units:
    • Handling units which do not have packed stock point details defined are not used and are closed automatically.
    • Handling units that have unpacked stock point details defined are committed after the unpacked stock point details are removed
  • Set all actual stock points which are not canceled, to Complete. Actual stock points which are not packed (no packed quantity filled) are also set to complete which reduces the inventory commitment quantities.

Prepacking Advice Reports

You must print the prepacking advice to start the packing process in inventory. The prepacking advice report also includes the barcoded representations of the handing units that are proposed from the proposed stock points.

Cancellation

Cancellation of a prepacking advice can be done by removing the prepacking advice, manually. You can also use the Cancellation option to cancel the complete prepacking advice, the prepacking advice line or a specific actual stock point from being packed.

Prepacking Advice Status

The prepacking advice header and lines status indicate the stage at which the advices are in the process. These status can be used to track the prepacking advice header or line:

  • New
  • Approved
  • Packing in Process
  • Packed
  • Complete
  • Packing Canceled