System-Directed Put-Away with Fill Partly Empty

Limitations

A location where there is a quantity stored of some other item, but nothing of the item to put-away, is neither considered partly empty, nor empty, and will therefore not be found when the system searches for put-away locations.

Definitions

• Partly empty means that there is a quantity of the item to put-away stored on the location.
• Empty means that there is no quantity of any item stored at the location.
• A location where there is a quantity stored of some other item, but nothing of the item to put-away, is neither considered partly empty, nor empty, and will therefore not be found when the system searches for put-away locations.

Search logic

The 'Fill partly empty' and 'All partly empty' parameters are both found on 'Item. Connect Warehouse' (MMS002/G). Values 1 and 2 of the ‘Fill partly empty’ parameter activate search for partly empty locations with a location type set up in the item/location type relation table in 'Item. Connect Stock Location Type' (MMS057).

The difference between value 1 and value 2 is what is prioritized; the location being partly empty, or the location having the most suitable location type.

The parameter 'All partly empty' enables the search for partly empty locations that do not have a location type set up in the item/location type relation table (MMS057). It is also possible to decide when these locations should be searched, either before any empty locations are searched (value 1), or after empty locations are searched (value 2). By setting the parameter 'All partly empty' to 0 (zero), only search locations with location types set up in the item/location type relation table (MMS057) are searched.

Example search

The partly empty locations are searched by location type, just as the empty locations. Among the partly empty locations, there are those with location type 1, represented by area A1 in the figure, and there are those with location type 2, represented by area A2. All other partly empty locations constitute the remaining part of area A.

The table shows the order in which the different types of locations are searched when putting away 10 pieces of item X depending on the value of the 'Fill partly empty' and 'All partly empty' parameters.

Quantity: 10 pieces

A - (A1+A2) means all partly empty locations of location type other than location type 1 and location type 2.

It is possible to make the system only search locations with location types set up in the item/location type relation table (MMS057), by setting the 'All partly empty' parameter to 0.

It is also possible to prioritize the most suitable location type and have the system select empty locations of that type before it selects any location of a less suitable location type.

The most suitable location type is considered the location type set up in the item/location type relation table (MMS057) with a minimum quantity closest to the quantity that is being put away. In the example, location type 2 is considered more suitable than location type 1 because the minimum quantity for location type 2 is 10, which is the same as the quantity being put away, whereas for location type 1 it is 1.

If the minimum quantity is blank for all records in the item/location type relation table (MMS057), there is no location type that is more suitable than another. The order in which the records in (MMS057) are searched when they have the same minimum quantity, is in descending sequence number order

Use of multiples

A quantity that is greater than the normal storage quantity will be adjusted to a multiple of the normal storage quantity even when all remaining quantity can be stored at the location.

Example:

The remaining quantity is 24 pieces. The normal storage quantity is 10 pieces.

In this case the system suggests placing 20 pieces (twice the normal storage quantity) at location L1 and will go on to search a new location for the remaining 4 pieces, even if all 24 pieces can be stored at location L1. This is done to ensure that the items are stored in even quantities at the locations.

The effect may be that the system will not suggest any location for a small remaining quantity when it is less than the normal storage quantity for all of the location types in (MMS057). If there is no normal storage quantity set for the combination of item and location type, the system will suggest storing as much of the remaining quantity as can fit at the location and make no adjustment of the quantity to store.

Examples of search order with location group

When location groups are set up and connected to the standard location of the item that has impact on the search order for the put-away location.

In the following sections, the sequence in which put-away locations are searched is described for the various permitted combinations of the values on the 'Fill partly empty' parameter and the 'All partly empty' parameter.

Case 1 - Search only empty locations

Settings

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.

Case 2 – Search only locations with location type in (MMS057) and prioritize partly empty locations

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.

Case 3 – Search all partly empty locations before empty locations

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.

Case 4 – Prioritize partly empty locations by location type and search all partly empty locations

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.

Case 5 – Prioritize location type over partly empty

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.

Case 6 – Prioritize location type over partly empty and search all empty locations

Each cell in the table below represents a location.

If there is a number in the cell, the location is part of the search sequence and the number tells in which order those locations are searched. If there is no number in the cell, the location is not part of the search sequence and cannot be found with the current setup.