Logistics

The Logistics module of Infor MES enables you to manage inbound deliveries, outbound shipments, internal inventory movement requests, and replenishment orders.

Internal movement requests can be raised manually by operators or automatically by MES based on a trigger. These requests are then fulfilled by the logistics team manually, with optional support from Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), to deliver the requested materials to production.

These are the key features and benefits of the logistics functionality of MES:

Key Features

  • Download or create inbound deliveries and associated records such as orders, and receive inventory into the factory, validating against the order.
  • Download or create outbound shipments and associated records such as orders, and pick inventory to fulfil the delivery.
  • Raise internal movement requests and pick inventory to fulfil these replenishment orders.
  • Integrate with AGVs to automate the delivery of internal movement requests.
  • Define and manage warehouses, internal supermarkets, and local storage areas.
  • Perform transactions on mobile scanners, mobiles, and tablets.
  • Perform warehouse transactions on inventory, such as split, merge, sort, scrap, reclassify, etc.
  • Manage transport groups in the factory, enabling control over the responsibility for picking and delivering materials.
  • Use Advanced Shipping Notifications (ASNs) to be notified of inbound inventory in advance.
  • Relabel incoming inventory if the supplier does not conform to appropriate internal labelling standards.
  • Integrate with ERPs by downloading inbound and outbound deliveries, and sending back confirmations once actions are completed.

Benefits

Traceability
  • End-to-end traceability, up and down the tree, through all transactions performed against inventory.
  • Track received inventory back to the supplier if there is a quality issue.
  • Support investigation into customer complaints or recalls.
  • Quickly identify inventory that must be isolated in the event of a supplier recall or in-production issue.
Usability
  • Perform transactions on mobile scanners, mobiles, and tablets.
  • Eliminate errors by only allowing the correct materials to be picked, moved, and shipped.
  • Limit the overall application landscape by avoiding the need for a third party Warehouse Management System (WMS) that would require an additional purchase, support, infrastructure, interfacing, and ongoing maintenance.
Stock control
  • Increase efficiency through better organisation of shipping and internal deliveries.
  • Reduce Work In Progress (WIP), by using material movement requests to move the inventory to production at the right time.
  • Easily identify pending inbound deliveries and expected delivery dates when raw material stock is running low.
  • Identify planned outbound shipment volumes to help plan production and shipping activities.
ERP connectivity
  • Integrate with an ERP system to download planned delivery details automatically and avoid manual data entry.
  • Automatically issue confirmations back to ERP when deliveries are received or shipped to avoid manual data entry and minimise mistakes.
  • Align stock levels when actions such as partial scrap of an inventory pack are performed, ensuring the financial impact is accurately reflected in ERP.
  • Protect operations from ERP outages, with a responsive and locally available MES application.

Some benefits are only available when combined with functionality in other modules.