Creating a putaway strategy

To create a new putaway strategy:

  1. Select Configuration > Strategies > Putaway.
  2. Specify this information on the Putaway Strategy – Header screen.
    Putaway Strategy
    Name or ID of the putaway strategy.
    Description
    Description of the putaway strategy.
  3. Click New. The Detail tab is displayed.
  4. Specify this information:
    Step Number
    The sequence in which the steps should be processed. This is a numeric value that is used to sort the putaway steps. Specific numbers do not need to be used but the sequence does matter.
    Putaway Type
    Putaway strategy type to include in candidate locations for putaway. Various types are available to allow the strategies to be configured to best place product in the facility. These types are listed below.
    • Look for an open Location in the To Zone identified on this step: The system looks for an empty location in the specified To Zone. Required information: To Zone
    • Attempt to consolidate with existing product in the To Zone identified on this step: The system tries to find available space in a location where the item is already stored in the zone listed. Required information: To Zone.
    • Look for an open location in the preferred ZONE specified on the item master: The system looks for an empty location in the default zone listed on the item master. Required information: Putaway Zone (Item Master - Inbound tab)
    • Attempt to consolidate with existing product in the ZONE specified on the item master: The system tries try to find available space in a location within the default zone listed on the item master. Required information: Putaway Zone (Item Master - Inbound tab)
    • Look for an open location in the To Zone specified if moving out of the From Location: The system looks for an empty location in the To Zone listed on this step if the inventory is currently in the From Location listed on the step. Required information: From Location and To Zone.
    • Attempt to place product in the To Location specified on this step: The system tries to place product in the To Location if space is available. Required information: To Location.
    • Attempt to place product in the To Location specified on this step if moving out of the From Location specified: The system tries to place product in the To Location that is listed on the step only if the inventory is currently in the From Location that is listed on the step. Required information: From Location and To Location.
    • Attempt to place product in the preferred Location specified in the item master: The system tries to place product in the default To Location defined on the item master. Required information: Putaway Location (Item Master - Inbound tab)
    • Attempt to place product in the assigned Piece Pick location for the item if the quantity fits: If an item has been assigned to a forward Piece Pick location, the system tries to use the location if the quantity being put away will not overfill the location. The Maximum Capacity set on the item/location assignment is used for this. Required information: Location with Type = PICK. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab)
    • Attempt to place product in the assigned Case Pick location for the item if the quantity fits: If an item has been assigned to a forward Case Pick location, the system tries to use the location if the quantity being put away will not overfill the location. The Maximum Capacity set on the item/location assignment is used for this. Required information: Location with Type = CASE. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab)
    • Attempt to place product in the assigned Piece Pick location for the item if the quantity on hand = 0: If an item has been assigned to a forward Piece Pick location, the system tries to use the location only if the current balance in the location is 0. This type is used to fill the location for a new item. The Maximum Capacity set on the item/location assignment is used for this. Required information: Location with Type = PICK. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab)
    • Look for an open location in the To Zone specified if moving out of the From Zone: The system tries to find available space in a location within the To Zone listed on this step if the inventory is currently in the From Zone listed on the step. This type can be used with the Automatic Move functionality to control the putaway through multiple warehouse zones based on item requirements. Required information: From Zone and To Zone.
    • Attempt to consolidate with existing product in the To Zone specified if moving out of the From Zone: The system tries to find available space in a location within the To Zone that is listed on the step if the inventory is currently in the From Zone that is listed on the step. This type may be frequently used with the Automatic Move functionality to control the putaway through multiple warehouse zones based on item requirements. Required information: From Zone and To Zone.
    • Consolidate with existing product closest to the Piece Pick location for the item: The system finds the location in which the item is already stored and tries to find available space in a location in closest proximity to the Piece Pick location. This type reduces the travel time needed for replenishment to the piece pick location. The system uses the Interleaving Sequence on the location master to evaluate the distance from the pick location. Required information: Location with Type = PICK. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab) and Interleaving Sequence (Location)
    • Consolidate with existing product closest to the Case Pick location for the item: The system finds the location in which the item is already stored and tries to find available space in a location in closest proximity to the Case Pick location. This type reduces the travel time needed for replenishment to the case pick location. The system uses the Interleaving Sequence on the location master to evaluate the distance from the pick location. Required information: Location with Type = CASE. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab) and Interleaving Sequence (Location)
    • Find an empty location closest to the Piece Pick location for the item: The system looks for an empty location in closest proximity to the Piece Pick location. This type reduces the travel time needed for replenishment to the piece pick location. The system uses the Interleaving Sequence on the location master to evaluate the distance from the pick location. Required information: Location with Type = PICK. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab) and Interleaving Sequence (Location)
    • Find an empty location closest to the Case Pick location for the item: The system looks for an empty location in closest proximity to the Case Pick location. This type reduces the travel time needed for replenishment to the case pick location. The system uses the Interleaving Sequence on the location master to evaluate the distance from the pick location. Required information: Location with Type = CASE. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab) and Interleaving Sequence (Location)
    • Attempt to place product in the assigned CASE PICK Location for the item if Balance On Hand = 0: If an item is assigned to a forward Case Pick location, the system uses the location only if the current balance in the location is 0 (out of stock). This type is used to fill the location for a new item. The Maximum Capacity set on the item/location assignment is used. Required information: Location with Type = PICK. (Item Master - Assign Locations tab)
    From Zone
    Indicates the starting location for the putaway step. If inventory is currently in this zone, the criteria on this step can be considered. The From Zone is required information for some putaway types.
    To Zone
    Indicates the zone to which the putaway will be directed. The To Zone is required information for some putaway types.
    From Location
    If inventory is currently in this location when the putaway is executed, this step can be considered. If the inventory is not in this location, this step in the strategy will be skipped. For example, the From Location is used for direct putaway from a QC location after inspection is completed. The From Location is required information for some putaway types.
    To Location
    Putaway attempts to place product into this location. The To Location is required information for some putaway types.
    UOM Restriction
    Indicates the type of UOM. Based on the specified value (condition) and putaway type, the location is suggested. Possible values:
    • Any
    • Pallet Count > Quantity = > Case Count: Determines the quantity to be putaway and compares with the case quantity of the pack key.
    • Quantity > = Pallet Count: Determines the quantity to be putaway and compares with the pallet quantity of the pack key.
    • Quantity < Case Count: Determines the quantity to be putaway and compares with the case quantity of the pack key.
    Note: By default, the value is set to Any.
    Minimum Required % of LPN Quantity
    Determines the minimum required percentage of the LPN (License Plate Number) quantity used to split putaway.
    Note: 
    • This field is enabled only if the Dimension Restrictions field value is set to None, and the Putaway Type field value is set to:
      • Attempt to place product in the assigned PIECE PICK Location for the Item if the quantity fits.
      • Attempt to place product in the assigned CASE PICK Location for the Item if the quantity fits.
    • By default, this field value is empty. If this value is not specified, the standard Putaway process is considered.
    • If the value is specified, the system calculates the specified percentage of the LPN quantity scanned for putaway. If the calculated quantity is in decimals, the value must be rounded to near value.
    • If this value is less than or equal to the Item assigned Maximum Capacity – Quantity to Putaway location, system suggests the Pick location from configured Putaway type.
    • LPN requires to be split for filling the Pick location with the remaining quantity Putaway in the bulk location.
    • The pick location must always be configured with <Lose ID> enabled, to allow the LPN to be split.
    Single Putaway for Multiple Pallets
    If multiple pallets are to be placed in the same location, this flag indicates if a single confirmation scan can be completed.
    Check Restrictions?
    This flag indicates whether the application should verify any restrictions put on each location. This flag can be turned off to bypass dimension restrictions.
    Dimension Restrictions
    The system uses this value to validate if the product being put away will fit in the designated location based on capacity limits. There are different limits available. Up to six restrictions can be used. The restrictions available are:
    • Fit by Cube. Evaluate based on the total cubic capacity of the location and the total cube (cube multiplied by quantity) of the item being put away. This restriction does not apply to forward Piece or Case pick locations. Required information: Cube (General tab on Item) and Cubic Capacity (Location).
    • Fit by Weight (Not for Pick or Case Locations). Evaluate based on the total weight capacity of the location and the total weight (weight multiplied by quantity) of the item being put away. This restriction does not apply to forward Piece or Case pick locations. Required information: Gross Weight (General tab on Item) and Weight Capacity (Location).
    • Fit by Weight with Sharing (Not for Pick or Case Locations). This restriction is similar to the Fit by Weight restriction described above but it also allows for a location to borrow/share weight capacity from a neighboring location as needed. Initially, the system evaluates the Fit by Weight calculations to determine if the putaway weight exceeds the remaining weight capacity of the location. If the weight fits into the location without sharing, the location is accepted. If the putaway weight exceeds the remaining capacity of the location (with consideration to the existing sharing To and From the location), the system then follows the sharing logic process:
      • Verifies that weight sharing is a viable option for the item and potential putaway location by checking that the system setting for weight sharing is turned On, that the item weight is not zero, that the putaway location weight capacity is greater than zero, and that the potential putaway location is configured to share weight capacity from another location.
      • Determines the total available weight capacity for the potential putaway location (with consideration to existing weight sharing and the Location Weight Sharing Max Percent from the Zone).
      • Determines if the weight of the current putaway inventory can fit within the location's shared weight capacity. If the location can handle the weight, the location is accepted.
      Note: Racking weight capacities are usually based on uniformly distributed loads per pair of beams. The use of weight sharing can cause loads to be non-uniformly distributed. Be advised that weight sharing could result in potential safety issues.
    • Fit by Quantity (Pick/Case Locations Only). Used for placing product in assigned forward Pick and Case pick locations. This restriction only applies for putaway types that direct product toward assigned forward pick locations. Required information: Cube (General tab on Item) and Cubic Capacity (Location). Location with Type = CASE or PICK with Maximum Capacity defined (Item Master - Assign Locations tab).
    • Fit by Stack Limit. This restriction is frequently used for bulk storage locations that hold multiple pallets. The location capacity is determined based on the number of pallets that can be placed in a location. The system uses this setting for both the Stack Limit (maximum number of pallets that can be stacked on top of each other in the location) and Footprint (number of pallets that can be placed on the floor level of the location) on the location to determine the number of pallet positions available. For example, if 8 pallets can be placed on the floor in the location and they can be stacked 3 high, the capacity in the location is 24 (8 x 3). There is also a Stack Limit setting on the item that can be used to override the location stack limit. For example, if product is heavy or fragile and can only be stacked 2 pallets high, it would be set to 2 on the item. In the above example, the capacity for the item in the location is 16 (8 x 2) instead of 24. Required information: Stack Limit and Footprint (Location). Optional information: Stack Limit (Item - Inbound tab). If the item stack limit is set to the default of zero, it will be ignored.
    • Fit by Putaway Zone Limit. This restriction is used to limit the number of pallets of an item in the same zone of the warehouse. A standard limit can be defined on the Zone configuration. An additional restriction for a specific item can be defined on the item master. Required information: Max Pallets per Item (Zone). Optional information: Max Pallets per Zone (Item - Inbound tab). If the zone pallet maximum is set to the default of zero, it will be ignored. The item pallet maximum will also be ignored if set to zero.
    • Fit by Wood Dimensions and Height (Not Valid when Case/Pick Locations or Commingling). The system uses the dimensions defined on the Pack for the item and the location dimensions to determine if the pallet that is being put away will fit in the location. Within the Pack configuration, the user can specify if the calculations to determine putaway fit use case dimensions or pallet height.

      Putaway Fit Calculation Using Case Dimensions

      Required setup information:

      • Location configuration - Height, Length, Width
      • Pack configuration (Dimensions tab) - Length, Width and Height for Case unit of measure; Length, Width and Height for Pallet unit of measure; Pallet TI x HI (Cases per Tier/Layers per Pallet); Length, Width, Height for Pallet Wood Dimensions
        Note:  When putaway uses this function, it uses the Pack recorded during the receipt to get the dimension information for the product. If this is the 'STD' pack, the system uses the Pack from the item master.

      Putaway Fit Calculation Using Pallet Height (Case Dimensions Not Included)

      Required setup information:

      • Location configuration - Height, Length, Width
      • Pack configuration (Dimensions tab) - Pallet height entered for the Pallet UOM plus the height of the wood (pallet) determines the total overall height. The system compares this calculation to the location height to determine if the pallet will fit.
        Note:  When putaway uses this function, it uses the Pack recorded at the time of receipt or putaway to get the dimension information for the product.
    • Fit by Wood and Height with Sharing (Not Valid for Case or Pick Locations or Commingling). This restriction is similar to the Fit by Wood and Height restriction described above but it also allows for a location to borrow/share width capacity from a neighboring location as needed. Initially, the system evaluates the Fit by Wood Dimensions and Height calculations to determine if the pallet wood fits into the location without sharing. If the wood fits into the location without sharing, the location is accepted. If the pallet wood does not fit into the location, the system then follows the sharing logic process:
      • Verifies that width sharing is a viable option for the item and potential putaway location by checking that the system setting for width sharing is turned On, the pack for the putaway inventory has defined pallet dimensions, the putaway location width capacity is greater than zero, and the potential putaway location is configured to share width capacity from another location.
      • Checks for existing width sharing by identifying locations already sharing with the putaway location, identifying the width value shared by each location, calculating the total current width including sharing, and performing the Fit by Wood calculations again using the expanded width dimension (LxW and WxL).
      • Verifies if new width sharing can occur by identifying the location that is configured to share width with the putaway candidate location and determining if the potential sharing location has available width to share (and how much is available).
    Area Type Restrictions
    Specify up to three areas. If candidate locations exist in any of these Areas, the locations will NOT be considered for putaway.
    Location Sort Type
    Specify Location Name or Location Route Sequence. The system sorts empty locations by the Location Name or the Location Route Sequence (which is defined on the Location configuration). You can specify a different Route Sequence on the location configuration to control the pattern for which locations to use.
  5. After you finish your entries on this tab, specify location details for this strategy.