The warehouse rules and structures are user defined and allow management to define the business rules (for example pick from picking slip and/or invoice and/or pick list and/or RF, etc) and to make changes quickly when desired.

The Warehouse Masterfile stores information necessary to identify the warehouse where a customer’s order relates for picking and dispatching of stock. Customers are assigned default warehouse codes in the Customer Masterfile.

In addition, the type of warehouse to which stock can be allocated on receipt of goods is defined. The types of transactions that can be processed for a warehouse, depends on the Warehouse Type. For instance stock is allocated to bonded and free warehouse types via various stock movement processes, whereas loans, consignment and damaged warehouse types require stock transfers.

The database assists in maintaining definitions for all storage and the addition and maintenance of Device Types for RF and Non RF warehouses. Locations are defined per warehouse and each physical warehouse may be split into zones, aisles, bays, levels and slots. The dimensions, storage capacity, locality and contents of a warehouse location is defined within a warehouse map, keeping warehouse personnel informed of the location of items for picking and storage purpose, for example, all items of one particular category can be stored in one specific area of the warehouse. A “copy” facility and location types means that similar aisles may be copied and amended rather than having to physically enter every location. This mapping can be changed or added to as the physical warehouse changes.

Inventory costing is determined by the set up in a Control File and can be either National or Warehouse level.

The characteristics of different device types (for example trolleys, fork lifts etc) are defined, including the:

Type of work they can do

• Weight and volume capacities
• Number of orders they can manage at one time
• Zones in which or between which they can work, and more

The device type definitions make it easy to create multiple similar devices. These devices are used when a picker requests work, allowing the system to know what kind of work to assign.

Complete paperless warehouse management is supported with the ability to use Radio Frequency (RF) for all stock related tasks. Warehouse management can also interface with stationary pick to light equipment, pick to light trolleys, carousels, sortation systems, weighing machines, conveyors and other materials handling equipment.

Multi-base currency allows multiple companies/business units to own inventory that shares the same physical location in a single instance (environment) of the database.

The inventory can be held in the same physical location (or in different locations) and belong to more than one company. Each company has its own inventory and the cost of inventory is held in the appropriate currency for that company.

Base currency is the currency in which inventory value, cost of sales and other financial values are held and reported by. Trade currency is the currency in which goods are bought and/or sold. For example, a company in Singapore may buy books from the USA in the trade currency of $US, cost them in the base currency of $Sing and sell them in the trade currency of Thai Baht, $A, $NZ, rupees, etc.

Purchasing – Purchase orders are issued in the trade currency and each Company holds its own inventory cost in its base local currency. When the stock is purchased, the stock value is recalculated using a standard exchange rate, taking into consideration the FOB and landed charges.

Centralized Ordering – The products are received into a single physical warehouse and are logically allocated to the relevant business units. The cost of inventory is converted based on the exchange rate. This allows the stock to be sold at local currency or the appropriate trade currency.

Cubing Functionality

A cubing algorithm suggests the number and size of cartons to use and the products to be packed within each carton, during the picking of orders which reduces the pack/repack effort required by pickers/packers. A carton can range from a large box to an envelope.

Multiple parameters are considered during the process: item dimension, weight and packing methods; weight limits per carton type, customer & carrier, minimum/maximum volume percentages per carton type, and customer requirement for similar sized cartons.

Each carton is limited in the total weight that a carton can hold. Exceeding the carton weight will damage the carton. The carton packaging weight (if defined on the Container Type file) will be added to the carton weight. Based on the shipping method selected for the order, the shipper or carrier can limit the total weight of a carton. For example, FedEx limits are 70lbs/carton. Customers can also specify weight and size limits of cartons. The carton weight is recorded on the Container Header file for download purposes.

Cubing can be enabled by warehouse and by billing account (customer). When a pick slip is released to pick, the first stage verifies whether the transactions will be handled by the cubing routine. If a zone is to be excluded or non-singles are being picked a separate carton ID is generated for each of these picks. The product’s packing method (‘Flat’, ‘Spine’, ‘Edge’ or ‘Any’) is retrieved, along with dimension and weight.

As a starting point the ‘minimum number of cartons’ is calculated, initially by dividing the total order weight by the lower of the customer and carrier weight limits. If the customer is flagged as requiring ‘similar sized cartons’, the total volume of the order is divided by the median volume of the largest carton, and then the greater of these is used.

Single carton orders us the minimum fill volume to decide the starting carton type. This ensures larger cartons are not ruled out prematurely. If it turns out that the larger carton results in a fill below the user defined minimum, there is always an attempt to ‘downsize’ to the next smallest carton.

The Package Type in the Item Masterfile specifies how a product can be placed within a carton. A particular package type specifies if for example a book must lie flat, on its spine or on the edge. The selection can be one or a number of these choices per package type as established in the Control File. Carton waste is packed regardless of the Pack Type.

For calculation purposes, the flat pack books are processed from largest to smallest volume, followed by spine pack books. Items are packed in layers until the carton height is reached. Then the free space (or ‘waste’, the percentage of which varies depending on the type of carton) between the product stack and carton edges is considered.

A single user definable absolute value ‘carton height clearance %’ parameter (as defined in TMSDS/CUB-IDFT) can be applied to all carton types. This defines the maximum height of the carton allowance for the percentage clearance.

The algorithm itself converts the space remaining into a single dimension ‘height’ figure. This is calculated as the first product’s ‘footprint’ (or maximum number of copies, packed in the same direction, that can fit in a single layer in the current carton type) multiplied by the carton height. The number of copies actually to be picked is then deducted, resulting in the ‘remaining height’.

The remaining height is then iteratively calculated as follows:

Remaining Height = (Product Footprint/Previous Product Footprint * Remaining Height) – Pick Qty.

As each product is packed the Remaining Height is reduced until it reaches zero, leaving only the ‘waste’. These two strips around the outside of the packed carton are then treated as ‘mini-cartons’ and the process seeks to fill them, initially with spine-packed items. When filling waste, the waste area that yields the higher stack multiple is tried first and then other waste areas are tried.

Finally if a carton’s minimum volume is not reached, then and attempt is made to step down to the next smallest carton.

1. Throughout the process, if a product’s size exceeds the carton size (that is it has a footprint of zero), it is excluded from the algorithm initial pass. Upon completion of the initial pass these remaining products then form the basis of a final pass, starting with the largest carton.

The cubing algorithm is restricted to only certain zones like picking zones and not bulk zones and is applied when the Create Warehouse Run or Release Warehouse Run to Pick processes are run. The process of releasing orders remains unchanged.

During confirmation, after quantities have been confirmed, the operator is now prompted to confirm Carton IDs. When an order is reversed using Reverse Picking Slips from a Run, containers will be deleted from the order if they exist. The Carton IDs are assigned to the picking slip and will print on the label. Labels are printed at the same time as the picking slip is generated. Extra labels can be printed with the picking slip number and carton type as the selection criteria. As part of the cubing process, picking slips have the potential to print separate lines per pre-assigned container number.

An example of the process followed is the system starts to fill the largest box allowed according to the constraints established in the various parameter set ups.

If more than one box is used, the system balances the boxes such that similar box sizes are used. For example, if the initial calculation was for 1x50lb box and an envelope (2lb), the boxes should be redistributed and 2x30lb boxes should be sent, placing 26lbs per box. The minimum/maximum waste allowance aids in an appropriate carton selection for this case.

The cartons need to be filled in picking sequence. Thus if multiple boxes are produced, then picking of both boxes could possibly start in 2 different zones and as such can start concurrently.

Setup Requirements

Decide if ‘cubing’ is in use at all. If it is, define the cubing program in TMSDS/CUBPGM. Initially this is set to WHO110A.

For which warehouses and/or customers is cubing in use? TMSDS/CUB-PLCY determines whether ‘cubing’ (or ‘carbonization’, that is the sizing and pre-assignment of carton IDs) applies to this warehouse/billing ID combination.

Define carton types (dimensions and weights) used for dispatch. Carton Maintenance is used to define carton details.

Define the default carton type for goods to be dispatched in the supplier’s carton in TMSDS/CUB-SDCT.

Define product dimensions and weights in the Item Masterfile. If these are zero, the cubing algorithm will use the defaults defined in TMSDS/CUB-IDFT. This Control File also contains the overall maximum carton weight.

Define possible ways a product may be placed in a carton. TMSDS/IC-PTYP contains the possible combinations (must be added to IC-TYPES). Ideally this Control File should not be changed but you may wish to remove entries from it. The ‘Flat’ ‘Spine’ and ‘Edge’ parameters on the right hand side are critical to the cubing program’s logic. Also applicable is TMSDS/CUB-PTYP which identifies the user defined product classification containing the product’s packing rules. Initially this is set up to contain IC-PTYP. Packing Types are entered on the Item Masterfile.

Define ‘picking zone’ using the new Picking Zone Maintenance program. This subdivides a warehouse into groups of locations to enable simultaneous picking into different cartons.

Define carton numbering in Number File WH-CNTNR.

Define optional carton ID prefix via TMSDS/PCK-RPCK.

TMSDS/CUB-ZONE defines whether to cube or not by warehouse zones. If a certain zone is set to not cube, then the zone transactions will not be cubed. If cubing by picking zone is to be used then TMSDS/SORT-PDB must include PKZN and CNTNR in the field name section of the description.

Other optional setup:

If any customers have a maximum carton weight, define the list in TMSDS/CC-CTNWL. TMSDS/CUB-WLPC identifies the user defined customer classification containing the customer’s maximum weight per carton. Initially this is set up to contain CC-CTNWL.

If any carriers have a maximum carton weight, define this in the Carrier Masterfile. An additional field of Maximum carton weight has been added.

If any customers request “similar cartons”, define this via Customer Classifications. For instance, within a single picking slip, does the customer prefer to receive cartons of a similar size rather than say, two large cartons and one small wrap? NOTE: The yes/no options are defined in TMSDS/CC-CTSC and default to No. TMSDS/CUB-SCCC identifies the user defined customer classification containing the “similar cartons” possible values. Initially this is setup to contain CCCTSC.

Carton packing defaults to picking sequence but it is possible to fill cartons in largest to smallest ‘footprint’ in TMSDS/CUB-SEQ. A ‘footprint’ is length * width. During cubing, determine the sequence in which the algorithm attempts to fill cartons. Defaults to Picking Sequence to reflect a picking slip itself. May alternately be sequenced by descending ‘footprint’ in an attempt to optimize the use of ‘waste’ (that is space between the main stack of flat products and the carton edge) by leaving the smaller products until last. Note that neither method changes the picking sequence itself but the latter is likely to result in multiple cartons being part-filled in a single picking zone thus diminishing the potential for simultaneous zone picking.