Goods not immediately required are stored at the numbered locations. Depending upon the order requirements and priority, the goods are taken out of the numbered locations and are processed before they are placed in the finished goods area from where they can be picked and packed at the time of shipment. DCMS follows following logical programs to help in smooth execution of sub processes involved in this. Note that the process flow in DCMS is configurable and can be tailor made to suit the specific requirements of the organization.

Locating (LOC)

After completing inbound processes, cartons are stored in Unnumbered area ( Awaiting Location Area ). Locating Carton process manages storage of cartons into Numbered Location Area (BIR). BIR is an area where all the cartons containing SKU's not required immediately are kept. Using the Locating program, the operator scans the carton he is locating and the BIR location where it is being stored. The system records this transaction for using at the time of retrieval. LOC program primarily runs on Radio-Frequency Terminal.

Requirements (REQ)

Since Distribution Center gets raw SKUs from manufacturing plants, some processes or operations are required to be performed on those SKUs in order to make them shippable. It is also a fact that all SKUs cannot be processed instantly therefore a decision on order processing priority is based on input provided by supervisors. Supervisor enters the requirements for SKU’s based on the forecast and orders in hand. DCMS assigns the required quantity to each order and updates the inventory database accordingly.

Pulling Cartons (PUL/PUM)

This program guides the operator to each numbered carton location and directs him/her to pick the cartons assigned by the requirement program. Based on specific requirement in case of emergencies or priority, the supervisor can also instruct the operator to pull some specific cartons not assigned by the Requirement program. This is called Manual Pulling. Thus the system can be bypassed with proper authority if and when the situation demands so. After pulling, these cartons are sent to the Awaiting Opening Area where SKUs in these cartons are processed for final shipment

Storing in Finished Goods Area

This process picks up the SKUs from the opening area and locates them into individual ‘Forward Pick’ locations i.e. ‘Finished Goods Area’. This area does not contain numbered location, so DCMS does not keep track of which SKU is in which location. Before locating the SKU information, enhancements and quantity are entered into the system.

Monitoring Inventory

DCMS enables the users to view the status of the available inventory in the warehouse and modify the status to reflect the current stock position. It provides the user with the facility of viewing the area-wise inventory in the DC. Area-wise inventory can be viewed graphically which helps the user to make the necessary adjustments/modifications by redistributing the inventory in various inventory storage areas.