Picking

Owned by Johannes Sebastian Nielsen
Last updated: Aug 19, 2024 by Bøje Mølbak Nielsen (Deactivated)
9 min read

Description

The Mobile WMS app supports registering the picking of items in several different setups.


It is the configuration of the Location card that determines how the data is transferred to the mobile device.

Overview

Sales orders

For customers with simple warehouse requirements and without using the warehouse module, the Mobile WMS app can integrate directly into sales orders in Business Central.
Sales orders will be available for Picking on the mobile device if:

  • The location code on the sales order header is configured NOT to use Shipments or Picks
  • The sales order is released



The typical work process is:

  1. Create a new sales order and release it
  2. Ship the order using the mobile device
    This is equivalent to:
    1. Fill out the "Qty. to ship" on each order line

    2. Register item tracking information (if needed) for each order line

    3. Register the bin code (if needed)
      Note: Splitting of sales lines is not supported. Only one bin can be registered on the mobile device. If you need to register picked items from multiple bins, you should use Warehouse Picks.

    4. Post the sales order as shipped


Warehouse Shipments

The Mobile WMS Solution can handle 3 different ways to use the warehouse shipments.

The typical work process using both Pick and Shipment is:

  1. Create a shipment and add the relevant order lines to ship together
    The shipment can contain lines from many different sales orders based on criteria like customer, shipping agent, etc.

  2. Create one or more picks from the shipment
    1. The "Create Pick" function can be used
    2. The "Pick Worksheet" can be used to generate the pick orders based on criteria like customer, zone, etc.

  3. Picks are handled on mobile

  4. When everything is picked the shipment is posted using:
    1. Using Shipping 
    2. Using Post Shipment
    3. Using Tote Shipping
    4. Using Pack & Ship
    5. Manually in Business Central This typically includes printing the delivery documents and booking a shipping agent





Inventory picks

When the location is set up to only require pick (Not Shipment), then an "Inventory Pick" is created to register both the Pick and Shipment, in one step.


Inventory Picks will be available for Picking on the mobile device if:

  • If the location is set up to only require Pick 
  • The Inventory pick is released

The Inventory Pick is used to handle picking order by order.

They are typically generated from the sales order.


This creates an Inventory Pick.

When the mobile device is used it is equivalent to performing the following operations in BC:

  1. Set the "Qty. to Handle" fields
     
  2. Register item tracking informationThis is done on the source document line


     
  3. Use the split line function to pick from multiple bins
    This is handled automatically when the mobile device has registered multiple bins for the same order line.
     
  4. Post the pick


When the Inventory Pick order is posted the items have been delivered.

Warehouse picks

The Warehouse Picks can be created in two ways:

  1. From a warehouse shipment
  2. Using the pick WorksheetThe pick Worksheet can get lines from warehouse shipments and group the shipment lines into optimal tasks.

Note: The handling of the Warehouse Pick is identical to the Inventory Pick (see above).


Transfer orders

Please see Receiving- Transfer orders as the picking process is described there.

Purchase Return Orders

For customers with simple warehouse requirements and without using the warehouse module, the Mobile WMS app can integrate directly to Purchase Return orders in Business Central.
Purchase Return orders will be available for Picking on the mobile device if:

  • The purchase return order is released
  • The location code on the purchase return order header is configured NOT to use shipments or picks
  • The user logged in on the mobile device is configured to work on this location
  • This is done in the warehouse employee form

The typical work process is:

  1. Create a new purchase return order and release it
  2. Ship the order using the mobile device
    This is equivalent to:
    1. Fill out the "Qty. to ship" on each order line

    2. Register item tracking information (if needed) for each order line

    3. Register the bin code (if needed)
      Note: Splitting of sales lines is not supported. Only one bin can be registered on the mobile device. If it is needed to register picked items from multiple bins then use picks.

    4. Post the sales order as shipped

It is very similar to a sales order, but the lines have a "Return Reason Code" on them. The business process is:

  1. The purchaser calls a vendor with a complaint about a received product

  2. The purchaser creates a purchase return order based on the original purchase order

  3. The purchaser registers the return reason code on the line(s)
    Note: The return reason code is set in Business Central and not on the mobile device

  4. The items are shipped using the mobile device



Mobile: Picking items

The pick module is accessed from the main menu seen inthe screenshot.

When the user activates the pick module an empty order list screen is displayed with the filter opened.

The items available on the main menu can be configured to only show the desired items.




Mobile: Pick Order filters

The purpose of the filter is to limit the number of orders sent out to the mobile device. In the standard configuration the user can filter on:

  • Location
    The user can select a specific location or select All to see all locations

    Note:     The locations available to the user, correspond to the locations the user has been set up to use on the warehouse employee page in Business Central.
    The default location is the first entry in the list.

  • Assigned User ID
    Here the user can choose
    • All - to see everything
    • Only my orders - to see only orders assigned to them
    • Mine & Unassigned - default

      Note: It is possible for Partners to add/remove filters on this screen by using the Extension API.
      The filter can be opened at any time, on the order list screen, by clicking the filter icon in the top right corner.



When the user clicks the <Apply> button the mobile device will show the list of available orders. 


Mobile: Pick Order list

The order list shows the available pick orders within the selected filter. The orders are downloaded directly from Business Central.

The information displayed for each order can be changed to fit your specific requirements.

The list can show orders of the following types:

  • Warehouse picks
  • Inventory picks
  • Sales orders
  • Purchase Return Orders


    The work process on the mobile device is identical for all order types.



Selecting the right order
The user can use the scanner of the mobile device to select the right order to work on. In the standard setup, the user can scan the barcode of one of the items to pick. The mobile device will then filter the list of orders to only show the orders containing this item. This will typically result in a very limited set of orders.


Note: The filter functionality when scanning can be changed to allow filtering on any scanned value. E.g. scanning an order reference number.
The order is opened by touching the order line in the list. Whether this needs to be done once or twice, is defined in the configuration file for the mobile device, and the default is to double touch. When the line is opened the order lines are downloaded to the mobile device.

Order locking
The lock symbol, illustrated on the third order, tells the user if someone else is working on the order. If the user selects a locked order, a warning is displayed, telling the user who is working on the order. The locking function is used to prevent unintentionally selecting an order handled by another user. If the user still wants to work on the order after seeing the warning, the order can be opened in the menu by selecting "Release (order no.)" to unlock the order. The menu is opened either by clicking the round blue menu button, or by long-pressing on the line.

Menu options

  • Open - Opens the selected order

  • Update - Gets the latest orders

  • Release - Unlocks a locked order

  • Cancel - Closes the menu



Mobile: Pick Order lines

When the order lines have been downloaded to the mobile device the order lines can be registered while the mobile device is disconnected from the server.

An example is if the mobile device is used in an area without wireless network coverage (e.g. inside a container).

This screen shows the order lines for the selected order. In this case it's for Pick order PI000005 and there are 4 order lines.

The main work process is:

  1. Scan one of the items

  2. The corresponding order line is selected

  3. Register values on the order line- Batch number- Serial number- Quantity- Bin

  4. Post the order


Sorting the order lines The sorting of the order lines is defined in Business Central. There are multiple ways to do this.

The goal of sorting is to guide the picker through the most optimal route in the warehouse. The Mobile WMS setup screen defines the sort order.



There are three options:

  • Worksheet
    This is the standard configuration. Selecting this option will sort the order lines according to what was selected when the pick order was created. If the pick is created from the shipment the user has the options in below:

  • Item Sort the order lines by item number
  • Bin Sort the order lines by bin
    This is typically not the shortest route through the warehouse. Use the bin ranking feature to get the optimal route.



Selecting an order line
The fastest and most reliable way to select an order line is to scan the barcode of an item.

If the barcode is not available, the user can simply touch the line twice. On devices with a physical keyboard, the up/down arrows can be used, opening the order line by pressing the enter button. This starts the registration process for the order line.

Registering bins

The user must register the bin the items are taken from.

If a bin is suggested by Business Central the user must validate that the items are picked from the correct bin.

This is typically done by scanning the barcode on the shelf. If the barcode is not available the user can press the barcode symbol and enter the value manually.

Note: In the standard setup the user is allowed to pick from another bin.

In this scenario, a warning is displayed, but the user can override it and register the new bin anyway. It is also possible to block using another bin or allow it without showing a warning.

If a bin is not suggested by Business Central then the user can enter any value.



Note: It is possible to register more than one bin. The quantity for each bin is registered. When the registrations are posted in Business Central the line is automatically split. 


Take Bin Calculation

Picking directly on sales orders, transfer orders or purchase return orders, take bin is selected by this priority:

  1. Item Availablity - where can the full quantity be picked
  2. Bin Ranking is respected

This can override the order line take bin selection.


Picking according to FIFO & FEFO

The picking instruction used in Mobile WMS is based on what is configured and set up in Business Central.

In Business Central, some configurations can enable the FEFO strategy, but FIFO is not a standard functionality.

  • Please refer to your Tasklet Partner for further clarification if you wish to clarify possible picking strategies.

See also: MS Learn on FEFO Setup


Notes


Registering Lot numbers
The Lot number tracking works the same way as for Receiving orders.

Registering expiration dates
Expiration dates are not registered on pick orders. Only the Lot or serial numbers are registered (they contain the expiration date information)

Register serial numbers
The serial number tracking works the same way as for Receiving orders.

Registering the quantity
The quantity registrations works the same way as for Receiving orders.

Menu options The menu options are the same as for Receiving orders.

Posting the order
When the order lines have been handled the user activates the "Post" menu item and the registrations are sent to Business Central.


Next

Shipping