Executive Summary

Warehouse management involves the physical storage and movement of products in the supply chain. This includes inventory management within a location, the handling of inbound and outbound shipments, issuing components and handling output related to production orders, and quality management considerations such as incoming inspection. The requirements for coordinating and reporting warehouse management activities vary between companies and locations. Therefore, different levels of functionalitybasic, intermediate, and advancedare required for supporting these activities. The basic inventory transactions, for example, include inventory adjustments, movements, cycle counting, purchase order receipts, sales order shipments, and production order issues and output. A shift toward the use of warehouse documentsfor receipts, put-aways, picks, and shipmentsprovides several advantages and represents an intermediate level of functionality. The advanced functionality includes a rules-based approach to directed put-aways, such as enforcing environmental storage conditions or accounting for bin limitations about weight and volume. The case studies highlight extensions to warehouse management, such as reports for quality management and warehouse management purposes.