Outbound shipment page by page - Pick

The pick stage is critical due to its impact on the quantity available. Inventory becomes committed when the user arrives on this page and the pick takes place. That is, as soon as the page opens, lots have been automatically selected by OpenBoxes and will not be available for other transactions. This will be taken into account immediately and can be seen elsewhere in OpenBoxes where the quantity available is listed, such as an item stock card or in the stock transfer workflow. If the user edits the pick, the quantity available will be updated accordingly.

Getting Started

The pick page is one of the most detailed segments of the outbound stock movement workflow. This is the part of the process where we note the specific lot, expiry information, and bin location for the items in our shipment.

Autopick

OpenBoxes will automatically generate the lots to be selected for a shipment. The system will allocate the first expiring lot. Given the same expiration date, the system will choose to pick from the bin with the smallest quantity first.

Once the pick takes place, quantity available for the item will be impacted throughout OpenBoxes.

Review the pick to make sure it matches your expectations. If you have to edit the pick for any item, you can do so by clicking the “Edit” button on each line item.

Editing the Pick

After choosing to edit the pick, you will be taken to a modal where you can manually make changes. Here you can see the original lots and bin locations selected.

Below, I edited the pick and instead instructed OpenBoxes to pull 400 from a different bin location. After making changes to select inventory from your desired lot or bin location, hit the ‘Save’ button to go back to the pick page.

Once we return to the pick page, you will see that the original line is now crossed out and replaced by the new lot and/or bin location that we just selected. It’s important to note that the new lot is now committed to this stock movement. It will not be available for other transactions.

Undo Edit

Click this button if you would like to undo the manual edits that were made and revert to the previous pick for a particular item.

Refresh AutoPick

Similar to the reload process on the edit page, which gives users the ability to refresh inventory information, the pick page also has a reload function. Selecting this button will make OpenBoxes refresh the autopick. This can be particularly useful if changes have occurred at the item or lot level that could impact the current pick, or if users have set aside their work and are returning to it at a later time. The system will automatically refresh the pick based on current inventory availability.

Print Picklist

OpenBoxes enables users to easily print a picklist for their outbound stock movement. This feature is very helpful in preparing the goods for shipment, whereas a picklist is created and then provided to the warehouse to pull the appropriate items, lots, and quantities from inventory.

There is also an associated feature that can be very helpful in preparing and printing picklists. OpenBoxes users can choose whether they want to organize the picklist by item code or by bin. ‘The Sort by Bin’ button on the right side of this workflow will rearrange the list based on the bin location. Some warehouses may prefer receiving picklists in this format for efficiency purposes. To utilize this functionality, select the ‘Sort by Bin’ button before printing your picklist.

Adjust Stock

This functionality is not currently active in OpenBoxes.

Next

Once you have verified that all of the lots and bins are correct, press ‘Next’ to go to the following page. Depending on your location’s settings, this will be the pack page or the send page. If the pack page is not enabled in your location, skip the next part of this series and advance to the send page.

Maintenance of Outbound Stock Movements

Because the pick stage impacts the quantity available, it's important to regularly manage and maintain your outbound stock movements.

Once an outbound stock movement is picked, the product will not be available for other transactions. Therefore it's very important to regularly review outbound stock movements and delete any unnecessary movements that will not be issued. Otherwise, your quantity available may not be accurate or you may be prevented from fulfilling other requisitions.