Consolidation and deconsolidation
Consolidation is the combination of individual parts into a whole. Deconsolidation is the counterpart to consolidation. A whole is broken down into individual parts.
Consolidation
In the warehouse, the consolidation process goes hand in hand with picking and the goods issue process. Goods to be removed from storage are grouped together for dispatch. In particular, if the picking process is split across several storage areas, goods issue has a consolidation function, as all parts of a consignment must be brought together after picking.
In order to solve the consolidation task, the packages can, in the simplest case, be collected on staging areas in the outgoing goods area. For example, goods can be consolidated according to their zip code areas to the corresponding target relations.
You can find more information on consolidation here.
Deconsolidation
Deconsolidation is used in goods receipt. The goods receipt business process model can begin with the creation of a shipping notification. An advice note is advance information about the delivery of goods or the delivery of a payment. If an advice note is not received, the incoming goods are deconsolidated by staff and repacked if necessary, which in turn is very time-consuming and costly. When separating storage units, the barcodes must be visible for identification. However, if a shipping notification is sent, the goods can usually be forwarded directly, which is faster and more cost-effective. The goods then undergo quality control (see Value Added Services), after which they are finally put into storage without having to be deconsolidated by staff beforehand.
You can find more information on possible advance information on the delivery of goods under Notification.
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