Goods issue – basics to outbound warehouse processes
The finished packages finally end up in the outgoing goods area and pass through different processes on the outgoing side, depending on the variety of carriers to be served and outgoing relations. The common core is that the packages of a shipment must be processed and loaded by the time the truck departs (cut-off time).
Outbound processes
In particular, when picking is distributed across several warehouse areas, the outgoing goods area has a consolidation function (= bringing together all parts of a shipment). In the simplest case, this task is solved by various collections of the packages on staging areas in the outgoing goods area, which, for example, combine postal code areas into destination relations. At the other extreme, a load is prepared in a previously planned loading sequence by resorting on a complex materials handling technology so that the actual loading of the truck can even be fully automatic.
In addition to handling your own picking, bypass parts from the goods receipt or production are to be controlled or third-party goods of unknown content are to be integrated.
If not already completed during the course of the preceding activities, the documents and labels required on the outgoing side must be generated and attached before loading at the latest.
These are:
- delivery note / invoice for each shipment
- SSCC labels / address labels for each package
- loading lists
Finally, a goods issue entry may be made again on the outgoing side, immediately during loading, to enable a final check for completeness. In order to be able to implement shipment tracking in cooperation with the forwarding agent or parcel service, the shipment or package data may have to be notified to the affected forwarding agents by remote data transmission (“despatch advise notice”).
For more information on business processes around outbound goods, see Goods issue – Key Figures.
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