Replenishment
OVERVIEW
The replenishment module includes two levels of replenishment functionality, one simple and one complex.
SIMPLE REPLENISHMENT
This replenishment module monitors a warehouse pick face and generates the required pick face replenish net orders based on the pick face min, reorder, and max levels. The replenishment rules include five main options and a custom option. In some cases, the rule consists of future picking demand for the bin. This can be calculated from released picking slips on the floor or from sales orders due to lines from SYSPRO. Also, the replenishment order can be loaded on bulk bins in the same warehouse or in a linked “source warehouse” if stock is pulled from a neighboring bulk warehouse.
These replenishment requirements are listed on a PC-based control screen and mobile devices. Any replenishment not actioned within a set time will turn red to highlight the delay. The replenishment team then moves through the warehouse, processing the replenishments according to the date and time sequence (oldest replenishment first). Each replenishment can be transferred from the bulk bin directly to the pick face as a single transaction (if the bulk bin is close to the pick face) or a two-stage replenishment.
ALLOCATION RULES
Before moving into the different ways to release orders into the warehouse, it is important to understand the rules associated with allocating stock in the warehouse. DATASCOPE WMS has thirteen specific stock allocation rules that can be applied. Alternatively, a custom rule can be selected and written into the software.
A typical simple rule would be as follows. On the release of the order, take each sales order line and identify if the user should pick a full pallet for this line. If so, allocate the oldest pallet (or most suitably placed pallet or smallest pallet or less than pallet size) and check again. If a second pallet can be allocated, then proceed to do this. This pallet would be taken first from a block stack area rather than a normal bulk area of the warehouse. Once the order line drops to less than a pallet quantity, then start allocating full carton quantities from bulk areas.
AUTOMATED REPLENISHMENT
Automated replenishment is particularly effective when driving material movement to high-volume picking locations. These picking locations may be positioned on a factory floor in a WIP environment or in a pick face area of a distribution center. For these businesses, ensuring that the pick faces do not run dry is key to ensuring that the factory does not stop or that the customer orders do not ship with the missing product.
In simpler operations, the replenishment systems are used to calculate the future demand on a pick face bin and replenishment orders are placed as required to ensure that the bin never runs empty. Here a replenishment system on a mobile computer is used to suggest and direct new replenishment orders.
In a more complex environment, the replenishment orders would be batched together and then released to a supplying warehouse in logical picking batches. For instance, we may have one or more large bulk warehouses supplying a high-volume pick face warehouse. When releasing the replenishment orders into the supplying warehouse, we want to group requirements by zone and pick the replenishment from the supplying warehouse for that zone before we move the product into the pick face warehouse.
DATASCOPE’s Replenishment module ensures that the warehouse pick faces are ready for your pickers daily.