Introduction

This document describes the functionality of E-WMS Real-Time Transfers, available from product update 406.

 

Description

When a receipt process takes a long time, for example when unloading a container, or when you have a larger warehouse where different employees handle receipts and transfers, real-time transfers can help you optimize your receipt process. Real-time transfers allows you to transfer received stock while the receipt has not been processed yet in Exact Globe Next as shelf stock. Before this change, and when using E-WMS guided receipts, the whole receipt would first have to be scanned, read back and processed before it could be transferred using E-WMS.

E-WMS already offers Free Receipts, this allows you to scan partial receipts for a specific order, and after closing that receipt, stock could also be transferred (when using the WMS RF service for real-time read back and processing). However, in E-WMS Free Receipts there is less validation on the hand terminal (on expected quantity, for example) and the employee has no list of the items to be received.

 

Prerequisites

To be able to use Real-Time Transfers, following is required.

• License:
  • E-WMS I (SE1380)
    • or: Pick-IT Basic (SE5700) + Pick-IT RF (SE5760)
  • E-Warehouse Location (SE1312)
• Usage of communication type 'ASP'
• Usage of E-WMS guided receipts
• Usage of ASP transfers menu 'Transfer from to'

 

Supported processes

Real-time stock is supported in E-WMS guided receipts and in E-WMS transfers (menu 'Transfer from to'). The purpose of the functionality is to allow transfers of stock that has not been processed yet as shelf stock.

 

Configuration

Real-time transfers is enabled per warehouse. Start Exact Globe Next menu Inventory, Warehouse Management, Warehouses. Select and open a warehouse and press button WMS:

When enabled, real-time receipts and transfers are enabled for this warehouse.
When disabled (default), real-time receipts and transfers are disabled for this warehouse.
Before changing this setting, please make sure there are no receipts pending in Control Center Receipts Registration.

Using real-time receipts would make it mandatory to transfer all receipt lines first, before the receipt itself can be read back and processed. To allow 'early' read back of the receipt, an additional setting is available in menu System, E-WMS, Scanners, Receipt registration settings.   

This setting determines at what moment the scanned receipts can be read back; before or after all these receipts also have been transferred:

• After real-time transfers: receipts can only be read back after all receipt lines have been transferred as well. This means that after processing the receipts, in the Exact Globe Next item card, you will only see receipt transactions where the receipt location is equal to the transfer target location. There are no transfer transactions processed.
• Allow early read back: receipts can be read back as soon as the receipt transaction is 'done' (ready, all lines scanned). This means that in Exact Globe Next you may partly see receipt transactions on the transfer target location (the 'real-time' transfers) and also separate receipt transactions (on the original receipt location) and transfer transactions (issue from receipt location, receipt on transfer target location). Also the received stock may be momentary not available for transfers, during the period between reading back and processing the stock as shelf stock.
• Ask user: when ending a receipt transaction on the scanner, the user will see a pop-up screen 'Readback real-time receipt' with options 'After real-time transfers' and 'Allow early read back'. The default choice will be 'After real-time transfers'.
         
          .
  
  Message shown when a receipt is 'done' and this setting was set to 'Ask user'.

Rules and restrictions

When 'Real-time transfers' is enabled, following applies:

• real-time transfers can be used for receipts of sales units or of SKUs. Real-time works the same with or without SKU Management.
• 'real-time stock' is not available for WMS issuing processes (like replenishment, order picking or production issues) until the receipt has been processed. Only E-WMS transfers supports 'real-time' stock.
• input of the 'target warehouse' is skipped in a real-time transfer, since you can only use real-time transfers within the same warehouse as where the receipt is done (real-time transfers cannot be done between different warehouses)
• the real-time transfer is not saved or processed as a transfer, but the location of the original receipt line is updated when completing the transfer
• you cannot use scanner menus 'view transfers' or 'delete transfers' for real-time transfers
• a completed 'real-time' receipt is processed by the WMS RF receipts service, and nothing is processed by the WMS RF transfers service
• the same 'real-time' stock receipt can be transferred more than once, but we advice to do this only to correct mistakes. Only the last used location will be visible in Exact Globe Next as receipt location, after processing.
• you cannot transfer a total of processed + unprocessed stock in the same transfer line. You have to transfer either 'processed shelf stock', or else unprocessed 'real-time' stock
• you cannot combine cross docking and real-time receipts, since in that case the receipt location will already be changed to the fixed cross dock location without using a transfer
• when scanning a real-time transfer and pressing the browse button at 'item' or at 'S/B', the stock browser does not show real-time stock, only shelf stock
• transferring one receipt line in two or more different transfers, will split up the receipt lines in quantities per different target location
• when, during a transfer, the receipt line to be transferred is deleted on the receipt hand terminal, the error message "Receipt: not found" will be shown on the transfer hand terminal when trying to complete that transfer
• When you receive or transfer in small quantities per transaction (for example: total received 1000, but receiving or transferring in portions of 10) you will see these smaller transactions in the Control Center after reading back the receipts, but processing to Exact Globe Next is done summarized per item per location (and per S/B, scanner, reference).

Usage

This section provides a sample of the receipts process using real-time transfers, for a receipt of sales units.

• 'Real-time transfers' is enabled for warehouse 1.
• The scanner setting 'Readback real-time receipts' is set to 'After real-time transfers'.
• Location REC is configured as default location for E-WMS Receipts
• Purchase order (PO) 5000023 was created for 4 different items (no batch or serial items) and sent picking:
  
  
  
• Item 1000G1 is received, and input is ready for the next receipt line.
  
   
  
• Now, item 1000G1 can be already be transferred on another hand terminal. Without 'real-time' enabled, this could only be done after ending and processing the whole receipt.
  
  
  The WMS item/stock view report (menu WMS, Reports, Item/stock view) now shows a receipt pending on location B-1-BE1.
   
  
• When editing the scanned receipt lines on hand terminal nr. 1, you will notice that the location has been changed from REC to B-1-BE1:
  
   
  
• After all receipt lines have been scanned and completed, the receipt (with the updated receipt locations) can be read back and processed. After this, the item card only shows the receipt on the transfer target location.
  
  

Related documents

• E-WMS hand terminal settings - receipts registration
• Product Update 406: Real-time transfers - transfer before receipt has been processed
   
• E-WMS start page