If you are competing in a market where your customers expect orders to be shipped on the same or the next day and where every un-fulfilled order line is considered to be a lost sale, it is important to have a system which helps you manage your operations to meet these demands. WinMan modules have features which are specifically designed to support this environment.

Order Processing

Orders can be accepted from a variety of sources, using fast order-entry for those received by fax or telephone, through EDI, or from a Sales force Automation System. If immediate delivery is not required, WinMan can provide a delivery date during the order-entry process based on stock, allocations and planned or predicted supply.
Each order is priced using pricing and discounting matrices which can be configured by customer, by product and by a variety of user-defined product groupings. Credit checking can be applied during the order entry process and be configured to simply advise the operator of a potential breach of a credit limit or to prevent further entry of orders. Alternatively, an order can be accepted but shipment prevented until released by credit control.
Multiple order types are supported, including pro-forma and consignment.

Inventory Control

Any inventory item can be held in multiple locations. Each can be designated for a specific purpose and type of transaction. For example, a picking face can be designated so that only stock identified as such can be picked and shipped – it can be ‘topped-up’ from secondary locations but shipping cannot occur directly from these other locations.

• Product Identification and labelling
  
  When consignments of stock are received – often palletised – it is important to unload the transport quickly, not always allowing time to verify that the products are as specified on the delivery note. WinMan can be configured to receive into a holding area therefore preventing the stock from being used for packing and shipping operations. The warehouse personnel can then unpack the consignment and verify the product data and quantity; when satisfied, they can request an appropriate number of product identification labels through the RF device and print them immediately on a portable printer wherever they are in the warehouse.
  
  
• Putting away
  
  Goods which have been received and identified are then put away, either into a picking face or a secondary storage area. The movement is recorded by a simple transaction which only requires the operator to scan the product label and a bar code representing the storage location and confirm the quantity being moved.
  
  
• Palletisation and storage
  
  Product not immediately required at the picking face can be palletised and the movement of all products on a pallet to another location recorded with a single transaction by scanning the pallet identification label.
  
  
• Stock movement
  
  Movements between locations are recorded by scanning the product identification label, the ’from’ and ‘to’ locations and by confirming the quantity. The operator is prevented from moving more than is in the location.
  
  
• Stock accuracy
  
  When a stock movement is recorded, the expected quantity of product in the location is displayed to the operator, enabling him to perform a stock check and immediately initiate a stock audit of that product if a discrepancy is suspected. There may not always be time to check stock levels during, for example, the picking process; therefore, a perpetual stock audit facility is also provided to ensure regular checking of all stock.
  
  
• Topping-up
  
  Daily reports are produced for the picking-face and will recommend ‘topping-up’ if the quantity in a location is below a pre-determined level; the movement between a secondary location and the picking face is recorded by scanning the product identification labels and locations.
  
  
• Lot control
  
  If products are lot controlled, the product identification labels will include the lot number and its bar-code. This is used to record a movement with a simpler transaction – the current location and quantity is already known by WinMan and so only the destination needs to be scanned.
  
  

Shipping

Picking lists can be printed, immediately an order has been accepted, in multiple sections according to warehouse location so that picking can be optimised and can progress concurrently in different areas.

Alternatively, multiple orders can be batched and consolidated, picking lists produced so that stock is delivered to a despatch area and then packed for each order or customer.

Bar-coded picking lists are printed from WinMan; as product is picked, the operator scans the picking list, product identification label and location to record the transaction. Any attempt to pick product which is not on the picking list is immediately prevented.

Two-stage shipping is built-in to WinMan. When stock is first picked, it is removed from the picking face but still can be seen as ‘in-shipping’ until the shipment is closed. At this point the shipment becomes ready for invoicing.

Stock Replenishment

Sales are continuously analysed to measure demand and trends; these are used to classify stock items and to determine appropriate re-order levels and re-order quantities. This is designed to minimise over-stocking due to decreasing demand and lost orders due to increasing demand. Stock, allocations and supply are continually monitored against these levels and replenishment orders generated; these may be for assembly or pre-packing if required or purchasing if not.
A purchased item may have multiple suppliers linked to it, and multiple order types are available, including sub-contract, free-text and sundry; this enables a company to control all purchasing activity through WinMan, not only for the stock items.