- Tracing all locations Label all locations with a unique bar code, scanned at the moment of delivery and shipping

- Enable Yard Management and Pick-to-Carton by extending WMS warehouse storage space and advanced transport grouping

Client Benefits:

- Manage a your warehouse Axapta model exactly resembling the real topology

- Have each location in WMS uniquely identified, labeled and monitored for positioning and repositioning of received goods

- Use warehouse space efficiently, never allowing items to expire or be placed in inappropriate warehouse areas

- Have all activities registered and kept in journals for future audit reports

- Every pallet is assigned a bar code, scanned and transmitted to Axapta by wireless Vehicle-Mounted Devices in varying air conditions

- Transport orders transmitted to lightweight Axapta Clients on forklift terminals on RF, using advanced routing algorithms that save working time and mileage of the forklifts

- Advanced Yard Management eliminates time wasted on searching for the products, available space or replacing the items to a different location in one warehouse

Case Study:

The most crucial issues in the project concerned maintaining uninterrupted communication with a number of forklifts and optimal food location in the warehouse space. Each sort of food had to be stored separately in appropriate temperature conditions and sell orders had to apply to the food with the closest expiry date.

The warehouse itself was a building with a collection of adjacent large freezing rooms with racks accessible from only one aisle - unlike the default Axapta warehouse model. We also had to keep in mind, that due to the warehouse air-conditioning systems, racks had various number of accessible shelves. In some cases it was acceptable to use warehouse floor as storage space. Finally, this system had to work 24/7 in temperatures from -25° to -35° C.

Automated management:

1. Pallet transport order. Receiving the order.

2. Picking the pallet scanning pallet and shelf Bar Codes.

3. Printing picking list

4. Printing shipment order & invoice.

To upkeep a continuous communication of Axapta with the forklifts we equipped them with wireless terminals, and placed Radio Frequency antennas in each of the warehouse rooms, covering the area with RF range. Each terminal had remote light Axapta Client installed.
We connected the antennas to switching access points in order to keep control flow over every single forklift that was moving in various antenna ranges and never to confuse any forklift with another, by keeping its session and state.

Simplified Manageability:

We developed Axapta Warehouse Management enhancements that provide simplified manageability of a detailed warehouse model directly reflecting the real topology. The products are organized into groups and stored appropriate product areas. They are handled (received, stored, reserved, picked, transported) according to user defined priority zones, dimensions/weights, individual route optimization algorithms and warehouse characteristics.

Vehicle-mounted devices:

One of the most complex achievements was placing and configuring Vehicle-mounted devices on the forklifts and establishing wireless communication with Axapta. We managed to equip each forklift with a bar code scanner and a terminal with light Axapta Client presenting data in a window GUI (user interface), transmitting data in RF (Radio Frequency). Both the terminals and the scanners proved unfailing in spite of extreme warehouse temperature and humidity changes.

Automated transport:

Axapta manages the transport of the products from their arrival at the pick locations to shipping them to customers. All transport orders are passed to the terminals on the forklifts using wireless communication. The transports are being delivered to and picked from an unambiguously specified location in the warehouse. Goods that are on a sales order are automatically reserved. Axapta uses FIFO (First-in-First-out) queuing for choosing the product with shortest expiration period, or any other pick location sequence logic characteristic to the stored products.

BAR CODE system:

All locations in WMS are labeled with a unique bar code, scanned at the moment of delivery and shipping. For automation reasons each pallet/container was also assigned a bar code on a standard label, scanned at each important stage of its transport. This fact made it possible to monitor each pallet/container and keep the history of exact times at various locations. Such arrangements eliminated accidental placement of the goods in wrong locations, lack of warehouse space caused by improper placement, and most importantly item corruption because of expiration period overdue.

Yard Management and Pick-to-Carton:

Axapta allows to create various dimensions for item placement. We can prepare locations other than shelves, for instance the warehouse floor, for storage of the goods. In this way Axapta will choose those locations according to their priority, when all other storage places are taken. While shipping the goods to customers Axapta reduces the costs by placing numerous pallets/containters in a single shipment, if possible. It will save your costs by sending for example one single shipment, instead of three, to adjacent destinations.