Warehouse Management

ARC Advisory Group recently released its study of the WMS market and contains some comments about Oracle WMS (hat tip to Bret Andersen).

ARC recently released its study of the WMS market, and Oracle was tied for fourth place in overall market share. At this rate of growth, they will soon be the third largest supplier of WMS solutions. Further, their ability to move up will in part be due to their ability to penetrate new verticals based on a value proposition that includes the integration of a larger set of enterprise applications

One of the reasons cited by ARC for the growth in Oracle WMS adoption is usage of warehousing solutions in processes that traditionally have not seen intensive use of a WMS such as aircraft maintenance service providers. In this scenario Oracle WMS has a clear advantage as it can leverage its large integrated solution footprint to offer compelling value to its customers.

My comment: One of the other reasons for the growth that ARC did not mention is that Oracle continues to make rapid strides into segments where it had a limited presence until R12. Process manufacturing industries such as Pharmaceuticals, Food and Beverage, Metals and Chemicals are an excellent example of this trend. R12 features that include support in WMS for process manufacturing are the key drivers for this trend.

Attention all Logistics SIG members and Oracle customers with a WMS interest:

Folks sorry for the short notice: Please join our third Logistics SIG web conference with Oracle. The agenda for the meeting is below. We will have a Q&A at the end of the session. The quality of our group is enhanced by each and every person’s participation.

Agenda

July 30th, 2008 10:00 AM PDT

10:00 AM to 10:05 AM Introductions
10:05 AM to 10:25 AM Falken Tire WMS Case Study, Niket Tyagi
10:25 AM to 10:45 AM Warehouse Planning using Oracle WMS: This interactive session will discuss wave and fulfillment capabilities in Oracle WMS in current and future product releases
10:45 AM to 11:00 AM Q&A and feedback –

If you are interested in joining this SIG, please send me a note using this link:

You will need Oracle Web Conferencing client to be installed on your system. Use the following link for directions:

https://conference.oracle.com/imtapp/res/doc/en/wel_getstarted.htm

Thanks

In the not so recent post on case picking , we discussed the challenges that warehouse users face in implementing case picking. This is Part-2 of the original post that is almost a month late but then there are excuses like..the blog environment was upgraded from Manila to Movable Type.

I mentioned earlier that there are two ways cases can be modeled:

#1 Cases Stored as LPNs
#2 Cases Stored without LPNs

In the part-1 of this post, we evaluated under what circumstances, Cases should be stored as LPNs. In this post I will discuss the pros and cons of the scenario where cases are stored in the warehouse bin without a unique License Plate number assigned to it. Thus each case of material is not marked individually with a number such as license plate number or a serial number.

How else do you handle cases if not LPNs?

The answer is Unit of Measure (UOM). WMS allows you to define unit of measure for standard packing configurations for a single item such as a case. The obvious keyword here is "standard" which is to say that if you have non standard packing e.g. some of your cases have 9 EA and some others have 11 EA, this option is not for you. The other thing to pay attention to is "single item" which essentially means that this option works only if one case has one item. If you pack mixed items into cases and want to use UOM. Sorry! Go back to option 1 and store them as LPNs.

Now lets see how UOM behaves in different parts of the warehouse. First thing first, in order to store cases without LPN marking, you need to define your case storage as "Non-LPN" controlled. This way its still possible to manufacture, receive and putaway cases as LPN but not store them as LPNs in storage.

Receiving : If you receive cases and lots of it, you can directly receive them as cases by specifying the UOM corresponding to case and entering the case quantity received. You can also save your operators the hassle of multiplying the standard pack quantity with case quantity and then entering the received quantity in primary UOM. Its also a good idea to directly receive and load the cases into a pallet LPN for ease of putaway.

Putaway: Once the cases are loaded onto a pallet LPN, the entire pallet can be putaway using the normal WMS putaway functionality. The putaway operator will be suggested to drop individual cases into different locators depending upon capacity or other storage constraints. Its also possible for WMS to suggest a single locator to store the entire pallet.

Picks: You get maximum productivity benefits of storing cases without LPN during picking. Especially so if you are picking multiple cases of items. You can also configure the system to suggest pick tasks in Pick UOM or cases e.g. this way if one case contains 12 EA, a task to pick 8 Cases will not show up as 96 EA but in a more user friendly manner as 8 Cases.

What if you need case level UCC-128 labels?

You can cartonize the tasks such that a shipping label is generated at the time of order release. The drawback of this approach is that operator needs to pick one case at a time.

I specifically want to cover issues around case inventory in this post. By "Case Inventory", I mean an unopened container containing standard quantity of a single item packed by the vendor or manufacturer. In the past few days I have received a lot of questions about how to perform case picking efficiently. Its quiet Obvious to me that this is an area of big concern for at least some of you. Hopefully you'll find this post to be of some value.

The recent mails that I received can be summarized as follows:

• We scan every LPN at load and then scan them again at drop. This is way too in-efficient. How can we avoid scanning every LPN at drop?

• We need a UCC-128 label for every carton that we ship to a customer.

• Our customer requires us to have a pallet level ASN. How can I achieve it?

I think the core problem here is how to store a case in your warehouse and how should it be modeled in WMS. As always there are many ways to skin a cat. There are two in this case (no pun intended!):

#1 Cases Stored as LPNs

This option assumes that cases are stored in the warehouse bin with a unique license plate (LPN) assigned to each Case.

#2 Cases Stored without LPNs

In this scenario, cases are stored in the warehouse bin without a unique License Plate number assigned to it. Thus each case of material is not marked individually with a number such as license plate number or a serial number.

In the part-1 of this post, lets evaluate under what circumstances, Cases should be stored as  LPNs. To evaluate this option, its best to consider the impact of this decision on all the warehouse processes.

When you should store Cases as LPNs?

This option makes sense if you mostly ship full cases from the warehouse and customers require you to have case level markings. If case activity is fairly high, this option will involve high degree of scans to handle cases. Let us also look at the impact of this decision on other functional areas:

Manufacturing: If you wish to store cases as LPNs, you better ensure an efficient way to  have LPNs assigned to cases. If cases come out of manufacturing line, that is the best place to assign LPNs to cases. WMS allows you to create LPN prepacks based on a standard container item relationship. Confirmation of case completion in Manufacturing can be greatly streamlined by scanning these case LPNs.

Receiving : If you receive cases and lots of it, this is not a very good option. Lets face it, receiving, packing and labeling individual cases into LPNs in your receiving area is not the most efficient way of managing the receiving area. Especially so, if the case activity is fairly high.  If it all you wish to opt for it, pass the onus of LPN labeling each individual case to your vendor or manufacturer. Trust me your receiving area workers will thank you for it! Bascially you need to ensure the following:

• Vendor to send pre-labeled cases with LPN marking: To ensure correct scanning of LPN, have a standard label format as well as a standard method to generate unique LPN (e.g. SSCC-18)
  

• Vendor to send LPN information in ASN: ASN import from the vendor should have the LPN information to facilitate express receiving.
  

• Express receiving of floor loaded cases: The express receive option can greatly speed up the receiving process. All that is needed is to scan each individual case coming off the trailer. If you wish to automate using a fixed mount bar code scanner, that is also possible.
  

If the vendor is incapable of labeling or sending the ASN, there is one more option. This involves bulk pack of received items into LPNs based on a standard container-item relationship. If you choose to go this route, you need to first receive the goods as loose items in inventory and then perform a  bulk pack. Bulk pack will create an LPN out of every case and also trigger an LPN label for it.

Putaway: Once the cases with LPN labels are received, what is the best way to perform putaway. Once again there are two options:

• Case Putaway using Pallet: Its possible to load one or more case LPNs for putaway into a single pallet LPN. This can be done using "Manual Load" transaction. If all the cases can fit into a single locator, the entire putaway confirmation can be done using a single transaction instead of confirming cases individually. You also do not want a nested LPN structure at the storage area. Therefore use "Transfer Content" to the destination rather than a "Drop LPN". This way the pallet LPN can be reused multiple times for putaway.

• Case Putaway using Belt: This involves loading a case LPN on conveyor belt and performing putaway drop at the destination. The load and drop maybe done by different operators. However the putaway confirmation will require an individual confirmation of each case LPN and this could be a potential productivity killer. 

Picks: Picking case LPNs could have its own set of challenges. For maximum productivity its best to minimize scans of LPNs. Similar to putaway, there  are two options:

• Case Pick using Pallet: Its possible to load one or more case LPNs into a single pallet LPN. This can be done by creating a new transaction with a "Case Pick" flavor. To do that the pick load page should be configured such that confirmation of "Into LPN" is enabled for full LPN picks.
  

• Case Pick using Belt: This involves loading a case LPN on conveyor belt and performing pick drop at the staging lane or consolidation area. The load and drop maybe done by different operators.
  

         

This option can be enabled by configuring the pick load page to recognize full LPN picks, enabling Transfer LPN field with no confirmation. This way the entire case LPN can be picked very efficiently.  However the pick drop option will require an individual confirmation of each case LPN. The option of deploying fixed  mount barcode reader to automatically trigger pick drops for each case coming off the belt can also be explored.

Labeling: Customers often have varying requirements for labels. As discussed in an earlier post, the label information on cases and pallets must match the outbound ASN. Therefore if a customer wants a pallet level ASN, each pallet in the delivery must have a UCC-128 label and a SSCC-18 compliant LPN associated with it. If cases have LPNs assigned to them, a pallet "Merge-Up" transaction can destroy the case LPNs and consolidate the content at pallet level. Similarly if the customer requirement is for a case level ASN, each case in the delivery must have a UCC-128 label and a SSCC-18 compliant LPN associated with it. If the outer pallet has an LPNs assigned to it, a pallet "Break-Down" transaction can de-nest the case LPNs from the pallet LPN.

In the part-2 of this post, the other option of modeling cases will be explored. Stay tuned until then

Reva Systems develops RFID network infrastructure products that enable customers to rapidly deploy scalable solutions in any environment. Unlike other RFID infrastructure providers, Reva has an appliance based approach to handling RFID infrastructure. Reva's TAP appliances facilitate improved system performance, manageability and accuracy while significantly  lessening implementation time and complexity.

Reva has recently announced the integration of their TAP appliance with Oracle E-Business Suite and Oracle WMS in particular. The integration was unveiled at Collaborate 08 conference in Denver and subsequently at RFID Journal Live at Ls Vegas.

With this announcement, Oracle WMS customers have a much greater choice for deploying RFID in their operations. Customers can use Reva appliance to manage RFID readers and tags at the edge and Oracle to manage, transact and process the tag data centrally.

"The powerful combination of Oracle at the enterprise level and Reva at the edge 

enables world class companies to harness the value of RFID for process improvement 

and sustainable competitive advantage across industries, geographies and multiple 

Oracle Applications" said Jon Chorley, Oracle's vice president of SCM product strategy. 

"Reva makes implementing RFID simple by supporting a structured interface to Oracle 

Applications. Reva's technology transforms RFID data into superior asset visibility and 

supply chain information allowing Oracle users to rely on RFID for every-day 

operations."

For more information about Reva Solution, please visit http://www.revasystems.com.

This topic was covered in detail at the WMS SIG at Collaborate 08 in Denver. Replenishment plays a key role in the warehouse as it ensures that there is a enough stock in the pick area to cover the expected demand. The replenishment in this context means an intra-warehouse replenishment from a reserver or bulk area that is optimized for storage (Think pallet storage, high bay warehouse etc.) to a small and compact pick area optimized for unit picks (think flow racks, shelving, pick to light systems, etc).



This post also covers steps to analyze pick area activity using task history from warehouse control board.

A replenishment policy for pick face involves deciding the following factors:

1. Should there be a pick face? :  The answer clearly depends on the business scenario. If the warehouse is involved in distribution activities where it sources or manufactures goods in bulk (think pallets) and fulfills a large number of smaller orders in lower handling units (think cases or each), a pick area can often boost productivity and order velocity significantly. In Oracle WMS world this pick area should be defined as a sub-inventory.

2. What items to stock in the pick face? : Clearly all items need not exist in pick face at all times. If that were to happen, the resulting bloat in pick face will obliterate any productivity benefits arising from a small and compact pick area. The best practice is to have as many "Fast"  moving items stored in pick face. The definition of "fast" moving is important: an item is fast moving if it is picked from pick face at a higher frequency. Therefore its important to analyze the demand from pick area only. It does not matter what is the total pick frequency of the item across the warehouse or what is the value of the item or how much is the average pick quantity. In Oracle WMS world, the item's task history can provide us with insights about how frequently an item is picked from a given sub-inventory on a historic basis. Using this insight, its possible to make a decision  about whether to stock an item in pick sub-inventory or not. If the item is stocked in pick area, item sub-inventory relationship needs to be defined in Oracle WMS for the item and pick sub-inventory including the replenishment parameters. 
   

3. Where the item should be slotted? Should the locator be fixed or floating?: Clearly an item that is picked often in the pick face should be stored in the most optimum location for picking. However if demand profile is seasonal or highly erratic, its possible to have a floating location for an item. This way Putaway rule in Oracle WMS can dynamically slot an item based on certain characteristics e.g. Slot in the golden zone during "High" season or slot in the high season when item is flagged as a "Promotional" item. However if the item has a high steady demand, a dedicated locator can be identified for the item. In oracle WMS, its possible to dedicate a locator for the item using the item-sub inventory relationship.

4. How much quantity to stock in the pick face?: One of the objectives for having a pick face is to avoid going back to your reserve area often. Therefore a pick face should stock enough to cover 5-10 picks. Therefore the maximum quantity of an item to stock can be 5-10 times an average pick. If you replenish pick face in a standard pack, you can round this quantity to the nearest pack size e.g. 5 cases, 3 boxes, etc.  The maximum quantity is also constrained by locator capacity i.e. the maximum quantity to be stored can not exceed the available cubic volume. For this reason, step 3 and 4 are somewhat iterative in nature.

5. When should replenishment be triggered?: This determines the minimum quantity before a fresh replenishment is triggered. Usually the replenishment should be initiated when the pick area stock has just enough quantity to cover 2-3 picks. Once again the average historical pick quantity can be used to set the replenishment minimum.

6. What should be replenishment lot size? If you replenish pick face in a standard pack, you should set the standard pack quantity as the replenishment lot size.

The replenishment analysis spreadsheet is a tool that can be used to analyze the task information from WMS control board. It allows you to classify items using their pick frequency into "Fast", "Medium" and "Slow" moving. This excel spreadsheet is being provided as-is. Please feel free to use or modify it as you see fit.

Note: The Excel Sheet can be used to Analyze only 5000 items. You must extend the Array Formula on item column in the "Frequency Distribution" worksheet beyond A5001 row to include additional items if you are likely to have additional items.

The following steps must be taken to perform the Pick Frequency analysis:

1. Copy task history from Oracle WMS Warehouse Control Board: The warehouse control board can be used to get information for a specific sub-inventory e.g. EACH, CASE, BULK, etc. In order to view the task history in control board, you must check the Completed status on the task Tab. In addition the shipping date range can be populated on the outbound tab before you press the "Find" button. The results on the Warehouse Control Board shows the task history for completed tasks. In order to select the tasks and copy the task history to the clipboard, select all the rows (use the square on the top left hand corner of the spreadsheet), use the left mouse click and select "Copy All Rows". This action will copy all the rows to the clipboard.

2. Populate Task Data worksheet: The task information from Warehouse Control Board can be pasted in "Task Data"  worksheet using Control+V or using Edit->Paste. (look at the bottom of this Excel window to navigate to this worksheet)

3. Configure Item and Quantity Columns: The columns containing item and quantity needs to be defined. This can be done using Range definition feature in Excel. Use Insert->Name->Define to configure which column on the "Task Data" sheet contains the Item and Pick Quantity information from the tasks. By default the item information is assumed to be in the "A" column (A2:A1500) and Quantity information in the "E" (E2:E1500) column. The column and the range should be modified based on the data.

4. Perform Data Analysis: Press "Analyze Data" button to execute the Excel macro that categorizes the items into Fast, Medium and Slow items. This macro will uniquely identify all the items and count the number of times each item was picked. The macro will sort the items in descending pick frequency and categorize the items based on the "Fast", "Medium" and "Slow" cutoff fences. It will also compute the avaerage quantity per pick for each of the item

Voice-Insight recently announced availability of their voice solution for Oracle WMS. The solution was presented at Oracle WMS SIG at Collaborate'08 event in Denver.

After the SIG presentation and the voice demo, I had a chat with Rajeev Varshaneya from Voice-Insight. Rajeev is the VP of Business Development at Voice Insight. I took notes from the conversation and here is the transcript from that conversation:

AA:  Rajeev thank you for participating in WMS SIG. Your presentation and voice demo was very well received. I think this could be of interest to other Oracle WMS customers who could not make it to this event. How can they view this information?

RV: Aditya, Thanks for giving us the opportunity to present the Voice Insight Mobile Client targeted for Oracle e-Business Suite and more specifically for the Oracle Warehouse Management System. We will make the presentation given there available to you so that it can be viewed by the larger Oracle WMS user community.

AA: Can you tell us a little bit about Voice Insight?

RV: Voice Insight creates voice interaction solutions for enterprise/manufacturing/mobile applications. We have been in this business for over 8 years. We have an international presence that spans United States, United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany and The Netherlands. Our current deployments are in the areas of Warehouse Logistics, Mobile Navigation, Inspections and Asset Management. We are specialized in Voice enabling applications with our significant IP portfolio and deep expertise in voice interpretation and processing techniques on mobile devices.

AA: Why is voice picking and voice enabled transactions getting so much importance these days?

RV: The applications used in the enterprise have been packing an incredible amount of functionality to automate the business operations. This has led to a significant usage complexity and a heavy requirement to constantly train the workforce in its usage and, in addition keeping them up to speed on changing work procedures.

By its very nature, voice interface is the most direct and natural form of interaction, cutting through the complex menu-driven logic and getting straight to the function a user needs to execute. The net effect is a significant reduction in cycle times (in order picking for example) and an increase data and performance (e.g. shipping) accuracy. Voice also obviates the need to learn and re-learn changing system features and procedures. At the same time, with the work that we have done and the others have done in the industry to make voice solutions more robust and reliable, there is now wider acceptance that voice interfaces have migrated from being a gimmick to real productivity enhancers. The ease of use, accuracy and productivity gains have been clearly demonstrated  and that brings the feeling of confidence in the minds of users as well as IT implementers who are now more seriously looking at this technology.

We believe our solutions are ready for prime time and the hands/eyes-free nature of voice is a real advantage in the warehouse situations.

AA: What type of voice solutions do you offer to Oracle WMS customers?

RV: We offer two distinct approaches to the Oracle customer base:

The first one is the mobile client approach, in which we have a software client running only on the mobile terminal with no need for integration to the back-end database or application. This allows data entry on the client device using voice/scanning and fill the defaults. The mobile client is ready to roll in a very quick implementation cycle. It is independent of the releases of Oracle WMS solution or the forms that needs to be voice enabled.

The second approach is a traditional Voice Client integration for high-volume, streamlined work-flow processes, whereby we integrate the Voice Insight VQL solution to the WMS and enhance the end to end productivity of the work-flow significantly. Our own voice terminal option is a Windows XP based rugged computer (wearable or mounted on a fork lift if using the wireless headset) that interacts over a TCP/IP network and acts in dual mode (on-line/off-line) with the WMS managing the Warehouse work-flow. External device integration with barcode/RFID scanners and an industrial grade Wireless Headset provide the ultimate performance in mobile work-flow task management (picking, put-away, QA). The integration process with the back-end systems is simplified because of our integration approach.

AA: The client based solution that you mentioned is very intriguing. Its very different from the traditional approach to voice enablement where WMS tasks and pick instructions are interfaced to a voice solution server. Can you tell us the benefits of the client based solution to voice enabling WMS?

RV: This is a result of a significant collaborative effort between Oracle and Voice Insight engineers. The solution offers a very short implementation cycle and offers appreciable productivity gains in short order. The solution does not require any integration effort with the back end systems and can be applied to any Oracle WMS  transaction available on the mobile terminal. A lot of default data can be pre-filled making operator's life relatively simple. We are excited about offering the Oracle WMS user base a solution that is unparalleled in user and system simplicity and ease of deployment.

AA: What transactions in Oracle WMS can be voice enabled using the client based approach?

RV: Any transaction can be voice enabled. The solution can be easily extended to the entire e-business suite just as well.

AA: You mentioned in your presentation that client based solution allows existing devices to be used for voice enabling WMS. Are there any hardware limitations or constraints like memory, blue tooth, etc.?

RV: The solution works on the current configurations offered by companies like Symbol and LXE.

AA: It seems to me that a client based solution offers tremendous value. Is there any situation where a server based solution makes more sense?

RV: If you have complex work-flow logic, a lot of real-time decision making that is done by the WMS, and a high-volume environment with simple streamlined work cycles, it may be better to use a traditional server integrated solution. Our VQL voice server option can also add complementary work flow logic to a WMS where the WMS  doesn't allow sufficient flexibility for streamlining or specializing processes to meet local needs on the floor of a given site implementation.

AA: Do you have any special offer for Oracle WMS customers?

RV: Since this is a new product added to our portfolio, we are looking at candidate companies that might want to try out the benefits this solution offers. We will do the pilots for limited numbers without charge in return, upon successful verification, for they're help in making our message to the market stronger.

AA: How can they get in touch with you?

RV: You can reach us by

e-mail:

info@voice-insight.com

bret.andersen@voice-insight.com

Rajeev.varshneya@voice-insight.com

Phone:

Bret Andersen: 650-380-3067

Rajeev Varshneya: 408-666-1684

AA: Rajeev, thanks for your time. I am sure our WMS community will find this very useful. I will make arrangements with OAUG to make the presentation available to all those who could not attend the event. Thank you.

Collaborate 08 got off to a flying start.  There was a good turnout for WMS SIG meeting even though it was a Sunday. As usual its always exciting to connect with WMS users in such conferences.

The WMS SIG agenda was hopefully useful (the replenishment stuff) and exciting (the voice demo). The replenishment part covered the whole spectrum:

• Why have a pick area and replenishment?

• What items should be considered for replenishment?

• How to analyze the demand profile using the Warehouse Control Board?

• The current replenishment functionality.

• The Push Replenishment and Pull Replenishment that is slated for an upcoming release.

I know that most of you have seen the physical pushing and pulling of stuff around in the warehouse. The Push and Pull in replenishment context is somewhat intriguing. However I will do a detailed post on it as soon as I get back to HQ. I will also elucidate on the Warehouse Control Board output and Excel macros to analyze the data in more detail.

Meanwhile I also want to acknowledge the efforts of Daio Syngkon from Oracle and the Voice-Insight team for hosting a wonderful demo involving voice driven WMS transactions. Voice-Insight solution opens up a lot of exciting possibilities. In fact I had blogged about a radical new approach for voice enablement in one of my previous blog entries (Mobile Hardware and Software Innovations in a Warehouse Environment). Its good to see that Voice-Insight has delivered just such a solution for Voice. After WMS SIG session, I sat down with Rajeev Varshaneya from Voice-Insight to have a detailed chat about what it means for Oracle WMS and how customers can benefit from it. I will post the transcripts from this conversation later today.

Meanwhile for those of you in Denver attending Collaborate 08, there is one more WMS session planned for Wednesday:

Oracle Warehouse Management System and RFID - Integrations, Enhancements and Overview

Aditya Agarkar, Oracle; Wednesday; April 16th, 2008; 3:15 PM-4:15 PM Room 201

Those of you who are planning to attend Collaborate in Denver, here is the Agenda for the upcoming Logistics SIG meeting:

Location: Colorado Convention Center , room 403
Date and Time:  Sunday, April 13th   2:15pm-3:15pm

Agenda
2:15pm - 2:20pm          Introductions
OAUG and Val Avery, SIG Leader

2:20 - 2:50pm                Forward Pick Replenishments  
Aditya Agarkar, Oracle
Best practices of replenishment and how to enable replenishments within Oracle WMS

2:50pm - 3:05pm            Voice Transactions in Oracle WMS
Rajeev Varshney, Voice Insight
Voice picking capabilities using Oracle WMS

3:05pm - 3:15pm            Q & A

This questions has been asked a few times and I think it is important enough to receive a blog entry of its own. Pick and Pass is one of the pick strategies that I have covered in detail before (See earlier posts: Pick Strategies in your Warehouse - Part 1 and Pick Strategies in your Warehouse - Part 2 ). So when does a pick and pass strategy makes sense?

Typically a pick and pass strategy is good under the following circumstances:

• Warehouse typically fulfills a large number of orders/day with multiple lines of pick for different items. In addition the demand profile in your warehouse follows a fat tail distribution.

• Pick area is large and hence requires significant travel time from one end to the other. 

• In addition the order cube is not significantly high and the cubic volume for a typical order does not exceed the pick container capacity. In other words, each order can be completely picked in a carton or a pick pallet.

If none of these conditions are applicable, you may want to look at zone picking or order picking options.

Pick and pass involves segregating your pick area into pick zones. Pick and pass requires that the pick operators perform picks only in the zones assigned to them. Its the picking container that travels from one zone to another, thereby reducing the travel time for pickers. In high order volume warehouses, conveyors may link the pick zones to make it even more efficient. Alternatively some warehouses use a picking cart to transfer pick containers from one zone to another. In order to implement pick and pass, a picking container needs to be identified for an order. Which means a picking label that identifies the order or shipment is needed. The picking container is could be either the final shipping carton or container or an intermediate container or a tote.

So how does one enable it in Oracle WMS? To enable "Pick and Pass" you need to enable cartonization such that LPN labels for your pick containers are obtained. You also need pick zone defined such that pick operators can sign on to the zones when they sign-on.

Define Pick Zones: You need to define sub-inventories for each pick zone. You also need to identify the flow direction of container from one zone to another. The pick sequence for locators can be assigned to minimize travel direction.

• Enable Cartonization: You need to allow cartonization for each pick zone.

• Setup Cartonization: Configure cartonization by either doing either "Container Load" relationship or cartonization categories. Please see section on cartonization in WMS implementation guide for more details on how to set up.

• Enable Label Printing for "Cartonization" business flow. Please see section on label printing in WMS implementation guide for more details on how to set up label printing. At the very minimum, you should enable LPN or LPN Content labels to print at cartonization. You can also generate a "Shipping" label for the carton. The can have the additional benefit of eliminating the pack station by picking directly into the shipping carton.

Once the setup is done, WMS will generate LPN labels for picking (using cartonization business flow) at pick release. Cartonization will also suggest an appropriately sized carton that can hold the items as content. From this point onwards, "Pick and Pass" execution requires the following:

• Task Sign-On: Pick operators need to be assigned to pick zones. Each pick operator need to sign-on to a specific picking zone (sub-inventory). Its also possible to have multiple pick operator in a pick zone.

• Pick Label Assignment: The pick labels can be manually assigned to the pick operator working in the first pick zone in the pick path.

• Task Execution: The pick operator scans the pick container label and subsequently WMS dispatches all the tasks for the cartonized LPN and the particular pick zone where operator is signed-on.When the operator is finished in his zone, WMS will inform the operator that group of tasks is complete, indicating that the container should be moved to the next pick zone in the path.
  

The operator in the next pick zone performs the same set of action until the pick container reaches the packing/consolidation area or shipping staging area where a pick drop is done for the LPN.