Last week I blogged about important role of compliance mandates in warehousing. Here is a quick summary of these standards for which compliance is needed in warehousing operations:

Obviously there are numerous compliance mandates that a warehouse needs to wrestle with. Moreover some of these compliance mandates are ever changing. What does a warehouse need to do to stay on top of these and not get charge backs from customers?

Warehouses clearly need a system that is flexible enough to address the compliance mandates as well as adjust to frequent changes to these compliance standards. I will quickly summarize some of the important compliance mandates and our commitment to  them in Oracle WMS:

• Shipping Label Compliance is one of the most common compliance demand. In Oracle WMS, using simple setup forms one could configure:

• 1.    When to request a label print?

• 2.    What label layout should be selected under what circumstances?

• 3.    Which fields should be printed on the label?

• 4.    Which printer to use for printing?

• SSCC-18 (Serialized Shipping Container Code) is the 18 digit number applied on shipping containers that is unique in global context. Oracle WMS can create license plate numbers (including the Modulo-10 check digit) as per SSCC-18 standards and also send  the container details in outbound ASN. See the following UCC-128 label that was generated for the Vision Operations enterprise.

• GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) data structures such as UPC, EAN-8, EAN-13 and EAN.UCC-14 are codes that are applied on SKUs. You can include these numbers in labels as well as scan these labels if the items are already barcoded using this standard.  If you need to generate GTIN (UPC, EAN-8, EAN-13 and EAN.UCC-14) you can use the Excel  worksheet that is available on this blig by clicking here.
  

• EPC (Electronic Product Code) are unique IDs such as SGTIN-64, SGTIN-96, SSCC-64, etc. that are generated based on EPCGlobal standards and encoded on the RFID tag. Once again its possible for WMS to generate EPCs and include it as a label field. On the other hand if your supplier is sending you tagged item, its possible to receive it based on the RFID read.

• Numerous Barcode Standards like UCC-128, ANSI/FACT (Electronic and Hi Tech), AIAG (Automotive), SPEC 2000 (Aerospace), EIAJ (Japanese Electronic Industry) can be supported using Field Identifiers and Bar Code scanning framework in WMS.

• Shipping Documents like VICS bill of lading and other regulatory documents can be generated during the outbound process.

Yesterday's post was mostly about GS1 or EAN.UCC compliance. I have uploaded an Excel file that allows you to generate common GS1 data structures such as SSCC-18, EAN-8, EAN-13, EAN.UCC-14 and UCC-12 (UPC). You can use this Excel sheet to not only generate GS1 data structures such as SSCC-18, EAN-8, EAN-13, EAN.UCC-14 and UCC-12 (UPC) but also generate an XML file that can be used to print labels.

I often get queries about WMS functionality, how to set up and other implementation issues. Many of these questions are handled very well in the latest WMS implementation guide. However for more important topics we also have White Papers and they are all available on Metalink. I have compiled a list of useful whitepapers available on Metalink. The list entries are hyperlinked to the Metalink notes pages (Metalink user and password needed):

• Warehouse Control System (WCS)/Material Handling Equipment (MHE)  Integration Note: 387006.1

• Advanced
  Barcode Strategies  Note: 297992.1
  

• Rules Engine Example  Note: 232247.1

• Kitting
  Support in Oracle Warehouse Management System Note:
  245082.1

• Oracle
  Warehouse Management Label Customization Note:
  242789.1

• Understanding
  Global Trade Item Numbers Note: 242867.1

  
  

• Oracle
  Warehouse Management Support for EAN/UCC-128 Standards Note: 242868.1

• Oracle
  Warehouse Management Rules Engine Examples Note:
  232247.1

• MWA Server and Dispatcher Configuration Quick Start Reference (PDF, 70994 bytes)

• Benefits of Oracle Warehouse Management for Automotive CR: 285050 (PDF, 203984 bytes)

• Oracle
  Warehouse Management Pick Release Overview Note:
  216495.1

• Min-Max Replenishment CR: 284026
  (PDF, 47959 bytes)

• Using Barcode Scanning Solutions with Oracle Applications and
  Desktop Computers CR: 282322 (PDF, 82528
  bytes)

• MWA
  Tips for Troubleshooting

Many of you have been looking forward to Mobile Personalization feature that we demoed at various user events and most notably at Oracle Open World. I am excited to note that this feature is now available for download on Metalink. This is great news for anyone who wishes to modify WMS mobile transaction pages without pounding any Java code.

This feature is currently available for most commonly used mobile transactions e.g. Receipt, Putaway Load, Putaway Drop, Pick Load, Pick Drop and ship confirm. Here is a quick rundown of what you can do with this feature:

• Change field and button prompts: Field and button prompts can be modified using a simple setup.

• Default value to a field: The value can be either a fixed value or copied from another field. You can also default a field value based on your own logic.

• Capture additional attributes (DFF) for LPN: Additional LPN attributes can be entered or viewed using this feature.

• Hide a field or button: Buttons that are not needed for your business can be hidden completely.

• Make a field read only: You can make certain fields read only to make transactions more accurate and efficient e.g. UOM field if you only have one UOM for transactions.

• Make a field mandatory: You can make certain fields mandatory for superior control e.g. LPN field for Receipt Transactions with Direct Receipt routing.

The following screenshot displays a "Before" and "After" comparison of a personalized mobile page.

Wavelink recently announced that the availability of voice solution that leverage Oracle's mobility platform for Oracle's Warehouse Management. With this announcement Wavelink becomes the latest partner to support voice mobility solution on Oracle WMS platform.

For more details about this solution contact Daio Syngkon

We will discuss here about how the cost group functionality works within WMS. It is a quite common discussion among warehouses when items are undergoing change in valuation or when non-WMS organizations upgrade to WMS.

What is Cost Group functionality?

A Cost Group is the set of accounts that hold on hand inventory. It segregates the accounting and the physical attributes of the inventory. Cost group feature in WMS provides you with a flexible way to track accounting attributes of stock in the warehouse without impacting its physical storage.

Cost Groups: Inventory vs WMS

Before the advent of Cost Groups, sub-inventories defined both the physical and accounting attributes of the material. In each warehouse zone, different accounts were maintained by creating separate sub-inventories, and pre-assigning locators to each sub-inventory. Any change in valuation (defective etc.) would result in a move of the item to a different sub-inventory. In non-WMS organization this would happen only by a physical move. Organizations running WMS has much more flexibility by using cost group feature:

• Efficient space utilization by eliminating the need for multiple sub-inventories and pre-assignment of each sub-inventory and locators to a unique account
• Change valuation separately from a physical movement, controlling access to both transactions separately. Hence, the warehouse operator just moves the items and another person with different access level manages the cost group transfer. In non-WMS organization, any operator can move stock and effect the financial transactions without checks.
• From a financial perspective, it eliminates the requirement to physically relocate the inventory with a different cost group just because of a different accounting treatment.

How are Cost Groups used in a WMS enabled organization?

WMS can automatically assign a cost group based on the cost group rules. Cost group rules can be configured to assign cost groups when a stock is received in the warehouse. Some of the item attributes that can be used to assign cost groups are:
• Supplier
• Lot Attributes such as Grade, Expiry Date
• Descriptive flexfield information
• Customer
• Item
• Location
• Item Category
• Item Status
• Item disposition (used, new, and refurbished)

Cost group rules are invoked when inbound such as receiving or WIP completions are carried out in the warehouse. It is worthwhile to note that Cost groups are just one distinguishing factor between 2 items in the sub inventory.

Example: Handling “Refurbished” items

Cost groups in WMS can be effectively used to segregate on-hand stock into different accounting buckets based on item attributes. For example when certain stock of an item is “refurbished” it can be segregated for accounting purposes with “normal” item. The “normal” and “refurbished” items can reside anywhere in the warehouse. WMS maintains full visibility to where the material for each cost group resides and when they are transacted, their cost groups are considered for valuation and accounting purposes.

Some Common Business Scenarios

1. Receiving from Multiple Suppliers into the Same Subinventory
2. Changing cost groups in a wholesale food distribution warehouse environment where item characteristics and category can change
3. Receiving item of different grade to same zone
4. Granting different access levels to different people to help regulate financial transactions

Cost Group Commingling

Since material belonging to different costs group is likely to be indistinguishable physically, WMS imposes the constraint that stock of the same item cannot be commingled in the same physical locator. In other words, “refurbished” items cannot reside in the same physical bin or locator as “normal” items unless the “refurbished” and “normal” items belong to two different license plate numbers (LPNs). WMS putaway rules automatically avoid commingling. In addition transactions such as miscellaneous receipts explicitly prohibit you from performing receipts that could potentially cause commingling.

Oracle Open World is just around the corner. If you have made plans to attend, please make sure to come visit us at our booth.

Members of both development and strategy team will be present at OpenWorld, so you can come with questions, leave with answers.

You can find us at:

Warehouse Management Systems Demo Grounds

Date & Time: Mon 10/12 - Wed 10/14 (all day)
Location: Exibition Hall, Moscone South S-023

Additionally, here are a few sessions that you might also want to check out:

Transportation & Warehousing: Oracle's Integrated Logistics Strategy

Host: Derek Gittoes, Jennifer Sherman
Date & Time: Mon Oct 12, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: Moscone West Oracle Room 2014

Supply Chain SuperSession (Dual Session)

Host: Rick Jewell, Jon Chorley, Maha Muzumdar & Executive Customer Panelist
Date & Time: Mon Oct 12, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Location: Moscone West Oracle Room 2014

Going Mobile in the Supply Chain: Which Solution is Right for You?

Host: Jennifer Sherman
Date & Time: Wed Oct 14, 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Location: Moscone West Oracle Room 2005

What is new in Release 12.1?

Host: Aditya Agarkar, Aby Joy (Igloo)
Date & Time: Thu Oct 15, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: Moscone West Oracle Room 2015