WMS mobile device functions vs WSH form functions

An Oracle Topical Essay Updated March 2003

Product Design and Architecture

CONTENTS

Overview......................................................................................................................................................................................3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................4

WMS Extends the Supply Chain Functionality .......................................................................................................................5

Warehousing in WMS ................................................................................................................................................................6 Pack ..........................................................................................................................................................................................6 Unpack......................................................................................................................................................................................6 Consolidate ...............................................................................................................................................................................7 Split...........................................................................................................................................................................................7 Bulk Pack..................................................................................................................................................................................7 Update.......................................................................................................................................................................................8 Material Workbench .................................................................................................................................................................8

Shipping With Pick Release in WMS........................................................................................................................................9 Picking ......................................................................................................................................................................................9 Shipping..................................................................................................................................................................................10

Shipping Without Pick Release in WMS ................................................................................................................................12 Direct Ship ..............................................................................................................................................................................12

WSH Features Disabled in WMS Environment ....................................................................................................................13 Packing ...................................................................................................................................................................................13 Shipped Quantity Field Closed ...............................................................................................................................................14 Packed Quantity Becomes Shipped Quantity .........................................................................................................................14 Substitution of Container Items Allowed ...............................................................................................................................14 No Planning of LPNs..............................................................................................................................................................15 All Delivery Lines Assigned to LPN......................................................................................................................................15 Serial Number Entry in STF Disabled ....................................................................................................................................15 Load Planning Disallowed......................................................................................................................................................16 Transact Move Orders ............................................................................................................................................................16 Container Management Conditions ........................................................................................................................................16

WSH Features that Impact WMS Environment....................................................................................................................17 Delivery Grouping Rule .........................................................................................................................................................17 Auto Allocate..........................................................................................................................................................................17 Pick Slip Grouping Rule .........................................................................................................................................................17 Maximum Lines per Pick Slip ................................................................................................................................................17

WMS vs WSH functionalities Table........................................................................................................................................18

Overview

This document highlights features in Oracle Warehouse Management System (WMS), available through mobile device outbound, that are not supported by Oracle Shipping Execution’s (WSH) Shipping Transactions form in Oracle e-Business Suite.

This analysis document is based upon the Oracle Warehouse Management System User’s Guide and Oracle Shipping Execution User’s Guide.

The purpose of this document is to:

- Provide a comprehensive list of the Oracle Warehouse Management System shipping functionalities through mobile device.

- Describe features in Oracle Shipping Execution that are disabled or changed in a WMS-enabled environment to prevent conflicting functionality.

Introduction

Oracle’s Shipping Execution (WSH) application operates in conjunction with Oracle Order Management (OM) to process orders from order capture through ship confirm. Oracle Warehouse Management System application extends the supply chain functionality to encompass warehouse storage and inventory control operations. It is possible to run Shipping Execution without WMS, but it is not possible to run WMS without Shipping Execution.

In a WMS-enabled environment certain functions and features are disabled in Shipping Execution. This disabling of the Shipping Execution application is necessary because some features exist in both applications. For example, each application allows the user to perform data entry for tracking numbers, quantities, and container names. Likewise, each application allows the user to perform functions related to packing containers and planning. However, when a user chooses a WMS-enabled instance, it is necessary to disable like operations within Shipping Execution and allow the information (data captured) to flow from WMS to Shipping Execution. In the warehouse operation, mobile devices and their capabilities replace desktop computers and the functions usually entered through the Shipping Transactions form in Oracle Shipping Execution.

WMS Extends the Supply Chain Functionality

Oracle Warehouse Management System provides additional shipping management capabilities that automate picking tasks, including:

o WMS Rules Engine allocates inventory for sales orders based on advanced rules and strategies that model customer inventory preferences, warehouse stock rotation policies or other factors driving the selection of subinventories, locators, lots and serials used to fulfill the sales order request. The rules engine can also be used to select the appropriate staging locator based on the carrier, ship method or other shipping attributes.

o WMS manages the work required to pick material for sales orders by dispatching the work as tasks to appropriate warehouse users based on their skill set and the equipment available for material picking. These sales order pick tasks can be interleaved with other warehouse tasks such as replenishments and inventory accuracy counts.

o WMS helps container and License Plate Number (LPN) management by packing and consolidating materials into LPNs, tracking the contents of containers in receiving, inventory, shipping, and in-transit inventories.

o WMS generates labels according to customer or carrier preferred format through an interface with compliance labeling systems.

o WMS can create dock appointments for outbound trips and direct pickers to the appropriate corresponding staging lanes for those appointments.

By contrast, Oracle Shipping Execution does not support these functions: suggestion and task management which are supported in WMS. As a side note, suggestions do occur as part of core Inventory but it is not advanced rules based. Inventory picking rules only support ordering material for allocation by stock rotation policies such as FIFO, FEFO, or ordering by a preferred subinventory/locator.

Warehousing in WMS

The Warehousing menu is used to perform tasks inside of the warehouse. Warehousing transactions, such as cycle and physical counting, miscellaneous issuing and receiving material, moving inventory from one location to another (move orders), moving within your organization, kanban replenishment.

The Oracle WMS LPN features enable you to:

o Pack

o Unpack

o Consolidate

o Split

o Update LPNs

In general, these functions are more closely linked to Oracle Inventory function than Shipping Execution function. Since Shipping Execution only packs delivery lines and WMS packs on hand inventory, packed configurations will not be reflected in the Shipping Transactions form until after pick confirmation (task completion).

Both WMS and Shipping Execution allow infinite levels of nesting of LPNs (packing LPNs within LPNs), however, WMS only passes to Shipping Execution the innermost LPN pack information. Thus, if material for a delivery line is packed into an LPN during picking, then that LPN will be visible in the Shipping Transaction form. However, if that LPN is further packed into another LPN, the outermost LPN will not be visible.

Pack

WMS allows you to pack items into a newly generated LPN or into an existing LPN that resides in inventory.

The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform this type of warehousing process from the Shipping Transactions form Action menu, however, this feature is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Unpack

WMS allows you to unpack items from an existing LPN or you can unpack an LPN within another LPN.

The Shipping Execution application allows you to manually unpack delivery line items if you want to modify the delivery lines assigned to a packed delivery. Unpacking returns the delivery to the status it held prior to packing, and allows for changes. The unpacking Action in the Shipping Transactions form is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Consolidate

WMS allows you to consolidate an existing LPN (residing within inventory) with another existing LPN (residing within inventory) or you can consolidate an existing LPN (residing within inventory) with a newly generated LPN.

The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform packing of a container into a container through multiple levels. This type of warehousing process is performed in the Shipping Transactions form Action menu by using Pack, Auto Pack, and/or Auto Pack Master. However, this feature is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Split

WMS allows you to split the contents of an existing LPN into multiple LPNs.

The Shipping Execution application requires that you first unpack the container, split the delivery line, create the containers, and then pack the items again. However, the unpack and pack Actions are disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Bulk Pack

In WMS, mobile bulk packing is used to suggest containers into which you can pack material in a particular locator in the warehouse. Mobile bulk packing also automatically generates the

appropriate LPN labels. With bulk packing, you enter an item and quantity to be packed. You can enter a container item if you want the system to suggest the appropriate quantity of that container only, or you can let the system suggest both the type and quantity of containers. This system directed packing option is available both for on hand inventory and for material allocations so that the system can direct the picker to consolidate delivery lines into the same container based on packing constraints and delivery grouping rules.

Any material for which there is a positive on-hand balance can be packed using this method.

It is equivalent to WSH “Pack” function for a delivery, however, the pack Action is disabled in a WMS-enabled organization.

Update

WMS allows you to update the attributes of an LPN including:

o Weight UOM

o Volume UOM

o Volume content

o Container item

The Shipping Execution application does not allow performing this type of warehousing process.

Material Workbench

The Material Workbench in WMS allows you to view the contents of an LPN, the attributes of a particular LPN, and/or the details of your warehouse, by any of the following criteria: Location, Item, Cost Group, Status, LPN, Serial, Lot.

Shipping With Pick Release in WMS

The current shipping process consists of several steps, including: Trip Plan, Stop Plan, Delivery Creation, Delivery Plan, Pick Release, Pick Confirm, Pack, and Ship Confirm. Some steps are mandatory and some are optional.

OrderManagement Enter Sales

Order

WMS UserProcesses

System DirectedShipping w/Dock

DoorAppointments

OR

User DrivenShipping

WMS SystemProcesses

WMS Outbound Logistic Processes Picking and Shipping

Pick Release CreateAllocations

Assign TaskType Cartonization Split/Merge

Tasks Dispatch Task

Accept NextTask Load Material Drop Material

in Staging AreaUser Reports

Task Error

CorrectiveAction

WorkflowStarted

Yes Task ErrorCorrected

No

Scan DockDoor to Load

System directsUser to LPNs

Scan Dock toClose

Missing LPNson Trip Ship ConfirmNo

Yes

Scan DockDoor to Load

Scan LPNs toLoad

Missing LPNson Delivery

System directsUser to LPNsYes Ship Confirm

No

Missing itemson TripNo

Yes

Picking

WMS: Pick Release Process

Warehouse Management System (WMS) uses the pick release process to select orders for release to the warehouse for picking and shipping. After the orders are released, Oracle WMS uses the Rules Engine to determine the appropriate material allocations. When the system completes the allocations, the Task Type Assignment engine assigns the appropriate task types, and the system then suggests packing configurations. At this time, order lines are also split or merged, based on equipment capacity and pick methodology.

In non-WMS environments, the WMS Rules Engine is not used to determine appropriate material allocations. However, shipping by License Plates Numbers (LPN) is supported.

In pre-Patchset H environments, if WMS is enabled for an existing inventory organization, users need to set up picking and put away rules and strategies before running pick release or the orders will backorder.

This changed in Patchset H. The user should run the compile all rules concurrent request after installing the patchset so that the users do not need to set up picking and put away rules and strategies.

In a WMS-enabled environment, you will not be able to use the Transact Move Order form to transact pick wave move orders. Picks must be performed through the mobile task dispatching infrastructure.

WMS: Picking Process

The WMS system dispatches tasks through the mobile device user interface. Through this user interface, the picker can view the item, quantity, subinventory, and locator from which the load can be picked. If the items are revision or lot controlled, the system also displays those details.

The picking tasks assigned by the system to a user may include any of the following:

o Pick loose items into an LPN

o Pick whole LPNs

o Pick multiple LPNs, for example, pick 5 boxes of 10 each to fulfill a task to pick 50

o Pick from LPNs, for example, pick 5 items out of a box of 10

o Pick multiple partial LPNs, full LPNs, and loose picks for a single task

o Build larger LPNs

o View cartonization suggestion

The user can confirm a pick by scanning one or more LPNs to load. If the material in the storage locator is not identified with an LPN, then the user must confirm the item, quantity, storage subinventory, and locator to confirm the pick.

The user can also unpack an LPN to fulfill the pick, however, if the pick units of measure are appropriately established during system setup, then unpacking an LPN to fulfill a pick should not be necessary. The user can also pick the items or the whole LPN into another larger LPN (like a pallet or carton), thus building a package that can be shipped. If Cartonization is enabled, the user will also see the container suggestion in his or her task queue.

In a non-WMS enabled environment, Oracle Inventory allows performing this type of picking process through Transact Move Order transactions.

Shipping

Oracle WMS allows the user to perform the following three types of shipment confirmation using Mobile User Interface:

o Quick Ship

o LPN Ship

o Dock Door Ship

Alternatively, users can ship confirm using the Shipping Transactions form on their desktop.

Quick Ship

In WMS, Quick Ship is used to ship an entire delivery without confirming individual LPNs associated with the delivery. Because the deliver number triggers it, quick ship requires that deliveries be manually or auto created. Furthermore, prior to performing a Quick Ship, all of the order lines on the delivery must be staged. The material status of the staging subinventory, as well as inventory controls is included in the Delivery Details at the time of shipment confirmation. Also, the delivery cannot include items that are serial controlled at sales order issue. Ship sets must be completely contained within the single delivery to ship using the Quick Ship method.

The Shipping Execution application allows you to perform this type of shipment confirmation process through the Shipping Transaction form on the desktop; with or without WMS installed. You can enter weight, waybill, and ship method for the delivery prior to ship confirmation.

LPN Ship

In WMS, LPN Ship is used to confirm the shipment of individual LPNs on a delivery, or to create new deliveries and confirm the shipment of LPNs that do not yet have a delivery. You begin the LPN Ship transaction by scanning the dock door from which the LPNs will be shipped. Next, you scan each LPN. If the LPN cannot be ship confirmed because of a material status assigned to a lot or serialized item contained in the LPN, or the staging subinventory and locator, then the system displays a message with this information on the mobile device.

After all validation is successfully performed, the system uses delivery grouping rules to create the deliveries and trips for LPNs that do not already have deliveries created. For each delivery that is at the dock, you can optionally enter the shipment weight, shipment method, waybill number, and other delivery-specific information.

The Shipping Execution application does not allow you to perform this type of shipping process. A delivery is the only entity that may be ship confirmed in the WSH Shipping Transaction form. You can pick release trips, stops, deliveries, containers (LPNs), and lines. You can associate desired LPNs to delivery and enter details. But to complete the process, you must ship confirm the delivery.

Dock Door Ship

Dock Door Ship is used to load and ship entire trips based on previously created dock door appointments for the trip. Dock Door Ship uses a dock schedule and dock door appointments to intelligently suggest the best staging lane for the material. In order to take advantage of these features, the trip and a dock door appointment must be set up prior to pick release. The mobile user interface form for Dock Door Ship is similar to the LPN Ship form with the exception that since a dock appointment has been created for the trip, the system can direct the user to the appropriate staging lane where the LPNs for the trip have been dropped.

The Shipping Execution application does not perform this type of shipping process. In WSH, you can ship confirm Deliveries that may include LPNs. Trip and dock appointments are not supported in WSH, however, planned pick up at origin and drop off at destination can be entered as attributes of a Stop.

Shipping Without Pick Release in WMS

The current shipping process consists of several steps including Trip Plan, Stop Plan, Delivery Creation, Delivery Plan, Pick Release, Pick Confirmation, Packing, and Ship Confirm. At a minimum, users are required to create deliveries, pick release, pick confirm, and ship confirm. Some of these steps can be automated to minimize user intervention but there must be a point at which pick release is initiated where the system can allocate inventory that must already be on hand in order to proceed to the ship confirm step. In just-in-time assemble to order environments where material moves directly from the end of the manufacturing line to the delivery truck, the function of pick release may be an unnecessary overhead.

Direct Ship

The WMS feature Direct Ship allows shipping of material directly after sales order is booked, bypassing the pick-release/ pick-confirm process. This functionality was added to WMS to allow users to perform ship confirmation through mobile user interface without requiring the picking processes.

All shipped product must be packed in LPNs. Loose material cannot be shipped.

OrderManagement Enter Sales

Order

User DrivenShipping

WMS SystemProcesses

(OPTIONAL)

WMS Outbound Logistic Processes Direct Ship

ScheduledShipment

Report

Scan DockDoor to Load

Scan SalesOrder & Order

Line

Missing LPNson Delivery

System directsUser to LPNsYes Ship Confirm

No

Scan LPNs toLoad

.

WSH Features Disabled in WMS Environment

Several Shipping Execution features are disabled in a WMS-enabled environment. This means that the Shipping Transaction form cannot be used to complete specific Actions.

Packing

In a WMS-enabled environment, packing operations in Shipping Transactions form are disallowed or disabled completely for delivery details and containers. The disabled Actions associated with packing operations, include:

• Pack

• Unpack

• Auto-pack

• Auto-pack Master

• Packing Workbench

The screen shot below shows in bold the Actions related to packing that are disabled.

Additionally, when the packing operations are disabled, load planning in WSH is not possible. Instead, these transactions are performed through the WMS mobile user interface.

Actions: Auto-pack Auto-pack Master Pack Unpack Packing Workbench

Shipped Quantity Field Closed

In a WMS-enabled environment, Shipped Quantity is set at packing time. Since the shipped quantity is entered at pick confirm by a RF device within a WMS-enabled organization, it is no longer possible to enter the Shipped Quantity within the Shipping Transactions form. The Shipped Quantity field (shown as an open field in this example) is closed, or grayed out when this form is accessed in a WMS-enabled organization.

Packed Quantity Becomes Shipped Quantity

In a WMS-enabled environment, you cannot ship less than nor more than the packed quantity per LPN/container (Requested Qty = Shipped Qty). When a container is packed, then that packed quantity becomes the shipped quantity.

Substitution of Container Items Allowed

In a WMS-enabled environment, the container item (pallet, box, etc) can be changed when confirming a picking operation. For example, if a shipper runs out of a box type, and needs to substitute a different box type prior to pick confirming.

No Planning of LPNs

In a WMS-enabled environment, no LPNs or LPN contents will be created until pick confirm. Because this functionality exists in a WMS-enabled organization, it is not possible to create LPNs in the Shipping Transactions form and the Action “Create LPN” is disabled in the Lines/LPN tab. The following window shows the “Create LPN” Action that is disabled.

All Delivery Lines Assigned to LPN

In a WMS-enabled environment, all picks need to pass to a pack container/LPN at pick confirm. Every staged delivery must be assigned to an LPN. When you pick confirm the delivery line, you must provide the LPN in which it is packed. The WMS mobile users do the packing and pick confirm.

Only the innermost picked LPN is visible on the Shipping Transaction form (STF). Subsequent packs that further nest that LPN, however, will not be visible on the STF. If the user needs to see the levels of nesting, they must use the Material Workbench form in Inventory.

Serial Number Entry in STF Disabled

In a WMS-enabled environment, details and LPNs under serial control will always have serial numbers entered at pick confirm through a mobile device. It is not possible to enter the serial number(s) within the Shipping Transactions form.

Load Planning Disallowed

In a WMS-enabled environment, load planning is not possible because the packing functionality is disabled within the Shipping Transactions form.

Transact Move Orders

In a WMS-enabled environment, the Transact button is disabled in the Transact Move Order form because this function is carried out through the mobile user interface.

Container Management Conditions

The following container management conditions apply only in a WMS-enabled environment.

Packing Required Before or During Pick Confirm The user must be in WMS to pack the contents before or during pick confirming or staging them. WMS does the packing and passes the updated shipping information to Shipping Execution.

Assigning/Unassigning Lines and Containers In a WMS-enabled environment, if you are removing (unassigning) a delivery line from a delivery, you must first remove (unassign) it from its container and vice versa when assigning. The material and the LPN physically reside together on the warehouse floor. You cannot manipulate only the LPN delivery line or only the content/material delivery line. For example, if you have detail LPNs packed into a master container, you can only assign/unassign the master container not the detail container.

WSH Features that Impact WMS Environment

All Shipping setup is honored in a WMS enabled organizations, including: Shipping Parameters, container item relationships, release sequence rules, and release rules. However, in WMS enabled organizations, the functionality is extended to coordinate tasks.

Delivery Grouping Rule

In WMS-enabled organizations, the Delivery Grouping rule impacts cartonization. Picking tasks are grouped by the Delivery Grouping rule criteria for cartonization suggestions, regardless of whether deliveries are auto created at or before pick release. This functionality is used to ensure that the system never allows a user to pack material for different shipments into the same container.

Auto Allocate

In WMS-enabled organizations, if the Auto Allocate box is unchecked in the following three areas: Shipping Parameters form, Release Rules form, Release Sales Order form, then the pick wave move order created at Pick Release is not allocated and picking tasks are not released to warehouse users. This feature is useful if you wish to use the pick wave move order in the WMS rules simulation form to diagnose problems in the picking rules setup that might ordinarily cause the delivery line to automatically backorder at allocation time.

Pick Slip Grouping Rule

WMS uses the pick slip grouping rule that is set up in WSH to determine the pick methodology in the warehouse. Tasks are dispatched to users in groups divided by the grouping rule.

Maximum Lines per Pick Slip

In WMS-enabled organizations, the Shipping Parameter for Number of Pick Slip Lines is used by WMS to determine the maximum number of tasks that can be dispatched to a user at a time, regardless of the pick methodology.

WMS vs WSH functionalities Table

The following table summarizes the WMS mobile device functions vs. Shipping Transactions form functions.

WMS: Function WSH: Equivalent Action on Shipping Transactions form 1. Outbound > Picking Release Sales Orders > Release Sales Orders for Picking > select “Auto

Allocate” Yes and Move Orders > Transact Move Orders 1.1 Next or Current Task Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function. 1.2 Manual Pick 1.3 Pick by LPN 1.4 Express Pick Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function. 2. Outbound > Shipping 2.1 Quick Ship Transactions > on “query manager” window, select “search for

deliveries” > enter criteria > “find” button 2.2 LPN ship Transactions > on “query manager” window, select “search for

deliveries” or “trips” > enter criteria > “find” button 2.3 Dock Door Ship (Load Dock) Task is a WMS notion only. No equivalent function. 2.4 Direct ship In R11i.8, it is not possible to ship through WSH without pick release. 3. Warehousing > LPN transactions or Outbound > Packing

Transactions > on “query manager” window, select “search for lines” > enter criteria > “find” button

3.1 Pack On “shipping transactions” > select “pack” action > select “Go” button 3.2 Unpack On “shipping transactions” > select “unpack” action > select “Go” button 3.3 Consolidate Transactions > on “query manager” window, select “search for LPNs” >

enter criteria > “find” button > select “pack” action > select “Go” button 3.4 Split On “shipping transactions” > select “unpack” action > select “Go” button

> select “split line“ & Go > select “create LPNs” & Go > select “pack” & Go

3.5 Bulk Pack Equivalent to “Pack” function for a delivery. On “shipping transactions” > select “pack” action > select “Go” button

3.6 LPN update weight, volume, container

It is impossible to do that through Shipping Execution function.

WMS mobile device functions vs WSH form functions Created: October 2002 Author: Timothy Conroy Copyright © Oracle Corporation 2001 All Rights Reserved Printed in the U.S.A. This document is provided for informational purposes only and the information herein is subject to change without notice. Please report any errors herein to Oracle Corporation. Oracle Corporation does not provide any warranties covering and specifically disclaims any liability in connection with this document. O

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