This is second part of the Warehouse Management Systems Overview. Please find below the glossary of terms.

adjustment bin

A virtual bin that is used by the program for purposes of reconciling inventory adjustments.

bin

A physical storage unit that is used for placing and storing items in. This can be anything from a small container box to an open space on a pallet rack.

The smallest unit of the warehouse logical structure.

APICS:

1. A storage device designed to hold small discrete parts.

2. A shelving unit with physical dividers separating the storage locations.

bin content

The contents that are contained within the bin, including the physical quantity of items in the bin, as well as information about volume and status (e.g. defective). Bin content is the basis for the pick and put-away creation in the program.

bin type

A classification for the type of activity that is performed from a particular bin. For example, a bin that has the bin type "receiving", should contain only items that have been received into the warehouse but have not been put away.

Some examples of bin types are: receiving, shipping, picking and put-away.

directed pick

A process where information on the warehouse document directs the warehouse worker to the bin that is most efficient to pick from.

directed put-away

A process where information on the warehouse document directs the warehouse worker to the bin that is most efficient to put items away in.

fixed bin

A bin that has been specified to hold items which are dedicated to that particular bin. (In Microsoft Navision, an item is fixed to a bin, but a bin is not fixed to a specific item. Therefore, a fixed bin can still contain several different items.)

Syn: fixed-location storage (APICS):

A method of storage in which a relatively permanent location is assigned for the storage of each item in a storeroom or warehouse Although more space is needed to store parts than in a random-location storage system, fixed locations become familiar, and therefore a locator file may not be needed. See: random-location storage.

floating bin

Any bin that is not fixed to store a specific item or type of item and are used to store items as they come into the warehouse.

Syn: random-location storage (APICS): A storage technique in which parts are placed in any space that is empty when they arrive at the storeroom. Although this random method requires the use of a locator file to identify part locations, it often requires less storage space than a fixed-location storage method. Syn: floating inventory location system. See: fixed-location storage.

Location

A physical structure or place where inventory is received, stored and shipped. A location can be a warehouse, service car, showroom, plant or area within a plant.

movement

The physical or virtual movement of items from one bin to another bin within the same warehouse A virtual movement would take place, for example, in a bin content adjustment.

Note: A movement does not affect the availability of an item, a pick or put-away does.

picking

APICS: The process of withdrawing from stock the components to make the products or the finished goods to be shipped to a customer.

Note: In the WMS application, once an item has been registered as picked, the program considers it no longer available.

posting

The final registration of an amount on an account. Once you have posted in Microsoft Navision, the amount cannot be deleted, so errors can be corrected only by posting reversing or adjusting entries.

put-away

APICS: Removing the material from the dock (or other location of receipt), transporting the material to a storage area, placing that material in a staging area and then moving it to a specific location, and recording the movement and identification of the location where the material has been placed.

Note: In the WMS application, items are available to pick only after they have been registered as put-away.

registering

Creating an entry in the program that records an action completed in the warehouse. For example, you can register the put-away, picking or movement of an item into or from a specific bin. Registering differs from posting in that it does not create any entries in the general ledger or the inventory item ledger.

warehouse adjustment

The process of adjusting bin content records. A negative adjustment decreases the quantity of items in the bin. A positive adjustment increases the quantity of items in the bin.

warehouse class

The categorization of items, zones, and bins according to special conditions or special equipment that are required for the storage of items. Examples of warehouse classes can be: frozen, dry, hazardous, and so on.

warehouse receipt

The physical acceptance and recording in the program of an item arriving into a warehouse location.

warehouse request

An internal system table that contains references to warehouse source documents that are ready for shipment or receipt. Used to initiate warehouse processes.

warehouse shipment

The act of shipping items from a warehouse location and recording the shipment in the program.

zone

A continuous area within a warehouse location that is usually distinguished from adjoining areas by the function for which it is used.