On Demand Picklist Printing
In order to provide a closed loop tracking and editing environment for picklists STREAM II may be configured to produce picklist on an "on-demand" basis. This process also includes the capability to product "bunch" picklists to make the picking process more efficient. In this configuration no picklists are printed until an operator is ready to pick goods. This may seem superficially less efficient than printing picklists as orders are entered or goods allocated based on inventory receipts.
In high volume situations, and when order lines are split among multiple locations, tighter control of the picklist documents is required. The basis for this reasoning is:
1. When high numbers of sales orders are processed it becomes very difficult to find a specific sales order for editing purposes. In an on-demand environment a sales order may be edited until the moment that the picklist is selected for printing, provided reduced personnel requirements, reduced mis-shipments and allowing better customer service.
2. In a multi-location environment where sales order are entered with line items to be shipped from multiple locations it becomes impossible to control the editing of sales orders, even using the "edit code" restriction provided in STREAM II. In light of there being only one "edit code" assigned to a sales order a problem exists when two picklists are printed at separate locations. Each picklist has the lines on it that are to be shipped from the appropriate location, however if the "edit code" is given to a sales person from one locations picklist all the items on a sales order may be edited, including those on the picklist printed at the other location. This produces and un-controllable situation.
In the on-demand environment each line on the picklist is locked as the picklist is printed, allowing the remaining lines to be edited. A logic problem still remains if the shipping method and ship to address are edited during the time that the picklist list is being filled, but since the system produces the shipping documentation at invoicing time the correct information is used then.
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