Glossary
Bin location
Also called: Bin, Storage location
A bin location is the address of a place in your stockroom, so anyone can be told where to find a product without being shown.
It describes the shelf, not the stock on it. The shelf keeps its code when the product changes.
Numbering the racking
Work from big to small, and keep every part the same width:
- Aisle, then bay, then shelf, then position
A-03-2-04reads as aisle A, bay 3, second shelf up, fourth slot along- Number bays from the same end of every aisle
Print the labels as Code 128 so they can be scanned. A scanned location is never mistyped, and it is the fastest part of a putaway to get wrong by hand.
What it buys you
A new starter with a pick list can work their first shift without asking anyone where things are. That is the whole return, and it is worth more than it sounds in December.
Where it goes wrong
Locations that describe the stock. HOODIES is fine until you move the
hoodies, and then it is a lie printed on the racking.
The other one is a dead spot. One bay behind a steel upright where the Wi-Fi does not reach, so the scan never registers and somebody writes the count on their hand. Walk the room with a phone before you number it, and find out where the signal goes.
Related terms
Putaway
Putaway is moving stock from the receiving area onto the shelf it will be picked from, and recording where it went.
Pick list
A pick list is the sheet or screen that tells someone which products to collect for an order, and where each one is.
SKU
Also called: Stock Keeping Unit
A SKU is your own code for one exact thing you sell, down to the size and colour. You invent it, and only your shop uses it.