About Stocker

Stocktaking and Checking

Introduction

The stocktaking procedures comprise a number of loosely related functions. Together these offer a comprehensive set of tools to secure the integrity of the warehouse inventory.

Warehouse Set-up

This is the initial stock take performed when the contents of the warehouse is first loaded into the Stocker. A range of physical warehouse locations are chosen, the list either printed or sent to a remote device and the stock counted. The actual contents of these locations are then entered into Stocker's database. The process is repeated until the entire warehouse contents have been added to Stocker.

Whilst this is the recommended method, it can impose a significant amount of work to organise and carry out. It may be required to shut down a warehouse for possibly an entire weekend and incur extra costs, for example remunerating staff, lighting, heating etc. If you carry out the stock take during normal working hours it could adversely impact your operational performance. As an alternative, therefore, Stocker is able to accept a data import file and load the current warehouse inventory into its database. Note using this method will also import any errors into Stocker and so a full stocktake is recommended after importing the inventory.

Warehouse Running Stock Checks

These are the periodic stock checks carried out at regular intervals after the WMS is up and running.

  • A warehouse stock check can be performed for either a range of locations or for an individual product or range of products.
  • In either case two tables are created. One contains details of what Stocker has recorded as in storage - The Book Stock. The second is the result of performing the actual stock check - The Physical Stock.
  • The Book Stock is created from Stocker's inventory. It is either printed or sent to a remote device and used to perform a blind stock check. A result of performing the stock check is the actual warehouse inventory is input to the Physical Stock table.
  • Both tables are then compared and a discrepancy report produced. This report is used to update the book stock via a Stock Adjustment.
  • You can close the warehouse and perform a single warehouse stock check for the whole warehouse.
  • Or you can perform smaller stock checks while keeping the warehouse operational.
  • If you choose the latter method you can elect to the freeze the locations being counted. Frozen locations will not be used by Stocker to store pallets, or from which to select stock. Once the stock checking process is complete the locations are unfrozen.

Perpetual Inventory

If you operate part pallet picking, via picking locations, perpetual inventory is provided as part of the normal picking process based on the picking frequency of individual picking faces. For example, you can specify a location's inventory is checked on every 10th visit for picking.

Stock Balances

Creates an interface (data export) file containing the warehouse physical stock holding for transmission to an external stock control system.