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Cross docking functionality in Sterling Multi-Channel Fulfillment solution

Question & Answer


Question

Cross docking functionality in Sterling Multi-Channel Fulfillment solution

Answer

1. What is cross docking?

Ans: Cross docking is a process in which product diversion happens to cross dock staging or directly to outbound shipping lanes from receiving dock.
2. When can cross docking be done in Sterling WMS?
Ans: Cross docking can be done during Inbound receiving process or during outbound release wave process.
3. What are the configurations required to achieve cross docking during inbound receiving operation and behavior of system after configuration?
Ans: To perform cross docking during receiving, in nWMS PCA 8.0 Sterling provided an Out Of the Box (OOB) action YNWCrossDock under Purchase Order Receipt Repository. This action can called during any of the receipt event handlers based on the business use-case. For Ex: RECEIVE_RECEIPT.0005 -> ON_CASE_RECEIPT or ON_PALLET_RECEIPT.
This action will ensure that when case or a pallet is received, system checks for an opportunity to perform cross dock. If there is an outbound task exists from forward pick area to pack location, if cross dock opportunity exists, then system will replace the source location of the outbound task with the receiving dock location were inventory is received and replaces the suggested LPN for the selected task by the LPN received.
To know more about opportunistic cross docking refer NWMS_PCA_Implementation_Guide.pdf
4. What are the configurations required to achieve cross docking during outbound wave release operation and behavior of system after configuration?
Ans: In outbound, system checks for cross docking opportunity if there is no or less inventory available in the specified zones in Pick Location Assignment (PLA) rule. In PLA rule under cross dock locations -> ‘For the demand left over from the previous steps, explore cross-docking opportunity. Search for inbound shipments that are in following status’ -> specify the search for inbound shipments status.
This configuration will ensure that when wave is released if no/less inventory is available in the PLA zone list, system will check for inbound shipments having the item and quantity and generate two tasks. First task from dock to dynamically slot location and second task from dynamically slot location to forward pick location.
To know more about cross dock refer to WMS_Configuration_Guide.pdf, section named ‘Specifying Item Pick Location Configuration’.

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Historical Number

FAQ2864

Document Information

Modified date:
16 June 2018

UID

swg21519482