Item and Location information

Information apps are the most trivial apps in our suite.
Open the item information application and scan the barcode of an item or simply type the item id or (part of) the item name.
On the screen, various tabs will become visible, showing the basic item information, the default location and its characteristics, all binlocations containing the supply of this item, the open sales orders and the stock transfers of the last quarter involving this item.

These apps are used by all employees, and can also be opened from every other app. Just click on an item and the item information app will open.

Scan sequence item information: Scan "item identification".
Scan sequence bin location information: Scan the "bin location code".


This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Stock transfer

Stock transfer or also called the spontaneous goods transfer is an application with which one or more occurrences of an item can be transferred from one location to another.
Transfer can take place within a warehouse, or even from one warehouse to another.
If multiple batches or serial numbers are present on the "FROM" location, the application automatically asks which batch or serial number must be transferred.

Scan sequence stock transfer:
Scan source location, item, quantity, depending on batch or serial scan batchcode or serial number, and finish the transaction by scanning the new location.


This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Location transfer

Location transfer is a special kind of stock transfer. Whereas in the spontaneous stock transfer, only one item at a time is moved, we now transfer all items of the location to another location.
This application is mainly used by reach truck drivers, making room in the warehouse by combining contents of pallets by moving all contents of one pallet to another.
It is also used for incidental storing of goods, when pallets built in the receiving warehouse or area, are
transferred to the sales or production warehouses or areas.

Scan sequence location transfer:
Scan the source location and finish the transaction by scanning the destination location.


This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Replenishment

Most warehouses have two types of locations.
On the top shelves, bulk is stored, often in the original containers or pallets as they were received in.
The lower shelves are used by pickers to retrieve the products or items to satisfy the sales order.

If your warehouse has both BULK as well as PICK locations, the replenishment application can be used to give stock transfer advice with which your PICK locations are provided with stock from the BULK area.
Reach truck drivers will use this application to keep the PICK locations filled.
The application distinguishes between normal and urgent requests. When the PICK location is empty and a sales order is waiting for this item, the stock transfer request will pop up in the list of "urgent requests". If the stock level in a PICK location just drops below a configurable threshold, the request pops up in the list of "normal requests".


To configure this application according to your business rules we usually need one or two days for configuration, after configuration, this application is within the license

Counting

The reason you count stock is to keep the warehouse accurate.

The inventory accuracy indicates how closely inventory records in the ERP match the physical inventory.
Keeping it as high as possible prevents:

• accepting an order due to inventory levels that are physically not there
• denying an order due to an insufficient stock level in the ERP where the stock is physically available

If you count your stock once a year (wall-to-wall modus) or multiple times a year (cycle count modus), you can be assisted by our counting application.
In the actual counting, multiple strategies are supported among which are single blind counting and double blind counting.
In the wall-to-wall modus, your staff is supported by visualized graphs representing the progress in the counting process.


This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Analytics

Out of the box, you will get a dashboard with a couple of warehouse indicators showing the number of open picklists, the number of sales orders to be delivered today, the number of deliveries made today, the number of deliveries this year compared to the previous year and the number of stock transfers and replenishment actions per reachtruck driver.

If these graphs are not enough, a KPI designer is present with which you can make your own graphs, representing your KPIs or business rules.


This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license.
However, creating graphs might be difficult if you are missing basic SQL knowledge. We can create a basic dashboard with your KPIs in one or two days.

Picklist generator

Picklists can be created in the ERP from one or more sales orders. However, if your company creates hundreds of picklists a day, we have a picklist creation tool in our suite that can assist you in making picklists according to your own business rules.
Various strategies are supported like oldest order first, optimizing to maximize sales, large orders first, etc.
This tool is not intended to be used on small hand-held devices but must be run on a desktop of the employee responsible for the picklist process.

The tool works in two steps.
First, the picklist candidates are shown on the screen.
Next, the picklist creator can select the picklists he wants to create and start the creation process.

The picklist creator can run in manual or in automatic mode in which every few minutes the order pool is scanned for picklists to create.


We will need an intake to assess your business rules. We will make an offer after the intake.
Also, a short training is recommended for the staff that is going to operate this tool.

Picking

As soon as a picklist is created, pickers must pick it up and take the items from the warehouse. The picking application assists pickers in making their picking rounds.
Picklists can be processed, one picklist at a time, but they can also be combined.
In the combined modus, the picklist application will give indications that an item for the first picklist must be placed in box A, an item for the second picklist in box B, etc.
The application is prepared to communicate with picking carts that have light indicators on or before the bins. If an item must be put in bin B, the light before bin B will flash. If the picking action is committed, the light will go out and the next picking transaction can start.

Scan sequence order picking:

• Scan/confirm the location to pick from
• Scan/confirm the item to be picked
• If it is a batch or serial number item, confirm or enter the batch or serial number
• Scan/confirm the quantity to be picked
• Finish the transaction by confirming the "PICKED" button on the picking device.

This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Delivery

The delivery application creates deliveries based on the picklists. This application is used best on a big screen.
Before the goods are put into the box, using the delivery application, quality, and quantity can be checked again to ensure that the customer receives the package he is waiting for.
If the picklist has been picked using the picking application, one can assume that the quantity is correct. If the picking application has not been used, but instead the goods are collected based on a printed picklist, the delivery application automatically asks for a quantity check.
On finishing the delivery, it is possible to submit the delivery to a postal provider and print the postal label. We have various connections with postal providers like DHL, GLS, DPD, and others.
The packaging slip (delivery note) will be printed at the moment the delivery has been marked complete. Also, other documents like a CMR or overviews of the contents per box or pallet can be printed.

Out-of-the-box, the delivery application has quality and quantity control, but no printing and no postal provider connections. Customization of the application to match the needs defined in your business rules is possible.
We will do an intake to assess the number of functional extensions (connection to transport companies, printing documents, etc.).
Average customization will take around 2 days.

Goods receipts

The goods receipts application will assist the receipt department in handling and managing the incoming shipments.
The application follows the rule that nothing is received without a matching purchase order.

Depending on the modus, it will show concept incoming shipments or it shows the list of open purchase orders from which different lines can be selected to match the incoming goods.

Goods receipts must be received on a single location. They will be checked for quality and completeness in the stock sorting application.

Scan sequence Goods receipt:

• Select the concept receipt or purchase order
• In case a purchase order is selected, mark one or more lines
• Scan the location where the goods are physically received

This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

Goods sorting

Stock received by the goods receipt application must be checked on quality and completeness.
The stock sorting application can assist you with this task.

The application starts by scanning the location at which a shipment has been received.
The contents of the shipment are shown on screen, with indications if the stock must be stored in BULK, PICK or if extra handling for the item (relabeling, repacking) is necessary.
If a sales order is waiting on stock then the line is marked to be handled with priority.

The advice can be ignored. Stock may always be placed in BULK but if a sales order is waiting on it, the item will pop up in the replenishment application as soon as the stock is stored in the BULK location.

Scan and handling sequence Goods sorting (after the location is selected):

• Scan the item to be sorted
• Scan or enter the quantity
• Place the item(s) on the correct pallet
• Scan the new pallet to create the stock transfer

If the pallet is empty, but there are still rows to process, then too little is received and the purchasing department can be informed of the missing stock.
If the screen is empty and the pallet is not, too much is received and again the purchasing department can be informed.

To configure this application according to your business rules we usually need one or two days for configuration, after configuration, this application is within the license

Stock storing

If pallets in the receiving area are checked as ready for storing, a reachtruck driver gets a message that pallets may be placed in sales or production warehouse(s).
He can pick up the pallets and drive to the BULK area. The application will instruct him to place the goods in a BULK location as close as possible to the picking location of the items on the pallet.

The application will avoid unnecessary movements. In case items on the pallets are subject to replenishment, the application will indicate which and how many of the items on the pallet should first be stored in the picking area before the rest of the pallet can be stored in BULK.

Scan sequence Goods storing:

• Scan the location in the receiving area
• Follow the replenishment advice (if any)
• Scan the new location

This application is out-of-the-box and is within the license

REST API builder, REST API Runner

Next to the logistical suite, Be-Efficient also offers a RESTFul API design tool with which one can create a simple API which matches your business rules and exposes business information that you want to share with third-party software.

There is a standard template and with scripts, it is possible to change the template to match your demands.
The API builder can create the basic operations for adding objects (like a sales order) with a POST operation, retrieving information (like getting the backorders of a certain customer or getting the item details) with a GET operation and updating objects (like changing a quantity or requested delivery date on a sales order) with a PUT or a PATCH operation.

After designing the API, your third-party can see the built-in documentation.
The API can be tested with a built-in tool before usage.
Documentation and testing are provided with the built-in Swagger documentation and design tool (https://swagger.io/).

This tool is separately priced. Ask us for a quotation.

Task manager

Although a lot of sales orders, purchase order confirmations and announcements of goods receipts will arrive through a web portal or an EDIFACT link, many companies still receive those documents by email.
What will happen next is that one of your staff will open the mail and will copy past the items, the amounts and requested delivery dates, or worse, type it over.

From an automation point of view, it is spoiling valuable labour to type over or copy something that is already digital in another computer system.

To assist in handling those documents, Be-Efficient offers an importer tool, that can assist the employee in moving the information from the mail into your ERP.

If the sales order, purchase order notification or goods receipt announcement arrives in a structured document like an excel spreadsheet of CSV file, it is simply dropping the file from the mail into the importer and a page opens with the information from the file. Items that are not found are marked red and can be changed.
If it arrives as a PDF an extra step is necessary to mark the area where the items, quantities and dates are shown. Finally, finish by selecting the business partner and uploading the document into your ERP.
Depending on a setting in Be-Efficient, in the ERP a concept order or a definitive order will be created.

In this way valuable time is saved that can be spent on customer contact and quality control.


This tool is separately priced. Ask us for a quotation.

Configure the application

There are various tabs to configure the application.
The most important one is of course the connection to your ERP.
But in the configuration pages, you can also configure the rights your users have in the application. Some users may only pick, and other users may only receive goods.
With our user configuration page, you can exactly define which user may do what.