Putaway
Once a delivery has been checked in, someone has to carry it to a shelf and record exactly which shelf it went to. Where it goes follows rules, such as the nearest free space, the fast sellers close to the packing area or heavy items low down. This step is called putaway, or put-away.
The record matters as much as the move. Goods that sit on the right shelf but are booked to the wrong one are as good as lost, and the next picker walks to an empty space. Scanning the shelf label as you put goods away fixes the location in the system at the moment it happens.
Putaway rules need not be complicated. Three are enough for many small warehouses: fast movers by the pack area, heavy items on the floor or lowest shelf, and one SKU in as few locations as possible.
In practice
Forty cartons of mugs arrive and are checked in. The system suggests a free pallet space at the front of the mug aisle, close to the pack bench. The operator drives the pallet there, scans the shelf label and the pallet label, and the stock is now findable at that exact location.
Related terms
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Two questions about your own operation
How many of your articles sit in a pick location they empty less than once a month?
Part one: Laying out a warehouse does not start with the racking
After your last integration, how many systems hold a stock quantity for the same item? Name them.