Inventory Request Console
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Inventory Request Console

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Article summary

Inventory Requests

 

 

Inventory Requests are a new feature added to WithoutWire in v9.9 to facilitate the movement of inventory to a specific destination. Supported use case scenarios include requests for replenishment as well as user requests for specific parts. For example, field techs requesting service parts for work orders.

 

Inventory Requests can be created and added to a shared queue via the automatic replenishment process, the mobile Request Inventory tile, the WithoutWire MS FieldService add-on, or the API. Requests are always created in an initial status of Pending until actionable tasks have been generated.

 

Each Inventory Request consists of one item, a quantity, and a destination to move the inventory to, which may be a site, a zone, or a specific bin. Even if multiple items are requested at the same time, each individual item is considered a separate request, though multiple requests may be grouped into logical units through a shared RequestGroup.

 

Inventory Requests can be viewed and managed on the Web Console at Inventory Operations > Inventory Request Console.


 

Request Inventory Tile

 

The Request Inventory tile will create inventory requests. These requests will be added to the common request queue and processed via the task API or manual user input on the Inventory Request Console, to create Move Orders and/or Transfer Orders to facilitate the movement of the inventory to its destination. 

 

Begin by tapping the Request Inventory Icon from the Main Menu.



Set the parameters for the request in the following fields: 

 


Source Location

 

A dropdown where the user can select the site that the inventory should be sourced from for the request. This field is optional, and if unselected the Task API will automatically determine what sites inventory should be sourced from for fulfillment.  

 

 

Destination Bin – 

 

Optional. The destination bin the inventory should be moved to to fulfill the request. This only displays if the config “Allow Destination Bin/Zone Selection in Request Inventory” is set to true.

 

 

Destination Zone

 

Optional. The destination zone the inventory should be moved to in order to fulfill the request. This only displays if the config “Allow Destination Bin/Zone Selection in Request Inventory ” is set to true.

 

 

Allocation Set

 

A dropdown containing currently active allocation sets. This field is optional. If selected, any fulfillment tasks created for this request will be marked for this allocation set. If the Source Location is not set, the engine will intelligently determine what site to create tasks in based on matching allocated inventory. 

 

 

Date

 

A date selection where you can enter the date the requested inventory is needed. If Request Tasks are not started for fulfillment by this time the request will be automatically changed to a status of Canceled.

 

 

The next screen shows a list of all known Items in the source site. You can use the search field to filter Items, and to select an Item you can either scan the Item barcode or tap on the line Item. Selected Items will appear to have a blue shade to them. Tap Next to move forward.

 


Press the Blue Options button to see the following options:

 

Select All – Selects All Items to be requested

Clear All – Clears any previously selected Items.

Live Support – A Chat feature that will get you in contact with a representative at WithoutWire in real-time.



 

You will then be presented with the Items that you previously selected. By swiping from right to left on the line Item, a counter will appear. Pressing the “+” sign will increase by one, and the red “-” will decrease by one. You can also bring up a number pad by pressing the center number. Press OK to continue.


At the Request Inventory Summary page, you can finalize your request by pressing OK which will return you to the first page of the Request Inventory tile.



Request Tasks

 

Queued Inventory Requests can be turned into actionable tasks for fulfillment from the Inventory Request Task API, or via manual user selection on the Inventory Request Console.

 

In multitenant, the Task API will be running automatically if the config “EnableRequestProcessing” is set to true. In single tenant environments, a SmartConnect map, or other integration process will be needed to call the Task API on a recurring basis. To create tasks for queued requests manually, check the Add Tasks Checkbox on the Inventory Request Console and then press the button below.


 

When adding tasks for multiple requests in this way, the system will try to group the tasks together logically based upon the source location of the inventory and the destination site. Any requests that have the same source and destination site will be added into a single transfer or move order with separate lines per request. It is possible for one Move Order to fulfill multiple requests, or for one Transfer Order to ship material for several different requests to the same destination.

 

In addition to task generation via the API or Inventory Request Console, tasks can be automatically created at the time the request is imported if the “Autogenerate Tasks For New Inventory Requests” is set to true. The location in which these requests will be generated will depend on whether inventory is available and where the field user requested inventory from. If the necessary inventory to fulfill a request is divided between multiple sites, multiple orders may be generated. You can view any generated tasks on the console by clicking on View Tasks.


 

Requests are automatically moved to a Complete status once quantity matching the requested quantity has been moved to the destination. This might happen over the course of several transactions as not all inventory necessary to fulfill a request may be initially available.

 

In addition, Inventory Requests may be canceled at any time from the Inventory Request Console. Canceling a request will not cancel any tasks that have already been created, but it will prevent further tasks from being generated for that Request.

 

 

 

Move Orders 

 

Move Orders are a new order type used to fulfill Inventory Requests by directing the user to pick and then put away inventory within a single site. Inventory Requests that require inventory from other sites will use transfer orders instead. 

 

The processing of Move Orders uses the existing picking screens and logic already in place. However instead of shipping or staging at the end of the picking process, the user will be directed into a new put away experience for moving the inventory to its destination. 

 

Begin by tapping the Picking Icon from the Main Menu.

 

Enter the Move Order by tapping on the order line.

 

Tap or scan the items that are being moved.


 

When processing a Move order, the OK button on the Pick Detail screen will be replaced with a Next button allowing you to move on to the Put Away screen for the quantity selected. Lines that have been completely put away to their final destinations will be highlighted in dark grey. Lines that have only been picked to your WIP but not yet put away will be highlighted in light grey. 

 

Tapping Next on the Pick Detail screen will take you to the Put Away screen where you are given a view of all Inventory currently in your WIP that has been picked for the Move Order. The screen will display the picked to LP for each line as well as the destination, whether it is a Bin or zone. 



You can either tap or scan to highlight selected lines for Put Away. By default, all lines with the same destination bin will be highlighted when entering this screen. Depending on the rows selected for put away and the system configuration, different behavior is possible when you press Next.


 


 

Upon pressing OK on the summary screen, the put away will be submitted to the backend. If the submitted destination does not match the expected destination (either the destination bin or a bin within the destination zone), an error will be thrown and displayed in the app. 

 

After all lines are processed and moved to their destination(s), the Move Order will automatically move to a Complete status, and you will be returned to the main order list. In the event the order has been split into separate containers for concurrent processing, only the current container will be set to complete.