In these processes, the following operations should be carried out:

• Verification of compliance with documentation,
• Counting,
• Quality assessment.

In each of these areas, the WMS system has specific tasks and functionalities to perform. A crucial element is the flow of information and documents between the systems of all participants in the process, i.e., suppliers, carriers, and recipients. A properly functioning WMS should handle the physical receipt of goods, register all documents involved in the process, note any discrepancies, and electronically transmit them to the superior system as well as other stakeholders (suppliers, carriers).

Documentation Compliance

Within a delivery_, we can distinguish several basic documents. One of them is the purchase order sent to the supplier. Depending on the industry specifics, various practices exist, ranging from situations where one order equals one delivery, to cases where a single order contains many items or large quantities of individual items, and such an order can be delivered through multiple shipments. This results in the need to handle scenarios where many deliveries may contain lines from multiple orders.

An important part of the receiving process is also the electronic delivery notification. This can be carried out using EDI communication or via the WEBbooking Sophia portal.

Another key document is the original delivery document – most often the supplier’s delivery note (WZ). It is important to verify whether the goods and their quantities declared on this document match the physical delivery. If discrepancies arise between the delivery and the supplier’s document, they should be reported as soon as possible to avoid further accumulation of errors. Usually, based on such a delivery note (WZ), a VAT invoice will be generated, which will likely not match the delivery, leading to additional costs related to clarifications and corrections. This entire process is completed by electronic document exchange based on EDI.

Another crucial aspect for proper WMS operation is ensuring that physical goods movement operations are not linearly linked to the processing/input of documentation into the system.

A properly designed process and document flow, as well as communication methods with contractors, allow for significant savings throughout the entire order2cash process.

Counting is another important element of the workflow. It is usually a process based on scanning GTIN codes or notified SSCCs. Since this is a mass and repetitive process, ergonomics is an important factor. In our solutions, we address this by using eye-tracking research (WE IMPROVE THE UX OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS THROUGH INVESTMENTS IN EYE TRACKING TECHNOLOGY AND TOBII PRO NANO).

Every scan and operation performed by the operator on the terminal impacts the productivity of the process. An important aspect is also the organization of master data in terms of goods/supplier/packaging structure and GTIN codes. WMS solutions should also support standard automatic identification mechanisms based on one-dimensional codes, two-dimensional codes, and RFID technology. Quantity tolerance for excess goods also significantly improves the efficiency of the goods receipt process (PZ). For high-value goods, a control counting procedure may be activated. For example, if a 3% tolerance is set for a given supplier, the system will operationally allow acceptance of such delivery and automatically correct related documents, e.g., purchase orders. Of course, such an excess will affect OTIF (On Time In Full) and the supplier evaluation.

Quality Assessment – these are parameters that allow qualification of goods for acceptance. Various parameters can be evaluated, such as:

• Expiry date – very commonly used in the food/FMCG industry,
• Packaging method,
• Physical properties, e.g., various steel parameters or chemical properties.

Quality assessment is a crucial aspect of qualifying goods for acceptance. Errors made at this stage can result in significant losses in other processes. This is a very important part of the goods receipt process (PZ), especially for manufacturing, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and distribution companies. This part of the process in the WMS is controlled by individual acceptance parameters considering Goods/Supplier. Each product can have multiple suppliers, each with individually defined delivery conditions.

If the document flow related to deliveries and the physical receipt process are properly configured, the entire order2cash decision chain becomes fully automated. This brings us very close to eliminating paper documents and implementing a paperless policy.

Proper receipt leads to higher availability of fast-moving goods, easier planning, and reduced lost sales.