Manual packing from A to Z in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

In this blog post I will go through different options for manual packing in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. It will cover majority of the capabilities available for manual packing.

We will be going through 4 scenarios: 

1. Move products to packing station for manual packing and move containers to the final shipping location immediately once packing is completed.
2. Move products to packing station for manual packing and create a work to move containers to the staging location once the packing is completed. 
3. Move products to packing station for manual packing and create a work to move containers to the baydoor location once the packing is completed. 
4. Sort packed containers before shipping.

Useful links:

Manual packing functionality in Warehouse management in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog

Improved packing functionality (Dynamics 365 for Operations 1611) - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog

Outbound sorting - Supply Chain Management | Dynamics 365 | Microsoft Learn

Introduction to Containerization - Automated packing process in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog

Combined use of Manual packing and Containerization functionalities in an outbound process - Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog

Scenario #1: In the first scenario we will configure the simple flow:

Goods are picked from the Bulk location and put into Pack station for manual packing. Then worker manually pack items into containers. Once items are packed, items are moved to Baydoor location right aways.

Let's start with the minimal configuration required to process the scenario described:

First what we need is to create Packing location type, Packing location profile, and Pack location

Packing location type:

Packing location profile:

Pack location (This location will be used to move items from Bulk location for packing):

Then we need to create container types where we will be packing our products to. 

Container types:

It is necessary to define Maximum net weight. 

We then need to define default Packing location type in the Warehouse management parameters. 

Warehouse management parameters:

We need to create Wave template to control our shipping process. 

Wave templates:

We need to create Work template to move products from Bulk location to Pack location upon Sales order process. 

Work template:

For Work template we need work classes and directive code.

Work class:

Directive code:

Now we need to determine from where we are picking products and where we are moving to. 

Create Location directive to pick products from BULK. 

Create Location directive to put products to Pack location.

Now let's configure Container packing policy that will control what should happen when we complete packing. In our scenario we will be moving our containers to the Baydoor location right away. Without any work creation. 

For this scenario it is important to set Container release policy = Make available at final shipping location and define Default location for final shipping. 

Container packing policy:  

We need to create Packing profile that we will be selecting upon packing. You can create different packing profiles and then select specific when you do pack. 

Packing profile: 

We are done with configuration, let's see the process. 

Walkthrough:

Create sales order and reserve inventory

Select Warehouse tab and then choose Release to warehouse.

Work is created to pick items from BULK location and put them into Pack location.

Let's complete work to speed up the process by using Complete button.  

Now it's time for packing. 

Go to Warehouse management > Packing and containerization > Pack

Make sure to select Pack location where we move our products to and select Packing profile created earlier. 

Select Shipment ID of the sales order released. 

Select New container and select Container type where you would like to pack your items in.

Select Item identifier.

Select Close container.

After container close, your containers will be moved to the Baydoor location and Shipment will be updated to Loaded. It means that sales order can be shipped. 

Scenario #2: 

What if we do not need to move containers immediately to final shipping locations. What if we need to create a work to move containers and then any available worker will pick it up and move it to the desired location. In this scenario, we are going to create a work to move containers to Staging location. 

Make sure you create Stage location type, Stage location profile, Stage location and set Staging location type on the Warehouse management parameters for this scenario.

We will continue with what we have configured for scenario 1 and advance it with what we want to achieve in this scenario. We will create another Container packing policy and Packing profile.

Work templates, Location directives to move products from BULK to PACK - are without change. But we need to create another work template and location directives to create work to move containers from PACK to Stage location and then to BAYDOOR.

Let's create a work template Packed container picking that will be used to move items from Pack location to Staging location and then to Baydoor.

Work template:

For this work template we need 2 work classes:

Create 2 location directives to move containers to Stage and to move to Baydoor.

We need to create Container Packing policy that will create work to move containers. It is important to select Container release policy = Create work to move containers and then select Work template.

And then we need to link Packing Profile with Container packing policy.

Now we are ready to go with the process.

Walkthrough: 

Create Sales orders, release it and complete work to move items to Pack station similarly as it was done for scenario 1. 

Go to Pack station.

Select Packing profile created previously to create work to move items to stage location.

Create new container and pack all items. 

Close container.

Once you close, you will notice the message that Work has been created. As you can see the work has been created to move containers from Pack location to Stage and then from Stage to Baydoor. 

Scenario #3

In the scenario above we moved containers to Stage location, but you can also create a work to move items to Baydoor location without staging. You just need to change the configuration a little bit.

Create a new work template to move to Baydoor.

Location directive still will be without change since we already have location directive to move to baydoor.

We need to create another Container packing policy and select the work template that will move containers to Baydoor instead of Stage. 

Packing profile will look like:

Now you are able to use this packing profile in the Pack station, and once the container is closed - work will be created to move containers from Pack station to Baydoor.

Scenario #4

In addition to the flow above, you can also send the containers to the Sorting location to sort packed containers.

We would need Sorting location type, sorting location profile and Sorting location and set Sorting location type in the Warehouse management parameters. 

We need to create Outbound sorting template:

Edit query:

Outbound sorting template breaks:

Create new Container packing policy. It is important to set Container release policy = Assign container to outbound sorting position and select Default location for sorting. 

Create new Packing profile and assign Container packing policy created.

Our Location directives, work templates and wave templates for sales orders will be without change. 

We are going to pick up goods from location where they are available and put them into Pack location, where we will proceed with manual packing.

Since in this scenario, after container close, we will be moving containers to Sort location we need to determine where we need to move containers after sorting. We will move them to the baydoor. And for this we need to create new location directive and work template.

Location directive to move items from SORT location to Baydoor.

Work template:

We will also need to create Mobile device menu items to perform sorting. 

We are done with configuration, let's proceed with the process.

Walkthrough: 

Create Sales order, reserve inventory and complete work that will move items to Pack station (Nothing new, the same as before)

Pack items in the Pack station with the created Sort packing profile (the same way as before)

Close the container. Now your containers are moved to the Sort location.

On the mobile device, select Pallet build.

In the LP/Con field, enter the first container ID that is associated with sales order 1.

Select OK.

Because no sort positions currently exist, you must specify one. In the Sort position ID field, enter SP02.

Because no LP is currently associated with sort position SP02, you must specify one. In the LP field, enter LP02.

Select OK.

Because sort position validation is turned on, you must enter the sort position ID again. In the Sort Position ID field, enter SP02.

Select OK.

You receive a "Work completed" message.

Now you need to close a position.

On the mobile device select Pallet build.

In the LP/Con field, enter a container ID that was sorted to sort position SP02.

Select OK.

You receive the following message: "The container is already sorted to position SP02. Close the position?" 

Select Close.

Work is completed.

Now the work has been created to move the goods to Baydoor

You must complete the sorted inventory picking work. When it's completed, the inventory will be picked to the sales order. 

On the mobile device select Load from Sorting.

Enter the LP ID from the sort position, LP02. 

Select OK.

The Sorted inventory picking: Pick page shows the pick work that must be done. Pick from the SORT location and target LP LP02.

Select OK.

The Sorted inventory picking: Put page shows the put work that must be done. Put to the Baydoor location and target LP LP02.

Select OK.

Work is completed.

You are done with Sorting and moving sorted containers for the shipping. 

That's it!

SCM Secrets: Boosting your location directives with new Scope feature

Let me start this blog post with providing a background for this feature. 

On the location directive page, there is a Multi SKU parameter available. This parameter defines when location directive can be applied in order to set the location on the created work. 

• If this parameter is selected, location directive is used in the scenarios where multiple stock keeping units are defined in the source document (call them as Multi SKU). 
• If this parameter is unselected, location directive is used in the scenarios, where single stock keeping units are defined in the source document (call them Single SKU). 

"Multi SKU" parameter commonly used for Put work types. 

When you setup PUT location directives and your company has different scenarios (orders with single SKU, orders with Multi SKU) you have to create both location directives:

1. One, where Multi SKU = NO. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:
• Single order with single item
• Singe order with multiple the same items
• Multiple orders with single item
• Multiple orders with multiple the same items
2. Another one, where Multi SKU = YES. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:
• Single order with multiple different items
• Multiple order with multiple different items

This logic causes the following issues:

• This is the most common source of the errors. When companies have simple orders and more advanced orders and forget to define both location directives (one with Multi SKU=no, and one is where Multi SKU = YES). In these cases, locations will be blank due to missing location directive setup. 
• You have to duplicate the location directives depending on the type of the orders. It means that the volume of location directives is increased dramatically just because of Multi SKU parameter. 

Let’s review some of the scenarios where location directives with Multi SKU and non Multi SKU are used in the Sales orders scenarios for Put transactions: 

In 10.0.31 release, Location directive scope feature has been introduced:

Feature name: Location directive scopes

Feature description: 

This feature introduces a richer experience when configurating location directives by introducing 4 new scopes to replace "Multiple SKU". This gives more freedom when designing location directives and makes it possible to reduce redundant configurations.

Once the feature is enabled, a new "Scope" field is available on the Location directive. The old field "Multi SKU" will become unavailable.  

With new feature: 

• Multi SKU location directive becomes Multiple items Scope
• Non multi SKU location directive becomes Single item Scope
• 2 new options become available: Single item and order, All

Single item and order. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:

Single order with single item

Singe order with multiple the same items

Single order with multiple different items

Multiple orders with single item

Multiple orders with multiple the same items

All. This location directive will be used to identify where to put your items in the scenarios where you have work order with:

Single order with single item

Singe order with multiple the same items

Single order with multiple different items

Multiple orders with single item

Multiple orders with multiple the same items

Multiple order with multiple different items

Let's review previous scenarios and see what the logic for new options is:

If we summarize it:

Another logic worth mentioning, Edit query button. For the location directives, where Multi SKU is set to Yes, Edit query button becomes unavailable. The reason behind it that you cannot apply the filter on your work lines, because put work lines does not contain item number (item number field is blank).

The following table describes when the scopes are available, and whether they allow Edit query.

So, if you have single order with multiple items and you need to direct your goods to the dedicated location, for example stage putaway to a certain dock area based on the customer or region, you can use Edit query button for the Single item and order scope.  Previously it was impossible. 

Recommendations for this feature: 

1. Activate this feature
2. Review your configuration of the location directives
3. Change the Scope to Single item or order for location directives with Scope = Single items and remove unnecessary Multiple Items location directives (in scenarios where you do not mix sales orders)
4. Change the Scope to All for location directives with Scope = Multiple items and remove unnecessary Single Items location directives (in scenarios where you do not use queries)

There are several limitations for Scope field that you should be aware of:

• Scope field is a display method, so you cannot sort by them, they cannot be added as personalization to a grid, etc.
• Scope display method uses two fields to render correctly: Scope and Multi SKU parameter. To avoid any data upgrade issues, these are upgraded just in time (JIT), and saved in upgraded format on first save.  This means that Scope will be "Unknown" when exporting data, that never was saved with the scope feature on. The entity also has the "Multiple SKU" option, that is the one winning when Scope=Unknown.

That's it!

How to improve performance for purchase order receipt and confirmation posting in batch in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management

If you experience any performance issues with these 2 processes: purchase order receipt and confirmation posting in batch, with 10.0.25 you can improve this. What you can do, you can enable multithreading/paralleling these processes. For instance, you are posting a huge number of product receipts within 1 batch, now you can split those product receipts into parallel threads, that will speed up the overall posting process. 

There are 2 parameters available to control this:

Documents per task: Controls how many orders will post per task. This will be useful if a batch job picks up a big number of orders for posting.

Lines per task: limits the number of lines per order that will post in a single task. This is great for orders volume with uneven number of order lines, so that those orders with bigger/biggest number of postings will be in new posting threads.

• This parameter will not! split order lines of individual order into separate batch tasks, it will only ensure that those whole orders whose lines exceed the lines per task setting (2) go into their own new batch task/thread for posting
• This parameter takes precedence over the Documents per task parameter (1), so if the parameter 2 is greater than 0, the parameter 1 is ignored. 
• This parameter is only available once the feature Limit the number of purchase order lines per batch task is enabled.

 

Couple of examples for easier understanding:

Example 1:

Parameter 1: 5

Parameter 2: 0 

These are defaults

Product receipt batch job picks up 6 orders

Result: 2 posting batch tasks will be created.

Example 2:

Parameter 1: 5

Parameter 2: 10

Product receipt batch job picks up 4 following orders:

Order 1 with 10 lines

Order 2 with 20 lines

Order 3 with 3 lines

Order 4 with 11 lines

Result: 3 posting batch tasks will be created:   

1st task picks up order 1, 

2nd task picks up order 2 and order 3

3rd task picks up order 4

That's it!