KWITbox Zone Skipping builds upon the foundation of ASN+ and Compliance to divert in transit inventory that bypasses entire segments, and costs, of your supply chain. Taking advantage of the time tested and proven strategy, Zone Skipping:
• KWITbox Receive makes inventory available earlier so you can Allocate its final destination using your ERP logic
• Using the Allocation file, each box is labeled with its final destination/parcel label
• Load planning to group and divert inventory based upon geographic area into a specific container
• Directed loading to insure the proper box gets in the right container
• Box/container level tracking of inventory through all steps of the process
Because you do not Know What’s In The Box or have any way to control it until it hits your receiving dock, your supply chain is wasting opportunity to bypass segments of your supply chain. Your current systems require a receiving transaction to create inventory and make it available for sale/shipment.
You cannot:
• ‘receive’ inventory while it is in transit to your location
• without receipt, the inventory is unavailable & cannot be Allocated to a customer/destination
• manage or divert the inventory while it is on its way to your facility.
Zone Skip augments your current inventory management systems by mimicking it’s receive functionality at any point in your supply chain. KWITbox’s Receive function notifies your ERP that inventory has been received and consequently is available for Allocation. Once your ERP has Allocated the inventory it sends those records to KWITbox to use in diversion loading and labeling.
As inventory accumulates and the final destination of the box is known and labeled, directed load planning allows you to group boxes heading for the same region into a single container. The load plan you create will then be confirmed as each box is loaded into the container. If insufficient regional volume exists there is no opportunity to bypass and so you simply plan those boxes to follow the full route of your supply chain.
KWITbox Zone Skipping:
• Provides a single source view of all open and in process orders/boxes
• Groups in transit inventory by status to organize planning and execution
• Validates the contents of each box by PO, SKU, SKU Detail, etc.
• Creates ASN/serial labels for each shippable unit
• Validates product movements of pick up, load planning, loadin and shipped
• Receives inventory on behalf of your ERP, at any point in your supply chain
• Uses ERP Allocation to parcel label for final destination, at any point in your supply chain
• Load planning so that boxes destined for the same geographic area (zone skip) are directed and confirmed into a single container
• Direct and validate which specific boxes are inside which container number
• Maintains the audit trail for the entire life of each box
See all the functions included in Zone Skip below.
ZONE SKIP Functions
Incl.
The following 9 functions serve as a roadmap for how Zone Skipping can be deployed to fit your company’s specific requirements. Rearranging or editing the functions to your supply chain ensures a ‘custom’ solution that all of the stakeholders of your supply chain can use and benefit.
Booking
This function creates the unique serial number for each carton which you simply print locally, or at your vendor, as a label. The purchase order number, line/sku number and quantity open are all validated and directly assigned to each specific box. When the SKU is lot controlled, lot number and expiration date are also captured so that you Know What’s In The Box for Compliance.
Pickup
This function is used to plan and track transport of Bookings you are responsible for delivering. International sourcing uses this to move product from the vendors production facility to the consolidation center for shipment. Individual boxes can be scanned to verify the contents of the Pickup, or you can simply change the status at the Booking level if it meets your audit requirements.
Receive
This function acts like the receiving function you have in your existing systems today. Once inventory is received it can be allocated – and now you can Receive inventory wherever and whenever you’d like. This could be a consolidation center in Asia or any 3PL facility around the world. Zone Skipping uses this function to message your ERP that more inventory is available for Allocation.
Allocation
This function is the carton level allocation commands from your ERP and is used to parcel label the carton for its final destination. This drives your ability to Zone Skip during Load Planning to bypass segments of your complete distribution network to save time, money, and congestion. Your ERP send this file, often within seconds, to KWITbox after the Receive message is processed.
Label
This function ties the Allocation directive from your ERP to each specific box and prints parcel/carrier label locally. The label will not only comply with the parcel carrier requirements, including electronic notification, but it helps manual sortation of inventory into zones or regions. No additional handling labor is required, and your products are pre-sorted for strategic Load Planning.
Load Planning
This function drives Zone Skipping by providing you regional and zone level grouping opportunities to bypass segments of your supply chain. With final destination labels already applied you get to decide if there is sufficient volume to fill a container for a region/zone. If there is, you build loads that are delivered to the ‘local’ parcel carrier’s facility for final mile delivery.
Loading
This function validates which boxes were loaded into which containers/trailers. Positive confirmation of which inventory is in which shipment is vital to ensure Zone Skip planning is followed. Box level Loading validation lifts the fog that most supply chain visibility solutions create. Without reliable information as to the contents of a container/truck you lack the ability to make effective decisions quickly.
Shipped
This function updates the status of the container, and each individual box therein, to Shipped so you can see which containers/trucks are on their way to you and what is specifically in each one.
Landed
This function updates the status of the container, and each individual box therein, to Landed so that you know which containers/trucks have arrived onshore and require additional handling for delivery.
In Transit
This function updates the status of the container, and each individual box therein, to In Transit so you can see which containers/trucks are on their way to their final destination or parcel/carrier facility.
Delivered
This function updates the status of each box to Delivered once you receive notification from the parcel/carrier that delivery has been successful. You now have the detailed records for the full life of this box and its contents.
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