Features of ASPluris WMS

Here’s how to get going with some of the cool features in the ASPluris / Jiwa integration.

Custom sales order priorities

In the Dispatch tab of the Configuration section of the Service, under the Presentation section, there is an entry for Sort Headers. This means, in what order do you wish the sales orders to appear in the scanners for picking. The example given suggests you can sort by Expected Delivery Date, or other field on the sales order header. But what if your priorities are more complex than that?

Open

ASPluris can call a custom query called ‘JiwaDispatchHeaders.sql’. This query must be located here: C:\ProgramData\ASP Microcomputers\ASPluris V3.0\CustomQueries. The query will be called if the keyword “order by” is found in that query. In that case, any setting in Sort Headers is ignored and the query is used.

As an example, inside this query I am calling a function:

The function is then sorting sales orders by debtor classification and returning the InvoiceID.

So in the scanners, sales orders from my VIP customers will appear at the top of the scanner, sorted by date, then my second most important customer orders sorted by date, etc.

Custom purchase order priorities

This works in receiving in the same way as it works for sales orders. This difference is, the custom query is called JiwaReceiveHeaders.sql.

Show Notes

There are two types of notes that can be shown to the operator on the scanner. Both at the start of picking (automatically), and at any time during the pick (by selecting from the menu).

First of all make sure your Show Notes option is ticked in the Configuration > Dispatch > Presentation section of the service.

Open

This will show Notes from Jiwa’s Delivery > Delivery Address tab automatically when the sales order is selected. Appended to these notes, you can also display Notes from the Notes tab of the sales order, where the Note Type is ‘Picker’.

Using a Jiwa custom plugin, you can create these notes on the customer record, then have all sales orders for that customer inherit the Picker note.

Sets

We define a set as any part number in Jiwa that comes in more than one box. So it’s a single inventory item that happens to be packaged up in multiple cartons. Those cartons may or may not have their own barcodes. Examples of sets include: Drum kits - the drum is in a separate box to the stand, but they’re a single inventory item in Jiwa; Lamp shades - the stand is in a separate box to the shade, but they’re a single item in Jiwa; Tables - the table top is in a separate box to the legs, but the table itself is a single item in Jiwa.

The object is to have the operator scan both boxes in order to dispatch the item to make sure the pickings are complete and accurate.

To define a set in Jiwa, we use the Unit of Measure tab. ASPluris is looking for the stock-keeping unit of “_Set”. We use the underscore prefix to ensure we distinguish between existing items that have the unit ‘Set’ but are not the sets we’re talking about here.

Each box is entered as a row on the Units of Measure tab. The Shell, Stand and Nuts aren’t inventory items in their own right, they don’t have their own quantities on hand. Only Drum Kit A has quantities that are received and dispatched. I.e. we don’t need to know how many shells and stands are in stock, only how any Drum Kit As are in stock.

When dispatching a single Drum Kit A we need to scan all the items comprising that item, checking for quantities. The scanner will force the operator to scan every item on the UoM tab, before the item is considered complete. I.e. for 1 Drum Kit A, the operator will scan one shell, one stand and four nuts. For 2 Drum Kit As, the operator will scan two shells, two stands and eight nuts. The barcodes on the UoM tab are used for scanning. The handset gives the operator an indication of how many of each item are to be scanned.

This set functionality applies to receiving, stock takes and stock transfers, as well as dispatch.

There are no other Configuration settings in ASPluris to start using Sets.

Split Picking

Split picking means two operators can scan the same order, but they’ll only be offered items belonging to the category of item they’ve selected for that order.

For example, we have a sales order with both computer parts and clothing on it. We want one operator to pick all the computer stuff and a different operator to pick all the clothing (and not pick each other’s stuff).

When split picking is on, the user Ann selects the order, then selects the category - say, computer. If Henry has already picked computer for the same order, Ann will be notified, she can go back and pick clothing.

To turn on Split Picking, tick the Dispatch configuration item ‘Enable split picking by item category’. Don’t worry about ‘Name of the default category’, that doesn’t apply to Jiwa. Jiwa items always have a category.

In the example above, we’re splitting by Category 1 called Product Type. What about splitting by a different category? To define which category to split by, enter the category number field in the configuration setting ‘Split Picking Category Field’.

Consolidation Picking

Consolidation mode means I am picking a bunch of orders from their bins, into a central location, say a trolley. Then I am picking from the trolley and dispatching in cartons. The trolley needs to a be a bin location in Jiwa, and that bin needs to be marked as a Consolidation bin in the ASPluris Locations settings. Edit the bin location to set this flag.

Then it will appear as such:

It’s a good idea to set this bin as the default bin for consolidation, so that operators don’t have to select it every time. See ‘Destination Location’ in Consolidation section of Configuration.

When you select multiple orders for consolidation, the items are presented to the operator based on their location sequence as if they were one order. They’re not presented order by order. The point is, you’re not picking synchronised orders, you’re picking as one. When you’ve finished the consolidated pick, that’s when you sort your products out into individual orders.

A consolidation pick results in a stock transfer in Jiwa. Because essentially you’re moving stock from it’s bin location into a new bin location, the trolley. The sales order will stay in Picking status until the order is dispatched from the trolley.

Once you’ve finished the consolidated pick, submit the pickings then return to Dispatch > Pick and Pack from the menu. Select the order and now you won’t have to select the ‘from’ bin location. ASPluris knows you’ve placed everything in the trolley and you’re picking from there.

Locking an order in Consolidation

When in Consolidation picking mode, you can lock the order from other users, in the same way you can lock orders in Dispatch mode. Turn on the ‘Lock Orders’ setting in Consolidation tab of Configuration.

Locking will also only be effective if you’re logging in to each handset as a different operator. It goes without saying you should be doing that.

Picking None in Consolidation mode

In the case where Jiwa thinks you have enough stock, but actually you have none, there is a slightly different method of submitting this on the handset when in Consolidation mode vs Pick and Pack.

Select the item, then use the vertical ellipsis menu to bring up Extra Options.

Now pick Hide Line.

The operator will be prompted to confirm they’re picking less than the ordered quantity. Click Yes.

Keep on picking the other items. When you’re ready, submit the Consolidated pick.

Jiwa will create a stock transfer as normal, excluding the item you couldn’t pick.

Now select the order in Dispatch mode. The operator will be prompted to pick the same item again, but this time, select Complete Line from the Extra Options menu. This allows you to pick 0. Jiwa will put the items on back order when the order is submitted.

Picked By Notes

When a sales order is picked by the scanner operator, the snapshot history text is updated with the username of the API user submitting the Pickings. To help identify which operator picked the order, a Note is added to the sales order Notes tab, with the name of the operator.

Prescribed Picking / Serial Validation

Most of the time a company wants the warehouse to tell Jiwa what it has picked, rather than Jiwa tell the warehouse what to pick. For example, medical instruments which are serialised and must be tracked. The warehouse would spend days trying to find the exact scalpel with the serial number which Jiwa has picked on a FIFO basis. Rather, it is better for the warehouse to scan the scalpel it is sending, then update Jiwa with the serial that was sent and put Jiwa’s serial back into stock. This is how ASPluris and Jiwa work together in standard mode.

However, there are occasions when it is important for the Jiwa user to pick the exact serial required to be dispatched, and the warehouse must find and pick that serial. This is usually the case where warranties are tracked by the supplier to the end user, e.g. back to back orders for high-end electronic equipment. In this case, there is a custom setting on the inventory item in Jiwa called ‘Picking Control’ When set, ASPluris will validate the serial number Jiwa has picked against the serial number the operator has scanned.

There are 3 options for Picking Control:

Picking Control usually works best with another setting, IsSerialTracked. This means there is a 1 for 1 relationship between the quantity and the serial number and this assists in scanning on the terminal when you’re picking many serials at a time.

In this example, the Jiwa user has determined that Serial A125 must be sent on this order. There are older and younger items in stock, but this particular serial must be sent.

When the ASPluris operator selects the order for dispatch, they are already warned at the Pick & Pack screen that serial A125 must be dispatched.

When the item is selected on the scanner, the user is again prompted for what to pick and the bin where it can be found.

If the user scans the wrong serial, then they get this response. They must try again until the correct serial is selected.

If Picking Control were set to 2, then they would get this response.

If the user selects Yes, then ASPluris will swap out the serials in the normal manner. If the user selects No, they are returned to picking mode to try again.