Receiving is the warehouse's front door: an error here causes a chain of problems in stock, cost and supplier balances. Barcode receiving checks incoming goods by scanning against the purchase order and reveals differences at the moment of delivery.
1. Call up the order
Receiving starts from the supplier order. Open orders are listed on the handheld; a parameter can require that only approved orders are used.
2. Scan the items
Every carton or item is scanned. When a barcode not on the order is scanned the system warns you; if you prefer, receiving items not on the order can be blocked entirely.
3. See quantity differences on the spot
Over- or under-deliveries show on screen immediately. An acceptable over-delivery percentage can be defined; beyond it, approval is required.
4. Record batch/lot and expiry
For batch-tracked items the lot number is generated automatically (for example date plus a running number) and expiry is entered or scanned. A 1,000-unit line arriving on 10 pallets is split into 10 lots in one step; uneven quantities can be adjusted and all lot labels print together. For serialised items each serial number is scanned from the product barcode.
5. Route to quality control
Items that need inspection do not go straight into sellable stock. In warehouses integrated with Nitrogen QMS they are routed to incoming inspection and quarantined if non-conforming.
6. Put away to a location
In location-based warehouses received items go to the free zone first, then are scanned into their target shelf.
7. Close the receipt and print labels
When receiving is complete the purchase receipt is created in Mikro with no retyping. Item and lot labels can be printed from the same screen.
Checklist
- Are supplier orders approved in the system?
- Are item barcodes defined on stock cards?
- Is an over-delivery tolerance set?
- Are batch- and expiry-tracked items flagged?
- Is there a free-zone location in the receiving area?
