Materials
inbound for production and distribution are generally received
against a purchase order that has been issued to the supplier.
Receiving personnel match part numbers and quantities of the
materials received to those on the packing slip and the issued
purchase order.
To gain better control over the receiving process and inventory,
companies often require suppliers to bar-code label shipments
with part numbers and other identifying information such as
purchase order number, quantity, serial number or lot numbers
as applicable. Compliance labeling by suppliers makes it much
easier to automate the receiving and internal tracking of
materials. Full compliance is rarely achieved however, so
companies generally need to be able to generate their own
bar coded labels, making it possible to track all materials
with the same system, whether the supplier labeled them or
not. The ProPort Receiving Module is designed to accommodate
both supplier-labeled and non-labeled situations.
When inbound materials have been properly labeled by suppliers,
the entire receiving process can be accomplished using portable
RF terminals. Part numbers scanned on inbound goods are compared
to part numbers on the purchase order being received.
Quantities are accumulated by part number and verified against
ordered amounts. Lot numbers and serial number can also be
captured at this point, eliminating the time consuming and
potentially inaccurate manual recording of these numbers,
thus preventing their propagation in
the ERP system.
When received materials are not pre-labeled, the portable
RF terminal is used in key entry mode. Employees identify
the part being received from its line item on the purchase
order. After confirming the material matches, the quantity
is entered in the same manner as for supplier-labeled receipts.
The system can then produce bar coded labels, with the part
number obtained from the purchase order, for attachment to
the received material.
