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Flows for production, assembly, and projects

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Internal flows, such as picking components and putting away end items for assembly, projects, and production orders are similar to inbound or outbound flows. So, many of the processes might seen familiar. This article provides information about how to work with internal warehouse flows with various levels of complexity.

Overview of different configuration options

You can configure warehouse features in various ways. It's important that the options you choose improve your processes without causing overhead. The following tables describe typical configurations for dealing with physical goods for production, projects, and assembly orders.

Inbound flow (put-away)

Complexity Level Description Settings Bin Code Inbound Flow of Production Order Inbound Flow of Assembly Order Inbound Flow of Projects
No dedicated warehouse activity. Posting from orders and journals. Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle. Production Journal -> Output Journal

NOTE: You can post output using Production Journal.		 Assembly Order Put-away is not applicable for projects
Basic Order-by-order. Require Put-away.

NOTE: Although the setting is called Require Put-away, you can still post output from the source documents at locations where you select this checkbox.		 Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle. Production Order -> Inventory Put-away Assembly Order Put-away is not applicable for projects
Advanced Consolidated put-away activities for multiple source documents. Require Receipt + Require Put-away Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle. Production Order(s) -> Output Journal Assembly order(s) -> internal movements Put-away is not applicable for projects
Advanced Same as above + Directed pick/put-away activities Directed Pick and Put-away (dependent toggles will be enabled automatically) Mandatory Same as above Same as above Put-away is not applicable for projects

Some configurations don't allow you use dedicated warehouse documents to register put-aways. However, if your location uses bins you can use generic movement documents to move produced or assembled items to warehouse. Learn more at Move Items Internally in Basic Warehouse Configurations.

Outbound flow (pick)

Complexity Level Description Settings Bin Code Outbound Flow of Production Order Outbound Flow of Assembly Order Outbound Flow of Projects
No dedicated warehouse activity. Posting from orders and journals. Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle. Production Journal -> Consumption Journal

NOTE: You can post consumption using a Production Journal.		 Assembly Order Project -> Project Journal
Basic Order-by-order. Require Pick.

NOTE: Although the setting is called Require Pick, you can still post output from the source documents at locations where you select this checkbox. 		Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle. Production Order -> Inventory Pick Assembly Order -> Inventory movement

The Inventory Movement can be used only with bins.		 Project -> Inventory Pick
Advanced Consolidated pick activities for multiple source documents. Require Shipment + Require Pick Optional. Controlled by the Bin Code is Mandatory toggle Production Order(s) -> Warehouse Pick -> Consumption Journal Assembly order(s) -> Warehouse Pick Project(s) -> Warehouse Pick -> Project Journal
Advanced Same as above + Directed pick/put-away activities Directed Pick and Put-away (dependent toggles will be enabled automatically) Mandatory Same as above Same as above Directed pick and Put-away is not supported for projects

Similar to the inbound flow, some configurations don't allow you use dedicated warehouse documents to register put-aways. If your location uses bins, you can use generic movement documents to move produced or assembled items. Learn more at Moving Items.

Warehouses without dedicated warehouse activity

Even if you don't have dedicated warehouse activities, you'll probably still want to keep track of things like consumption and production output. The following articles provide information about how to process receipts for source documents.

Basic warehouse configuration

The inbound and outbound flows in a basic warehouse configuration involve the following settings on the Location Card page for the location:

  • For the inbound flow (put-away), turn on the Require Put-away toggle, but turn off the Require Receipt toggle.
  • For the outbound flow (pick), turn on the Require Pick toggle, but turn off the Require Shipment toggle.

Flows to and from production in a basic warehouse configuration

Use Inventory Pick documents to pick production components in the flow to production. To put away the products you produce, use Inventory Put-away documents.

For locations that use bins, inventory movement documents are especially useful for component flushing. To learn more about how component consumption is flushed from To-Production or Open Shop Floor bins, go to Flushing production components in the warehouse.

Note

Inventory movements are important documents if you're using Pick + Forward or Pick + Backward flushing methods. Learn more at Flushing methods.

  • The To-Production Bin Code, From-Production Bin Code, and Open Shop Floor Bin Code fields on the location or the machine/work center define the default flows to and from production areas.
  • Manage the movement of produced items on the Internal Movement page without a relation to a production order.

Flows to and from assembly in a basic warehouse configuration

Post assembly output and consumption directly from an assembly order.

Note

Inventory Pick and Inventory Put-away documents aren't supported for assembly orders.

For locations that use bins:

  • Use Inventory Movement documents to move assembly components to the assembly area.
  • The To-Assembly Bin Code, From-Assembly Bin Code fields on the location card define default flows to and from assembly areas.
  • Manage the movement of assembled items on the Internal Movement page, without a relation to an assembly order.

Business Central supports assemble-to-stock and assemble-to-order assembly flows. Learn more at Understanding Assemble to Order and Assemble to Stock. In relation to warehouse management, assemble-to-stock is part of the internal warehouse flow, and assemble-to-order is in the outbound warehouse flow. Learn more at Handling Assemble-to-Order Items with Inventory Picks.

Flows for project management in a basic warehouse configuration

Use Inventory Pick documents to pick project components in the flow to project management.

For a location that uses bins, the To-Project Bin Code field on the location defines the default flows to project management.

Advanced warehouse configurations

The inbound and outbound flows in an advanced warehouse configuration involve the following settings on the Location Card page for the location:

  • For the inbound flow (put-away), turn on the Require Receipt and Require Put-away toggles.
  • For the outbound flow (pick), turn on the Require Ship and Require Receipt toggles.

Flows to and from production in advanced warehouse configurations

Use the Warehouse Pick documents and the Pick Worksheet page to pick components for production.

For locations that use bins:

  • Warehouse Movement documents and the Movement Worksheet page are especially useful for component flushing. Learn more at Flushing production components in the warehouse.
  • The To-Production Bin Code, From-Production Bin Code, and Open Shop Floor Bin Code fields on the location or machine/work center define the default flows to and from production areas.
  • Manage the movement of produced items on the Movement Worksheet or Whse. Internal Put-away pages, without a relation to a production order.

Flows to and from assembly in advanced warehouse configurations

Use Warehouse Pick documents and the Pick Worksheet page to pick components for assembly.

For locations that use bins:

  • The To-Assembly Bin Code and From-Assembly Bin Code fields on the location define the default flows to and from assembly areas.
  • Manage the movement of assembly items on the Movement Worksheet or Whse. Internal Put-away pages, without a relation to an assembly order.

Business Central supports assemble-to-stock and assemble-to-order assembly flows. Learn more at Understanding Assemble to Order and Assemble to Stock.

Assemble-to-stock is part of the internal warehouse flow, and assemble-to-order is in the outbound warehouse flow. Learn more at Handling Assemble-to-Order Items in Warehouse Shipments.

Flows to project management in advanced warehouse configurations

Use Warehouse Pick documents and the Pick Worksheet page to pick components in the flow to project management.

For locations that use bins, the To-Projects Bin Code field on the location defines the default flows to the project area.

See also

Warehouse Management Overview

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