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NetSuite 2022.1 Warehousing Updates Focus on Increasing Profitability, Accuracy and Save on Processing Times

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Retail demands have increased by 3.8% in North America for January 2022, and globally for a 16.8% increase for online sales. This increase gives both an opportunity and a push for warehouse managers for more output. Operation managers must then figure out how to utilize their resources efficiently to ensure they meet these demands and not fall under economic pressures. 

NetSuite 2022.1 Warehousing has compiled a suite of custom solutions to make warehouse operations more efficient and reduce management worries. Starting with updates in automation, warehouse managers can experience faster, more accurate daily processes to meet the demands. This release review also introduces the new centralized dashboard in NetSuite Analytics Warehouse that helps busy project managers see cash flow trends and optimize the supply chain management.

NetSuite 2022.1 Warehousing focuses on optimizing all aspects of the receiving, storing, and fulfilling stages. Explore more on NetSuite 2022.1 release in the overview document below:

DOWNLOAD THE NETSUITE 2022.1 RELEASE NOTES HERE

Automated Packing and Picking on Mobile App

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The current release allows operations employees to do more on NetSuite’s Warehouse Management System (WMS) mobile app. From performing order processing to wave transactions, organizing and storage to staff administrative processes.  

NetSuite 2022.1 Warehousing comes with real-time insights on each process in the supply chain to ensure project management visibility and quality inspections at any required stage. This information also helps managers to keep an eye on inventory with their complete warehouse management system.

NetSuite Pack Station – Packing Efficiency:

The app updates help to ensure accuracy in packing and shipping processes. For instance, operation managers easily find items picked and their shipping destinations, then have them packed in that same dispatch.

Package Weight Conversions

Warehouse employees can now convert easily between kilograms to pounds based on item weight requirements. No longer stopping to calculate the unit conversion and lessening the chance of errors. 

Bulk Pack for “Ship as Is”

The updates allow workers to process “Ship as Is” items in bulk, for both packing and unpacking. This lessens any duplicating issues when picking similar items that are needed for different orders at one time. 

Instructions Access Before Packing

Packers can now see packing instructions easily on the mobile app before starting the order. Accessing the instructions ahead of time helps with properly preparing for what is required for the order to save time and avoid errors.

NetSuite Warehouse Management System (WMS) App- Picking Efficiency:

Users can now pick similar items faster without duplicating the pick paths using the latest features in the NetSuite WMS app. Counting errors can also be reduced during scanning with the tally scanning feature that performs both functions at the same time. The single mobile screen gives more visibility to comprehend real-time data to improve inventory monitoring.

Zone Picking

With the warehouse in zones, workers can now pick in specific zones to save time and avoid duplication of pick paths. This increases the production output, business expandability, and operations agility for varying proportions for orders, products, and picker capabilities.
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Tally Scan

Order pickers can simultaneously count items as they are being scanned with the new tally scanning functionality. Workers no longer need to manually tally the items in the system for cycle counting, transferring inventory, and product putaway.

Wave Filtering on Mobile Device

On the mobile device, users can now find filters for orders and waves not currently being picked, which help workers find tasks to start and avoid duplicate orders.

Picking & Wave Transactions

Updates in the mobile app provide comprehensive visibility for picking and wave transaction statuses. This is done in real-time and all on one screen in the app.

Warehouse Operations are Optimized for Efficiency

NetSuite 2022.1 has updates for each stage of warehouse management with the objective of increasing production yield and operational efficiency.

Receiving

Warehouse employees have a better handle on logistics on inbound inventory ensuring proper receipt and storage. In addition, transportation can be managed and monitored easily with the NetSuite WMS system.

Updates on the mobile app now ensure each item is received accurately and can be easily viewed instantly to fulfill any open orders. For putaway strategies, only the required item information is acquired and, at the same time, put into the inventory.

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Storage

Warehousing businesses can benefit greatly from organizing their storage space in a strategic manner that best fits the processes. It is even more critical to have strategic space organization in busy seasons, such as the holidays since there may be additions to inventory in order to meet the demand at that time. NetSuite 2022.1 release updates help to ensure items are relevantly stored in the warehouse, that there is always space for new arrivals. In addition, it helps to conveniently identify and store fast-moving inventories to reduce picker movements

Fulfillment

NetSuite 2022.1 has optimized each stage of the order fulfillment process, by ensuring customers receive their orders with speed and accuracy. The warehouse workers also experience simplified and standardized processes that lessen errors and improve operational efficiency with the allocation at fulfillment functionality.

Let’s explore each stage of order fulfillment from identifying and releasing orders, to assigning them to item lots, plus additional optimized capabilities at sub-stages.

Wave Release for Identifying and Releasing Orders

It is easier to identify appropriate orders to be released in waves based on any of the custom record types:

  • Customers
  • ETA (estimated time of arrival) or shipping dates
  • Item types
  • Specific Zones
  • Delivery Method

Releasing all picked items together increases efficiency and saves time.

Recommended Item Lots

The relevant and recommended item lots can be identified using the pick strategies in the system. The strategies are selected based on the purpose of the items. For instance, the First-Expired-First-Out (FEFO) method is used to assign items into lots based on production dates. Other picks include ones to clean, fill or assign to the primary bin location.

Warehouse Picking Guidelines

To ensure inventory is optimally utilized, guidelines and best practices are provided to workers through the system. The utilization criteria are based on when and how items are used to meet efficiency standards.

Pick Path and Zone Picking Strategies

For single- and multi-order picks, the release comes optimized to support zone picking and pick path strategies. Workers can save time on multi-orders by seeking grouping opportunities for similar items when processing multiple orders at once.

Additional Business Intelligent Features in Pack Station mobile app

Companies can conveniently identify items that should be packed together based on having a similar shipping location using Pack Station. Also, customizable labels and lists (such as pack carton details & pallet labels, bills of lading, and packing lists) can be printed readily for faster shipment. To help decrease shipping costs, item weights can be checked at the kiosk to attain more affordable packaging.

Pre-Built Analytics for Warehouse Operations

Many warehousing businesses have seen the benefit of implementing the latest version of the NetSuite Analytics Warehouse. The tools for business intelligence along with the prebuilt data warehouse give businesses smart data inferences from their daily transaction data all on a single dashboard. In addition, the new version integrates both NetSuite and non-NetSuite datasets with a built-in report builder that managers can use for financial planning.

List of Pre-Built Analytics from NetSuite 2022.1 Release: ​

  • Dashboards: 6 new dashboards for customer relationship management, sales, procurement, order & inventory management, and financial (including cash position)
  • Dashboards: 6 new dashboards for customer relationship management, sales, procurement, order & inventory management, and financial (including cash position)
  • Historical Performance Datasets: 3 new datasets prebuilt for inventory items, work orders, vendor performance scores, reports for expense accounts that are faster and help with point-in-time analysis
  • Custom Records Fields: Data models now include fields specifically for Item Record and Entries, Data Entry Forms that are updated for each data warehouse refresh, Linkage of Multiple Data Sets that help with easier, faster analysis and reporting.

Explore more advanced features of the NetSuite 2022.1 Release

Get a comprehensive overview of the current updates NetSuite has for other industries in the Release Notes.

Test your business workflows! See how the latest updates can optimize your business by testing the new features in the Release Preview Test Account.

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