In a semi-automated warehouse, you manage the warehouse with the Warehouse Management system (WMS), while a connected external system executes the actual warehouse movements.

The WMS executes all of the warehouse management tasks, which include:

• Managing the material stocks and the storage bins
• Triggering warehouse movements (stock removal, putaway, stock transfers and posting changes)
• Determining the storage bins for warehouse movements based on fixed putaway and stock removal strategies
• Carrying out the inventory

To optimize procedures in the warehouse, you implement an external system alongside the WMS in order to:

• Connect fork lift systems
• Control automatic conveyors or conveyor equipment
• Allow picking without any documents, using RF devices
• Control the material flow

• The WMS does not transfer any data via the WMS-WCU interface to the external system. The interface is only used to confirm execution of the warehouse movements to the WMS.
• The WMS-WCU interface can be used to transfer any planned warehouse movements to the external system, and to report back to the WMS that warehouse movements have been executed.

1. The WMS creates transfer orders (TOs) for the goods movements.
2. You print the transfer order to use as a pallet note.

The destination storage bin for putaway is printed on the pallet note in the form of a barcode.

3. You transport the pallet to the automatic conveyor.
4. You scan in the barcode with the destination storage bin at the automatic conveyor.
5. The automatic conveyor carries the pallet to the storage bin and puts it away.
6. If, according to the Customizing settings in the WMS, the TO transferred by the WMS has to be reported back, the external systems reports back to the WMS that the warehouse movements for the TO have been executed via message type WMTOCO.

The external system constructs the transfer order data in the form of an IDoc in the fork lift control system and sends the IDoc to the WMS.

7. The WMS confirms the transfer order on the basis of the data that was transferred using message type WMTOCO.

1. The WMS creates transfer orders (TOs) for the stock removal.
2. You print the transfer orders to use as pick lists.

The source storage bin for stock removal is printed on the pick list in the form of a barcode.

3. You scan the barcode with the source storage bins into the automatic conveyor.
4. The automatic conveyor removes the pallet from storage.

If picking takes place directly at the storage bin, the automatic conveyor goes directly to the relevant source storage bin when you scan in the stock removal slip.

5. If, according to the Customizing settings in the WMS, the transfer order transferred by the WMS has to be reported back, the external systems reports back to the WMS via message type WMTOCO that the warehouse movements for the TO have been executed.

The external system constructs the transfer order data in the form of an IDoc in the fork lift control system and sends the IDoc to the WMS.

6. The WMS confirms the transfer order on the basis of the data that was transferred using message type WMTOCO.

1. The WMS creates transfer orders (TOs) for the goods movements.
2. The WMS transfers the transfer orders to the external system using the message type WMTORD.
3. The external system executes the goods movements in the warehouse on the basis of the transferred data. The fork lift control system monitors all of the movements.
4. If you have defined in Customizing, that the TO transferred by the WMS has to be reported back to the WMS, the external system reports back to the WMS via message type WMTOCO that the warehouse movements for the TO have been executed.

The external system constructs the transfer order data in the form of an IDoc in the fork lift control system and sends the IDoc to the WMS.

5. The WMS confirms the transfer order on the basis of the data that was transferred using message type WMTOCO.

3. The WMS creates a transfer order on the basis of the data transferred using message type WMTOCO, and updates the stock data in the Warehouse Management system.