Connecting a Fully Automated Warehouse 
Purpose
If you want to implement the Warehouse Management system (WMS) in a fully automated warehouse, take the warehouse structure and the warehouse automation functions into account when deciding how best to distribute the warehouse management tasks between the WMS and the external system.
The WMS takes on the most important warehouse management tasks, even in a fully automated warehouse:
- Managing material stocks
- Managing storage bins
- Triggering warehouse movements (stock removal, putaway, stock transfers and posting changes)
- Carrying out the inventory
- Determining the storage bins for warehouse movements based on fixed putaway and stock removal strategies
The external system takes over the entire warehouse controlling:
- Controlling the conveyor equipment
- Controlling the material flow
- Optimizing resources
If you want to implement the WMS together with a fully automated external system, you should also consider the
"black box" scenario and the scenario for connecting an external warehouse management system.
Prerequisites
You have set up the interface between the WMS and the external system in the Customizing for Warehouse Management under Interfaces ®
External Systems ®
Configure Warehouse Management.
You have defined how the warehouse management tasks are to be divided between the WMS and the external system. Here, the level of automation in the warehouse plays an important role:
- For simple automated warehouses, the WMS usually takes on all of the warehouse management tasks. The external system takes on the warehouse controlling functions, whereby warehouse movements triggered by the WMS can be optimized on the basis of warehouse controlling. For more information, see
Connecting a Semi-Automated Warehouse.
- For warehouses with complex automation, you should take the technology in the warehouse into account as early as during transfer order creation. The external system then takes on some of the warehouse management tasks. You therefore the material in this kind of storage type via
identification points (ID points) and pick points.
Depending on the WMS movement type in the TO, the system steers the warehouse technology towards various picking points.
Process Flow
Putaway via ID points
- You receive an inbound delivery in the goods receipt interim storage area. You post the goods receipt for the inbound delivery and enter the pallet (storage unit) in the WMS.
- The WMS determines the destination storage type for the storage unit (SU) that has been delivered.
- If the stock is to be put away via an ID point, the WMS creates a transfer order (TO) from the goods receipt interim storage area to the ID point.
- The WMS transfers the TO with the necessary data for the putaway (including the pallet number) using the
message type WMTORD.
You print the TOs to use as pallet notes.
The destination storage bin for putaway is printed on the pallet note in the form of a barcode.
You transport the SU to the ID point.
The external system identifies the SU at the ID point on the basis of the barcode on the pallet note.
To achieve optimal utilization of the conveyor equipment during putaway, the external system assigns the destination storage bin for the SU.
The external system takes the SU to the destination storage bin and puts it away.
Using message type WMSUMO, the external system reports back to the WMS that the warehouse movement has been executed for the storage unit.
The external system constructs the transfer order data in the form of an IDoc in the external system and sends the IDoc to the WMS.
The WMS creates the transfer order for the stock putaway on the basis of the data transferred using message type WMSUMO, in order to post the warehouse movements triggered by the external system.
Stock removal via a pick point
- You trigger stock removal or picking in the WMS by, for example, grouping together the pick for several outbound deliveries in collective processing.
- The WMS creates TOs for the outbound deliveries.
- The WMS transfers the TOs to the external system using the message type WMTORD.
If you want to execute picking on the basis of outbound deliveries, the system treats each transfer order that is transferred as an independent pick order.
If you want to control picking according to other criteria (for example, relating to a route), you must ensure that the transmitted transfer orders are only picked by the external system once all of the relevant TOs have been transferred to the external system.
The TOs for a group can only be picked in the external system once the WMS has transmitted the release of the group using message type WMRREF.
- The external system processes the pick order, which can consist of one or more transferred TOs.
- The external system optimizes the individual warehouse movements from the pick order, by determining the order in which the necessary storage units are to be removed from storage.
If several pick points exist, the external system also assigns the individual picking activities and SUs to the available pick points. Only the external system can ensure optimal pick point assignment, since the utilization of the warehousing equipment is at the fore.
- You execute picking at the pick point.
The external system displays the items to be picked on the screen at the pick point.
- You confirm the pick and enter any differences that occured.
- The external system reports back to the WMS that the pick has been executed for the individual storage units using 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.
- The WMS confirms the transfer order on the basis of the data that was transferred using message type WMTOCO.
Returning the storage unit with the remaining quantity to storage
After the pick, you take the SUs with the remaining quantities to the ID point so that they can be returned to storage.
The external system identifies the storage units at the ID point, by way of a contour control.
To achieve optimal utilization of the conveyor equipment during putaway, the external system assigns the destination storage bin for the SU.
The external system takes the SU to the destination storage bin and puts it away.
The external system reports back to the WMS that the warehouse movement has been executed for the storage unit using message type WMSUMO.
The external system constructs the transfer order data in the form of an IDoc in the external system and send the IDoc to the WMS.
The WMS creates the transfer order for the stock putaway on the basis of the data transferred using message type WMSUMO, in order to post the warehouse movements triggered by the external system.
For more information about returning storage units to stock, see
Partial Picking and Picking via the Pick Point.
Blocking Storage Bins
In automated warehouses, certain storage bins may not be accessible for the conveyor equipment.
Certain routes become inaccessible for the conveyor equipment, or certain storage bins can no longer be reached by the warehouse equipment.
Since you manage the warehouse in the WMS, you need to block these storage bins in the WMS as quickly as possible so that the WMS cannot plan any more warehouse movements for these storage bins.
The external system transfers the storage bins need to be blocked to the WMS using message type WMBBIN.
To trigger the WMS to lift the block on the blocked storage bins, the external system transmits the relevant storage bins or aisles to the WMS using message type WMBBIN.