At the packing table, you pack one order completely before starting the next. For this workstation, the WMS App has its own iPad view: on the left, the line items that still need to go into the box, and on the right, the parcel that is currently being filled. We therefore recommend an iPad in a mount at the packing table, while the iPhone with a barcode scanner case remains the device for getting around the warehouse. For an overview of the packing process for all picking types, see How does the packing process work in the WMS App?
When is packing done order by order?
Whether the WMS App packs order by order or product by product depends on the picking process you use and its settings:
Single picking and Cluster picking – If a packing process takes place, packing is done order by order. It is optional, though, and disabled by default; you enable it with the setting Additional packing process after picking.
Batch picking – Here, the Pack-Modus (Packing mode) setting decides: with Order-by-order, you pack at the packing table; with Product-by-product, you assign the collected products one after another to the boxes of the individual orders. To learn how the second case works, see How does packing for batch picking work in the WMS App?.
Single item orders picking – The collected products are assigned product by product.
Starting the packing process
After batch picking, the WMS App first switches to the packing overview. A progress ring shows you how many orders and products need to be packed. With Packen starten (Start packing), you get going; alternatively, you scan a product directly. With Später packen (Pack later), you put the packing process on hold to continue it later.
The packing view on the iPad
In the packing view, you work through one order. At the top you see the order number, shipping method, weight, and delivery location of the order; below that, the screen is split into two columns.
Left column: open line items
The left column shows what still needs to go into a parcel. Above it, Zu packen (To pack) and a progress bar show how far along you are with the order. With the field Suchen oder Produktnummer scannen (Search or scan product number), you find a product. If you scan it or tap it in the list, it appears at the top of the right column.
You can scan with the iPad's camera or with a Bluetooth scanner that connects as a keyboard. Such a scanner writes the product number into the search field. The app then selects the matching product or increases the quantity of the already selected one by one, without you having to confirm the input. Bluetooth scanners from other manufacturers do work here, but we do not test them and do not officially support them.
Product sets appear in the left column in their own section Product sets. The number on the image shows how many complete sets can still be formed. If you scan the barcode of the product set, a complete set lands in the current parcel at once. If you tap it, you see its products and confirm a set there. Requirements and exceptions are described in How does the packing process work in the WMS App?.
Right column: the current parcel
The right column shows the parcel you are currently filling. The selected product is at the top: with + and −, you count the quantity; with All, you put the entire open quantity into the parcel. Below that, you see the products that are already in the parcel. If you counted too many, you correct this on the respective product with Anzahl reduzieren (Reduce quantity).
If mandatory scanning while packing is set for your user, tapping does not put a product into the parcel, and +, All, and the quantity field do not increase the quantity. You then scan every product and every additional unit. You can reduce a quantity that is too high even without scanning. To learn how to set mandatory scanning, see How do I manage different user roles for Pickware WMS?.
If a keyboard is connected to the iPad, you can also enter the quantity directly in the quantity field. With the Tab key, you jump between the search field and the quantity field. Packing instructions for a product or for the whole order appear highlighted in color directly on the product or at the bottom of the screen, so you don't overlook them while packing.
Multiple parcels for one order
If an order does not fit into one box, you distribute it across several parcels while packing, as a multi-parcel shipment with one parcel per box. This works the same on the iPhone as on the iPad at the packing table. The order is still shipped as a single delivery.
On the iPad, each parcel has its own tab at the top of the right column showing the weight and the number of products it contains. With + next to the tabs, you create another parcel; by tapping a tab, you switch between the parcels. On the iPhone, in the single-column view, you see the parcels via a parcel bar with Add package. Creating, filling, deleting, and finishing works the same in both views.
Filling parcels
One of the parcels is always the active parcel. Scanned or tapped products always land there. The confirmation names the destination, for example In Paket 2 (In parcel 2).
Each parcel shows its own content. The progress still refers to the entire order.
If a product is in the wrong parcel, you take it out again. It then reappears among the line items that still need to be packed and can be put into a different parcel.
You remove an empty parcel with Paket löschen (Delete parcel).
The distribution is preserved even if you close the app in between.
Finishing parcels
You finish each parcel individually with the button at the bottom, for example Paket 1 abschließen (Finish parcel 1). For this, you go through the steps from Finishing the packing process for that parcel: weighing, parcel photo, and shipping label each refer only to this parcel. The order in which you finish the parcels does not matter.
One shipping label is created per parcel, with the weight of that parcel.
One delivery note is created per parcel, containing only the line items of that parcel. The invoice is created once for the entire delivery.
If you put something into an already finished parcel, it counts as open again. If you finish it again afterwards (Paket 1 erneut abschließen (Finish parcel 1 again)), a second shipping label is not created automatically.
Shipping an order with multiple parcels
You can only ship the order once all packed products are assigned to a parcel. If a shipping label is still missing for a parcel, the app notifies you before shipping (Nicht für jedes Paket dieser Bestellung wurde ein Versandetikett erstellt. Möchtest du die Bestellung wirklich versenden?). You can still ship anyway.
If you scan the shipping labels of a split order, each tracking code is assigned to the matching parcel. The order only counts as shipped once all parcels have been shipped.
In the Shopware Admin, you find all delivery notes, the invoice, and all tracking codes on the order. The stock is booked once for the entire delivery, and your customer receives a shipping confirmation.
What happens if a parcel becomes too heavy?
If you have set a maximum package weight on the shipping method, the app warns you before a parcel becomes too heavy. If an item would push the parcel over the maximum, the message Maximum package weight exceeded appears before packing, showing the new weight and the maximum. You have two options:
Nächstes Paket beginnen (Start next parcel) creates a new parcel and selects it. You then confirm the item for the new parcel.
Weiter packen (Continue packing) packs the item into the current parcel anyway. If you cannot distribute the order across several parcels, this is the only option.
A parcel that is too heavy shows its weight in red in the tab, and as long as it is selected, the note Schwerer als das maximale Paketgewicht von … (Heavier than the maximum package weight of …) appears in the parcel area. If you keep packing into a parcel that you have already confirmed as too heavy, the app does not ask again. A weight exactly at the maximum does not count as exceeded. To learn what happens with the shipping label, see How do I create shipping labels?.
Single-column or two-column view
The WMS App chooses its layout based on the available width of the app window, not on the orientation of the device:
If the window is wide enough, you work in two columns: on the left the line items that still need to be packed, on the right the parcel that is currently being filled.
If the window is narrower, you work in a single column; counting then runs via a control panel at the bottom of the screen.
Which view you see therefore depends on the iPad model, on the orientation (portrait or landscape), and on whether the app is running in Split View next to another app. If you rotate the device or change the window width, the app switches the view right along with it. Workflow and functionality are identical in both views — a different arrangement is therefore not a sign of an incorrect setup.
In full screen, the packing view is two-column on all current iPads, in both landscape and portrait. The exception is the iPad mini, which works in a single column in portrait. The view also becomes single-column when the WMS App takes up only part of the screen in Split View or Slide Over. If you see the single-column view on the iPad, open the app in full screen or rotate the iPad mini to landscape.
Finishing the packing process
Once a parcel is finished, a checklist guides you through the steps that are still open for this parcel, such as Confirm products, Print documents (e.g., the delivery note), and Print shipping label. On wide screens, the steps are on the left, and completed steps are marked with a green checkmark. On the right, you see the content of the selected step. On narrower screens, the same steps are listed one below the other.
In the checklist, you see the packed products as well as the generated documents and shipping labels. With Erneut drucken (Print again), you print them individually once more without leaving the screen. If you need an additional shipping label, you create it with Create shipping label. With Done, you finish the checklist.
If a parcel scale is connected, weighing is one of these steps. For details, see How do I use a parcel scale in the WMS App?.
If the setting Require a parcel photo while packing is active, Parcel photo is added as another step: the shipping label is only created after at least one photo of the parcel contents has been taken. The photos are assigned to the delivery as documents of the type Parcel photo and can be found on the order in the Fotos (Photos) tab.
If you have created shipping boxes as shipping material, the step Karton (Box) is added between the documents and weighing. There you select the box you packed the parcel into, scan its EAN or product number, or enter the dimensions of a custom box via + Benutzerdefinierter Karton (+ Custom box). The app takes over the dimensions and weight of the box for the shipping label. If the selection is not mandatory, the step can be skipped. To learn how to create boxes, see How can I create shipping boxes and select them while packing?.
Requirements and settings
For the packing table, we recommend an iPad, ideally permanently mounted at the packing station. The packing view is built for exactly this: font and controls are enlarged so you can read them well even from a bit of a distance, and you have your hands free for products and box. You don't need any additional hardware. The packing process also works on the iPhone, in the single-column view and with the same functionality.
You find the related settings in your Shopware Admin under Settings → Extensions → Pickware WMS:
In the Picking section, per picking process: Pack-Modus (Packing mode), Additional packing process after picking, and the point in time at which documents and shipping labels are generated and printed.
In the Packing table section: Require shipping box selection while packing, Require weighing while packing with the permitted weight deviation, and Require a parcel photo while packing.
What the individual options do is described in How do I configure Pickware WMS in the Admin?.
