If a product is stored in several bin locations, Pickware automatically proposes which bin location you should take it from when picking. This article explains the logic behind this, how you can influence it via the position of your bin locations and how to deviate from it in individual cases.

Pickware works in two steps: First, it decides which bin locations to take stock from. Then it puts the selected bin locations into a sequence in which you visit them. The Position of a bin location affects both steps.

When picking with the WMS App, the following order applies to products without tracking (BBD or batch):

If no single bin location is sufficient, Pickware combines several bin locations in exactly this order until the quantity is fully covered.

The default bin location of a product, recognizable by the star, does not influence the proposal. It only determines which bin location is used for stocking.

Example: You need 10 units. Bin location A-01 has 4 units, bin location B-07 has 12 units. Pickware proposes B-07, even though A-01 comes first in the sorting, because B-07 covers the quantity on its own.

Once the bin locations have been selected, Pickware sorts them again by position and label. The WMS App guides you through the warehouse in this order. If several products are in the same bin location, they are sorted by product number.

If you adjust the position to your actual walking route, you control both which bin location is preferred and the order in which you pick. You can find out how to maintain the position in How do I create bin locations?

For products with the tracking profiles BBD or BBD & Batch, Pickware first proposes the stock with the earliest best before date. Stock without BBD comes last. Only after that does the sorting by bin location apply. Only stock whose remaining shelf life meets the applicable minimum remaining shelf life is proposed.

Here, too, the following applies: If a single batch in a bin location can cover the entire quantity, it is preferred. As a result, in individual cases a batch with a later BBD may be proposed if this saves you from visiting several bin locations.

You can find out how to record best before dates, configure minimum remaining shelf lives and evaluate remaining shelf lives in Managing remaining shelf life with BBD.

For products with the tracking profile Batch, Pickware first proposes the oldest batch when picking (first in, first out, FIFO for short). The age of a batch is determined by its Production date. If no production date is stored for the batch, the date on which the batch was created is used. Stock without batch information is considered the oldest stock and is proposed first.

As with products with BBD, the following applies here as well: If a single batch in a bin location can cover the entire quantity, it is preferred. As a result, in individual cases a newer batch may be proposed if this saves you from visiting several bin locations. If no batch covers the quantity on its own, the older batch is taken completely first and only the remaining quantity is taken from the newer one.

You can find out how to create batches and assign tracking profiles in How do I work with BBD & batches in Pickware?.

If you ship an order directly via the Pickware Admin without the WMS App, Pickware also automatically takes the stock from the bin locations. A simplified order applies here: The bin locations are sorted exclusively by their label. Position, the priority for bin locations with sufficient stock and the best before date are not taken into account here.

If you want to destock by position or remaining shelf life, pick with the WMS App.

If an order is fulfilled in Shopify instead of Pickware, Pickware takes the stock from the default warehouse. If you work with locations, Pickware takes the stock from the warehouse zone for fulfillments. Learn more in How do I change the default warehouse?.

If you sell a product with Pickware POS, Pickware takes the stock from the warehouse you specified when setting up the POS App. If the product is stored in several bin locations there, the same order applies as for shipping via the Pickware Admin: The bin locations are sorted by their label, the position is not taken into account. You cannot select a bin location at the cash register.

If there is not enough stock in the warehouse of the cash register, Pickware automatically books the missing quantity into this warehouse so that the sale can be completed.

The proposed bin location is not mandatory. If you take the product from a different bin location in the WMS App, first scan the actual bin location or select it by tapping the Bin location field. Pickware then takes the stock from this bin location.

Stock with an exceeded BBD is not destocked automatically. You stay in control and decide yourself how to deal with expired goods – for example through destocking, write-off or a special sale.