Production supply and removal

The production supply and removal includes the logistical handling of material provision for and the removal of finished goods from production. Supply and removal of material for production usually require specific handling in the warehouse. Differences compared to the processing of delivery orders for distribution result e.g. regarding the following aspects:

• separation or deliberate combination of distribution orders and production orders during order picking
• simplified outgoing goods processes by avoiding packaging or staging in the dispatch area
• deviating replenishment strategies or material staging processes for production, e.g. by staging based on production lot size or staging in fixed replenishment lot sizes (e.g. KANBAN).

This can be followed by WMS-supported restorage of finished goods or of residual quantities that have not been consumed. Additional functionalities in the production supply and removal areas are:

• mapping of production or assembly stations including staging areas and corresponding stocks in production, if necessary in multi-step processes
• processing of one- or multi-step bills of materials
• displaying production or assembly instructions for simple production activities

More complex production requirements, especially those regarding planning activities, are usually managed using a production planning and control system (PPC) or corresponding modules in the ERP system. In addition, there are functional overlaps with or similarities to logistical added value services.