Setting up assets at your fulfilment location
A fulfilment location is a physical location from where you can fulfil the orders placed on various sales channels. Before commencing the fulfilment operations, it is crucial to ensure the availability of all necessary assets at the fulfilment location.
These assets play a critical role in the efficient day-to-day operations of the businesses, helping to ensure that products are stored, handled, and shipped efficiently and safely. Proper management of these assets is essential for optimizing warehouse operations and meeting customer demand.
In this article, you will learn
What assets are required at your fulfilment location?
How to add a tote, shelf and pigeon hole?
Assets requirement
The accuracy of your inventory and processes relies highly on the availability and utilization of the necessary assets for carrying out specific activities. Before you start any activity, you need to ensure the below list of assets is available and set in your fulfilment location.
Checklist of requirements
Type of asset | Specifications | Number of units |
Packing stations (with pigeon holes) | Processing tables to pack the orders. The Minimum recommended size for a table top is 100 X 70 cm so that you can easily place a computer, printer, and pack goods. Each packing station should contain at least 6 to 8 pigeon holes (a small storage area on top of the table to segregate multi-item shipments). This is mandatory to pack multi-item shipments. | As per daily order volumes |
Inwards and return station | Tables to receive items and do quality checks for both new inwards and returns. The Minimum recommended size for the table top is 100 X 70 cm. | Separate for inwards and returns. As per daily volumes expected for each activity. |
Desktop / Laptop | Any desktop or laptop with minimum Windows 7 and 2 GB of RAM. Required for each processing station | 1 for each processing station |
Barcode Scanner | Any 1D Barcode Scanner. Wireless recommended. | 1 for each computer system on processing stations |
Handheld device / Mobile with barcode scanner | This is required for picking from the shelf and putaway on the shelf. As picking and putaway happen in the shelf area scanning the particular shelf will be required. | Separate for picking and putaway. As per daily picking and putaway volumes expected |
Shelf | Racks to store inventory. A shelf code will be assigned and pasted on each shelf. | As per inventory hold at the FC |
Bin | Distinctly identifiable bins (totes) for segregating sellable and non-sellable items in inwards, returns, and its putaway on the shelf. Also, this is required for picking items from the shelves. | As per the volume expected |
Label / A4 Printer | We recommend using a label printer as it's easy to paste. Alternatively, you can also use any other basic printer, in that case, you will be required to stick it with tape. | 1 for each packing station for printing invoice 1 for each return manifest station for printing the return manifest 1 for each handover manifest station for printing the handover manifest |
Barcode printer | This is only required if you want to use item-level barcoding (Paste a unique barcode on each unit of an SKU to track its item-level movement). If you want to run the operation on the SKU level, then this is not required. However, we recommend item level for inventory accuracy and traceability. | 1 unit for each inward processing station and 1 unit for each return processing station |
Internet | E-commerce fulfilment is timeline-bound, hence we recommend a Broadband connection along with a backup. The minimum internet speed required is 100 MBPS. The primary needs to be broadband and backup can be via a 3G/4G dongle. Need to ensure Internet connectivity in the shelf (storage) area as well for picking and putaway on handheld devices. | As per the processing stations and storage area |
Power backup | UPS/Inverter/Generator. E-commerce fulfilment is timeline-bound, hence needs to ensure that no interruption due to power supply issues. | Required to keep all systems, printers,, and internet running |
CCTV on the packing station | This is required to investigate any reported cases of mis-shipments or file claims for damaged/incorrect return items received. | As per the processing station |
Manpower | Supervisor + staff for inwards, orders, and returns processing | As per the list of activities mentioned below and your capacity planning. |
Once the above-listed assets are available and set at your fulfilment location, you need to add the following assets in Eshopbox:
Adding a tote for your location
Tote refers to a container or bin that is used for moving the items within the location. Whenever an inventory is received at a location and unpacked for quality check, a tote is used to store that inventory before moving it to the designated storage location, also when the inventory is picked it is stored in totes before moving them to the packing area for order processing.
Each tote is assigned a unique barcode that helps you to:
Track the location of your inventory on the floor.
Manage your fulfilment process efficiently by segregating inventory based on its type (Sellable, Non-Sellable, Unknown) or the activity (Putaway, Picking, Sidelined).
Avoid any damage or loss of inventory by keeping it stored in a designated container.
You will require multiple totes to keep different types of inventory based on the activities mentioned below. It is recommended to use multiple colors of totes to easily identify the inventory.
Tote type | Used for activity | Recommended tote color |
Sellable items | a. Items QC passed while receiving a consignment and pending for putaway | Green / Blue |
Non sellable returns | Items QC failed while processing a return | Red |
Non sellable inwards | Items QC failed while receiving a consignment | Red |
Sideline shipments | Shipments sidelined while packing. | Green / Blue |
Trolley | Shipments manifested and ready for handover | Any |
Steps to add a tote
To add a tote, you need to follow the below steps:
Step 1: Login into your Eshopbox workspace.
Step 2: From the header, navigate to Settings.
Step 3: You will be redirected to the Settings page. Select Assets > Totes.
Step 4: You will be redirected to the Totes page.
Step 5: Click on Create tote.
Step 6: Select the tote type and click on OK to proceed.
Step 7: You will be redirected to the Print tote page. Click on Print barcode. Paste the label on the tote and click on Submit.
Once you click on submit, a new tote will be added.
Adding a shelf for your location
A shelf is a physical space where an item of inventory can be stored within your fulfilment location. Each shelf is identified with the help of a unique barcode that helps you to:
Track the quantities within your location.
Organize receiving of items and simplify picking items to fulfill orders.
Properly organize and categorize products, making picking faster and easier.
Minimizes errors during the item-picking process.
A shelf is required during the process of receiving, orders, returns, and shelf transfer activities.
Below are the types of shelves that needs to be created in your fulfilment centre:
Shelf type | Type of items stored |
Sellable items | - QC passed items while receiving and putaway is completed |
Non sellable items | - QC failed items while receiving |
Non sellable return items | - QC failed items in returns |
Return incorrect items | - Incorrect items received in returns |
- Make sure two different labels are not pasted on the same shelf.
- If your item has batch tracking enabled, Items with different expiry dates/manufacturing dates must not be kept on the same shelf.
Steps to add a shelf
To add a shelf you need to follow the below-given steps:
Step 1: Login into your Eshopbox workspace.
Step 2: From the header, navigate to Settings.
Step 3: You will be redirected to the Settings page. Select Assets > Shelf.
Step 4: You will be redirected to the Shelf page. Navigate to the right side of the top pane and click on Create Shelf.
Step 5: You will be redirected to the Create Shelf page. Enter the shelf name and click on OK to proceed.
Step 6: Select the shelf type and click on OK to proceed.
Step 7: Click on the Print barcode. Paste the label on the shelf and click on OK.
Step 8: Provide the Zone and click on Submit.
There are multiple zones in a warehouse.
Once you click on submit, a zone will be added.
Adding a pigeon hole
A Pigeon hole is a mini storage area at the packing station that helps you easily sort the items of a shipment that needs to be packed together. A pigeon hole is required in the packing process when there are multiple items in a shipment. In case there are multiple items in a shipment pigeon hole you will asked to add a pigeon hole to ensure you are packing the correct items in the shipment.
Steps to add a pigeon hole
To add a pigeon hole, you need to follow the below-given steps
Step 1: Login into your Eshopbox workspace.
Step 2: From the header, navigate to Settings.
Step 3: You will be redirected to the Settings page. Select Assets > Pigeon hole.
Step 4: You will be redirected to the Pigeon hole page. Click on pigeon hole.
Step 5: Enter the Pigeon hole ID and click on OK to proceed.
Step 6: Click on Print to print barcode. Paste the label on the pigeon hole and click on Submit.
Once you click on submit, a pigeon hole will be added