Oracle Warehouse
Management
Dave Herring – Lion Apparel, Inc.
Daveh@lionapparel.com
Brian Pellot – Pelley Consulting, LLC
Bpellot@earthlink.net
Overview
Project Status and Background
WMS Basics
LPN Concepts and Processing
Task Processing
Rules Engine
Key Learnings
Wrap-up
Background and Project Status
100 years plus
World’s largest
maker of
protective
clothing
Turn-out gear,
helmets, boots ...
Background and Project Status
Implementing OM, Configurator,
Inventory, Quality, BOM, WIP, Cost, AR
and WMS
Starting second round of system testing
Planning to go-live March, 2004
WMS Basics
WMS augments other modules’ functionality
(Inv, Shipping, WIP, Quality)
Additional responsibility and set of forms plus
forms from the other modules
Rules engine – Core of WMS functionality
Mobile Web Applications(MWA), Mobile
Supply Chain Apps (MSCA) – Handheld/RF
ready interface
WMS Basics - MWA
Mobile Web Applications
•Intended for handheld, RF
devices
•Device Evaluation and
Selection
•Many are portable PCs with
other capabilities
•Easily integrated with flexible
setups in the application
WMS Basics - MWA
Transactions entered through a Telnet session
Receiving/Putaway
Shipping
LPN transactions
Physical/Cycle Counting
Standard inventory transactions
WIP Moves and Material Transactions
Inquiry Screens
WMS Basics - MWA
Data can be entered, scanned
or selected.
Think about the amount of
information to be
entered(keyed) through the
handheld.
Subinventory Transfer
LPN Concepts and Processing
License Plate Number – unique identifier for a
group of items/instances
Like a box, crate, truck, basket, pallet, vat,
tank, etc.
LPNs can contain other LPNs, boxes in boxes,
boxes in trucks
Pack, consolidate, unpack
Herring’s law of packing (with regards to
Newton)
LPN Concepts and Processing
Items
Pack Consolidate Transfer the
Truck LPN
(one transaction)
LPN Concepts and Processing
Receive the
Truck LPN Un-Pack Un-Pack
(one transaction)
Task Processing
Tasks are actions performed in the
warehouse. Putaway, pick
Tasks assigned to WH resources (people and
machines)
Rules engine assigns correct task to correct
resources
Task Processing
Task List Resources
Pick 2 smiles Joe in a Forklift
Pick 3 circles Rules Engine
Putaway LPN X Alice on Foot
Pick 4 bolts
Betty in Crane
Task assignment, progress and efficiency can be
directed and monitored through a control board.
Task Processing
Control Board used to monitor and manager tasks on the
floor.
Rules Engine
Core of WMS is the
Rules Engine
Drives the
functionality
Rules Engine
Dave’s first thoughts…
“Rules, we don’t need
no stinking rules”
Rules Engine
Uses Rules, Strategies and Assignments
to:
Assign Tasks
Allocate Material to Move Order (pick
waves)
Assign Cost Groups (inventory accounting)
Direct Putaways
Drive label printing
Rules Engine
Example Rules
If item to be putaway has a category of Frozen
Goods and is larger than 200lbs, place in
subinventory Bulk Frozen Goods
Pick material for customer X from a Grade A lot
Put internal order receipts in FG subinventories
Rules Engine
This is very flexible but can be difficult to
achieve the desired result
Some programming experience is necessary
Rules Engine
Example Rule:
These quickly get complex and technical.
Key Learnings
WMS is fairly immature
Bugs
Seemingly logical functionality is not
available
Much of the functionality only available
in MWA
LPNs
Pick confirmation by tasks
Key Learnings
Once you go WMS, you have to use the WMS
methods.
Cost groups – they have to be used as assigned
through the engine.
Locator Control must be turned on
Pick confirm must be manual and use tasks.
Receiving must be done in MWA
A Lot of Setup
Cartonization
Directed putaway by weight or volume
Key Learnings
Rules Engine requires functional and
technical help
Open interfaces do support much of the
functionality for extensions. However,
only briefly documented.
Some features are difficult to implement
since all information must be entered
through MWA
Questions
