Arthur Ria
200 lines
7.9 KiB
Markdown
200 lines
7.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Consolidation"
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type: concept
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sources:
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- areas/consolidation/index.md
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- areas/consolidation/consolidation_admin/consolidation_process_creation.md
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- areas/consolidation/consolidation_automatic/index.md
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- areas/consolidation/consolidation_automatic/2loc_PK_consolidation.md
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- areas/consolidation/consolidation_automatic/ManualMP_PK_consolidation.md
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- areas/consolidation/consolidation_automatic/Buffer_consolidation.md
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related:
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- concepts/container.md
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- concepts/location.md
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- concepts/stock.md
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- concepts/task.md
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- concepts/shipping.md
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last_compiled: "2026-04-10"
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---
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# Consolidation
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## Overview
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**Consolidation** in EasyWMS is the process of moving stock from multiple partially-full containers into a single destination container, eliminating peaks and optimizing space usage in the warehouse. It is designed to run during **periods of inactivity**, interfering minimally with active warehouse operations.
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Two types of consolidation exist:
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1. **Stock consolidation (warehouse)** — covered here. Compacts incomplete containers in storage to reduce the number of occupied locations.
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2. **Shipping consolidation** — reorganizes prepared stock for outbound orders (see [shipping](../concepts/shipping.md)). Not covered here.
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Stock consolidation applies to both **manual** and **automatic** warehouses.
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---
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## Supported Use Cases
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| Use case | Warehouse type | Container type |
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|---|---|---|
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| Single-reference container (one item), manual warehouse | Manual | Container with "full quantity" configured per item/container type |
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| Single-reference container (one item), automatic warehouse | Automatic | Container with "full quantity" configured per item/container type |
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| Multi-reference container with business areas, automatic warehouse | Automatic | "Full quantity" configured per business area type/container type |
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> Stock of different item presentations is **never mixed** in a single consolidation order.
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---
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## Architecture: Process → Orders → Tasks
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```
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Consolidation Process (criteria, priority, destination station)
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│
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▼ [Release]
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Consolidation Orders (N orders = N destination containers)
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│
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├── Destination consolidation task (1 per destination container)
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└── Source consolidation tasks (1 per source container)
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```
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**Consolidation process:** A filter definition created by a user specifying which containers are candidates and where consolidation should happen.
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**Consolidation order:** Groups source containers (to be emptied) → destination container (to receive all stock). One order = one destination.
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**Consolidation order lines:** Each line represents one source container.
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---
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## Process Configuration
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When creating a consolidation process, the user specifies:
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### Process Definition
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| Field | Description |
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|---|---|
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| Code | Unique process identifier |
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| Priority | Determines task priority for this process's orders |
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| Maximum duration | When exceeded, no new consolidation orders are generated |
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| Maximum number of orders | Stops generating new orders when this total is reached |
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| Maximum simultaneous orders | Controls how many active orders exist at once; new ones created as old ones finish |
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### Filtering Criteria
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| Filter | Description |
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|---|---|
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| Item | Restrict to a specific item |
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| Item type | Restrict by item type |
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| Hazard | Filter by hazard classification |
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| ABC classification | Filter by ABC rotation class |
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| Owner | Filter by stock owner |
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| Supplier | Filter by supplier |
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| Max occupation % | Skip containers whose fill % exceeds this threshold |
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> Regardless of item filter, each consolidation order is always for the same item **and** conversion (UoM). Different item presentations are never consolidated together.
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### Allow Mixing
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Logistic attributes that can be mixed within the same item (e.g., different lots in the same container).
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### Destination Station
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The picking conveyor or buffer where consolidation will physically occur.
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---
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## Process Lifecycle
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```
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Standby (created)
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│
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▼ [Release]
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Released ← EasyWMS evaluates and generates orders
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│
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│ [Pause]
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▼
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Paused ← can be re-released
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│
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▼ [Cancel]
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Canceled ← all associated orders, lines, and tasks canceled
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```
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A process can only be released from **Standby** or **Paused** status.
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---
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## Consolidation in Automatic Warehouses
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For automatic warehouses, consolidation is a guided, task-driven process. Containers must be extracted to a picking station.
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### Consolidation at Picking Conveyor (2 Locations)
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Containers arrive sequenced at the PK:
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1. **Destination container** arrives first and occupies one PK location
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2. **Source containers** arrive one by one at the second PK location
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3. Operator confirms source → destination transfer at the workstation
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**Issues the operator can report:**
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| Issue | Result |
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|---|---|
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| Incorrect quantity in origin | Stock adjustment on source container; if less than expected, consolidation line also adjusted |
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| Item not found in origin | Consolidation order line canceled |
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| Item not found at destination | Entire consolidation order canceled |
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| Capacity exceeded at destination | Line adjusted; source remains non-empty |
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**Transactions:**
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- `CON.MOVE` — container location changes (warehouse → PK → warehouse)
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- `STK.MOVE` — stock moved from source to destination container
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- `CON.SEND.L&F` — if empty source container is sent to Lost & Found
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### Consolidation at Picking Conveyor with Manual Preparation Zones (MP)
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1. All source containers arrive first at the PK and stock is extracted to MP tables
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2. Destination container arrives last; all MP stock dumped onto it
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3. Mixing of different items within the same MP table is **not allowed**
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### Consolidation at Buffer
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1. All source containers arrive at the buffer station first
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2. Destination container arrives last
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3. Stock movement between containers is **not guided** (no task confirmation) once containers are out of the warehouse
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Hardware: PC + RFT (buffer consolidation supports both)
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---
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## Configuration Requirements
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For consolidation to work correctly:
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1. **Full quantity must be configured** per container type, item, and unit of measure
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2. If the warehouse uses divisions: full quantity per **business area type**, container type, item, and UoM
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3. If consolidating at a picking station with preparation zones: allocation mode must be set to **Automatic**
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4. Picking station working mode must be **All Modes** or **Consolidation Only**
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---
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## Interface
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| Path | Equipment |
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|---|---|
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| `Consolidation > Consolidation processes` | PC |
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| `Consolidation > Consolidation orders` | PC |
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| `Consolidation > Consolidation order lines` | PC |
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| `Warehouse > Tasks` (task monitoring) | PC |
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| `Workstations > Picking` (execution at PK) | PC |
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---
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## Common Errors
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| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
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| No consolidation orders generated after release | Full quantity not configured for item/container type | Configure "full quantity" in item/container type master |
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| Consolidation orders generated but no tasks | PK station not in "All Modes" or "Consolidation Only" | Update picking station working mode config |
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| Process stuck at maximum simultaneous orders | All slots occupied; waiting for existing orders to finish | Wait for current orders to complete or cancel stale ones |
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| Source container not empty after consolidation | Stock in another division or incident reported | Create return-to-warehouse task manually if needed |
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---
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## Related
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- [[container]] — Consolidation moves stock between containers; source containers are emptied, destination receives all stock
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- [[location]] — Consolidation frees up locations by eliminating partial containers
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- [[stock]] — STK.MOVE transactions update stock records during consolidation
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- [[task]] — Consolidation generates source/destination task pairs; priority set by process priority
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- [[shipping]] — Shipping consolidation (distinct concept) reorganizes prepared stock for outbound orders
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