Introduction to Warehouse Management
The TVA system provides a full set of warehouse and inventory management functions to support the asset and inventory management lifecycles. The warehouse capabilities range from order receiving, inventory stowing, order picking, packing processes, and of course shipping. The warehouse management function also includes a range of related process such as inventory validation, location reporting and management, and other critical lifecycle processes.
As the warehouse module is integrated across TVA, material may be tracked via inventory and asset management, providing a long-term view of an asset state, and may be tracked in-transit via shipments and other mechanisms.
The warehouse module leverages automation to drive inventory control and validation processes, including RFID-based scans of warehouse shelves, automation on receiving areas, and tagging and tracking of material in transit through the facility or across sites.
Warehouse Setup
At a high level, a warehouse is created to include a series of task-focused locations to support processes and operations. This is detailed in the warehouse setup guide. Once the places and locations are established, item master reference data is created, and inventory added.
As the setup process highlights, the warehouse may be baselined against existing inventory and locations, or a new facility established from scratch. Either process is fine, and results in material being managed on-hand, and available for issue and processing.
Managed Material
Items in the warehouse may be serialized or non-serialized, and additionally may be lot managed to support priority picking according to lot expiration dates.
If material in the warehouse is serialized, it may optionally be also managed through the asset management functions within TVA. This is not required, however for material that is issued from inventory and tracked long-term within an organization, this binding provides total visibility through the asset's lifetime.
Inventory Lifecycle
The warehouse supports receiving, picking, packing, pickup, and shipping functions, along with a range of other inventory managment features. TVA supports the integration between order management, asset management, and shipment management into these lifecycle functions to improve long-term visibility and accountability of material, and to simplify the work processes across the organization.
Next Steps
Review the Warehouse Setup guide for more detailed directions on the requirements in establishing a new warehouse, and the processes involved in performing daily warehouse operations.