Warehouse management with Business Central
An easy-to-use solution for comfortable warehouse management, automated processes for storing products in the warehouse, transferring them for sale, manufacturing or procurement. Ensure that you always have precise information about product availability with real-time data.
Transparency
Efficient control over warehouse processes. Transparency for the product flow and the ability to trace every step in the warehouse regarding every product.
Automation
Placement of products in warehouse zones and shelves according to pre-defined criteria. Automated product procurement and sales orders, as well as assembling products according to defined routes.
Optimization
Tracing product movement and efficient product management according to the product sales requirements and other pre-defined criteria.
Challenges in warehouse management
Product classification and analysis
Creation of detailed product cards that include all the parameters required by the company. This functionality makes it easier to take stock of products in the warehouse and find them for persons that do not usually work in the warehouse.
Precise warehouse stock data
Warehouse planning according to need, preventing unnecessary stock accumulation, real-time data on the precise availability for each product in the warehouse.
Efficient procurement planning and orders
Timely and automated product ordering according to the minimum product amount defined in warehouse planning.
Full product tracing
Tracing all actions related to the product, starting from finding the supplier, ending with its location in the warehouse or where (and to whom) it was delivered.
Option of reserving products
Product reservation in the warehouse allows avoiding situations where large simultaneous demand exists for the same product causing deterioration in customer relationships.
Comfortable management of product cost price
Automated determination of the product cost price using the methodology defined in the company, allowing the optimization of several calculations.
Optimized product inventory
Stock-taking processes that automate and improve the work of the warehouse and the accounting department.
Assembling products
Automated requests for product components for the warehouse and the option of defining assemblies as new products.
Advantages and benefits
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1. Comprehensive information
- detailed product description
- option of adding various attributes
- improved product searching and analytics
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2. Determining product placement and number
- placing products in corresponding zones
- precise management of product number and location
- avoiding unnecessary stock accumulation
- precise warehouse stock data
- improved logistics
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3. Automated procurement orders
- time savings
- manual work optimization
- faster implementation of production and sales targets
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4. Comprehensive action tracing for the entire product lifecycle
- fast access to product handling information
- precise data on the product procurement location
- detailed information on product location and quantity
- information on product sales and delivery location
- improving sales processes
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5. Creating sales orders
- automated sales orders
- efficient interaction between warehousing and sales departments
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6. Product reservations
- improved cooperation between sales and warehousing
- avoiding simultaneous product orders
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7. Product cost price management
- automated cost price determination (FIFO or average weighted)
- improved creation of sales offers
- excellent aid in product assembling
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8. Product inventory
- efficient product stock-taking
- automated product stock-taking in logs, using scanners
- no need to transfer data from notes to various systems
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9. Product assembling
- automated requests for product components for the warehouse
- option of defining assemblies as new products
Advanced warehousing = Basic warehousing functionality + 3 extra functions
A warehouse system for large production or logistics companies with one or several warehouses that require automated product storage in different zones, product classification in different classes and precise tracing. Includes process management, from procurement to delivery, storing in the warehouse, picking up, sending and transferring for sales.
Product classification
The product card can include various parameters, for example, number, barcode, color, name, weight, dimensions, even a photo, allowing easy classification of products in groups, types, placement in the warehouse, and facilitates finding product alternatives in cases when the product must be substituted with another. Product tracing according to lots and expiration dates is particularly important for food and medical sectors, while unique serial numbers are useful for stock-taking for expensive products. This functionality improves warehouse planning and the sales processes in the company.
Product traceability
The systems takes just a few seconds to access information that explains the movement of every product in the warehouse – from the moment when the product is bought, placed in a corresponding shelf or zone, and afterwards sent to a sales location or a customer. The system also allows you to keep track of the procurement location for each product, product quantity and location in the warehouse, and provides detailed answers on where and how the product was delivered from the warehouse. Product lots, series or expiration dates allow controlling product movement, which is particularly important for the production or sales of good and medical goods.
Product transfer
Often companies have several warehouses located far away from one another, or even in different countries, and in that case you require comprehensive information about product movement processes in order to predict the future product lifecycle. This functionality visualizes the entire product movement process and implements comprehensive stock-taking, providing precise information on whether the product is currently in transit, and predicts the time when the product arrives at its destination or a different warehouse.
Product inventory
Stock-taking for product inventory is often thought to be time and work-consuming. This system provides a more efficient solution. This functionality significantly facilitates warehousing work during the stock-taking process, as well as the work of the accountant who will later process the information. The system allows obtaining a full list of products in the warehouse with precise quantities. If the company warehouse uses scanners, then the stock-taking process becomes fully automated and information does not have to be manually entered in several systems.
Product cost management
Companies often particularly appreciate the option of automated determination of the product cost price. The system automatically determines the cost price for each product in the warehouse using the methodology selected by the company, for example, FIFO or Average weighted. This information improves the creation of sales offers and planning various marketing activities. The functionality allows assessing if the product should be substituted with a better offer, and evaluates fitness for inclusion in product assemblies or sets.
Warehouse stock
One of the main problems for many companies in relation to warehouse planning is precise knowledge of warehouse stock amounts. This system provides the user with precise real-time data and information about product quantities in the warehouse, optimizing the product flow according to the standards defined in the company. This functionality allows warehouse planning according to demand, avoiding unnecessary stock accumulation.
Product sales orders
Once the product has arrived in the warehouse, the system registers the product and automatically creates a sales order – this significantly improves interaction between the warehouse and sales departments, and allows avoiding errors in order processing, and saves significant amounts of time.
Product placement, zones and sections
The system provides broad functionality for determining product placement, starting with the warehouse location, and ending with detailed warehouse zoning, including information about shelves and corresponding product quantities. The system significantly improves processes connected with placing products in corresponding pre-defined zones, thereby optimizing logistics processes. It is an efficient way of determining the precise product quantities in the warehouse in just a few seconds, ensuring flawless production or sales processes and avoiding the accumulation of unnecessary stock.
Product delivery and storage
The system regulates and controls processes according to pre-defined company standards and criteria, for example, regarding the placement of products in the warehouse – for some companies, the expiration date is the most significant criterion, while other companies require classification of products in specific classes, and the system plans product placement in zones accordingly (for example, frozen and fresh products).
Picking up and assembling/dispatching
The system allows adding a delivery option or any other information that facilitates logistics operations. Automatic dispatching of products from the warehouse and creating invoices for customers in various formats (PDF, printed format or an electronic document that customers can import in their systems) reduces the amount of manual labor and allows faster implementation of sales targets, and the company will project the image of a well-ordered business focused on customer satisfaction. The system automates requests for product components to the warehouse, avoiding manual labor, and allowing the creation of assemblies (sets) as new products with a separate product card when the product is actually a gift set that consists of several products.
How does the managers rate Business Central?
Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Business Central) opens wide possibilities for digital development in the future. It is technologically modern and relevant to the times. A good basis to be able to keep up with the times.
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Valērijs Bariševs
Executive Director of ESELO
Organisations who choose Business Central
Trader of nutritional supplement development and innovative products, offering the latest, most effective products for sports, health and beauty.
World-famous Hilton hotel in the heart of Old Riga.
One of the most recognizable traders of construction goods in Latvia, offering goods to construction companies and private customers.
Franchise grocery chain that unites the strongest local retailers in Latvia.
Frequently asked questions about Warehouse Management with Business Central
Can I implement only warehouse management functionality from Dynamics 365 Business Central, leaving accounting management to another system?
Such an implementation scenario is technically possible, but it will result in additional work on both the warehouse and accounting side to compare data and ensure data transport to the accounting system. When thinking about efficient processes, it is recommended to keep accounting in the same place as warehouse operations to avoid data duplication.
What scanners are required to work with the Dynamics 365 Business Central warehouse management solution?
Business Central does not list specific technical requirements for scanners, but you can refer to the official equipment requirements.
Does Dynamics 365 Business Central support work with wireless barcode scanners, RFID, Voice?
If it is possible to connect the scanner to a computer, then the scanner functions also enable data entry into Business Central. RFID and Voice requirements can be implemented using apps for Business Central on the Microsoft Appsource website.
Will the Dynamics 365 Business Central licenses be sufficient to run the warehouse management functionality, or are any additional licenses required?
A user can connect to Business Central from any device, so a user license is required. If the device is used by several users performing similar actions, it is possible to use a Device license.
Does the Dynamics 365 Business Central system allow you to control warehouse processes and operations in real time by controlling the warehouse staff and the equipment used?
Dynamics 365 Business Central uses preventive controls or monitoring, to ensure that nothing unwanted happens. The system warns about the availability of stocks and does not allow operations with goods if the required quantity is not available in the warehouse, and also follows up for the employee to add batch data or the expiration date in operations with goods. Also, the system restricts user access to items that are not on the user’s daily to-do list. Each registered warehouse operation indicates which system user has registered this operation in the system.
When working with the Dynamics 365 Business Central warehouse management system, do warehouse workers have to perform any steps manually, or are all processes automated?
Business Central provides the ability to enter the required data and then forward data further through the process activities. There are several steps that the user has to perform manually. However, such time-consuming actions as optimal maintenance of inventory balances, suggestions to use specific or product-appropriate shelves and storage conditions, as well as obtaining data for further processing (for example, placing the quantities of goods received in the last hour on the appropriate shelves) are automated.
What are the advantages of Dynamics 365 Business Central warehouse management solution compared to other warehouse management solutions?
Business Central benefits include cost control, accurate cost reversal, item tracking, and warehouse and inventory analysis capabilities.
Is the Dynamics 365 Business Central warehouse management solution suitable for companies with multiple warehouses in different locations?
Business Central is suitable for companies with one or more warehouses, regardless of their location. Business Central has several levels of inventory tracking in order of complexity, so Business Central is designed for:
- small businesses that have goods receipt and goods shipping operations without the involvement of warehouse personnel;
- medium and large companies that have goods receipt and goods shipping activities involving warehouse employees, separating goods receipt and goods placement, goods collection and dispatch, as well as internal goods movement through storage areas and quality control compartments.