The bin sorting process involves a series of filtering and sorting levels for bins when you release orders to the warehouse. For each pick task, it determines the recommended bin from the list of bins associated with the item. Pickers can view recommended bins on their mobile device as they pick the orders.
Prior to sorting, NetSuite WMS filters the items and bins based on the following criteria:
- Bins must be in the same warehouse location as the wave.
- Bins must have available inventory.You can view the available quantity of a bin on the associated item record.
- Items must be fulfillable and use bins. In addition, items must not belong to the non-inventory types and to locations that do not use bins.
The bin sorting process excludes items and bins that do not meet the criteria. The remaining bins qualify for selection as the recommended bin for a pick task.
In the following diagram, you can view the order of the sorting levels and the preferences that can alter their sorting conditions.
Based on bin settings, the filtered bins go through four basic levels of sorting:
- Available Quantity – Initially, NetSuite WMS identifies the bins with sufficient quantity to satisfy the quantity to pick. It separates these bins from those with insufficient quantity. It also sorts the bins with insufficient quantity in descending order.
- Preferred Bin – From the bins with sufficient quantity, this sorting level identifies and recommends a preferred bin. If all preferred bins contain the same quantity, these bins go through the next sorting level.
- If you use the Pick to Clean preference,(Set Up> Accounting> Accounting Preference>Order Management> Pick to Clean Preference) NetSuite WMS recommends the bin with the highest available quantity among those with insufficient quantity. You direct pickers to empty these bins first before a preferred bin with sufficient quantity. Note that these bins with insufficient quantity may also include preferred bins.
- Bin Type – Candidate bins from the first or second sorting levels that have the same quantity are further sorted by bin type. This sorting level arranges bins according to the following order of bin types: (1) Picking, (2) Storage, (3) None.
- Bin Sequence Number – Only bins of the same type go through this level of sorting by sequence number, in ascending order. Bins with no sequence number move to the bottom of the list.For example, among the bins with sufficient quantity, you have no Picking bin. But you have 3 Storage bins that contain the same available quantity. To recommend a bin, NetSuite WMS sorts them by bin sequence number.