How do you handle multiple production orders in one pick?
If I’m working in Business Central on locations with directed put away and pick checkmark in the location set up, it’s possible to create warehouse picks to production order in a pick worksheet as a pull strategy.
This is what happens in the video
If you run Business Central on locations with directed put-away and pick enabled, you can create warehouse picks for production orders from the pick worksheet using a pull strategy. This lets the warehouse employee decide what to pick and when, rather than the system pushing picks automatically.
You can combine several production orders into a single warehouse pick. To do this, release the production orders, then in the pick worksheet pull in the source documents for one or more production orders and deselect the “Per Worksheet Documents” checkmark before creating the pick.
When the checkmark is set, Business Central creates one warehouse pick per source document. When you deselect it, Business Central creates one warehouse pick activity covering all the lines, so a single picking round serves several production orders.
This bundling is most useful when the startup of a pick activity is complex compared to the actual picking itself.
Using the pick worksheet as a pull strategy for production orders
On locations in Business Central that have directed put-away and pick enabled in the location setup, you can create warehouse picks for production orders directly from the pick worksheet. This works as a pull strategy: you release the production order first, and then the warehouse employee takes control of what to pick and when, and how the pick is created.
The benefit of this approach is flexibility. The system does not dictate the pick. Instead, the warehouse decides how to organise the work based on what makes sense on the floor.
Fetching source documents into the pick worksheet
From the pick worksheet, you can get source documents for either a single production order or for several production orders at once. In practice, you might fetch one order at a time and bring the lines into the worksheet. You can do this using different filters or selection criteria depending on your production lines or other needs, and the worksheet bundles up the lines.
Combining several production orders into one warehouse pick
Once you have the lines you need in the pick worksheet, you create the warehouse pick. The key setting here is the Per Worksheet Documents checkmark:
- With the checkmark set, Business Central creates one warehouse pick per source document. Each production order gets its own pick.
- If you deselect it, Business Central creates one warehouse pick activity covering all the lines in the worksheet. One pick then serves several production orders.
Deselecting the checkmark is what lets you bundle the work into a single picking round across multiple orders.
When bundling warehouse picks makes sense
Bundling is worth doing when the startup of a pick activity is complex compared to the actual picking. If there is significant overhead in starting each pick, combining several production orders into one warehouse pick reduces that repeated setup and lets the warehouse employee handle several production orders in one go.
Q&A
What does the Per Worksheet Documents checkmark control when creating a warehouse pick?
It controls how many warehouse picks get created. With the checkmark set, Business Central creates one warehouse pick per source document. If you deselect it, it creates one warehouse pick activity for all the lines in the worksheet, covering several production orders.
What is required on a location to create warehouse picks for production orders from the pick worksheet?
The location must have directed put-away and pick enabled in the location setup.
When should you combine several production orders into one warehouse pick?
When the startup of a pick activity is complex compared to the actual picking. Bundling reduces the repeated setup overhead and lets one picking round serve several production orders.
Why is this called a pull strategy?
Because you release the production order first, and then the warehouse employee decides what to pick, when to pick it, and how to create the pick. The system does not push the pick automatically.