Let’s take a look at the status field on the container header and how to use it.
The status field on the container header lets you track where each container is in the shipping process, from ordered to shipped to completed. You set most of these statuses manually, so they give your team a shared view of what is happening with each container.
The status is not filled in automatically when you create a new container. The outbound status stays blank until you start updating it.
Only the Shipped status is set automatically. When you post a shipment on a container, the system sets the outbound status to Shipped for you.
A container stays visible and editable on the container list until you set its status to Completed. Once a container is Completed, it becomes non-editable and disappears from the working list, but you can still find it on the full outbound container list from the menu.
How to create a new container on a sales order
You can add a new container to ship some of the quantity on a sales order. Start from the sales order and create a new container directly from there. You can add the same container to multiple sales order lines, so one container can cover quantities across more than one order.
When you look up the container code on a sales order, the list is filtered. Containers that are no longer relevant, such as completed ones, are filtered out and won’t show up in your selection.
The container status values and how to use them
When you open a newly created container, the outbound status is blank. From there you move through the statuses as the container progresses:
- Ordered – Set this when you order the container from your supplier. At this point you would normally define a booking day on the container, and then you wait for it to arrive.
- Arrived – When the container arrives on the ramp, you can change the status to show it has arrived. This is often done by the inventory people.
- Packing – Later in the process, your team can mark that they have started packing the container, and that packing is completed.
- Shipped – This is the first status set automatically. When you post a shipment on the container, the outbound status changes to Shipped on its own.
- Completed – When you set the container to Completed, it becomes non-editable and is removed from the working list.
Everything up to Shipped is information you set manually, only if you want to use it. The statuses exist so you can see what is happening to each container on the container list.
Working with a partly shipped container
A container does not close as soon as you ship part of it. If you ship only some of the quantity, the outbound status becomes Shipped, but the container stays visible on the container list.
If you create a new sales order with a remaining quantity to ship, you can still look up and drill down on the container code and select that container, because it is not yet completed. This lets you keep working with the same container until everything is done. Note that the container code on the line is blank again after shipping, since the shipped quantity is no longer tied to it.
The outbound container list
The container list you work from filters out completed containers, so it shows only the ones you are still working with. The full outbound container list, which you open from the menu, keeps every container visible, including completed ones. You can add your own personal filters to this list to focus on what matters to you.
Q&A
Is the container status set automatically?
No. Most statuses are set manually, including Ordered, Arrived, Packing and Completed. Only the Shipped status is set automatically, and that happens when you post a shipment on the container.
Can I add one container to several sales order lines?
Yes. You can create a new container and add it to multiple sales order lines, so a single container can cover quantities across more than one sales order.
What happens when I set a container to Completed?
The container becomes non-editable and disappears from the working container list. You can still find it on the full outbound container list from the menu.
Can I still use a container after I have shipped part of it?
Yes. After a partial shipment the outbound status is Shipped, but the container stays visible and you can still select it and drill down on it from a sales order, as long as it is not yet completed.
Why doesn’t my new container show all existing containers in the lookup?
The lookup list is filtered. Containers that are out of scope, such as completed ones, are filtered out and won’t appear when you create or look up a container from the sales order.