Effective Put-Away Methods in Warehouse Management: Examples and Best Practices

Put-away methods vary according to type of goods (which determines many other factors, such as longevity of storage, media of storage, location, demand pattern, durability, and the necessity for MHE). The quantity received is also a factor in the goods’ location and put-away operations.

Put-away follows receipt. Put-away can be to fixed locations, which are determined by historical designs based on the goods’ flow pattern and the physical requirements of the goods’ storage. Random location can also be applied, although the term “random” is misleading. It is better described as a non-fixed location, because the warehouse management system (WMS) can specify the location according to suitability for storage, proximity to despatch, and other relevant variables. In some cases, picking from random storage locations can be slower, as operators need to learn new locations as they are selected, and because locations might change, which introduces the possibility of errors or sub-optimal operator routing. If the location is unintuitive or the operative is unfamiliar with the warehouse’s layout, the WMS will have to actively guide operatives to the location. 

Crossdocking or marshalling systems are suitable for goods that go from inbound vehicles to outbound vehicles with as little waiting time in between as possible. The marshalling area is where goods can be placed temporarily, rather than put away. Crossdocking systems also require a “staging point”, where goods are organised according to the despatch order, priority, or particular vehicle. The receiving zone and despatch zone are located close to each other, to minimise travel of goods between locations inside the facility. In any effective crossdocking system, medium-term storage is seldom used and long-term storage even less. Hence putting-away of goods is unusual. Placing goods and assembling orders for despatch in the staging point are typical procedures, but these are difficult to describe as “put-away” in the conventional, i.e. non-crossdocking, sense. A crossdocking system can handle high as well as low volumes, but it is particularly suited to servicing grocery supply chains, so is common in national, regional, and local supermarket distribution centres.

“Manual put-away” refers to the placing of goods by hand in fixed (designated, permanent) or variable (WMS-selected, temporary according to convenience) storage locations in the warehouse. Cartonized items can be put away using label information. Barcoded or RFID tagged items can be scanned and matched to a WMS-specified location, into which the operative can then put the goods. Loose goods, such as nuts, bolts, and other generic components, are likely to be manually put into specified bins. Bagged items of this kind can be labelled. The barcode or RFID tag on the label can be scanned, which will inform the operative of the storage location that the WMS has determined for that item.

Bulk goods, such as fuels, grains, beans, and other large quantity commodities, rarely require particular or separate locations of storage. Typically, they are poured into silos or tanks, stacked or piled in marked areas, or dumped into large storage bays, which can be outdoors or indoors, depending on the commodity. Put-away of such items is typically a very straightforward operation, with the only serious consideration being first in-first out in the case of perishable goods. Building materials, coal, and liquid fuels, require no such consideration. Only flammability and contamination are ever-present concerns, but since such operations will occur only inside specialised storage facilities, the operations governing the handling of these materials will be highly standardised and controlled, and the environment configured for exactly the correct conditions of storage and handling.

Stow-in racks allow goods to be put away in locations determined by the WMS based on the product’s order frequency, form factors, perishability, and other conditions. LIFO systems may apply. FIFO is suitable for goods that are vulnerable to expiry; LIFO is for goods that are largely impervious to expiry or are infrequently ordered. Push-back racking may be used to store LIFO-suited goods, and such racking will facilitate the manual element of put-away. Reserves can also be used in this system, if the nature of the goods supports it. A cycle stock can be picked from, but a reserve quantity of SKUs will be consistently maintained. The reserve remains constant in quantity, while the cycle stock fluctuates to support typical ordering patterns.