Stock labeling

Stock labeling: more efficient handling of goods and merchandise

Smooth logistics is based on modern warehousing that enables goods to be received and picked efficiently. Warehouses differ greatly depending on the sector and area of application. Stock labeling is based on the labeling of all items that are brought into the warehouse, picked there and ultimately stored and “processed”.

At the beginning of the storage process, goods are received and labeled to ensure that each item can be identified and assigned to a storage location. Warehouse labelling in terms of storage depends on physical, technical and legal aspects – as far as the degree of organization of the company, especially the integration of the warehouse into the operational processes.

Factors that influence stock labeling

The stock labeling or warehouse labeling serves as information for operational resource management. This allows decisions to be made depending on the warehouse’s capacities, e.g. with regard to seasonal products or their general availability. Some factors that are important in connection with warehouse labeling are presented below:

• Storage requirements: What properties should the warehouse have? What storage capacity and handling performance is required?
• Warehouse types: Is it a forwarder’s warehouse, a warehouse for production or assembly operations or a spare parts warehouse? A distinction is also made here between a consignment warehouse, a small parts warehouse and a consignment warehouse.
• Storage removal strategy: What are the regularities for selecting storage bins? Is the focus on the number or capacity of storage locations or on optimizing picking routes?
• Storage unit: A central aspect of warehouse labeling is identification by means of the storage unit number. This refers to the quantity of an article number that can be traced back to an inbound delivery and originates from a load carrier.
• Warehouse management software: database maintenance for managing stocks, warehouse processes, storage locations, etc. requires the use of special software, which is also used for controlling, among other things.

Stock labelling is therefore always dependent on the respective purpose of a warehouse and summarizes the information required for order picking etc.