Fixed and Random Locations

Depending on the type of items that you store in the warehouse, you might use fixed or random locations or both.

In a warehouse where you store items in the same locations for the same movements (putaway, picking, or replenishment), you typically set up fixed locations for each type of movement.

In a warehouse where it is advantageous to store items in varied, multiple locations, you set up random rules. Random rules are sets of criteria that each location must meet to qualify as a location for an item. For example, assume that you have an order consisting of items that require refrigeration. After you create a random rule that requires that a location be refrigerated, you create a random locations table, which is a list of all the random locations that meet the requirements of the random rule. Assuming that you have created the tiebreaker table, which stores information about each location such as sequence number, available space, and proximity, the system suggests a series of random locations for putaway, picking, or replenishment.

You might use fixed locations in these circumstances:

• After you have received perishable foods (such as poultry or dairy products) that are not stored in the warehouse, using fixed locations enables you to move the items directly from the receiving dock to the locations from which the items are picked.

• When you routinely receive items that require specific storage conditions, such as temperature, lighting, and humidity, using fixed locations enables you to use the same locations repeatedly for the same purpose.

You might use random locations when you receive pallets. For example, random locations enable you to store the pallets in many different locations in the warehouse. Typically, pallets share the same dimensions and characteristics, which enables flexibility for where the pallets can be put away and picked in the warehouse.