Flex for WMS

What is Flex?

Flex is an additional module that you can use in the Warehouse, designed to provide you with a flexible workforce who can be on the operations floor or at a desk.
It is also a valuable addition to any Warehouse operation allowing you to remove the need and un-reliability of paper within the Warehouse.
- The application was designed and written on a platform that allows maximum exposure without the need to purchase complicated and expensive RF devices.

Flex has also been written to work whilst outside the coverage of the network and when a WIFI signal is then found, it will connect and upload or download the information as required.
- This allows most Warehouse operations to be carried out even when there is no signal in a dark corner of the Warehouse.
- There are also some functions within the application which DO require a live connection to be able to retrieve the information you asked for, this is generally limited to instant enquiries and live information you may require.
The MAIN MENU option below explains each of the Menu options in more detail and information about the functionality these provide.

Operating System - Android OS for use on smartphones or tablets.
Released - December 2016

Click the following link to skip this generic sections and go directly to the Menus and Screens sections:

Jump directly to the Flex Main Menu section..

Functionality:
All the functionality below is also provided in the main Vision WMS solutions (in addition to being within Flex). Only the Picking section was within the original FLEX LITE application which was built using WindowsCE.
Key Areas:
Goods Inwards Operational. Goods Arriving - Arrived - Departed. Check and Update the goods inwards records. Produce Check Sheet. Produce Rotation Labels. Put away the stocks in the warehouse locations. Scan the rotation barcode. Scan the location barcode. Multiple location put away for more than one receipt at the same time. Manufacturing put away. Searching. Find a Pre-Advice. Outstanding goods to Put Away. All the functionality from the GOODS IN → Warehouse Receipts from Vision WMS. Coming Soon. Ability to take photographs using the Flex system to store against stock received. Stock Management Stock Take. Download a Stock Take. Perform a count and record the results. Upload the results to Vision. Produce an exception report. Record Stock Take records for each Rotation record. Ability to perform blind Stock Takes. Loss in Store - Ability to record a Loss In Store. Record the Loss. Reason Code. Live Enquiries This performs 3 types of enquiries, as the name suggests this needs to have an online connection to make these queries on the main system. Rotation Enquiry - provide the Rotation number and this will show the Rotation and its movements. Location Enquiry - Provide the Location name will show what is in the Location. Order Enquiry - provide either the Order Unique Identification (OUID) or the Customer Document Reference. Location Movement Moving Stock around the warehouse. Whilst this does not require a live connection this is an important priority update item as we need to know where the Stock is. Location - Pick up the Rotations you want to move from a Location or multiple Locations. All Stock is moved into a TEMPORARY Location whilst the move takes place. Locations Drop - You can select the Rotations you are moving and place them into a new Location or multiple Locations. Stock Conditions. Mobile Condition Reporting options. Search condition reporting outstanding items. Add new items which you are reporting on. Use the inbuilt camera to take images of the rotations. Uploads to the main system. Warehouse Picking Warehouse Options for Picking. Select next order. Utilises order priority. Select nearest Order. Requires Location technology. Select specific Order. Select Bulk Pick. Multiple pickers on same Bulk Pick possible. Record where the Pallet has been left. Picking Interface. Manual Over-ride is possible. Voice commands are possible. Scan the Location to confirm the Location and be told which Rotation. Scan the Rotation to be told the quantity to Pick. Confirm the quantity you have Picked. Produce a printed Delivery label. Warehouse Confirm Pick. Confirm Pick Stock. Ability to edit quantities. Ability to Print delivery labels form the device for both single picks and bulk picks. RePick from Bulk Pick Bulk / Group Pick Breakdown to Single orders. Utilises the record of where the Picked Bulk items have been left. Provides order by order re-Picking information. Collections from Warehouse New Feature for Vision v5 (Collections will no longer be sent into Distribution system). Review all Collections awaiting Pickup. Ability to sign one or multiple Locations. Picks Up Driver name and registration. Stores date and time. Stored electronic signature. Ability to print this and send to the customer using the existing system.

Icon Key:

A key and brief description of the Icons you may encounter whilst using Flex.

This symbol indicates that the required Menu option you are about to use requires a connection to the network in order to perform this action.

This button will only appear on the login screen and the home menu.
- Pressing this from either of the screens will allow you to edit the server address, view the device ID, or upload the database to support for investigation.

This button will log you out of the application, if used from the Main Menu it will close the app, and return you to the devices home screen.

The button will take you back to the Main Menu and will appear on the top left part of most screens.

This button will only appear on the Stock Take Location screen.
- It will be used only for changing the Location from the chosen Warehouse on the Stock Take download screen.

This button will appear when you are able to go back to a previous page, and clicking this will return you to the screen you were on previously.

This button will take you to the User Profile screen where you will be able to select the Site Code, the Warehouse's within the chosen Site which can be used, the printer's to use for Rotation labels, Despatch Labels & Collections. Also you can change Picking Setting.
- This button is only accessible from the main menu.

This button will appear on the main menu if at some point the device loses connection to the internet while trying to submit information to the database. Clicking this will take you to the Awaiting upload screen.

Starting the Application:
The application once installed should be configured and ready to logon to the network. if it can not see the network at this point it will use the cached user list from the previous connection. N.B. This does mean that any new users added since the last download will not be on the device if there is no network connection. The usual Vision Suite icon will be on the application list or a shortcut will be on one of your menu screens.
Log on Screen:
When Initially opening the application you will be shown the log on screen. Here you will need to enter your Username and Password where asked. If you are having any issues logging in you will need to contact your Administrator for Vision Warehousing and ask them to confirm that the Username you are using is set up to use Flex devices.

Main Menu:
This is the main application menu. You can access all the main application areas from here. Hint! Click any bold Menu Item Name below to jump directly to that section on this page. Goods Inwards. All aspects of goods inwards, check the vehicle in and the load, and then put away in the warehouse. Stock Management This allows you to perform stock enquiry, order enquiry, location enquiry, stock checks. Live Enquiries. As the name suggests most items in here will require a network connection. Location Move. Moving stocks around the warehouse. Stock Condition. A mobile method of adding condition reports to the system, no need to bring the bottle to you, simply use the device to take a picture at the items location. Warehouse Picking. Pick the items in the warehouse, whether single picks or bulk picks, this is designed for novice to advanced users. Re-Pick from Bulk Pick. if you are using a bulk pick this allows you to repick the bulk items into single orders if you wish to do so. Collections. Have collection drivers sign for the goods they pick up directly on the device, it stores signature, name, date and time of collection. N.B. You may require a later version of WMS in order to use some of the functionality. N.B. Each Option on the Main Menu is covered in the sections below in detail.
Menu item 1 - Goods Inwards:
Clicking on the Goods inwards will allow you check Incoming Pre-Advices and Stock which are currently awaiting receipting (landing). You will also be able to search for Pre-Advices and put away manufacturing orders.
Incoming:
When you have booked in a pre-advice via Vision warehousing, the Pre-Advice order will show on this screen ready to be receipted (landed). When the stock arrives at your chosen warehouse, selecting the relevant Pre-advice will open it on the Pre-advice screen where you will be able to check the Stock and mark it as arrived. You can mark the Pre-Advice as Arrived or Departed but clicking the correct button. You can click the Check button to open the Pre-Advice checking screen. This screen allows you to put away the Stock and select the actual amount received. The check button can only be able to be used if the Arrived/Depart button has already been clicked. You can not make any other changes to the Pre-Advice here. This screen will show the Pre-Advice Check Detail screen. It shows the product(s) being receipted (landed) and information about the Stock itself. Here you can insert the Actual Quantity Received, in Pallets, Cases or Singles. N.B The number of Pallets, Cases, and Singles will be added together. If one pallet is landed then you will need to mark 1 in the pallets and leave Cases and Singles as 0. You do not need to add 1 Pallet and then 1 pallets worth of cases and 1 Pallets worth of singles - that would tripple the quantity of Stock receipted (landed). Once done, check the Duty Paid and/or Duty Stamped fields if relevant to this stock. N.B. It is vital that this check boxes are used correctly. It can be time consuming and costly to rectify incorrectly receipted Stock later on. Enter the number of labels required and click the Labels button. Choose which printer you wish to use to print the Labels when asked.
Checking:
This screen will display all Pre-Advices that require putting away. This screen Shows the unique Pre-Advice ID (PUID), Customer and Customer PO reference, Transporter Registration, Container Reference, Booked Arrived time and the Quantity in Lines, Pallets, and Cases. Clicking on a Pre-Advice in the list will open the Pre-Advice Check Summary screen which will show you a basic break down of the lines on the Pre-Advice. The Pre-Advice Check Summary screen shows you all the lines for the selected Pre-Advice. The screen shows the unique Pre-Advice ID (PUID) and Customer Code, Product and Brand, Units of Measurement (in Cases Per Pallet), Singles Per Case and Single Size (Size), Vintage (Year), Batch Reference, Type of Package the Stock arrived in, Expected Pallets, Cases and Singles, whether the Stock is Duty Paid and if the Stock has been Checked. Clicking on a Pre-Advice line will open the Pre-Advice Check Detail screen (see this screen in the Pre-Advice section above).
O/S Put Away:
This screen shows after clicking the O/S PutAway button on the Goods Inwards menu. It will show a list of outstanding items waiting to be put away to the correct locations. Entering a Rotation and clicking the PutAway button will filter the list to show only the chosen Rotation. Click on a line to show the Put Away Location screen (see below). When you are putting away the individual Rotations, you will need to enter the name of the Location. Enter the Cases and Singles in the fields to the left of the Put Away button. Any remaining Cases and/or singles will be calculated and shown automatically in the Remaining For This Rotation fields. If the stock requires a condition report, you will need to tick the condition report box prior to putting away.
Multi Putaway:
Clicking on Multi Put Away will pull up the put-away location screen but the Rotation will need to be entered manually, which will then pull through the remaining details. Enter the Quantity of Pallets (P), Cases (C) and Singles (S) to be put away in the fields to the left of the PutAway button. If the Stock requires a Condition Report, check the Condition Report field box prior to clicking the PutAway button. If you have any remaining stock to be putaway this will be automatically calculated and shown below the "Remaining for this Rotation" after you have entered the quantity to put away.
Find An Advice:
Click on Find An Advice if you need to locate details for a pre-advice by its UID, Customer Name, Customer Code or PO Number. Press the correct Search button, once you have entered you have entered a filter value. If you only know the Rotation Number but you want to view other details for the Stock on the corresponding Pre-Advice you will need to enter the Rotation in the Putaway Section which will then show a list of all matching Pre-Advices.
Manufacturing Put Away:
To part put away Manufactured Stock, you will need to enter the Document Ref for the Order, the location the goods will be stored and the Pallets/Cases/Singles. Once these are entered you will need to press the Locate button to Putaway the Stock. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 2 - Stock Management:
Using Stock management to confirm quantities in the current locations and also report losses in store. Use the Stock Take function if you require a Stock Take (Stock Audit).
Stock Take Download:
After clicking Stock Take click the button with the inverted triangle and select from the list. You can also filter the results by Customer Code, a specific Location for the selected Warehouse, or a Location Range From and To. If you want all Stock for a Customer for one Warehouse you can enter the Warehouse and Customer Code before pressing the DOWNLOAD button. Once all information is filled in, click the DOWNLOAD button to go to the Stock Take Location screen.
Stock Take Location:
Select a Rotation from the list. The list will update to show any differences and indicate if the rotation has been checked in the Check column. Pressing the Abort button will upload all checked Rotations to the server and Complete that Stock Check. You will need to create a new Stock Take to Complete the remaining Rotations.
Stock Take Discrepancy:
Enter the amount of Stock in the Location in Cases and Singles. Pressing the Next button will Save and Note any differences, take you back to the Stock Take Location screen and mark the Stock as checked.
Stock Take Divert:
This screen shows all the Locations you need to check (if required to do so). Clicking on a Location will take you back to the Stock Take Location screen but will only show the stock for the location chosen. Once a Location is completed it will show as Checked in the Check column.
Stock Loss:
If there have been any incidents that have caused the loss or breakage of one or more Products you can enter a Stock Loss. You will need to select the Location name where the Stock is currently stored, The Rotation shows the amount in the Location currently, the amount that was lost and the type of loss. Please note that the Quantity in Location will be prior to the losses. Depending on the size of the loss you can also toggle the show pallets button which will allow you to enter the pallets lost. Enter a Reason/Cause of the breakage of the bottles. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 3 - Live Enquiries:
Live Enquiries will allow you to view information on Rotations such as the Date Received and the Stock level for that Rotation.
Rotation Enquiry Menu:
If you require information on a specific Rotation you will need to click on the Rotation Enquiry Menu button. Enter your Rotation Number and click the Search button. This will display a screen showing the Rotation and all line numbers associated with it. Clicking on a Rotation will show you information about that Stock record.
Location Enquiry:
If you need to see how much Stock is in a current Location click the Location Enquiry button. Enter a Location and click the Search button to show an itemised selection of the Stock by Rotation in that Location. You can see the total Stock in Location at the bottom of the screen in Cases and Singles Click the Show Pallets slider button to show Pallets. Slide the Show Pallets button the other way to hide Pallets.
Order Enquiry:
Click the Order Enquiry button to check the status of an Order. Enter the Order UID or the Document Reference If the Doc Ref exists more than once multiple Orders will appear on the screen. Clicking on the Order line to show more details on the Order. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 4 - Location Move:
Location Move Pick Up:
Location Enquiry shows all Products and Stock levels currently in that Location. The Order enquiry will allow you to Search for any Order. The Status Location move will allow you to move stock from one location to another. To change Location of the selected Stock pick a Rotation by entering the Name of the Location and then the Rotation Number. Enter the Pallets, Cases and Singles moved. Click next and the Pick Button will appear. If you are only picking 1 Case, enter the Pallets and Singles as zero. Scan multiple Rotations to do multiple moves of different Stock before dropping them off to the correct location.
Location Move Drop Off:
After Picking the Stock, drop it into the new Location. Select the Destination location name and the Rotation Number used for the Stock. Once this is correct enter the Stock you want to land in Location. Any remaining stock will remain on screen to be dropped off. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 5 - Stock Condition:
Stock Condition will allow you to search for outstanding Condition Reports, add new Condition Reports and take Photos of the Stock.
Stock Condition Requests:
Any requested Condition Report (by a Customer or a User) will show here. Click any where on a Request to see the Condition Report details.
New Report:
If you arrived at this New Report screen from the Search Request screen, the details will show automatically. Click Add New to enter a New Report for outstanding requests. Click the Take Photo button to take a Picture of the Stock The Picture will be uploaded to Vision Warehousing where it will be visible from the application or from the VCIS website. N.B. click the Internal / Public slider button to Internal to hide the Picture from Customers. Click the Internal / Public slider button to Public if you want the Picture to be visible to all. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 6 - Warehouse Picking:
Warehouse Picking will allow you to pick Stock for Orders awaiting Pick or Pick Confirmation. Click the Picking button takes you to the Get A Pick screen. Click the Picking Confirmation button takes you to the Pick Confirm Screen. "It is the Warehouses responsibility to inform Flex users if an Order downloaded to their device has been unpicked - you will not receive a warning on the device".
Get A Pick Single/Bulk:
Click the Bulk button and enter the Bulk Pick UID or Click the Single button and enter the Pick UID Click the Get Pick button to take you to the Order Of The Pick screen.
Order Of The Pick:
The Order Of The Pick screen will allow you to view the Pick details and select the Aisle you will be Picking from Choose whether the Order you want to Pick by clicking the Location or the Weight button. Enter the Aisle manually or select an Aisle Code to populate the field for you. Press the Continue button to go to the Go To Location screen.
Go To Location:
Select the Location you are Picking from. This would normally be auto-filled for you, however if the Location is incorrect, click the Divert button (top right of the screen) This will take you to the Go To Another Location Screen. If the details are correct, enter the Check Digit and press the Next button. I there is no label notifying you of the Check Digit check the No Label field before you click the Next button. Once all information is correct, click the Next button to go to the Find Rotation screen Once you are happy with the information you will need to press next which will take you to the find rotation screen.
Go To Another Location:
Use this screen select another Location where the Stock is held if you need to Pick more Stock than is held in the original Location. Select the Location you want to Pick from next. Once you have selected the Location, click it again to auto-populate the fields with the new details, or enter them manually. Click the Continue button to return to the Go To Location screen.
Find Rotation:
Use this screen confirm that you are Picking the correct Rotation from the Warehouse. Enter the Rotation Number that you want to look at to auto-populate the fields with the details. If there is no Label check the No Label field. Click the Next button to go the Pick Quantity screen.
Pick Quantity:
Enter the Quantities to be Picked from the selected Location (in Pallets, Cases and Singles). Click the Next button to once the quantities are correct to go to the Picked That screen.
Picked That:
Use this screen to see any outstanding Stock. If there is a Pick Discrepancy check the Discrepancy Noticed field to update Vision Warehousing. Enter the number of Dispatch Labels (if you need any) and click the Print button. When you have entered all the required details, click the Finish button to go to the Order Summary screen.
Order Summary:
This screen shows type of Pallet Charge used and the quantity of Pallets used. Click the Finish button complete the Pick and move the Order to the Pick Confirmation screen.
Pick Confirm:
This screen is used to Pick Confirm an Order. If the Order UID has not been auto-populated from a previous screen you will need to enter it (to the left of the Retrieve button). Entering either the Bulk Pick UID or Order UID (depending on the selected item) by clicking the Single or Bulk buttons and Clicking the Retrieve button (which also shows the information from the initial Pick). Click the View O/S button If you do not know the Bulk Pick or Order UID to be taken to Pick Confirm Outstanding screen.
Pick Confirm Outstanding:
This screen will display a list of outstanding Orders and Bulk Picks. Click the Confirm button next to a line to Pick Confirm that line. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 7 - Re-Pick From Bulk:
The Re-Pick From Bulk screen allows you to check the Stock being passed to the Transporter matches the Pick Confirmation details. Click the Bulk Pick Break Down button to be taken to the Get A Pick screen.
Get A Pick:
Select the Pick that you want by clicking on it in the list and confirm that the correct quantities have been loaded on to the Tranporter, Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Menu 8 - Collections From Warehouse:
Single Collections:
This screen (and the functionality to deal with Collections) is currently being worked on by Development and will be available for a future release. This screen is not currently in use. Jump back to the Main Menu section.
Awaiting Upload:
This screen shows all transactions created that are waiting to be uploaded to the server. If you are connected to the internet and the messages are not clearing you will need to click the Restart Uploader button which will attempt to post the transactions. If the messages do not clear automatically please conact the Vision Support Team for further assistance. Jump back to the Main Menu section.