Receiving goods

Receiving goods into your warehouse involves processing incoming deliveries, verifying contents, allocating stock to bins, and committing inventory updates. This guide walks through the complete inbound workflow in EQUOS.

Overview of the receiving process

The inbound workflow consists of four stages:

1. Order creation — Create a receive order from the Order Manager or use an existing purchase order
2. Verification — Review expected items and capture verification photos
3. Receiving — Enter received quantities and assign bins for putaway
4. Commitment — Finalize the receipt and update stock levels

Before you begin

Ensure you have:

• A receive order created in the Order Manager (see Creating Orders)
• The supplier’s delivery note or purchase order reference
• Access to the Warehouse module
• Appropriate bins set up in your warehouse for putaway

Step 1: Access the receive task

1. Navigate to Warehouse from the main menu.
2. Select the warehouse location receiving the goods.
3. Open the Inbound Tasks tab.
4. Locate the receive order you want to process.
5. Click the task to open the inbound receiving interface.

The receiving interface has three tabs:

• Details — View and edit line items, quantities, and bin allocations
• Verify — Capture photos and validate incoming goods
• Complete — Review and commit stock to inventory

Step 2: Verify incoming goods

Before receiving items, verify the delivery against your order:

Review expected items

1. Switch to the Details tab.
2. Review the list of expected items and quantities.
3. Check the supplier’s delivery documentation for discrepancies.

Capture verification photos

1. Switch to the Verify tab.
2. Tap Take Photo to capture images of the delivery.
3. Add photos of packaging, labels, or any damage for documentation.

Photos are stored with the task and provide a record of goods condition upon arrival.

Step 3: Enter received quantities

Return to the Details tab to record actual received quantities:

Option A: Quick receive with auto-allocation

For standard deliveries where all items arrive as expected:

1. Click Auto Allocate at the top of the details screen.
2. Choose an allocation mode:
   • Replenish — Assign items to existing bins with matching SKUs
   • Spawn New — Create new bins for each line item
3. The system automatically populates received quantities and bin assignments.

The auto-allocate feature saves time when processing large deliveries.

Option B: Manual quantity entry

For partial deliveries or discrepancies:

1. Review each line item in the details list.
2. Tap the Received Qty field for an item.
3. Enter the actual quantity received.
4. Repeat for all items.

The system displays:

• Order Qty — Expected quantity from the receive order
• Received Qty — Actual quantity you’re entering
• Bin — Assigned putaway location

Handling discrepancies

If quantities differ from the order:

• Short-shipped items — Enter the actual quantity received; unallocated quantities remain on the order
• Over-delivered items — Enter the higher quantity; you can adjust later if needed
• Damaged goods — Reduce the received quantity to exclude damaged units

Document discrepancies in the verification photos or task notes.

Step 4: Assign bins for putaway

Each received item must be assigned a bin location:

Edit bin assignments

1. Tap the Edit icon on a line item.
2. Select the bin field in the edit dialog.
3. Choose a bin from your warehouse bin list.
4. Click Save to confirm.

Split items across multiple bins

If you need to put away an item across multiple locations:

1. Tap the Split icon on the line item.
2. Enter the quantities for each split (e.g., 10 and 5 for a total of 15).
3. Click Split Line to create separate lines.
4. Assign each split line to a different bin.

Splitting is useful for distributing stock across picking and reserve storage areas.

Combine duplicate lines

If you accidentally created duplicate lines for the same SKU and batch:

1. Tap the Combine icon on one of the duplicate lines.
2. Select the other matching lines to merge.
3. Click Combine to consolidate quantities.

Combined lines sum the quantities into a single line item.

Step 5: Complete the receipt

Once all items are allocated and verified:

Review the receipt

1. Switch to the Complete tab.
2. Review the commit section showing:
   • Total items received
   • Bin assignments
   • Any validation warnings

Commit stock to inventory

1. Click Commit Stock to finalize the receipt.
2. Confirm the action in the dialog that appears.
3. The system validates all items have bins assigned and received quantities are complete.

The commit operation:

• Updates stock levels in assigned bins
• Marks the task as completed
• Creates an audit trail entry
• Triggers any linked workflows (e.g., purchase order receipts)

Post-commit status

After committing:

• The task status changes to Committed
• A timestamp records when the receipt was finalized
• Stock is available for picking in other warehouse operations

Undo a committed receipt

If you need to reverse a receipt:

1. Return to the Complete tab.
2. Click Undo Commit in the committed status section.
3. Confirm the undo action.

Undoing removes stock from bins and reopens the task for editing. Use this carefully, as it reverses inventory updates.

Advanced receiving workflows

Receiving transfers

When receiving stock from another warehouse:

1. The process is identical to supplier receipts.
2. The originating warehouse shows as the “supplier” on the task.
3. The transfer order links both the outbound (source) and inbound (destination) tasks.

Receiving returns

Customer returns follow the same workflow:

1. Create a return order in Order Manager.
2. Process the inbound task as described above.
3. Inspect items for damage or defects during verification.
4. Enter received quantities for items you’re accepting back into stock.

Returns may require quality control checks before committing to inventory.

Batch and serial tracking

For items with batch or serial numbers:

1. Open the line item edit dialog.
2. Enter the batch code or serial number in the Batch Code field.
3. Save the line item.

Batch codes help track expiry dates and lot numbers for recall management.

Validation rules

The system validates receive tasks before allowing commitment:

Required fields

• At least one item with a received quantity greater than zero
• Bin assignment for every received line item
• Valid warehouse location selected

Validation warnings

• Missing bins — Items without bin assignments cannot be committed
• Quantity mismatches — Large variances between ordered and received quantities
• Duplicate batch codes — Multiple lines with identical SKU and batch in the same bin

Address all validation errors before proceeding. Warnings can be acknowledged if intentional.

Tips and best practices

1. Use auto-allocate for speed — Let the system suggest bins for routine deliveries to save time.
2. Capture photos immediately — Document delivery condition before unpacking or moving goods.
3. Split items strategically — Place fast-moving items in picking bins and reserve stock in bulk storage.
4. Review before committing — Double-check bin assignments and quantities; undoing commits creates extra work.
5. Track batch codes — Always enter batch information for perishable or regulated items.
6. Document discrepancies — Add notes or photos if received quantities differ significantly from orders.

Related documentation

• Creating Orders — How to create receive orders
• Warehouse module — Warehouse operations overview
• Order Manager module — Managing purchase and transfer orders
• Inventory module — Stock tracking and reporting