Canonfarma Production automated the warehouse using InStock WMS and InStock FGIS

2020: Implementation of InStock WMS and InStock FGIS

On December 24, 2020, Canonfarma Production announced the automation of the warehouse using InStock WMS and InStock FGIS.

Canonfarma Production

According to the company, when automating the warehouse, it was necessary to take into account not only the features of the inherent pharmaceutical products, such as the specifics of the series, temperature conditions and shelf life, but also the fact that at the same time the products subject to mandatory labeling of drugs and products not subject to mandatory labeling can be stored in the warehouse. Products subject to mandatory labelling, in turn, at the initial stage can be in three versions:

• The goods are marked and put into circulation through MDLP,
• The goods are marked and not put into circulation through MDLP (test marking was made without entering into circulation,
• The item is not marked (product balances).

The project team for warehouse automation had the task of creating:

• Accurate accounting of drugs in stock, taking into account different article statuses and batch characteristics
• organize ^[1] traceability ^[2] by warehouse
• Automate drug acceptance processes in direct order
• control aggregation and de-aggregation of boxes
• manage the process of shipment in direct and reverse order, and goods movement in the warehouse, taking into account the peculiarities of storage of pharmaceuticals
• Optimize stock placement
• speed up the process of selection and control of goods, increase their accuracy
• implement the possibility of ordering the goods taking into account the peculiarities of processing: without a series, a specific series, or with the exception of certain series
• Integrate with the MDL system in accordance with the requirements and rules of the Mandatory Marking.
• avoid delays in processing due to increased processes that have arisen with the introduction of mandatory marking.

These tasks were solved by the implementation of the warehouse management system InStock WMS 6.0 and the integration module with the GIS system MDLP InStock FGIS.

Automation Solution The system InStock WMS version 6.0 has added all the necessary functionality for working with goods marked according to the rules of Mandatory marking and organization of SGTIN traceability by warehouse in real time.

Also, InStock WMS 6.0 integrates with information exchange systems with the Marking system. The integration module InStock FGIS provides exchange with MDL, decommissioning for various reasons and prevents the relocation of marked goods by SGTIN.

Products can come to the company's warehouse both from its own production and from contract sites. Depending on the type of goods, different types of acceptance are used:

• Goods subject to mandatory marking are accepted by box codes (direct order)
• Goods not subject to mandatory marking may be accepted by method of Acceptance in assortment or Acceptance by monopallets

The goods in the warehouse are received from the supplier based on the electronic document - Inbound Delivery, which is unloaded from the ERP in advance . InStock WMS prohibits the acceptance of goods more than in the document and the acceptance of goods not specified in the document.

Before the start of the acceptance, the FSIS module InStock requests information in the WLLM about SGTIN and ^[3] included in the delivery. The FGIS InStock module unloads information on the goods entered into circulation, as part of aggregated boxes and pallets, and also information on re-aggregations in boxes, if they are produced in production.

In the course of acceptance at each scanning of InStock WMS sends a request in the InStock FSIS Module with the indication of number of delivery of MDLP, SSCC or sgtin. In response to the InStock Module, the WMS receives:

• list of codes,
• series,
• expiration date,
• quantity.

If SGTIN/SSCC not registered in WLLP is present in the delivery, a message is displayed on the TSD screen.

This allows you to prevent subsequent errors in advance, to put such goods in quarantine, preventing them from entering the selection zones, to generate reports and complaints to the supplier about non-conformity.

InStock WMS prevents errors due to SSCC pallet re-scanning scannings and SSCC corob re-scanning situations that were previously accepted as part of the pallet.

The warehouse employee who accepts the goods forms a prefabricated pallet with the goods of different articles. InStock WMS generates internal pallet labels (not SSCC) During acceptance, the warehouse employee scans the barcodes of the goods. When the pallet is assembled, the employee scans the pallet label, indicates the appearance and dimensions of the pallet. InStock WMS, on the basis of data on the goods collected on pallets, the dimensions of pallets and its type, determines the cell for storage in a certain area.

Acceptance by monopalets can be used for goods that are not labeled and when only one article/batch is accepted for each pallet. This method increases the acceptance rate. The employee once indicates the contents of the pallet and its dimensions, and then can scan an unlimited number of pallet labels, and as a result, an appropriate number of identical pallets will be adopted.

InStock WMS controls the placement of goods based on the data received in the system at the acceptance stage. The employee from the WMS InStock receives a task to place a pallet in a certain cell to the DAM. If the warehouse employee selects another storage bin, the system checks it for compliance with the storage rules for this item. If the employee chooses another location for placement, the system checks whether it is possible to place the item in the user-specified location according to storage rules.

As a result of placing goods under WMS InStock management, the speed of subsequent warehouse processes and the accuracy of goods accounting increase.

When reserving an item for an order, InStock WMS takes into account the requirements of customers, separately creates orders for goods Marked according to the rules of the Fair Mark and goods not subject to mandatory marking. In addition, the system takes into account the requirements of specific customers. If it does not matter to the client what goods to receive: carried out through MDLP or not carried out, then the system gives the task first of all to select labeled goods with the sign "not carried through MDLP."

In accordance with the rules of Mandatory marking, various ways of shipping to customers are automated:

• Direct shipment to customer
• Shipment to customer in reverse order
• Contract Shipment

If when you reserve an item, not all quantities are available in the box/piece selection areas, "hot refill" jobs are automatically created.

If there are no free cells on the first tier and the system cannot create a replenishment task because of this, then the WMS InStock generates tasks for stacker drivers for box, piece selection from the upper tiers.

When selecting a InStock, WMS determines to which cell to send the employee, sending him a task to the TSD. When selecting, the employee scans the cell from which he takes the goods and the pallet/box/piece item itself. The system tells the picker how much to take from the bin.

At the same time, if there is an unpacked box in the cell (not unpacked SSCC), then when a quantity of goods is removed from or reported to this box, the sign of the box "Not unpacked" is removed in WMS. This is necessary in the future for the correct exchange with the MDL system.

When you select orders, you use the piece-box selection method. Each item is selected in a separate box with its own code. Such boxes are installed on a pallet with a unique number.

On the pallet of the collector, the structure of nested boxes is formed: pallet code - box code - goods/series/quantity.

During selection, the system ensures that first all possible whole boxes are selected, and only then unpacked boxes from the cell. This approach simplifies subsequent monitoring and reduces the possibility of errors.

If the selection situation occurs when there are discrepancies with the actual quantity of the item and the data in the InStock WMS system, the system automatically creates a task to inventory the cell where there are discrepancies.

At the warehouse of Canonfarma Production CJSC, control was automated. In the control area, there is limited space for operations, but the task was to eliminate errors and check the products shipped to customers as much as possible. The previous stage of product selection was organized in such a way as to increase the speed and quality of control.

The controller zone receives products on monopallets and pallets formed by selectors. On such pallets there are products in unpacked boxes and in prefabricated boxes with the mark "box unpacked." At the moment of pallets arrival in the test area, automatically for all boxes with "not unpacked" mark, the system fills in the information about SGTIN codes. This information is received from the module of FGIS InStock. Automatically, at the same moment, the conformity of the quantity of the goods in the box is checked according to the data of WMS and the FGIS Module. If everything converges, then the corob/pallet is considered verified. If there are discrepancies, the supervisor receives a task for verification.

All boxes marked "unpacked" must be checked by the controller, who scans each item from the box. Thus, basically, only "unpacked boxes" are checked manually. With this approach, time for control is significantly saved.

Accuracy of control is reached also by the fact that at the time of scanning of goods by the controller, a request in the InStock FSIS module on SGTIN of these goods is sent. InStock FGIS checks its local database if such SGTIN is registered in the warehouse. Check excludes blocking of shipping transactions by MDL.

If SGTIN is not registered in the warehouse (there was a re-shipment), this item is sent to quarantine and the WMS InStock system creates a task to collect the item.

If the module determines the SGTIN registration in the warehouse, then the WMS InStock receives information from the module about the series and the expiration date. Compares these characteristics of InStock WMS to requirements of a line of the order. In case of compliance, the goods are sent for shipment, if at least one of the requirements is violated, then the goods are sent to the quarantine box.

Using the SGTIN verification of the characteristics of the product, it was possible to achieve 100% accuracy of inspection of the shipped products.

The FGIS InStock module installed in the warehouse provides data exchange with MDLP within the specified deadlines and required formats:

• Confirmation of acceptance from counterparty
• Confirmation of Return Receipt on Return Note (Direct Order of Acceptance)
• Confirmation of shipment in direct order and receipt of confirmation of delivery/non-delivery of the goods from the recipient
• Decommissioning for a variety of reasons, including sampling
• Aggregation, disaggregation of packages

Due to asynchronous exchange with MDLP, the speed of processing of marked goods, reception and shipment goes without slowing down.

As a result of the automation carried out under the control of the systems InStock WMS and InStock FGIS in the warehouse of Canonfarma Production CJSC, all the tasks were completed:

• it was possible to achieve accurate accounting of goods movement,
• traceability of batches/series, SGTIN goods,
• optimized speed and accuracy of processing, despite the increase in processes associated with the introduction of mandatory marking.

Notes