Mastering the WMS Shipping Process

• Jackie Kabiri

October 30, 2024

When someone says “Warehouse Management System”, one of the things you might not think of right away is the final outcome of the process, shipping. Yet shipping within a WMS must take into account all aspects of the system and possible workflows to culminate in sending the final product onto the truck for delivery to your customer’s doorstep. Although shipping may seem like a straightforward process, in reality there are many different ways and modes of shipping. These can all be managed by WMS and Advanced Shipping/Transportation Management System (TMS) configurations on the back end.

How Does the Shipping Process Work in the WMS?

How the shipping process begins typically depends on how the items in the order were picked. (To learn more about picking strategies, see Pick Optimization Can Make or Break Your Business: This is What You Need to Know to Succeed.) If the picked items were placed automatically into the appropriate shipping container, the operator will simply print the packing list for that package. However, if the items were placed in a temporary container during picking, the process has a few more steps:

1. The operator will first be prompted to scan the container ID barcode.
2. They will then place the item on the scale and the WMS will assess the carrier and service requests provided by the ERP, including rate shopping.
3. After this, the operator will verify the weight and service from the WMS is correct and click “Process Shipment” to complete the action.
4. From here, the operator simply retrieves the relevant documents and applies the shipping label to the new container. ShipHawk uses PrintNode’s API to simplify the printing process for shipping labels.

This process is the same for all containers, multi-container shipments and for pallets. If needed, the operator can edit and re-print or cancel out of the shipment at any time. For more complex orders, additional information such as freight terms, PRO number, account number and accessorials can be added to the WMS.

Three Ways to Ship

ShipHawk supports three approaches to shipping that can be taken based off the size and characteristics of the shipment:

• Ship By Order: In this process, the warehouse operator fully packs the order before validating the container ID. All container options are presented to the operator and all ship labels are generated at once. Orders define the carrier/service, freight terms and accounts, INCO terms and accounts, accessorial requests, and the return service label.
• Ship By Carton: With the cartonization system, the optimal carton size is selected before picking begins and the operator packs the orders. Any carton is valid to ship as long as it is packed. Cartons can also be split after packing in Pack Edit and re-shipped separately. Carton weight is automatically captured for single-carton orders; however, operators must scan the Container ID to weigh multi-carton orders. The order is only confirmed with the ERP when the final associated carton has shipped.
• Ship By Consolidation: When shipping by consolidation, the operator packs together multiple orders and combines them into containers for shipment. This consolidates space when a series of orders may be heading to similar destinations. The operator can also create a common pallet from multiple orders/containers for shipment by consolidation. Operators can execute this process by order or, less commonly, by carton. When used effectively, this option can minimize package waste and reduce transportation costs for your business.

WMS & TMS Shipping Integration

While shipping is largely a warehouse-centered process, it also significantly involves the Transportation Management System (TMS) associated with the actual rating and delivery of the order. Your business will likely follow one of these three situations:

1. Orders are both packed and shipped in the WMS
2. Orders are packed in the WMS and shipped in the TMS
3. Orders are packed and shipped in the TMS (after picking in the WMS)

Two Shipping Workflows

ShipHawk offers two possible shipping workflows involving the transfer of information between the ShipHawk WMS and TMS systems:

1. The WMS relies on the TMS to tell the system how to ship the order. The TMS is integrated into the ERP to make the best way determination, and the ERP sends a carrier/service level on the order. This process is then completed when the WMS uses this information for pack/ship, or the information is sent from the WMS to the TMS so that the carrier/service is preselected in the TMS.
2. The WMS passes the order to the TMS to ship the order. In this workflow, the ERP does not choose a carrier/service. Most commonly, the WMS will send the order info to the TMS after picking, asking the TMS to choose the best option using packing optimization tools such as SmartPack.

Optimize Your Warehousing and Shipping Processes Today

The nature of your business’s shipping operations will likely vary depending on the type of goods you handle, the scale of your operations and the geographical areas you serve. Because of this, ShipHawk offers a variety of possible shipping workflows and approaches to customize your operations to your business needs. When you use ShipHawk’s TMS and WMS systems concurrently, these processes work at their top efficiency with seamless communication. Schedule a time to speak to a shipping expert at ShipHawk today!