Warehouse documentation is a must. It is indispensable in the process of recording goods that are received into the company, moved in internal operations and issued to external parties, such as customers. It should be kept very meticulously and reliably. Proper document circulation simply keeps things in order. It also allows the company to make calculations related to the level of sales or demand for particular goods.
Types of documents
Documentation can take the form of paper or electronic. There are two types of documents. The first is revenue warehouse documents, which relate to goods entering the warehouse. The second type is outgoing warehouse documents, which cover goods that are released from the warehouse.
Incoming and outgoing warehouse documentation
Incoming warehouse documentation includes:
- PZ – external receipt, is a document confirming the receipt by the warehouse of goods, products or materials from outside.
- PW – internal receipt, used when receiving material from an entity that is part of the enterprise.
- ZW – return of goods, is the basis for the return of goods.
- MM – inter-warehouse transfer, a document confirming the movement of materials between warehouses inside the enterprise (revenue).
Outbound warehouse documentation includes:
- WZ – outward release, a document for the release of goods from the warehouse in connection with a sale or gratuitous transfer.
- RW – internal disbursement, confirmation of the release of materials for internal needs of the company.
- MM – inter-warehouse transfer, is a warehouse document that is used to show the movement of specific goods (or whole lots) between warehouses belonging to the same enterprise.
Modern warehouse documentation
In companies, you can meet keeping records of events in paper form, but this sphere has also been affected by digitization, which definitely makes work more efficient and easier. Warehouse documentation is often accompanied by an ERP system, in which the recording of flows is of a value-quantity nature, which we wrote about in a previous post. However, wherever the number of material items is counted in thousands or tens of thousands the basis of warehouse operation is the WMS system. It is based on the automatic collection of data enabling the error-free identification of types, quantities and all kinds of operations related to the flow of goods.
Despite ubiquitous digitization, warehouse documentation will still be present on the warehouse floor, only the form in which it appears is changing. Every employee should certainly be knowledgeable about it, this will not only allow to reduce the possibility of error, but also contributes to increased work efficiency.