Packing and despatch involves preparing the goods ready for despatch to the customer. Picked stock items are assembled at a central collection point which should be within close proximity to the warehouse despatch area.
Warehouse despatch areas are normally divided into sections, each with their own location reference, which will be the delivery destination printed on the picking list used by the person picking the stock.
Once the goods have been picked and collated, they will need to be processed ready for despatch to the customer. This could include packing using appropriate protective packaging to ensure they arrive in the desired state, and the printing of a delivery/consignment with relevant information to the delivery, including:
- Customer Name
- Delivery Address
- Item Reference Numbers
- Quantities
- Storage Requirements
- Health and Safety data
Before orders leave the warehouse for delivery to the customer, final quality and quantity checks are usually required. Only when these checks have taken place and it has been verified that the order is exactly what the customer requires can the stock be finally booked out of the inventory management system.