On-Demand Replenishment (Slotting - D365FO)

In the current digital transformation era, Microsoft is concentrating on adding more capabilities to the Warehouse Management on Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations to optimize warehouse operations.

Though the min/max replenishment helps the warehouse fulfil the picking of fast moving items, if the volume of orders is higher than the maximum stocks replenished day to day, the warehouse pickers may still need to wait for replenishment teams to fill the picking locations. Every day, the warehouse controller needs to monitor the items that need replenishment based on the sales orders or transfer orders (demand) received in the warehouse for shipping and create a report or generate instructions for the replenishment team to replenish the items to fulfill the sales orders or transfer orders.

Microsoft came up with slotting functionality to support the warehouse controller to monitor the demand and generate the replenishment to fulfill the orders for shipping.

A simple flow chart about the slotting replenishment that helps in monitoring the demand and review / create replenishments.

About the functionality:

1. Slotting templates will be visible on Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, once the feature has been enabled on the Feature Management.

1. Configure the Slotting Template.

Path: Warehouse Management > Setup > Replenishment > Slotting Templates

2.1 Brief on configs:

2.1.1. Slotting Template: Give some meaningful template name

2.1.2. Description: Enter Name (Optional)

2.1.3. Demand Type: Sales Orders / Transfer Orders (This checks the source of demand)

2.1.4. Demand Strategy: Ordered

2.1.5. Warehouse: Select required warehouse

2.1.6. Allow Wave demand to use unreserved quantities: Yes

2.1.7. Sequence: 1

2.1.8. Description: Meaningful name

2.1.9. Minimum: 1

2.1.10. Maximum: 9999

2.1.11. Unit: ea (Preferably base unit of the product variant/product)

2.1.12. Unit of Measure Tier: Create a similar tier to that of Unit sequence group and attach it

2.1.13. Assign Slot Criteria:

Assume empty: considers the current on-hand pick/fixed location as empty

Consider Qty: considers the quantity from demand as the required quantity

Consider on-hand: considers on-hand quantity in the pick/fixed location

2.1.14. Directive Code: Attach a directive code, the same must be mapped to replenishment location directive of type pick

2.1.15. Fixed location usage:

Fixed and Non-fixed locations: considers the locations defined on the query or current stocked locations or defined fixed locations

Only fixed location of the product: considers the fixed locations defined for the product for fulfilling the orders.

Only fixed location of the product variant: considers the fixed locations defined for the product variant for fulfilling the orders.

3. Configure Work template

Path: Warehouse Management > Setup > Work > Work templates

4. Configure Location directive of work order type "Replenishment" and work type "Pick". Make sure Directive code mapped on slotting template (defined at 2.1.1.4) matches the directive code on location directive.

4.1. Click Edit Query on Location Directive Actions and select the location profile from where the replenishment needs to happen.

5. Create a simple sales order to run through the scenario

6. Now, back to the slotting template. Query by the Requested ship date on the Edit query on the header. Updated Advanced query parameter to avoid changing the dates every day.

7. Click Generate Demand, to generate the demand from the sales orders that need to be shipped for today and tomorrow.

8. Click Slotting Demand. This can be a kind of report for the warehouse controller to view the demand for the day to ship the orders.

9. Click Locate Demand. This generates the report on the replenishment that needs to take place.

10. Click the Slotting plan, this shows the plan on the replenishment that needs to happen. The slotting plan changes as per the Assign Slot Criteria. The warehouse controller can consider and review the replenishment that needs to happen.

10.0.1 In case, Assign Slot Criteria (at step 2.1.13): Assume empty

10.0.2 In case, Assign Slot Criteria (at step 2.1.13): Consider on-hand.

11. Finally, click on create the Replenishment to generate the replenishment works

12. Replenishment works generated:

This makes the warehouse controller job easy to review and create the replenishment works on day-to-day demand.

Of course, Wave demand replenishment is still there, but an additional feature on slotting is to generate a slotting report which helps the controller in reviewing before running the replenishment.