We’re pleased to announce the release of OrderFlow 4.3.6, followed shortly by the update release of 4.3.6.1. This release includes both a new e-commerce integration and a new courier integration. It also features improvements in a range of areas relating to order processing, order entry, barcode usage, billing and expiry dates.

Integrations
In OrderFlow 4.3.6 we have added an integration to the SalesForce Commerce Cloud platform. The integration includes the usual API operations for order and product import as well as inventory and despatch notifications. It also features operations for order cancellation and return notifications.

We also added a new integration to the SmartFreight carrier management platform, which in turn supports integrations with over 650 transport providers globally.

Order Processing

In OrderFlow 4.3.6 we’ve added some key changes relating to order processing, with a particular focus on providing operators with more fine-grained control over how certain actions are performed.

The system can now be configured to allow an operator to manually change a picking assignment, so the operator can choose the specific location or lot that will be used to fulfil an order line.

When picking a batch, the operator can now be shown a complete list of the products (and optionally locations) for the pick. This can help the operator in selecting the appropriate cart or trolley for the pick.

Once picking has started, the system now supports an option to allow the operator to choose the next item to pick, rather than simply to perform the next pick suggested by the system.

If picking is interrupted, the operator can resume the pick at a later time by selecting from a list of partially completed picks, rather than having the enter a specific batch ID or picking cart.

With 4.3.6, the system now includes a feature which allows units of measure defined for the product to assist in determining the specific items to pick. The defined units of measure for a product can be put to use without requiring a full case picking setup to be configured.

Order Entry

In OrderFlow 4.3.6 we’ve added some refinements to the order entry functionality. We now allow the delivery suggestion code (often used in shipment courier selection) to be entered manually. It is now also possible to manually add order lines for which specific product lots are requested.

Barcodes

In OrderFlow 4.3.6 we’ve added a number of refinements to the way that barcodes are used and managed on the system.

With the ‘scan to pack’ feature, OrderFlow can now recognise the scan of a case-specific barcode and automatically update the scanned quantity accordingly. For example if the barcode for a case of 10 is scanned, then the quantity scanned for that product will be incremented by 10. This feature reduces the need for quantity entry during the scan to pack.

We’ve also tightened up on the scanning of product barcodes on the handheld, allowing for the product to be identified only via a barcode scan, and not via the entry of the SKU reference.

With OrderFlow 4.3.6 we’ve enhanced the way product lots are identified from GS1 barcodes. Prior to this release, it was possible to identify both the product and  lot from a single GS1 barcode. The refinement in this release is to allow for lots to be identified from (separate) GS1 barcodes that have not been used to identify the product.

With this release, we’ve also added the ability to display the barcodes that may be used to identify a product during picking.

Billing

For some time OrderFlow has had an activity recording capability that allows for predefined, typically standalone warehouse activities to be recorded for billing purposes. With OrderFlow 4.3.6 it is now possible to associate these activities with other entities on the system, such as deliveries, returns, shipment batches, etc. This can be used to ensure that users are prompted to record additional information about the process they are working on before it is completed.

Expiry Dates

Much of the expiry date management functionality on OrderFlow is linked to the use of product lots, which provides robust tools for this purpose. However, the use of product lots does add some operational overhead.

Prior to this release, OrderFlow provided a best effort FIFO mechanism that allows for FIFO behaviour to be generally observed with no additional operator overhead.  With 4.3.6 we’ve repurposed this feature, allowing it to be used to propagate an expiry date captured on receipt of stock. This allows for a useful expiry date management capability to be put to use with low operational overhead.