Annex OrbisWarehouse (WMS) · Inventory control
Know what can ship now. On a ledger nobody can edit.
On hand by SKU, address and condition, with what’s held aside and what’s usable now. Every number comes from an append-only ledger: exact to the unit, never rounded, never rewritten. Each lot carries its owner, and one decision recalls it.
Illustration · fictional names and data
Where it works
The full view on the web. The same numbers in the apps.
Inventory control runs in the web app, on a computer or in a tablet’s browser. The tablet and phone apps show the same stock as read-only lists.
Today, device by device
- WebIn testingOn hand, items, lots and recall in the web app, on a computer or in a tablet’s browser at least 768 px wide.
- TabletIn testingWarehouse in the tablet app: On hand, Reservations, Lots, Receiving and Attention, as read-only lists.
- MobileIn testingThe same five read-only lists in the phone app. A phone’s browser can’t open the WMS.
The tablet and phone apps are test builds on company devices, not in any app store. Decisions, from a new lot to a recall, are made in the web app.
On hand
Usable now is what you can promise.
Each row is one SKU at one address in one condition. On hand is what’s physically there. Held aside is already promised to an order, a job or a project. Usable now is what’s left to promise.
In testingWeb, tablet app and phone app
Coming Reserving stock from a screen, for an order, a job or a project. Fulfillment
In testingRead-only lists in the tablet and phone appsIllustration · fictional names and data
Four conditions. Only one counts.
- Never usableAwaiting inspectionUnloaded and counted, not yet checked. Never promised.
- Counts as usableGoodChecked and ready. The only condition that counts toward usable now.
- Never usableDamagedHeld back from every order, still on record.
- Never usableRejectedRefused at inspection, kept on record until it leaves.
The ledger
A stock ledger nobody can edit.
Every number in the WMS is the sum of entries in an append-only ledger. A mistake is fixed with a new entry that carries a reason and a name, never by changing an old one. So when someone asks why A‑04‑02 holds 96 cases, the answer is on record.
In testingBehind every screen: web, tablet and phone
- Nothing is edited or deletedEntries are permanent. A correction is a new entry, with the person who made it and why.
- Retries are recorded onceA double tap or a dropped connection sends the same request again. The ledger keeps one entry.
- The last pallet goes onceWhen two people move the last pallet at the same moment, the first is saved and the second is refused: there’s nothing left to move.
- Floor time and record timeEach entry keeps when it happened on the floor and when it reached the ledger.
In testingDiagrams of the ledger behind every screenIllustration · fictional names and data
ComingPut away and bin-to-bin moves on screen
Items and lotsIn testing
Every lot knows whose it is.
An item is a SKU, a name and the unit you count it in. A lot ties a batch of that item to its owner, kept apart from you as the custodian, so a 3PL can tell Bluebonnet Foods’ cases from Lone Star Paper’s on the same aisle.
- Items: SKU, name and base unit. Each SKU is unique in your organization, so client prefixes like BBF- and LSP- keep codes apart.
- Lots: a lot code and an owner. When the owner isn’t known, the lot says “unknown” instead of guessing.
- Every lot shows its owner and custodian side by side in the web app, and its owner in the apps’ Lots list.
In testingLots and the item and lot forms in the web appIllustration · fictional names and data
Lot recallIn testing
Recall a lot in one decision. See where it went.
Report a defect and the lot is quarantined on the spot: its open reservations stop, and nothing new can be reserved or shipped from it. The lot’s page traces what’s still on hand and where, the demand it was holding, and every quantity already shipped from it.
A lot’s life
- activeIn service: it can be reserved and shipped.
- quarantinedAfter a defect report: open reservations stop, nothing new goes out.
- releasedReleased after review: back in service, the defect still on record.
- retiredRetired: out of service for good.
- In testingHAL on warehouse pages asks before it acts, and records a lot decision only after a person approves it.
- ComingExpiry dates on lots, with first-expiring-first-out picking.
In testingA quarantined lot’s page in the web appIllustration · fictional names and data
Coming next
Your building, in your own words.
Next, the WMS names every position the way your crew already talks about it, moves stock bin to bin, and adds cycle counts, expiry dates and labels.
In testing Today, a receipt’s received-quantity correction already posts an adjustment with its reason. Receiving
ComingStorage addressesIllustration · fictional names and data
- ComingStorage addressesName every position in your own scheme: aisle, bay and level, or zone and slot, plus dock faces, staging and bulk floor.
- ComingRelocate bin to binMove stock from A‑04‑02 to A‑06‑01 in one step, with both sides in the ledger.
- ComingAdjust with a reasonCount in or out with a required reason, on a narrower permission than moving stock.
- ComingSeveral buildingsEvery building under one account, with on hand by building.
- ComingPallets (LPN)A license plate on every pallet, so a whole pallet moves as one.
- ComingCycle countsCount a few positions a day instead of closing for a wall-to-wall count.
- ComingExpiry and FEFOAn expiry date on every lot, and the first to expire goes out first.
- ComingSerials, barcodes and GTINSerial numbers for high-value units, and GTINs and bin labels read by a company phone or tablet’s camera.
Status, plainly
Inventory control, line by line.
Available is live in production. In testing is built and running, not yet proven with real customers. Coming is planned or partly built.
On hand and conditions
- On hand by SKU, address and conditionIn testing
- Held aside and usable nowIn testing
- Condition holds: Awaiting inspection, Good, Damaged, RejectedIn testing
- The same lists, read-only, in the tablet and phone appsIn testing
The ledger
- Append-only entries: no edits, no deletesIn testing
- Retries recorded onceIn testing
- The last pallet refused to the second moverIn testing
- 13 exact units, decimals never roundedIn testing
Items, lots and recall
- Items: SKU, name and base unitIn testing
- Lots with an owner apart from the custodianIn testing
- Lot recall: quarantine, stop reservations, release or retireIn testing
- Trace: on hand, open demand and prior issuesIn testing
- HAL asks first; a person approves lot decisionsIn testing
Layout and counts
- Storage addresses in your own schemeComing
- Relocate bin to binComing
- Adjust in or out with a reasonComing
- Several buildingsComing
- Pallets (LPN)Coming
- Cycle countsComing
- Expiry and FEFOComing
- Serial numbersComing
- Barcodes and GTINComing
Not offered
- Case-to-each conversion
- Transfers between buildings
- Replenishment and min/max
- Inventory valuation and COGS
FAQ
Questions about inventory control
Can my crew use barcodes on the floor?
Barcodes, GTINs and bin labels read by a company phone or tablet’s camera are coming. Today, items, lots, recalls and corrections are recorded in the web app, on a computer or a tablet’s browser, and the apps show stock as read-only lists. Handheld barcode guns and label printers aren’t supported.
What happens when two people take the last pallet?
The first move is saved. The second is refused because nothing is left to move, and on hand never goes below zero. A request sent twice, from a double tap or a dropped connection, is recorded once.
We store goods for several clients. Can we keep them apart?
Each lot records its owner, separate from you as the custodian, and each SKU is unique in your organization, so a client prefix keeps codes apart. Client accounts, automatic storage billing and a client portal are coming; the 3PL page has the detail.
How do we fix a count that’s wrong?
Inside a receipt, a received-quantity correction posts an adjustment with its reason, in testing. A general adjustment with a reason, and cycle counts, are coming. Either way, the original entry stays: a correction is a new entry with a name and a reason.
Does it track expiry dates?
Expiry dates on lots and first-expiring-first-out picking are coming. Lots and recall are in testing today: a defect quarantines the lot, stops its open reservations, and the lot’s page traces what’s left and what already shipped.
Does it value our inventory?
No. The WMS counts quantities exactly; it doesn’t value stock or post cost of goods sold. Your books live in Accounting, on the same sign-in.
Keep exploring
The rest of the warehouse
- Receiving & putawayReceive at the door into quarantine, inspect, put away and close with every difference on record.
- FulfillmentPick to staging, ship and correct, with the order confirming each shipment.
- Dock & yardEvery truck on one board, longest wait first, from booking to the door and back out.
- Transport & the TMSInbound and outbound with the TMS built in: tracking links, proof at the stop, arrival times.
- Floor & peopleTablets and phones on the floor, company devices, time clock and permissions by duty.
- 3PL & billingAn owner on every lot, quotes to orders to invoices, and the books on the same sign-in.
Every case on record. Nothing rewritten.
Tell us how you count stock today. We’ll walk you through on hand, lots and recall in the WMS, with the TMS built in.
Talk to us