Receiving locations

Receiving locations are temporary areas where goods are placed as soon as they enter the warehouse. They are not permanent storage locations. Goods stay here until receiving is checked, documented, and moved forward through Putaway.

Use receiving locations for:

receiving goods without a supplier order;
receiving goods based on a supplier order;
checking quantities, lots, serial numbers, and product condition before putaway;
keeping inbound goods separate from stock already put away in the warehouse.

Putaway WMS allows receiving locations only as temporary inbound areas and as sources for Putaway. Regular Transfer refuses receiving locations both as a source and as a destination. Order picking takes products only from storage locations eligible for picking, not from receiving.

If goods physically remain in receiving for too long, the system does not turn them into pickable stock. For picking, goods must be documented and moved through Putaway.

Before Creating Receiving Locations

First check the selected warehouse. Receiving locations are created and displayed only for the current warehouse.

In Warehouse settings, receiving has two prefixes. By default, they are:

first prefix: R;
second prefix: Z.

With these values, the first receiving locations are:

R-Z-1;
R-Z-2;
R-Z-3.

Change the prefixes before creating the first receiving location. After at least one receiving location exists in the warehouse, receiving prefixes are no longer changed from settings, so printed labels remain valid.

Creating A Receiving Location

Open Warehouse → Locations → Receiving.

If no locations exist, the page says that no receiving locations were found. Use Create receiving zone to add the first location.

Putaway WMS creates the code automatically. The user does not manually enter the location number. The system takes the next free number for the current warehouse and combines it with the receiving prefixes.

Example:

The prefixes are R and Z.
No receiving location exists.
You create a new location.
Putaway WMS creates R-Z-1.
You create another one.
Putaway WMS creates R-Z-2.

If deleted locations can be restored, Putaway WMS may show a restore window. In that case, choose whether to restore the found locations or create a new one.

What You See In The List

Each location appears as a card with:

Element	Meaning
Location code	The code that must be printed and scanned, for example `R-Z-1`.
Status	`active` for an available location or `blocked` for a blocked location.
Print label	Creates the physical label for scanning.
Block / unblock	Manually changes location availability, if you have permission.
Delete	Removes the location only if it has no products and no movement history that blocks deletion.

Clicking the location card copies the location code. The printed label remains the recommended method for operators because it reduces scan mistakes.

Printing Labels

Print the label immediately after creating the location and place it physically in the receiving area.

The label is important because the operator scans it in Goods receiving and Putaway. If the operator types the code manually or scans an old label, the risk of working in the wrong location increases.

You can print:

one label from the location card;
multiple labels from the multiple-print action.

Location Statuses

Active

An active receiving location can be selected in receiving only if it passes the rules of the current flow.

Active does not automatically mean “can receive anything”. Putaway WMS also checks:

whether the location is a receiving location;
whether it belongs to the current warehouse;
whether it has no products already documented through a goods receipt note or inventory adjustment note;
whether the goods in the location belong to the right supplier;
whether, for order-based receiving, the location belongs to the selected order.

Blocked

A blocked receiving location does not accept adding, removing, or clearing products in receiving.

The location can be blocked in two ways:

manually from Warehouse → Locations → Receiving, when the physical area must not be used;
automatically when the operator presses Finish in receiving.

After receiving is finished, the lock protects the goods until the receiving document is issued. At this stage, the location does not accept new scans, removals, or clearing in receiving.

Documented

After products in the location are linked to a goods receipt note or an adjustment, the location is no longer available for new receiving scans, even if it is displayed as active. At that point, its purpose is to move goods to Putaway, not to receive new products.

What Operations A Receiving Location Allows

Operation	What happens
Goods receiving	Allowed only for active receiving locations with no documented products, and only when the location matches the selected supplier or order.
Receiving corrections	Allowed until the location is blocked or until the products are documented.
Goods receipt note	Allowed after receiving is finished, when the location is blocked. Issuing the goods receipt note unlocks the location for Putaway, but it does not reopen it for new receiving scans.
Adjustment	Does not replace normal receiving and the goods receipt note. If products in receiving were documented through an adjustment, Putaway accepts them only when the location is not blocked.
Putaway	Allowed as a source after documentation, if the location is not blocked and all products have a goods receipt note or adjustment. The destination can be storage, quarantine, or a cart, depending on product condition and workflow.
Regular Transfer	Refused. A receiving location cannot be either the source or the destination in Transfer. Goods in receiving move forward through Putaway.
Order picking	Refused as a source. Picking uses storage locations eligible for picking. Goods in receiving must be put away before they can be picked.
Permanent storage	Not a workflow. If goods physically remain in receiving, they remain not put away and do not become a source for Transfer or Picking.

Use In Receiving Without Order

In receiving without a supplier order, the operator:

chooses the supplier;
scans an active receiving location;
scans the received products;
corrects any mistakes;
finishes receiving.

Putaway WMS accepts the location if it is empty or if it already has products from the same supplier, with no receiving document issued and no supplier order link.

Putaway WMS refuses the location if:

it does not exist in the current warehouse;
it exists, but is not a receiving location;
it is blocked;
it has products documented through a goods receipt note or adjustment;
it contains products from another supplier;
it contains products linked to a supplier order.

This rule prevents goods received from different suppliers from being mixed in the same receiving flow.

Use In Order-Based Receiving

In order-based receiving, the location must match the selected supplier order.

If receiving for the order has not started yet, the operator scans an active and empty receiving location.

If the same order already has products scanned in a receiving location, receiving must continue in the same location. Putaway WMS does not let the operator continue the same order in another receiving location.

Putaway WMS refuses the location if:

it is used by another order;
it contains goods received without an order;
it contains products from another supplier;
it is blocked;
it has products documented through a goods receipt note or adjustment;
the selected order was already started in another receiving location.

This rule keeps the difference between ordered goods, received goods, and documented goods clear.

Products, Lots, Serials, And Handling Units

A receiving location can contain loose products or products placed in handling units, such as boxes, pallets, or containers.

During scanning, Putaway WMS keeps the important product information:

receiving supplier;
supplier order, if any;
scanned barcode;
quantity;
product condition: good, damaged, or quarantine;
lot, for products that require lot tracking;
serial number, for serializable products;
handling unit, if the product was placed in one.

Loose products with different conditions can be in the same receiving location. The same handling unit, however, does not accept products with different conditions. If you have good, damaged, and quarantine products in the same receiving flow, separate them into different units or keep them loose.

For serializable products, the number of serial numbers must match the received quantity, and the same serial number cannot be used twice for the same product.

Correcting Started Receiving

Corrections are made from Goods receiving, not from the locations list.

While the location is not blocked and the products are not documented, the operator can:

remove a wrongly scanned product;
remove a wrong quantity;
remove a wrong serial number;
clear the receiving area and scan again.

After the location is blocked or after products are linked to a goods receipt note or adjustment, these corrections are no longer available from receiving.

Finishing Receiving And The Goods Receipt Note

When the operator presses Finish in receiving, the location becomes blocked.

After the lock:

products can no longer be added to or removed from that location;
the goods receipt note is issued based on the products in the location;
after documentation, the location can be used as a source for Putaway.

The goods receipt note is issued for a blocked receiving location. If the location is not blocked after receiving, check whether the operator finished receiving.

For putaway, Putaway WMS accepts the receiving location as a source only when the products in it have the required documents. If any product has no goods receipt note or adjustment, putaway does not continue.

Deleting A Receiving Location

Deletion is a warehouse-map administration action, not a way to correct stock.

Putaway WMS refuses deletion if the location:

contains products;
has movement history that must be preserved.

If the location was used in operations, do not delete it to “clean” receiving. Correct receiving from the receiving page, issue the required documents, or complete putaway.

Complete Example

In warehouse settings, receiving prefixes are R and Z.
The administrator creates two locations: R-Z-1 and R-Z-2.
Labels are printed and placed in the physical receiving area.
The operator receives goods from Supplier A and scans R-Z-1.
Products enter R-Z-1.
The operator finishes receiving.
R-Z-1 becomes blocked.
The goods receipt note is issued for the products in R-Z-1.
After documentation, the operator goes to Putaway and moves the products from R-Z-1 to storage, quarantine, or a cart, depending on product condition.
After the location is empty and the process is closed, R-Z-1 can be used for new receiving.

Quick Checks

Situation	What to check
The operator cannot scan the location	The location exists in the current warehouse and is a receiving location.
The location is blocked	Check whether receiving was finished, whether documents still need to be issued, or whether the location was blocked manually.
Products cannot be added	Check the supplier, selected order, location status, and whether products in the location already have a goods receipt note or adjustment.
The location cannot be cleared	Check whether the location is blocked or whether the products were already documented.
The location cannot be deleted	Check whether it has products or movement history.
Putaway does not start from the location	Check whether all products in receiving are documented through a goods receipt note or adjustment and whether the location is not blocked.
Transfer refuses the location	Receiving locations are not accepted in Transfer as a source or destination. Move goods out of receiving through Putaway.
Picking does not propose the products	Products in receiving are not picking sources. Finish documentation and Putaway.

Practical Rules

Create at least one receiving location before the first real receiving flow.
Print the label immediately after creation.
Do not use the same location for different suppliers in the same receiving flow.
Do not mix order-based receiving with receiving without order in the same location.
A finished receiving location moves forward to the goods receipt note and Putaway, not to a new receiving flow.
Do not leave goods in receiving as a storage workaround. For picking, goods must be documented and moved to eligible locations through Putaway.