Location Types and Supported Activities

Owned by Kelsey Nagel
Last updated: Mar 13, 2022
6 min read

The location type and supported activities determine exactly what a given location can do in OpenBoxes. Each location type has a set of default supported activities, and the supported activities define how the user can interact with that location. In most cases, users will want to simply choose a location type and use the default supported activities defined by the system. However, supported activities can be customized for each location. Some common customizations are indicated below.

Location Type Definitions

Locations that manage inventory:

  • Depots: A depot is a location that can manage stock within Openboxes. Any location that you can open and view the dashboard is a depot. All of the locations in the opening menu are depots:

    You should create a location as a depot if, and only if, you have a user who will be actively managing the inventory in that depot. If you will not be managing inventory in that location in OpenBoxes, choose one of the following location types.

Locations for tracking stock within a depot: While technically locations, these behave differently because they are only for tracking stock within a given depot using the bin feature

  • Bin Location: This is a location that designates a particular shelf, pallet position, or bin within a given depot

  • Receiving: This is a bin location specifically designated for receiving. OpenBoxes automatically creates receiving bins as stock is received into inventory.

  • Cross Docking: Non-functional at this time

Locations that send stock to depots:

  • Suppliers: A supplier is a location that exists only to send stock to other locations. Suppliers do not have a dashboard or inventory. You should create a supplier location to reflect every location that is sending stock to your warehouses, but is not a depot. Usually, a supplier in openboxes is also a supplier in real life, for example Amazon.com. However, any location that is sending stock but not managing stock in Openboxes can be a "supplier" in the system.

Locations that receive stock from depots: These locations are essentially interchangeable. All exist only to receive stock from Depots. Any location to which you will be sending stock, but not actively receiving or managing inventory in Openboxes, should be created as a ward, dispensary, or pharmacy

  • Ward: A particular department within a hospital

  • Dispensary: A pharmacy focused specifically on dispensing drugs to patients

  • Pharmacy: A location for storage and dispensing of drugs. Either within a hospital or clinic or privately owned.

Supported Activity Definitions

  • Manage inventory: Default setting for depots. Allows user to log in and manage inventory.

  • Place purchase order: Default setting for depots. Allows user to create a purchase order in this location. Must be used with manage inventory because user must be able to log in to the location.

  • Place Requisition: Default setting for depots. Can’t currently be turned off for depots or on for other locations.

  • Fulfill Requisition: Default setting for depots. Can’t currently be turned off for depots or on for other locations.

  • Send stock: Default setting for depots. Can’t currently be turned off for depots or on for other locations.

  • Receive stock: Default setting for depots. Can’t currently be turned off for depots or on for other locations.

  • Pick stock: Default for depots. Enables picking of stock. In combination with putaway stock, enables bin location tracking. Must be used with manage inventory.

  • Putaway stock: Default for depots. Enables picking of stock. In combination with pick stock, enables bin location tracking. Must be used with manage inventory.

  • External transfers: Default setting for depots. Can’t currently be turned off for depots or on for other locations.

  • Submit request: Default setting for depots. Enables users to submit an e-request from that location to another depot. Can be added to locations without manage inventory and will enable user to log in but only submit requests and not track inventory.

  • Adjust Inventory: Optional addition for depots. Allows users in a depot to do stock adjustments rather than full counts of a product.

  • Pack shipment: Optional addition for depots. Allows users in a depot to indicate packing units on outbound shipments

  • Consume stock: Optional addition for depots. Allows users to mark stock as consumed without indicating a destination.

  • Partial Receiving: Optional addition for depots. Allows users to do multiple receipts against one shipment.

  • Require accounting: Optional addition for depots. Requires purchase orders to reference a GL and budget code.

  • Central purchasing: Optional addition for depots. In combination with place purchase order, allows users to place purchase orders for other locations from this location.

  • Hold stock: Only for bin locations. Disables picking from this bin location and removes the stock in that bin from Quantity Available.

  • Cross docking: Non-functional at this point

  • Enable Notifications: Non-functional at this point

Possible Supported Activity Customizations

Supported activities are set automatically based on the the location type you choose, but they can also be customized. Here are some available customizations:

For Depots:

  • Disable bin tracking: Depots automatically start out with bin tracking functionality. Items are received into a receiving bin and need to be put away into a regular bin. All shipments out must be picked from specific bins. If you have a very small depot with no labeled bins, you may want to turn this feature off and just track by product. To do this, remove “putaway stock” and “pick stock” from the supported activities.

  • Enable packing screen on outbound shipments: By default, shipments out from depots do not include an option to indicate packing units in the shipment. The packing list simply shows the items and quantities. For depots creating large shipments, it is possible to turn on a packing feature so users can organize an outgoing packing list into pallets and boxes. To turn on the feature, add the “Pack shipment” supported activity.

  • Disable purchase orders: By default, depots are allowed to create purchase orders to vendors. To disable purchase orders for this depot, remove the “place purchase order” supported activity.

  • Require budget coding for POs: For depots using purchase orders, OpenBoxes does not require users to enter GL account codes or budget codes by default. If you want all purchase order lines to have an associated General Ledger account and budget code, add the “Require Accounting” activity code.

  • Disable bin tracking: Depots automatically start out with bin tracking functionality. Items are received into a receiving bin and need to be put away into a regular bin. All shipments out must be picked from specific bins. If you have a very small depot with no labeled bins, you may want to turn this feature off and just track by product. To do this, remove “putaway stock” and “pick stock” from the supported activities.

  • Enable packing screen on outbound shipments: By default, shipments out from depots do not include an option to indicate packing units in the shipment. The packing list simply shows the items and quantities. For depots creating large shipments, it is possible to turn on a packing feature so users can organize an outgoing packing list into pallets and boxes. To turn on the feature, add the “Pack shipment” supported activity.

  • Enable partial receiving: By default, OpenBoxes only allows one receipt per shipment. If a user receives less than what is in the packing list, that stock will be cancelled and marked as a discrepancy. Some warehouses require a shipment to stay open after the first receipt and allow a second receipt when new stock comes in. To enable multiple receipts against one shipment, add “Partial Receiving” to the supported activities.

  • Disable submit requests: By default, all depots are able to submit electronic requests for stock to other depots. If for any reason you would like to prevent your depot from submitting electronic stock requests, remove “request stock” from the supported activities.

  • Disable purchase orders: By default, depots are allowed to create purchase orders to vendors. To disable purchase orders for this depot, remove the “place purchase order” supported activity.

  • Require budget coding for POs: For depots using purchase orders, OpenBoxes does not require users to enter GL account codes or budget codes by default. If you want all purchase order lines to have an associated General Ledger account and budget code, add the “Require Accounting” activity code.

  • Enable central purchasing: The central purchasing feature enables one location to submit purchase orders for other locations. This is commonly used for a global or regional purchasing hub, so that people in that location can view and submit purchase orders for all other locations in the network. To enable this, add the “Central Purchasing” supported activity.

 

For wards/pharmacies/dispensaries:

  • Enable submit requests: Only depots are able to submit electronic requests by default. However, non-inventory managed locations (wards/dispensaries/pharmacies) can enable this feature to allow a user to log into the location, submit a stock request to a depot, and view incoming stock requests. To enable this feature, add “Submit request” to the supported activities.