Product data analysis

When a regional warehouse gets a shipment, the shipment should be checked in a quick manner without any errors according to the data sent by CDC. At the and of this process the discrepancy report should be generated and the physically counted quantity should be taken into warehouse stock before these products are picked and sent to stores. A product has a color, size, product department, sales group and a universal product code(UPC). Every product has a label with bar code on it. In bar code UPC of product is coded. From this UPC we can get all the information such as department ID, color, size, sale group, fabric composition, store price, where product as been produced, etc.

• Sale group: All products sorted into sale groups: products for men, women, children, home, etc.
• Department ID: All products sorted according to departments. A Sale group may consist of dozens of departments. For example: women products may consist of Lingerie, Night wear, Casual, Formal, Mature, Accessories, etc. All departments IDs are 3 digit variables beginning with capital "T" and following with 2 numerical digits. Here some of them: T01, T11, etc.
• Stroke ID: A sale group consists of departments. A particular department consists of Stroke IDs. Stroke IDs are model numbers. For example: To6 is department for Jewellery. There may be too many types of ear rings, bracelets, rings, etc. To differ them a Stroke ID is given. The Stroke ID is unique in a department where that product is listed but the same Stoke ID may exist in another department but for completely different product. Stoke ID is a variable between 4-5 digits. If it is five digit variable, the fifth digit is a letter. The other first four digits are numerical.
• Color: Every product has a color description and color ID. A sale group consists of departments. A department consists of Stroke ID. A stroke may be in a number of colors. For instance: there may be a particular model of shirt. It may be in red, white, blue, etc colors but the cut and the fit is the same for all colors.
• Size: Some products dimensions may change from size to size. Shirts may have small size, medium, large, etc.
• UPC: a universal product code is unique in all sale groups, departments, strokes, colors, sizes. If UPC of a product is known then we can get product details such as: product color, size, department, store price, FOB price, supplier ID, fiber composition, etc. To be short all the information about that product. But it is impossible to get all the information if it is known department ID, stroke Id, sale group, etc. So for warehouse the most important data about product is UPC.

Products received from CDC should be checked according to UPC. This is the most reliable, quick way of checking goods.

Data flow direction

Before goods come to CDC, Buying department should analyze sales data from previous or current seasons according to season, region, store, etc and order optimal quantity from suppliers. Some data is sent to CDC and regional warehouses. The data sent to CDC consists of which goods are to come, order quantity, number of deliveries if goods are shipped in a number of deliveries, and the minimum quantity the regional warehouses should have of that goods. The minimum quantity of products may differ from warehouse to warehouse. The data sent to regional warehouses specifies which regional store which product to sent in what quantity and the minimum quantity that should always be in that store after product comes to regional warehouse. When supplier ships the products ordered, data of shipping information is sent to CDC. When products come to CDC, goods are picked for regional warehouses. If goods are new and will be shipped to regional warehouses for the first time, the launch quantity is collected according to the data sent from Buying dept. If the product to be picked has been collected and sent to a regional warehouse before then the current quantity of that product in the regional warehouse is taken into account and the quantity sent to regional warehouse from CDC is equal to minimum quantity of that product in the regional warehouse minus quantity sent from that warehouse to regional stores from the last delivery to the date product picked in CDC. When a store sells a product the information is sent to regional warehouse. Regional warehouse generates a picking work order for warehouse employees. When the goods in work order are picked, the work order is closed and the data is sent to CDC so CDC calculates the quantity of goods left in the regional warehouse. The same information is sent to stores so stores know which goods will come by the next delivery.

Minimum quantity for stores may change according to sales data. But the quantity ordered from suppliers can not change because supplier make order of row materials according to first data sent by Buying dept.

Goods flow direction

We have one central distribution center(CDC) and dozens of regional warehouses(RW) all over the world. RW are located by region or country and they feed stores located in that region or country. To CDC, suppliers from all over the world send ready to use/wear goods. Goods arrived to CDC sent to RW according to the sales data of the region where RW is located. In RW goods are sent to regional stores according to the sales data. Stores can receive goods and send goods back to RW. But RW can not send goods to CDC because of transport and custom expenses it is not reasonable. Goods received back from stores can be stored in warehouse or sent to other stores in a short or long period of time.