Stock order fulfilment methods

Use Stock Order Fulfilment to choose the fulfilment methods you want to use for your stock items. This determines how stock items are allocated to sales orders.

Note: This only applies to stock items whose product type is set to Stock in the product group settings.

There are three fulfilment methods. You choose which fulfilment methods you want to use in the stock control settings.

• From stock.

  This is the most commonly used method. Your stock items are allocated and despatched from the available stock in your warehouse(s).

• From supplier via stock.

  Select this to use back-to-back sales order processing. When the items are added to a sales order, you can generate a purchase order for those items.

  When you receive the goods from the purchase order, the stock is automatically allocated to the sales order ready for despatch.

  When adding an item to a sales order, if there is enough free stock at the warehouse, you can choose to allocate the free stock to the order. If there is only enough stock to fulfil part of the order line, you can also choose to allocate the available free stock to the order. You can then create a purchase order using the Supplier via stock method for the balance.

  Note: To use this fulfilment method, you must have a preferred supplier specified for the stock item.

• Direct to customer.

  Stock is delivered directly to your customer, rather than to your warehouse. When the items are added to a sales order, you generate a purchase order for those items.

  The delivery address on the purchase order is the address of the customer. This allows the purchase order to have multiple delivery addresses, depending on where the stock is to be delivered to.

  When adding an item to a sales order, if there is enough free stock at the warehouse and you have allocated a default warehouse to the order, you can choose to allocate the free stock to the order. If there is only enough stock to fulfil part of the order line, you can also choose to allocate the available free stock to the order. You can then create a purchase order using the Direct to customer method for the balance.

  Note: To use this fulfilment method, you must have a preferred supplier specified for the stock item.

You can also choose how the stock is allocated from the bins in your warehouse(s). To do this you use the Sequence options. By default this is set to bin Priority.

• For all stock items:

  Priority	Stock is allocated according to the Allocation priority set for the bins. Stock is allocated from the bin with priority 1 first, and so on. This is the default setting.
  Smallest	Stock is allocated from the bin with the smallest quantity first.
  Largest	Stock is allocated from the bin with the largest quantity first.

• For traceable items:

  Sell by	Stock with the oldest Sell by date is allocated first.
  Use by	Stock with the oldest Use by date is allocated first.
  FIFO	Stock with the oldest date received is allocated first.

  Note: Traceable stock items using the Sell by and Use by fulfilment methods cannot be allocated to a sales order, once the stock has past its sell by or use by date.

You cannot set the From Supplier via Stock or From Supplier Direct to Customer fulfilment methods for an item if the item is:

• Assembled using a bill of materials (BOM).
• A batched item that is set to be sold from a single batch.

• You must have chosen the fulfilment methods you want to use in the Stock Control settings.