Packing

Packing is the stage where picked products are checked before dispatch. The operator starts from a list completed in Picking, scans the products from the cart, checks lots and serial numbers, handles the AWB and invoice, then closes the list.

The flow is not just “putting the product in a box”. Putaway WMS checks whether the scanned product belongs to the order, whether the lot or serial number is the expected one, whether the documents are available, and whether products from cancelled orders are handled correctly.

Where to find it

In the application, go to Warehouse operations -> Packing.

The page is connected to:

• Dashboard: shows orders waiting for packing;
• Orders: shows the order status, AWB, invoice, and delivery details;
• Picking: sends the list to packing after picking is completed;
• Picking carts: helps identify the list quickly by scanning the cart;
• Warehouse settings: controls the automatic invoice printing policy;
• Integrations: controls the connection with the external platforms that provide orders, AWBs, and invoices;
• Packing report: measures packing volume and time;
• Traceability: shows the movements produced by removing products from the cart and returning products to stock.

Access

The user must have access to the selected warehouse and permission for the packing operation.

If the user does not have packing permission, the Packing option does not appear in the Warehouse operations menu. If the page is opened manually from the address bar, the application sends the user to the Dashboard and the packing screen does not load.

If no warehouse is selected, the menu option does not appear. If the page was already open, packing lists cannot be loaded for work until the user selects a warehouse. If the selected warehouse is no longer accessible, the application displays Warehouse access denied and clears the current warehouse selection.

The displayed data is only for the company and warehouse of the authenticated user. A list from another warehouse or another account is not available on this page.

What the page can process

Packing works with lists that are:

• Awaiting packing: the list was completed in picking and has products to pack;
• Packing: the list was already started and can be resumed.

A list that has not yet been completed in picking is not ready for packing.

Selection screen

When entering the page, the operator sees the scan field and, if any exist, the list of Lists awaiting packing.

The operator can:

• scan the cart code;
• enter the picking list ID;
• select a list displayed on the page;
• open the phone or tablet camera for scanning;
• open the printer settings for the current station.

During scan steps, the operator can use a physical scanner, a dedicated mobile device, or the phone/tablet camera. The camera opens from the camera icon in the active field. After browser permission is granted, Putaway WMS automatically detects the code in the frame and stops reading on that code. The operator checks what was detected, then presses Confirm code to send the code to the current step or Scan again if the label was not read correctly.

For accepted scans, Putaway WMS plays a success sound. For rejected scans, products that do not belong to the order, wrong lots or serial numbers, wrong AWB, or other scan blocks, it plays a warning sound. Sounds can be limited by the browser, silent mode, device volume, or the phone/tablet audio policies; the message displayed on the screen remains the main confirmation.

For each displayed list, Putaway WMS shows the list ID, cart, number of packed products, and total products.

Example: if the list was picked on cart P-C-1, the operator can scan P-C-1 at the packing station to load the list. Cart prefixes are configurable in Warehouse settings, and P-C-1 is the default format.

Starting the session

After the list is selected, Putaway WMS starts the session and decides where the flow must resume:

• AWB validation, if the products of an order are already packed but the AWB has not been handled;
• product scanning, if there are unpacked products and no order waiting for AWB;
• product return, if there are products from cancelled orders that must be moved to returns;
• completion, if the list has no remaining work steps.

If a list is resumed after a pause, Putaway WMS does not automatically start with the next product. It first closes already packed orders that still need AWB handling or a decision for a missing AWB, then returns to the remaining products.

The Cancel button in the work screen returns to list selection. It does not cancel the order and does not cancel the list.

Scanning products

At the start of scanning, Putaway WMS does not yet display all details of an order. The operator scans the first product from the cart, and the recognized product automatically identifies the order being worked on.

After the order is identified, the screen displays:

• delivery details: recipient, phone, email, delivery method, delivery type, delivery point, and address;
• current order and product progress;
• expected products, with lot and serial number if they exist;
• AWB information imported or synchronized from the external platform: status, AWB number, courier, print count, and last print;
• invoice information imported or synchronized from the external platform: whether it is generated, number, date, print count, and last print;
• buttons for printing or downloading documents, when available.

The product can be recognized by barcode, SKU, or the code initially scanned during picking. If the product does not belong to the list or the current order, the scan is rejected.

Lots, serial numbers, and fast scanning

If the product has a lot, Putaway WMS asks for lot confirmation when there are multiple possible lots for the scanned product.

If the product is serializable, Putaway WMS asks for the exact serial number. A wrong serial number is rejected.

Fast scanning can send the product code together with the lot or serial number, in this format:

BARCODE;LOT:LOT-123;SN:SERIAL-1

With this format, Putaway WMS can directly select the lot or serial number if the information matches the expected product.

What happens for each packed product

When the product is accepted:

• the product is marked as packed on the current list;
• order progress increases;
• the product is removed from the picking cart;
• the order moves to Packing, if it was not already in this stage;
• the movement remains visible in Traceability.

If all products of an order have been packed, the order moves to Packed, and the screen continues with the order documents.

Simultaneous work

Putaway WMS does not lock the entire list for a single operator. The rule is applied per order.

If an operator has already started packing an order from the list, another operator cannot pack the same order over them. The screen displays the user working on that order.

Where the AWB and invoice come from

For orders received from connected external platforms, the AWB and invoice are not entered manually in the packing screen. Putaway WMS retrieves them from the connected platform when the platform makes them available.

The normal order is:

1. When importing or synchronizing the order, Putaway WMS retrieves the data available at that moment. If the platform already has an AWB, tracking number, AWB label, or invoice, they appear on the order and will be visible in packing.
2. After Picking is completed, for orders that allow it, Putaway WMS asks the connected platform to prepare the AWB. If the platform responds with an AWB and label, the document is imported and becomes available in packing.
3. In packing, after all products of an order have been scanned and the order becomes Packed, Putaway WMS asks the connected platform to prepare the invoice, if the invoice does not already exist.
4. When the operator presses print or download for the AWB or invoice, Putaway WMS checks the connected platform again if the document is missing or has not yet reached the order.

Because of this, an order can enter packing with the AWB already available, with the invoice already available, with only one of the documents, or without documents. The screen displays what exists at that moment and tries to refresh documents right before printing.

For manual orders or orders received from channels that do not send AWBs or invoices to Putaway WMS, the screen can display only order identifiers or documents already existing on the order.

AWB

After the last product of an order is scanned correctly, the order becomes Packed, and Putaway WMS automatically moves to AWB validation. This is the packing confirmation step for that order.

If there is an AWB or tracking number imported from the connected platform, the screen asks the operator to scan the AWB for the current order. The operator can print or download the AWB from the document card, then scans the code from the physical label in the Scan AWB / tracking number… field. If using the phone/tablet camera, the detected code must be confirmed with Confirm code.

Putaway WMS compares the scan with the expected AWB or tracking number. If the scan is missing or does not match, confirmation is rejected and the order status does not change.

After the correct AWB scan, Putaway WMS confirms packing for the order and moves it to Awaiting shipment. This status shows that packing is closed for the order and that the package is ready for the shipping step. After confirmation, the screen continues with the next order, required returns, or list completion, depending on what remains to be done.

Missing AWB

If an order has no AWB and no tracking number, the screen does not display scanning as a mandatory step. Instead of scanning, it displays the Next order button.

Before pressing the button, the operator can print or download the order identifiers so the package remains identifiable even without an AWB.

When pressing Next order, Putaway WMS displays the Order without AWB dialog. The operator must choose:

• Packed: the order remains for later verification, without being marked as ready for dispatch;
• Awaiting shipment: the order is treated as ready for dispatch, although the AWB is missing and must be resolved separately.

This choice is the packing confirmation for an order without an AWB. Putaway WMS does not skip the order without a decision. The choice affects the order status and can influence synchronizations with connected platforms.

Printing AWB, invoice, and identifiers

The packing station can print or download:

• AWB;
• invoice;
• order identifiers, when the AWB or invoice is missing.

If QZ Tray is available on the current station, the operator chooses the printer for the AWB and, if the warehouse policy requires it, the printer for the invoice. If the printer is not selected or automatic printing is not available, the document is downloaded for manual printing.

Printer selections are kept in the browser for the current user and warehouse. If the operator changes the station, browser, or warehouse, the printers must be selected again.

If the AWB or invoice is missing for an order from a connected platform, Putaway WMS requests or refreshes the document from the platform before printing. For AWB, this happens when printing the AWB. For invoice, this happens when printing the invoice after the order is fully packed.

If the document does not appear in time, it does not block the packing desk: Putaway WMS generates a manual intervention label or allows the document to be downloaded when it becomes available.

If the AWB or invoice cannot be downloaded or printed automatically, Putaway WMS can generate a manual intervention label so the package is not lost in the flow.

For reprinting the AWB or invoice, the screen asks for confirmation if the document has already been printed.

Configuring QZ Tray

QZ Tray is the application installed on the local station so Putaway WMS can send documents to the printers connected to that computer.

QZ Tray is free to download and use. It is not a Putaway WMS application and does not belong to Putaway. It is developed by QZ Industries, LLC. For incompatibilities with the operating system, drivers, Java, printers, or internal QZ Tray issues, the client must check the QZ Tray documentation and support.

Configuration steps:

1. Download QZ Tray from qz.io/download.
2. Install QZ Tray on the packing station.
3. Open Putaway WMS and go to Warehouse operations -> Packing.
4. If the QZ Tray provisioning window appears, download the Putaway QZ certificate: digital-certificate.txt.
5. In QZ Tray, open Advanced -> Site Manager.
6. Press +, select the digital-certificate.txt file, then close Site Manager.
7. Reload the packing page or press Retry validation.
8. When QZ Tray is validated, select the printer for the AWB and, if applicable, the printer for the invoice.

The certificate link works after authentication in Putaway WMS and after selecting the warehouse. If the direct link does not download the file, use the Download digital-certificate.txt button from the QZ Tray provisioning window in the packing screen.

Invoice

For orders received from connected external platforms, the invoice is imported from that platform. If the invoice already exists when the order is imported, it appears in the invoice card. If it does not exist yet, Putaway WMS requests it after the order is fully packed and refreshes it before printing.

The invoice is displayed in a separate card, with:

• generation status;
• invoice number;
• invoice date;
• print count;
• last print.

The automatic invoice printing policy is configured in Warehouse settings, not in the packing screen. The options are:

• Disabled;
• All orders;
• Orders without billing email.

The invoice can be printed automatically after the last product in the order has been packed. Automatic printing happens only once for an unprinted invoice, if QZ Tray is available and the invoice printer is selected.

The operator only chooses the printer for the current station. The business rule belongs to the warehouse.

Orders cancelled during packing

If an order is cancelled after picking, the products in the cart are not left on the packing desk without a record.

Putaway WMS can move the screen to Return products to stock. The operator must:

1. Scan a returns-type location.
2. Scan the products that must be returned.
3. Confirm the lot and serial number, if the product uses them.
4. Continue until all cancelled products are moved to returns.

If there are no individual products to return on the screen, Putaway WMS displays the instruction to move the package into the return flow for cancelled orders.

Returns location

When returning products from a cancelled order, the scanned location must be a returns-type location. A storage, receiving, quarantine, or cart location is not accepted for this step.

If the returns location already contains products that look identical but have different traceability, the return can be blocked. In this case, move the existing products from the returns location to dedicated shelves and retry the return, so stock that looks identical but comes from different sources is not mixed.

Completing the list

The list is completed only when:

• all products to pack are marked as packed or cancelled;
• all products that must be returned have been returned;
• orders have a validated AWB or a decision for missing AWB;
• there are no products still in progress on the list.

After completion, the list moves to Completed. The screen displays a message that all orders in the list have been packed and allows the operator to start another list.

Rejected cases

Putaway WMS stops the flow when:

• no warehouse is selected;
• the user does not have access to the warehouse or to packing;
• the scanned cart does not exist;
• the cart does not have a list ready for packing;
• the list does not exist or is not ready;
• the scanned product does not belong to the list;
• the product belongs to a cancelled order and must be set aside for return;
• the lot or serial number does not match;
• the same order is already being packed by another user;
• the scanned AWB does not match the order;
• the order is not fully packed;
• there are products that must be returned before completion;
• the scanned return location is not returns-type;
• data has changed in the meantime and the operation must be retried.

After packing

After packing, check:

• Orders for status, AWB, invoice, and delivery;
• Packing report for volume and time;
• Traceability for stock movements;
• Stock if there are operational differences to investigate.

Do not use stock adjustments as a shortcut for issues that appeared during packing. First check the order, list, scanned products, returns, and traceability.