In-Plant Logistics
In-plant logistics, from raw material to dispatch
The BOM sits in the ERP. The material sits on the floor. Omneelab WMS puts them on the same record and makes every transaction a scan, so a finished pallet can be traced back to the supplier batch it was built from.
- Raw material received against the PO and mapped to the BOM at batch level
- The production plan explodes through the BOM into a shortage check per shift
- Every floor transaction is a scan, so quantity is never typed by an operator
- Picking is FIFO by default, and the handheld enforces it rather than suggesting it
- Finished goods traced back to the raw material batch they were built from
Raw material to dispatch
LiveGRN › qc check › putaway › batch › bom map › RM Store
Plan › bom explode › shortage › fifo pick › kitting › Line
Scan › receipt › issue › return › production › Audit trail
Line › fg receipt › putaway › pick › load › Dispatch
The gap between the BOM and the floor
The ERP knows the bill of material. It does not know which batch went into the build.
The plan explodes cleanly on screen. On the floor the store issues what is nearest, the line consumes what it is given, and the two versions only meet when somebody reconciles them at month end.
On the floor today
The quantity is typed, so the record is an opinion
- Raw material received on a challan and matched to the PO much later
- QC status kept on a register, so held stock is issued by mistake
- Shortage against the BOM is discovered when the line stops, not before
- Kits made at the line from memory rather than against the bill of material
- Issues and returns keyed in at shift end, so consumption is a best guess
- Old stock ages at the back of the rack while fresh material is issued first
- A customer complaint cannot be traced back to a supplier batch
With Omneelab WMS
The scan is the record, and the BOM is the rule
- Raw material scanned in against the PO, with batch and expiry captured
- QC status held on the stock itself, so a hold cannot be picked
- The plan explodes through the BOM and flags the shortage before the shift
- Kits built to the bill of material and verified before they leave the store
- Issue, return and consumption posted at the moment the scan happens
- FIFO enforced at the pick, so the oldest batch moves before the newest one
- Every finished batch links back to the raw material batches it consumed
Capabilities
Four steps, one scanned record from supplier to customer
Material comes in against a bill of material, the plan pulls it to the line, every touch is a scan, and the finished pallet still knows which batch it came from.
Raw Material and BOM Management
Material enters the plant already tied to the build it is meant for.
- Receipt scanned against the purchase order, so a short supply is seen at the dock
- Batch, lot and expiry captured at receipt, and a label printed where one is missing
- Quality status held on the stock, so material on hold cannot be issued to a kit
- Directed putaway by rule, with the receipt date stamped so FIFO can be enforced
- Multi-level bills of material, so a requirement explodes down to component level
- Alternate and substitute components handled in the system, not as a note on paper
Production Planning and Line Feeding
The plan asks for material, and the store answers with a kit.
- The production plan explodes through the BOM into a component need per shift
- Shortages checked against live stock before the plan is released to the floor
- Pull requests raised per line and per shift instead of a phone call to the store
- Kits picked and built to the bill of material, then verified before they leave
- Picking follows FIFO by receipt date, so the oldest batch leaves the store first
- The handheld directs the operator to that batch, so FIFO is enforced not requested
- Staging at the line side location, so the operator finds the kit where it belongs
- Returns from the line scanned back to stock with a reason and a quality status
100% Scanning Based Operations Process
If it moved, it was scanned. Nothing on the floor is typed.
- Every receipt, putaway, pick, issue, return and load is closed by a barcode scan
- Quantity is read from the label, so an operator never keys a number by hand
- Wrong bin, wrong batch and wrong item are blocked at the scan, not found at audit
- Operator, device, location and time are stamped on the transaction automatically
- The audit trail is a byproduct of doing the work, so no register is kept alongside
- Handheld keeps working through a network drop and syncs when it reconnects
Finished Goods and Dispatch
From the last operation to the truck, with the thread still attached.
- Finished goods scanned in from the line by batch against the production order
- Directed putaway into the FG store, so the store stays addressable as it fills
- Pick by FIFO on production date, at pallet, Inner Pack or Unit level as required
- Staging by vehicle and by drop, so loading is sequenced and not sorted at the dock
- Load scanned at the truck, so the invoice matches what physically left the plant
- Every finished batch traces back to the raw material batches that went into it
One thread, both directions
Follow a finished pallet back to the supplier batch
A customer raises a complaint against one batch. The question is which raw material went into it, on which shift, issued by whom. That answer is either one screen or three days of paperwork.
- Every step is a scanThe chain has no typed link in it, so following it backwards does not depend on anyone remembering.
- The BOM and FIFO are the rulesA kit is built to the bill of material and picked oldest batch first, so what reached the line is what the build called for.
- Quality travels with the stockA hold stays on the material through every move, so held batches cannot enter a kit by mistake.
- The trace works forwards tooFrom a suspect supplier batch, find every finished batch it went into and every customer it shipped to.
Integrations
The BOM comes down, the consumption goes back
Omneelab WMS sits under the system your planning and finance teams already run. Item masters and bills of material flow down, scanned movements flow back, and neither side becomes the exception.
Item masters, bills of material, purchase orders and production orders come down. Receipts, issues, returns, production and dispatches post back with the time they happened.
The schedule and the open production order drive the BOM explosion and the pull requests to the store. Finished goods post back against the same order.
Rugged handheld scanners, label and barcode printers, weighbridge and floor displays, so every transaction is captured where it happens.
E-invoice and e-way bill generated against the dispatch that was actually loaded, so the paperwork matches the truck.
Trip, vehicle and freight handled by Metaport against the same dispatch record, so nothing is keyed a second time at the gate.
Where a system has no standard connector, the integration is built on the same API layer the standard ones use, not as a one-off script.
85+ integrations already running in live customer environments.
How it works
Live in weeks, one step at a time
The plant keeps running while this goes in. Each of the four steps is live and stable before the next one starts, so the line is never waiting on a rollout.
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1
Map the four steps
We walk the plant and write down how raw material, kitting, line issue and finished goods actually work today, including what is still on paper.
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2
Set locations and labels
The raw material store, line side locations, the FG store and staging get addresses. Label formats are agreed so every pallet can be scanned.
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3
Load masters and the BOM
Item masters, bills of material, purchase orders and production orders come across from the ERP. Movements post back the same day they happen.
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4
Go live on raw material
Receipt, QC and putaway go first. The team learns the handheld on the step with the least risk to production.
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5
Add planning and the line
BOM explosion, shortage check, FIFO picking, kitting and line issue go live next, one at a time, each on a date agreed with the plant.
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6
Close with finished goods
FG receipt, putaway, pick and dispatch complete the chain. Supervisors are trained on the floor and support stays until the counts are clean.
Typical go-live is two weeks for a single site. Multi-plant rollouts run site by site on the same pattern.
Industries
Built for plants that build to a bill of material
The four steps are the same everywhere. The rules that sit on top of them are not.
Manufacturing & Auto Parts
Multi-level BOMs, kitting to sequence, returns from the line, and traceability from the component batch to the vehicle it was fitted to.
Pharma & Healthcare
Batch and expiry captured at receipt, quality holds enforced on the stock itself, and a scanned audit trail across the whole build.
Oil & Lubricants
Weighbridge at receipt, drum and barrel handling by pack size, and hazardous storage rules applied at directed putaway.
Apparel & Footwear
Style, colour and size held down to the Unit, with Inner Pack handling from the raw material store through to dispatch.
3PL & Fulfillment
Multiple clients kept separate in the same building, with client level rules and billing raised on every scanned movement.
E-commerce & D2C
High order counts against the same finished goods store, picked to the Unit and staged by carrier so loading stays sequenced.
Proof
Running in plants today
Control
Who scanned it, when, and against which order
In a plant, the audit question is rarely about the total. It is about one batch on one shift. When every transaction is a scan, that answer is already on the record instead of being reconstructed later.
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Every transaction is attributedOperator, device, location and timestamp are stamped on the scan itself, not held in a separate log.
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No typed quantitiesQuantity is read from the label, so the most common source of a wrong stock figure is removed at source.
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Approvals on exceptionsAdjustments, write offs, and any issue outside the bill of material or against FIFO, route to an approver before they post.
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Reconstruct any batchCycle counting and the scan trail rebuild the history of a batch in both directions, supplier to customer and back.
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Cloud based SaaSOmneelab WMS is delivered as cloud based software, so there is no server to run inside the plant and no upgrade project to schedule.
Tell us about your plant. We will run the demo on your own bill of material.
Not a generic slideshow. Send us one finished item and we will set the demo up around its components, its kit and your line before we get on the call.
- A 30 minute walkthrough built on one of your own finished items
- See it live: receipt against the PO, BOM kitting, line issue, dispatch
- Straight answers on pricing and a realistic go-live timeline
- No obligation, and no sales sequence you cannot get out of
Request your free demo
Takes 40 seconds. We reply within 1 business day.
Your details stay with us. Never shared, never sold.
Beyond the gate
The move does not stop at the gate
Omneelab WMS carries the material from raw material receipt to the loaded truck. Metaport takes that same dispatch onward, so the plant and the transport run on one record instead of two.
Explore MetaportOmneelab WMS Metaport
- A dispatch created in WMS becomes a trip in Metaport, with no re-entry at the gate
- Vehicle placement, indent and freight are handled against that same dispatch
- Stock transfers stay visible in transit, tracked through to the receiving site
- Proof of delivery flows back and closes the movement that started at the line
FAQ
In-plant logistics, answered
What is in-plant logistics?
In-plant logistics is the movement and control of material inside a manufacturing site, from the raw material that arrives at the dock through to the finished goods that leave it. In Omneelab WMS it is handled in four steps: raw material and BOM management, production planning and line feeding, a scanning based operations process, and finished goods and dispatch.
How does raw material get linked to the bill of material?
Item masters and bills of material come across from the ERP. When raw material is received it is scanned against the purchase order and given a batch, so the stock in the store is already in the form the BOM asks for. When a production plan is released, the BOM explodes into a component requirement and the system reserves against those batches.
Does the system enforce FIFO, or only suggest it?
It enforces it. The receipt date is stamped on the stock at putaway, and when a pick is raised the handheld directs the operator to the oldest batch that satisfies it. Picking a different batch is an exception that has to be approved, so FIFO is a rule the floor follows rather than an instruction on a noticeboard. The same applies to finished goods, where the pick runs FIFO on the production date.
Draft flag: if you also support FEFO on expiry date, say so here and in tab 2 of the capabilities section, then delete this note and update the JSON-LD answer below.What does a 100% scanning based process actually mean on the floor?
It means no operator types a quantity. Receipt, putaway, pick, kitting, issue to the line, return from the line, finished goods receipt and loading are each closed by scanning a barcode. Where the supplier label is missing, the system prints one at receipt. The quantity is read from the label, and operator, device, location and time are stamped on the transaction automatically.
Do we have to replace our ERP?
No. Omneelab WMS sits under the ERP. Item masters, bills of material, purchase orders and production orders come from the ERP, and the WMS posts receipts, issues, returns, production and dispatches back to it. Finance and planning stay where they are.
How do we know about a shortage before the shift starts?
The production plan is exploded through the bill of material into a component requirement per shift, then checked against live stock in the raw material store. Any component that cannot cover the plan is flagged before the plan is released to the floor, rather than when the line stops.
Can we trace a finished batch back to the raw material it used?
Yes, in both directions. From a finished goods batch you can see the kits issued to it, the raw material batches in those kits and the suppliers they came from. From a suspect supplier batch you can see every finished batch it went into and every customer it shipped to.
Will this work with our existing barcodes and scanners?
In most cases yes. If the material already carries a barcode from the supplier or from your own printer, the WMS can read it. Where a label is missing, the system generates and prints one at receipt.
Draft flag: add the scanner models and Android versions you support, then remove this note and update the JSON-LD answer below.How long does implementation take?
A single site is usually live in two weeks. Raw material receipt and putaway go live first, then planning and line feeding, then finished goods and dispatch, so the plant keeps running throughout the rollout.
Draft flag: confirm the two week figure applies to a plant running BOM based kitting before this goes live.See it run on your own BOM
Book a walkthrough and we will run it against one of your finished items, its bill of material and your own line, rather than a demo warehouse.
A working session with someone who has implemented in plants, not a slide deck.