What is an inbound/outbound workstation?

What is an inbound/outbound workstation?

The inbound and outbound workstations are fixed workstations at both ends of the automated three-dimensional warehouse system, usually located in the entrance and exit areas of the warehouse. It connects the automated equipment inside the warehouse (such as stacker cranes, conveyor lines) and external manual or automated handling equipment (such as forklifts, AGVs).

According to its functions, it can be divided into:

Storage workbench: responsible for receiving incoming goods and preparing for storage.

Outbound workbench: responsible for receiving goods retrieved from the three-dimensional warehouse and preparing to send them to the next destination.

In many systems, in order to save space and costs, the inbound and outbound functions are merged and designed in the same or adjacent workbench areas.

2、 Core functions and roles

The core function of the inbound and outbound workbench is to achieve synchronous handover of "goods and information".

1. The main functions of the storage workbench are:

Goods receiving and temporary storage: receiving pallets or boxes of goods transported by forklifts, AGVs, or other transportation vehicles.

Information verification and binding: By using scanning guns, RFID readers, and other devices, the barcode or electronic tag on the goods is read, and the physical information (such as SKU, batch, quantity) is bound to the incoming orders in the warehouse management system (WMS).

Appearance inspection: Check the size of the pallet, whether the goods exceed the limit, and whether the goods are arranged neatly to ensure that they meet the storage standards of the three-dimensional warehouse and avoid damaging the shelves or equipment.

Goods positioning: Assign a unique, system optimized warehouse location address to the goods that are about to be stored.

Task trigger: After confirming the information is correct, send instructions to the warehouse control system (WCS) to schedule the conveyor line and stacker crane to automatically transport the goods to the designated location.

The main functions of the outbound workbench are:

Goods reception and temporary storage: Receive goods taken out of the shelves by stacker cranes and conveyor lines.

Information review: Scan the goods information again and compare it with the outbound orders in the WMS system to ensure that "what is issued is what is needed" and prevent sending the wrong goods.

Order integration: If a outbound order contains multiple items, the workbench can serve as a temporary buffer zone, waiting for all the goods to arrive before collecting them.

Flow allocation: Based on different destinations (such as production line A, packaging area B, and shipping area C), allocate goods to different exits or notify different AGVs to pick up the goods.

Task completion confirmation: After confirming that the goods have been taken away, update the inventory status in the WMS system and complete the outbound process.