Introduction

Stock Locations is the quiet engine of your warehouse choreography. It decides where items live, where they’re picked from, and how they gracefully migrate from deep storage to the pick face so your team never finds a bare shelf or a forlorn tote. Configure it well and your aisles hum with efficiency rather than drama

What This Section Does

The Stock Locations table assigns each inventory item to one or more physical locations, defines which are pickable vs. storage, and sets the rules for keeping the pick locations topped up. In practice, you’ll have at least one Storage location (bulk stock) and one Pickable location (fast-access shelf/bin) per SKU, with sensible targets so replenishment is timely and measured

Table Columns Explained

Action Priority:

The sequence in which locations are used for picking. Lower numbers are picked first (e.g., 1 is your primary pick face, 2 is backup). Use this to ensure pickers always go to the right bin without philosophical wandering

Location Code:

Your warehouse’s identifier for the spot: aisle/bin/bay (e.g., “02-C Z02”). Make it human-legible and consistent so the code doubles as wayfinding

Location Type:

Typically “Storage” for bulk reserves and “Pickable” for active pick faces. A single SKU can have multiple locations; only Pickable ones should be at the frontline of daily picking

Replenishment:

The rule or flag that governs topping-up the pick face from storage. Think of it as your “keep this bin healthy” directive: often combined with minimums and maximums to trigger restock tasks before stock falls tragically low

Replenishment Types:

• Source: Treat this location as a supply well. It feeds pick faces but is not itself replenished. Ideal for bulk storage or reserve bays; tasks will pull from this location when topping up pick locations.

• Ignore: Exclude this location from the replenishment dance entirely. Use for quarantine, returns staging, display bays, or anything you manage manually.

• Replenish: This location is actively maintained to target levels. The fields below are enabled so the system can keep it topped up.

Stock:

The quantity currently in that location. Some views show it as allocated / physical stock (e.g., “4/12”), revealing both today’s count and its target rhythm at a glance

Max Level:

The intended capacity of the pick location. This guides how much to move during replenishment (fill up to this number, not beyond)

Actions:

Controls to edit, create, and delete. Use this to refine the amount of stock, move stock, or delete stock as your warehouse evolves

How to Configure a SKU’s Locations (Practical Flow)

1. Define the pick face

   • Set a Pickable location where packers can reach the item quickly

   • Assign Action Priority: 1 to make it the default in picking

2. Establish storage reserves

   • Add a Storage location that holds bulk stock

   • Give it a lower pick priority (e.g., 99) so it’s not used unless needed

3. Set targets

   • Choose a Max Level for the pick face (e.g., 12 units)

   • If supported, define a Replenishment threshold/min level (e.g., trigger a top-up when stock is ≤ 4)

4. Align stock

   • Move initial quantities into the pick face so “Stock” reflects reality (e.g., “4/12” means time to replenish)

5. Validate with a dry run

   • Pick a test order and confirm the system points to the pick face (priority 1), not deep storage

   • Ensure replenishment cues appear when the level dips below your threshold

Best Practices for Pace and Precision

• One loud pick face: Keep a single primary Pickable location per SKU; use backups sparingly to avoid scatter

• Right-sized max: Set Max Level to match demand and shelf capacity; too small invites constant restock, too large hogs space

• Predictive replenishment: Trigger before the bin hits zero; your aim is steady flow, not emergency dashes

• Consistent coding: Location Codes should be readable in the aisle; Aisle-Shelf-Bin patterns save time and sanity

• Seasonal tuning: Raise Max Levels for peak weeks, then normalise to keep space flexible

Reading “4/12” Like a Pro
If your Stock column shows “4/12,” read it as “current 4, target 12.” The tale is simple: generate a replenishment task for 8 units from Storage to Pickable to restore glory to the shelf

Operational Tips

• Backups with grace: For high-volume SKUs, add a second Pickable location with Action Priority: 2; use judiciously so staff don’t split picks across the building

• Audit trails: After edits, glance at Stock Logs to ensure the book and the bin agree (paper lies, bins do not)

• Housekeeping: Archive or reassign locations when layouts change; old codes lure pickers into ghost aisles

Conclusion

Stock Locations turns warehouse chaos into choreographed calm. With clear Location Codes, sensible Action Priority, and disciplined Replenishment against a smart Max Level, your pick faces stay trim, your storage stays ready, and your team moves like clockwork rather than calamity