Transfers
Transfers move inventory between locations to balance stock levels, fulfill demand, or optimize inventory placement.Recommended Starting Points by Role
Operations (Warehouse/Inventory)
Start here:- Execute Transfer Recommendations - Review and execute system-recommended transfers
- Manual Transfers - Create transfers for immediate needs
- Transfer History - Review completed transfers
- Review transfer recommendations from planning
- Execute approved transfers
- Create manual transfers for urgent needs
- Track transfer shipments
Planner (Forecasting + Replenishment)
Start here:- Review Transfer Recommendations - Analyze recommended transfers
- Approve/Reject Transfers - Make decisions on transfer recommendations
- Monitor Transfer Execution - Ensure transfers are executed promptly
- Review transfer recommendations based on forecasts
- Approve transfers that align with planning goals
- Reject transfers that don’t make sense
- Monitor execution status
Types of Transfers
Transfer Recommendations
System-generated transfers based on:- Forecast demand
- Current inventory levels
- Safety stock requirements
- Channel allocations
- System generates recommendations
- Planner reviews and approves/rejects
- Operations executes approved transfers
- System creates transfer shipment
Manual Transfers
User-created transfers for:- Urgent stock needs
- Special circumstances
- Non-standard replenishment
- User creates transfer request
- Specify source and destination locations
- Select products and quantities
- Create transfer shipment
Internal Transfers (Bin-to-Bin)
Transfers within a single location:- Move inventory between bins
- Replenish pick bins from bulk storage
- Organize inventory within location
Step-by-Step: Executing Transfer Recommendations
1. Review Recommendations
- Navigate to Plan → Transfer Recommendations
- View recommendations by:
- Priority: High, medium, low
- From Location: Source locations
- To Location: Destination locations
- Product: Products to transfer
2. Review Recommendation Details
For each recommendation, review:- From Location: Current inventory level
- To Location: Current inventory level and need
- Product: Product to transfer
- Quantity: Recommended transfer quantity
- Reason: Why transfer is recommended
- Expected Benefit: Expected improvement from transfer
3. Approve or Reject
To approve:- Click Approve on the recommendation
- Optionally add notes
- Recommendation moves to pending execution
- Click Reject on the recommendation
- Provide reason for rejection (optional)
- Recommendation is removed from active list
4. Execute Transfer
- Select approved recommendations
- Click Execute Transfer
- System will:
- Create transfer shipment
- Reserve inventory at source location
- Allocate inventory to destination location
- Update planning status
5. Track Transfer
- Navigate to Run → Shipments
- Find the transfer shipment
- Track status:
- Created: Transfer shipment created
- Picked: Items picked at source
- Shipped: Transfer in transit
- Received: Received at destination
Step-by-Step: Creating Manual Transfers
1. Create Transfer Request
- Navigate to Run → Transfers
- Click Create Transfer
- Select:
- From Location: Source location
- To Location: Destination location
- Transfer Type: Standard, Urgent, Replenishment
2. Add Products
- Search for products to transfer
- For each product:
- Enter quantity to transfer
- Select lot numbers (if lot tracking enabled)
- Add notes if needed
- Review total quantities
3. Review and Submit
- Review transfer details:
- Source and destination
- Products and quantities
- Estimated transfer time
- Add transfer notes
- Click Create Transfer
- System creates transfer shipment
4. Execute Transfer
Follow the same execution workflow as transfer recommendations.Understanding Transfer Recommendations
Why Transfers Are Recommended
Transfers are recommended when:- Destination has low stock: Below safety stock or reorder point
- Source has excess stock: Above maximum stock level
- Forecast indicates need: Forecast shows demand at destination
- Channel rebalancing: Inventory needs reallocation between channels
Recommendation Priority
- High: Critical stockout risk or urgent need
- Medium: Below safety stock or approaching reorder point
- Low: Optimization opportunity
Expected Benefit
Each recommendation shows expected benefit:- Stockout Prevention: Prevents stockout at destination
- Cost Reduction: Reduces holding costs at source
- Service Improvement: Improves service level at destination
- Optimization: Better inventory placement
What Success Looks Like
Operations Success
- ✅ Transfer recommendations executed promptly
- ✅ Manual transfers created for urgent needs
- ✅ Transfer shipments tracked accurately
- ✅ Inventory properly reserved and allocated
- ✅ No transfer errors or discrepancies
Planner Success
- ✅ Transfer recommendations align with forecasts
- ✅ Transfers executed before stockouts occur
- ✅ Inventory balanced across locations
- ✅ Transfer decisions documented
- ✅ Transfer effectiveness measured
Common Pitfalls
1. Executing Transfers Without Review
Problem: Blindly executing all transfer recommendations without understanding why. Solution: Always review recommendation details:- Check current inventory levels
- Understand the reason for transfer
- Verify it makes business sense
2. Not Considering Lead Time
Problem: Executing transfers that won’t arrive in time to prevent stockout. Solution: Consider transfer lead time when reviewing recommendations:- Check estimated transfer time
- Compare to stockout risk timeline
- Prioritize urgent transfers
3. Ignoring Channel Allocations
Problem: Transferring inventory without considering channel allocations. Solution: Understand channel inventory before transferring:- Check channel allocations at source
- Verify channel needs at destination
- Consider channel policies
4. Not Tracking Transfer Execution
Problem: Creating transfers but not tracking their execution. Solution: Monitor transfer shipments:- Track picking status
- Monitor shipping status
- Verify receipt at destination
Troubleshooting
Transfer Recommendation Not Showing
Symptoms: Expected transfer recommendation doesn’t appear. Possible causes:- Forecasts not generated or published
- Transfer policies not configured
- Insufficient inventory at source
- Recommendation already executed
- Destination doesn’t need inventory
- Verify forecasts are generated and published
- Check transfer policy configuration
- Verify source location has sufficient inventory
- Check if recommendation was already executed
- Review destination inventory levels and needs
Can’t Execute Transfer
Symptoms: Transfer execution fails or is blocked. Possible causes:- Insufficient inventory at source
- Inventory reserved for other purposes
- Transfer policies restrict execution
- Permissions insufficient
- Check source location inventory levels
- Verify inventory isn’t reserved
- Review transfer policy restrictions
- Check user permissions
Transfer Shipment Not Created
Symptoms: Transfer approved but shipment not created. Possible causes:- System error during execution
- Inventory allocation failed
- Shipment creation process failed
- Check transfer status
- Review error messages
- Verify inventory availability
- Retry transfer execution
- Contact support if issue persists
Transfer Received But Inventory Not Updated
Symptoms: Transfer shipment marked as received but inventory not updated. Possible causes:- Receiving process not completed
- Inventory allocation failed
- System synchronization issue
- Verify receiving process completed
- Check inventory levels at destination
- Review transfer shipment status
- Manually reconcile if needed
- Contact support if issue persists