Playbook
Lost dispatch boxes: a playbook for tracing every bag to its box, van and member.
A box goes missing and nobody knows whose bags were in it. The only way to rebuild it is to call every member on the route.
The problem
Bags are packed per order and loaded into dispatch boxes per route, but nothing records which bag went into which box. When a box is lost or a member complains of a missing bag, there is no trail.
The playbook
- Permanent bag tags: give every reusable bag a barcode tag that never changes.
- Durable boxes: give every dispatch box its own barcode as well.
- One scan each: at packing, scan the bag tag, then the box; the link is recorded.
- Box carries the route: each box record holds its route, van and member.
- Load by route: boxes are loaded by route so the van manifest is the list of box scans.
- Keep history: every receipt, move and dispatch stays on the record for later questions.
When a box goes missing
- Look up the box: route, van and member.
- List the bags linked to it and the orders behind each bag.
- Rebuild the contents from the record, not from phone calls.
- Review where the scan chain broke and fix that step.
How to measure it
- Bags packed without a box scan, per cycle.
- Complaints that could be answered from the record.
- Time taken to rebuild a lost box.
How Warehouse OS does it
Warehouse OS is built for distribution warehouses that fulfil many small orders every cycle. The cycle’s purchase list is read from the PDF, including merged columns, and each line is checked against the product master. Receipts are logged with vehicle, gate and challan; stock is put away to the zone and rack a 3D twin of the floor suggests. Member orders are joined with product weights so every order gets a small bag, a large bag or a split before packing starts. Each permanent bag tag is scanned to a durable dispatch box carrying its route, van and member, and every receipt, move and dispatch stays on one record. It runs on web and handheld.
Questions
How do I trace which bag went into which dispatch box?
Give each bag a permanent barcode tag and each box its own barcode, and scan the bag then the box at packing so the link is recorded with the route, van and member.
What do I do when a dispatch box is lost?
Look up the box record, list the bags and orders linked to it and rebuild the contents from the record, then find where the scan chain broke.
See it on your own data. Warehouse OS — Purchase list to packed orders. Book a 30-minute working session with an engineer.