Understanding Consolidated Shipments

Skonsolidowane wysyłki w IFS Cloud: Jak zredukować koszty logistyki dzięki automatyzacji?

Logistics Optimization

Consolidated Shipments in IFS Cloud

Stop shipping air. Combine multiple orders into a single logistics unit to reduce freight costs and simplify documentation.

In high-volume distribution, treating every Customer Order as a separate shipment is a recipe for inefficiency. IFS Cloud’s Consolidated Shipment functionality allows you to decouple the "Sales" transaction from the "Logistics" execution, merging multiple orders into a single physical dispatch.

The Logic: Decoupling Sales from Shipping

Traditionally, 1 Order equals 1 Delivery. With Consolidated Shipments, the hierarchy changes. You gather multiple orders going to the same delivery address and process them as a single work package.

The Operational Workflow

Connect to Shipment

Instead of releasing an order to "Pick," you connect multiple Customer Order Lines to a single Shipment ID.

Consolidated Pick

The warehouse receives a single Pick List (aggregated by location) rather than five separate lists for five orders.

Pack into Structure

Using Handling Units (HUs), you pack items from different orders onto the same Pallet (Parent HU).

Single Dispatch

You execute the "Complete" command once. This triggers the printing of one Bill of Lading (BoL) and one Consolidated Delivery Note.

Handling Units: The Enabler

Consolidation is impossible to manage effectively without Handling Units. In IFS Cloud, HUs allow you to define the physical structure (e.g., Box A and Box B go onto Pallet X).

Pro Tip: Use "Automatic Packing" rules in IFS to let the system propose how to pack consolidated items based on volume and weight constraints.

Why Consolidate?

Lower Freight Costs: Pay for one LTL shipment instead of 5 small parcels.
Less Paperwork: Single Bill of Lading and CMR.
Dock Efficiency: One truck, one loading time.

Configuration Check

Before starting, ensure:

Shipment Management enabled in Site settings.
Handling Unit Types defined (Pallet, Euro-Pallet, Box).
"Shipment Creation" set to Optional or Automatic on Customer record.

Consolidation FAQs

Generally, a Shipment in IFS Cloud is tied to a single delivery address (one customer). To group goods for different customers onto one truck, you should use the "Consolidated Load" (Load Management) functionality, which sits a layer above the Shipment.

You have a choice. You can either print a separate Delivery Note for each Customer Order contained in the shipment, or configure a Consolidated Delivery Note that lists all items from all orders on a single document.

Yes, as long as the Shipment Status is not yet "Completed" or "Closed." You can connect a new order line, pick it, and add it to the existing Handling Unit structure before final dispatch.

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