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).
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.
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.