Re: Dock to Stock - how to deal with inspection status
I seen some previous posts regarding if dock to stock is ok. It seems to work well. My question is how do you deal with inspection status requirement? I realize that floor location can be used to designate inspection status but this doesn't guarantee that product that requires inspection gets inspected before the product gets put away.
Well, nothing will
guarantee against snafus, but in general I think that some sort of physical segregation works best. A lot depends on how receiving records are controlled. In most larger companies incoming materials are "received" via computer against a purchase order. In some smaller companies, an actual paper copy of the PO is used.
In either case, there should be some sort of "flag" in the system that tells the receiving person whether or not inspection is necessary. There should be three physical spaces: one for material that's been offloaded from the carrier, but otherwise not evaluated; one for material that's going directly to stock or production, and a third for material that must be inspected before further processing.
In actual practice, sometimes a receiving clerk will actually move material to an inspection "hold" area, or to the production line, or to a stockroom or warehouse as soon as it's been received. In any case, if you have process documentation that shows the required actions and segregation requirements, and material is where it should be, you've accomplished the inspection status requirements. On the other hand, depending on the space available and other logistical considerations, you might find it worthwhile to use some sort of stickers or placards that identify the status of the material.