Directed Put‑Away – Rule‑Driven Storage

This topic is part of the SG Systems Global regulatory & operations glossary.

Updated October 2025 • Inbound Receiving & Storage Orchestration • WMS, EDI/ASN, GS1 Identity • Food, Pharma, Cosmetics, Medical Devices

Directed put‑away is the WMS‑driven process of assigning optimal storage locations to inbound handling units (pallets, cases, totes) based on rule sets—temperature, allergen zoning, FEFO/FIFO rotation, cube/weight, velocity, compatibility, QA hold status, and more. It begins at Goods Receipt with scan‑verified labels—GS1‑128 case labels and pallet SSCC—and ends when inventory is confirmed in a governed bin within your location & zone topology. Done well, it eliminates wandering forklifts, prevents cross‑contamination, and preserves lot genealogy from supplier to pick face.

“Put‑away is where traceability becomes spatial—identity, expiry, and risk controls get a physical home.”

1) What Directed Put‑Away Covers—and What It Does Not

Covers: rules for assigning storage locations; scanning of inbound GS1‑128/SSCC; bin confirmation; UOM normalization; and quarantined vs. released placement that honors rotation and allergen control.

Does not cover: overriding QA disposition, altering label claims, or bypassing label verification. Put‑away consumes identity and quality decisions; it doesn’t create them.

2) Legal, System, and Data Integrity Anchors

Electronic evidence for put‑away must meet 21 CFR Part 11/Annex 11 with validated software (CSV), role‑based access, and immutable audit trails. Storage conditions align with GDP and validated ranges from temperature mapping/environmental monitoring. Rules, layouts, and labels live under Document Control with retention aligned to product life and jurisdiction.

3) The Evidence Pack for a Compliant Put‑Away

Your record should show: inbound order/PO, ASN details, barcode validation and verification results, decoded AIs ((01) GTIN, (10) Lot, (17) Expiry), QA disposition, rule evaluation and chosen bin with reason code, operator ID and timestamps, and any exceptions under Deviation/CAPA. Optionally emit EPCIS “receiving” and “commissioning” events for enterprise traceability.

4) From ASN to Bin—A Standard Dock‑to‑Stock Path

1) Pre‑Advice. Supplier issues an ASN via EDI; WMS seeds expected SSCCs, items, lots, and expiry.

2) Check‑In. At Goods Receipt, operators scan pallet SSCC and case GS1‑128; system runs format checks and label verification; quantities/UOMs are normalized with UOM conversion.

3) Status & Rules. If materials are on Quarantine/Hold, routing is restricted to segregated bins until Component Release. Otherwise the rule engine proposes a bin based on temperature, allergen zoning, cube/weight, and rotation.

4) Travel & Drop. Forklift receives a directed task; the operator scans the destination bin and the SSCC to confirm the drop; WMS commits inventory and writes an audit trail.

5) Slotting & Replenishment. If the engine configured a pick‑face plus reserve pattern, secondary tasks create replenishment triggers later rather than over‑stuffing the pick face on day one.

5) The Rule Engine—Criteria That Matter

Effective directed put‑away uses layered rules, typically evaluated in this order:

• Safety & Compliance: temperature class (validated ranges), allergen zoning, chemical compatibility (GHS SDS), clean‑room grade.
• QA Status: Quarantine vs. released, sampling pending under lab review/COA.
• Rotation: FEFO/FIFO placement and slot aging to minimize expiry loss (obsolescence).
• Space & Physics: cube, weight limits, stackability, aisle reach, pallet type.
• Flow & Velocity: ABC/velocity class, pick‑face proximity, end‑to‑end flow.
• Compatibility: avoid cross‑contamination; keep actives away from odor‑or moisture‑sensitive goods (cross‑contamination control).

6) Identity & Label Validation at the Door

Identity is established on the dock and preserved at every move. Decode AIs ((01) GTIN, (10) Lot, (17) Expiry, (37) Count) from each GS1‑128; tie all cases to the pallet SSCC; store these associations as batch‑to‑bin traceability. Fail any label check and the engine must route to an exception lane via hard gating.

7) Quarantine, Sampling & Partial Release

Materials on QA Hold go directly to quarantined zones. Sampling plans follow statistical sampling under Laboratory Review; once Component Release is posted, WMS generates directed moves to released bins. Any out‑of‑spec result triggers Deviation and, if systemic, CAPA.

8) Bin Location Management & Topology

Put‑away works only if your bin & zone topology is accurate and governed. Maintain aisle/level/slot coding, capacity, weight limits, and hazard flags under Document Control. Use Bin Location Management to prevent overfills and to pre‑define quarantine, allergen, and cold‑chain areas.

9) Cold Chain & Environmental Controls

Chilled/frozen goods require bins mapped to validated ranges from temperature mapping, monitored continuously via EM. Put‑away tasks should minimize time out of range and enforce door discipline. For regulated distribution, align operations with GDP.

10) UOM, Weights & Catch‑Weight

Inbound often blends layers and units. Normalize with UOM conversion; treat variable‑weight items with catch weighing and calibrated devices (gravimetric weighing), and account for tare. Store conversions and device IDs for data integrity.

11) Slotting, Replenishment & Pick‑Face Design

Put‑away decisions determine tomorrow’s travel time. Use velocity to keep fast movers near shipping lanes while heavy or hazardous items sit lower and isolated. Tie reserve‑to‑pick‑face replenishment into your wave/pick plan (see Directed Picking and Zone Picking) and balance with line balancing/visual work control.

12) Hard Gating & Exceptions

Automate “do not pass” checks: unknown SSCC, label failure, wrong zone, bin over‑capacity, or QA Hold trying to enter released zones. Enforce via hard gating and escalate exceptions through guided workflows with audit‑trailed approvals.

13) KPIs That Demonstrate Put‑Away Control

• Dock‑to‑Stock Time (avg/min/max) by temperature class and carrier window.
• Mis‑Put Rate (bin corrections/1,000 HUs) and time‑to‑correction.
• Label/Scan Compliance (valid SSCC/GS1‑128 scans ÷ total).
• Quarantine Breach Attempts Blocked via hard gating.
• Storage Utilization vs. capacity by zone.
• FEFO Conformance (picks aligned to earliest expiry).
• Inventory Accuracy at cycle count and audit.
• Claims/Returns linked to inbound identity defects.

14) Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

• Manual bin selection. Remove free‑text bins; force directed scans.
• Shadow spreadsheets for layouts/rules. Govern under Document Control with change history.
• Ignoring allergens/temperature under pressure. Encode rules at the top of the stack; block exceptions with hard gating.
• Wrong UOM or catch‑weight handling. Normalize with UOM conversion and calibrated scales.
• Outdated topology. Keep bin/zone data accurate; audit after layout changes.
• Weak training. Maintain a living Training Matrix for forklift/scanner roles.
• No feedback loop. Tie misses to RCA and lasting CAPA.

15) What Belongs in the Put‑Away Record

Include ASN/PO identifiers; supplier; SSCC and case scans with decoded AIs; quantities and UOM; QA status; rule evaluation outcome; origin/destination bins; operator and timestamps; exceptions and approvals; and resulting batch‑to‑bin mapping. Retain per record retention rules.

16) How This Fits with V5 by SG Systems Global

Rule‑Driven Engine. V5 WMS evaluates safety, QA status, rotation, capacity, and velocity to recommend a single “best bin.” Rules and topology are version‑controlled under Document Control with full audit trail.

Identity First. V5 decodes GS1 AIs from GS1‑128 and binds cases to pallet SSCC, preserving lot genealogy into storage.

Hard Gating. The platform blocks mis‑routes—QA Hold into released zones, wrong temperature, bin over‑capacity—using electronic pass/fail controls.

Cold Chain & Compliance. Bins are tied to validated ranges (temperature mapping); put‑away tasks prioritize time‑to‑range; records meet Part 11/Annex 11.

Analytics. Dashboards track dock‑to‑stock time, mis‑put rate, FEFO conformance, storage utilization, and cycle count accuracy—feeding RCA/CAPA.

Bottom line: V5 operationalizes directed put‑away so every inbound unit lands in the right bin, first time, with traceability and compliance built in.

17) Example—Chilled Meat Receiving with SSCC & FEFO

A processor receives pork primals on pallets, each with an SSCC and cases labeled in GS1‑128 encoding (01) GTIN, (10) Lot, (17) expiry. The ASN arrives via EDI/ASN and auto‑populates expected pallets. On check‑in, labels are verified; UOMs normalized; QA status is set to “Hold pending micro.” The rule engine routes pallets to a quarantined cooler zone mapped by temperature mapping. After lab release (Laboratory Review/COA), V5 generates directed moves to FEFO pick‑faces, preserving batch‑to‑bin mappings. Later, outbound directed picks honor FEFO automatically, lowering expiry risk and travel time.

Related Reading
• Inbound Flow: Goods Receipt | Dock‑to‑Stock | EDI / ASN
• Identity & Labels: GS1 AIs | GTIN | Lot/Batch (AI 10) | GS1‑128 Case Label | SSCC
• Warehouse & Control: WMS | Bin & Zone Topology | Bin Location Management | Directed Picking
• Quality & Compliance: Quarantine/Hold | Component Release | Label Verification | Audit Trail | Data Integrity | GDP
• Rotation & Risk: FEFO | FIFO | Obsolescence Management
• Performance: KPIs | Cycle Counting | Inventory Accuracy | VSM