What to consider when receiving goods

Before going over everything that needs to be taken into account in the reception of goods, let’s take a look at the aspects that make up this process.

The reception of goods is a process that involves the performance of various tasks ranging from planning and provision of shipping information, management of loading docks and unloading of material, to quality control of the goods for subsequent identification and placement in the warehouse or area that is determined for this purpose in the company.

The goods receiving process is when the company receives the shipments necessary for its correct operation, such as, for example, shipping material from suppliers. In many cases, the correct functioning of the company, including the production processes, depends on this process being agile.

Once the concepts have been clarified, we can review what we must take into account about everything that happens in the docks of a company, and highlight the importance of having control over it.

Every shipment has relevant information that is necessary for the company to have and control at all times in order to be able to carry out an optimal management of its reception:

Reception forecast: it is important to be able to foresee in advance when the reception of the goods is going to take place for several reasons. The availability of booking calendars for carriers, and the time that will be necessary for the loading and unloading process, allows the company’s resources to be optimised, both in terms of personnel and material available in the warehouse. It can also provide information to other departments, such as production, which can find out when they are going to receive certain goods.
Collection of dispatch information: in order to have all the necessary data, it is important to be able to record them. Some of these data are the dispatch number, the transport company that makes the delivery, the type of content that is received, the number of packages and the condition of the goods, among others.
Quality control: in order to control the dispatch, we must also obtain data that will be KPIs to be taken into account for subsequent analysis. Dispatch quality control can be variable and customised for each company, depending on its standards. It can include aspects on the moment of reception, including punctuality and compliance with the time slots reserved for unloading, as well as the status of everything received.