What is putaway?
Putaway is the warehouse process of moving received goods from the receiving dock to their assigned storage location. Done well, putaway places each item where it can be stored safely and picked efficiently later, which is why modern systems direct putaway rather than letting workers choose locations by hand.
The step between receiving and storage.
Once goods are checked in at the dock, they cannot just sit there. Putaway is the directed move that takes each unit to a storage location, the moment that determines how easy, or how painful, picking will be weeks later.
- From dock to location
- Received stock is moved off the receiving area and into a defined bin, shelf, or pallet position.
- A tracked move
- The system records the new location so the inventory ledger always knows where every unit physically sits.
- Sets up the pick
- Where you put stock decides how far a picker walks for it later, so good putaway is cheaper picking.
Directed, suggested, and manual putaway.
Putaway ranges from a worker choosing any open spot to the system computing the best location for each unit.
- Manual putaway
- A worker decides where stock goes. Simple, but locations drift and fast movers end up far from packing.
- Suggested putaway
- The system proposes a location based on velocity, size, or lot rules, and the worker confirms or overrides.
- Directed putaway
- The system assigns the location outright and the worker travels to it, keeping the slotting plan intact.
How the system picks the right home for a unit.
A smart putaway suggestion weighs several facts about the item and the building at once.
- Velocity
- Fast movers belong close to packing and at an ergonomic height; slow movers can go to deep storage.
- Lot and expiry
- Lot-tracked or perishable goods are placed so the right lot is picked first, supporting FEFO rotation.
- Capacity and constraints
- Size, weight, and location type are respected so nothing is stored where it does not fit or is unsafe.
Putaway as a managed workflow.
A WMS turns putaway into scan-guided, accountable work that keeps inventory accurate from the first move.
- Putaway tasks
- Each unit or pallet becomes a task a worker claims, travels, and confirms with a scan at the location.
- Live location updates
- Confirming the scan writes the new location to the ledger immediately, so stock is findable at once.
- Putaway waves
- At volume, putaway can be grouped and sequenced like picking, so a worker stores many units in one efficient trip.
Answered plainly.
Putaway is the process of moving received goods from the receiving dock to their assigned storage location, and recording that location so the inventory system always knows where each unit is.
In suggested putaway the system proposes a location and the worker can confirm or override it. In directed putaway the system assigns the location and the worker follows it, which keeps the slotting plan intact at higher volumes.
Where stock is put away decides how far pickers walk for it later and whether the right lot is picked first. Good putaway lowers picking cost, supports rotation rules, and keeps inventory locations accurate.
A putaway wave groups and sequences multiple putaway tasks so a worker can store many units in one efficient trip, the same idea as wave picking applied to inbound stock.