Skip to content
Warehouse management

Multi-Warehouse Management for Distributors in India

Receive, store, pick, ship, transfer and count stock across every warehouse and godown from one connected system.

How can a distributor manage multiple warehouses?

Each warehouse needs its own stock, its own storage locations and a record of every movement in and out. TradeFlow keeps stock per warehouse and location, creates putaway tasks from goods receipts, guides picking with pick lists, records shipments with carrier and tracking number, documents transfers between warehouses, and reconciles stock with cycle counts.

Who it is for

  • Distributors with godowns in more than one location
  • Businesses that need location-level control inside a warehouse
  • Teams that dispatch through carriers
The problem

Common warehouse problems for distributors

  • 01

    Nobody knows which godown has what

    Stock is spread over several godowns, and checking availability means calling each one.

  • 02

    Received goods are hard to find

    Goods are unloaded wherever there is space, and later nobody knows which rack or bay they went to.

  • 03

    Picking errors reach the customer

    Pickers work from memory, lines are missed or short-picked, and the mistake is found at delivery.

  • 04

    Shipments disappear after dispatch

    Once goods leave with a transporter, there is no record of the carrier or tracking number to answer the customer.

  • 05

    Transfers between godowns go unrecorded

    Stock is moved between warehouses on a phone call, and the books of both warehouses are wrong.

  • 06

    Stock counts stop the business

    A full physical count means closing the godown, and differences are found without knowing where they came from.

How TradeFlow helps

How TradeFlow addresses them

  1. 01Nobody knows which godown has what

    Stock is kept per warehouse, so availability in each godown is visible in one place.

    • Multiple warehouses
    • Stock levels by warehouse
  2. 02Received goods are hard to find

    Goods receipts create putaway tasks that direct each line to a storage location, and locations can be nested with a code and capacity.

    • Putaway tasks from receipts
    • Storage locations
    • Nested storage locations
  3. 03Picking errors reach the customer

    Pick lists show the location to pick from and record ordered and picked quantity for every line.

    • Pick lists
    • Picked vs ordered quantity
  4. 04Shipments disappear after dispatch

    Shipments record the carrier, tracking number and dispatch and delivery dates, linked to the delivery challan.

    • Shipments
    • Carrier & tracking number
  5. 05Transfers between godowns go unrecorded

    Every stock transfer is recorded from one warehouse to another with its own number and status.

    • Stock transfers
  6. 06Stock counts stop the business

    Cycle counts cover part of the stock at a time and record system quantity, counted quantity and variance by location.

    • Cycle counts
    • Count variance
Workflow

The warehouse workflow in TradeFlow

  1. 1

    Goods receipt

    Receive against a purchase order into a warehouse. Stock goes up.

  2. 2

    Putaway

    Putaway tasks direct each received line to a storage location.

  3. 3

    Storage

    Stock is held by warehouse and location.

  4. 4

    Transfer

    Move stock to another warehouse with a stock transfer.

  5. 5

    Pick

    A pick list shows where to pick each line and records the picked quantity.

  6. 6

    Delivery

    Dispatch on a delivery challan. Stock goes down.

  7. 7

    Shipment

    Record carrier, tracking number and dispatch and delivery dates.

  8. 8

    Cycle count

    Count by location and review the variance.

Warehouses & locations

Every godown, down to the rack

Several warehouses, each with its own stock, and storage locations that can sit inside other locations, each with a code and capacity.

  • Multiple warehousesRun several warehouses, each with its own stock.
  • Storage locationsDefine locations inside a warehouse.
  • Nested storage locationsStorage locations can sit inside other locations, each with a code and capacity.
  • Stock levels by warehouseSee current stock per product and per warehouse.
Receiving & putaway

Received goods go to a known place

Goods receipts into a chosen warehouse, and putaway tasks that direct each received line to a storage location.

  • Goods receiptReceive stock against purchase orders into a warehouse.
  • PutawayDirect received goods to their storage location.
  • Putaway tasks from receiptsReceived goods create putaway tasks that direct each line to a storage location.
Picking, dispatch & shipments

Pick accurately and know where the goods went

Pick lists with locations and picked quantities, delivery challans with vehicle number and date, and shipments with carrier and tracking number.

  • Pick listsGenerate pick lists for outgoing orders.
  • Picked vs ordered quantityPick lists show the location to pick from and record ordered and picked quantity per line.
  • Delivery challansRecord goods dispatched against an order.
  • Vehicle & date on challansRecord the vehicle number and delivery date on each delivery challan.
  • ShipmentsTrack outgoing shipments.
  • Carrier & tracking numberShipments record the carrier, tracking number and dispatch and delivery dates, linked to the delivery challan.
Transfers

Move stock between godowns with a record

Stock transfers from one warehouse to another, each with a number and status, and a full movement history.

  • Stock transfersMove stock between warehouses with a record of each transfer.
  • Stock movement historyEvery stock in and out, with its source document.
Counts, damage & expiry

Keep physical stock and books in step

Cycle counts with variance by location, damage reports with quantity, reason and approval, and an expiry register for batch-tracked stock.

  • Cycle countsCount stock in parts and reconcile differences.
  • Count varianceCycle counts record system quantity, counted quantity and the variance, by location.
  • Damage reports with approvalEach damage entry records the quantity, reason, warehouse and batch, and goes through approval.
  • Expiry registerList batches nearing or past their expiry date, across warehouses.
More on inventory management
Fit

Who TradeFlow warehouse management is suitable for

  • Distributors running two or more warehouses or godowns
  • Warehouses organised into racks, bays or zones
  • Teams that pick large orders with many lines
  • Businesses dispatching through transporters and couriers
  • Businesses that want to count stock without shutting down
  • Operations that need to record breakage and damage
FAQs

Frequently asked questions

How can a distributor manage stock across multiple warehouses?

Keep stock per warehouse, record every transfer between warehouses, and reconcile with cycle counts. In TradeFlow, goods receipts add stock to the receiving warehouse, delivery challans reduce it in the dispatching warehouse, and every movement is kept in history.

Can TradeFlow manage storage locations inside a warehouse?

Yes. Storage locations can be defined inside each warehouse, nested inside other locations, each with a code and capacity.

How does putaway work in TradeFlow?

Received goods create putaway tasks that direct each line of the goods receipt to a storage location, and each task is marked complete when done.

Can I see what was picked against what was ordered?

Yes. Pick lists show the location to pick from and record both the ordered and the picked quantity for every line.

Can TradeFlow record the transporter and tracking number?

Yes. Shipments record the carrier, tracking number and dispatch and delivery dates, linked to the delivery challan.

How do cycle counts work?

A cycle count covers part of the stock at a time and records the system quantity, the counted quantity and the variance, by location.

See how TradeFlow can manage your multi-warehouse operations

Book a demo and we will walk through receiving, putaway, picking, a shipment and a cycle count on sample warehouses.