Goods receipt – a key operation for the logistics chain

Goods receipt involves the primary activities that ensure the effective acceptance of products sent by suppliers. This procedure includes everything from vehicle unloading, product and invoice checking, to warehousing.

Regardless of the niche or size of the company, receiving is one of the most important steps within the logistics process.

To ensure that subsequent stages are well executed, receiving must be done in the best way possible. When poorly managed, it can lead to a series of errors that are reflected in all the company's actions!

And, contrary to popular belief, this process begins long before the products are delivered. Logistics starts during the purchase of goods, and this organization makes all the difference.

Continue reading the article to understand the importance of material receipt for operational logistics.

What Does Goods Receipt Involve?

When we talk about receiving goods, most of us only associate it with the tasks of unloading trucks, right?

However, the truth is that this process involves much more! There are several stages, and understanding each one helps in knowing the steps to follow to optimize this activity.

Planning

Planning is what organizes the operation and ensures the execution of each stage. Here, communication between the Purchasing and Warehousing sectors is necessary so that they are aligned, knowing exactly what will arrive and if there is physical space for it.

Creating rules for goods receipt is important for maintaining good information management, ensuring all parties involved are aware of orders and arrival times.

Scheduling Dates and Times

Deliveries need to be made according to the schedule established in the planning. Nobody wants to receive a surprise delivery and run the risk of not being able to accept it, right?

Scheduling avoids problems such as arrival outside the company's operating hours or arrival times when several suppliers are unloading, causing unnecessary queues.

Thus, it becomes necessary to negotiate with suppliers the best date for both parties.

Dock Management

Dock management is simply the location where this stage happens in practice, i.e., where the goods are received.

Good management with daily supervision helps control the loss of time during unloading and best organizes the storage of goods.

Product Checking

A very important stage, this is when we view the details of the order and the invoice, in order to proceed with checking the received goods.

Important points that need to be analyzed in this process:

• Quantity of products
• Product description
• Verifying that what was delivered matches the order
• Agreed value
• Product expiration date (if applicable)
• Payment term
• Billing address
• Discounts (if any)
• Freight
• Checking that the company data on the invoice is correct

Quality Control

Observing the quality of the received merchandise is essential! Performing verification according to the type of product received by making a checklist based on the invoice is very important. Thus, if necessary, the company can request a return within the period allowed by law.

Separation and Organization of Goods

The last stage of receiving, this is important to ensure the quality of the next steps in the business's sales process.

Here, it is necessary to have people responsible for correctly separating, organizing, and storing the products that are now part of the stock.

Can the Receiving Structure Change?

Although the steps mentioned above are basic for receiving logistics, it is important to point out that each business has a receiving structure according to its size and niche.

An industry needs to have slightly different processes than retail, for example. One company receives raw materials, while the other receives products ready for sale. The same applies to franchises, which require different logistics.

Regardless of the type of company, the most important thing is that each one has its own well-constructed process, and that it works in practice.

The Importance of Receiving in the Logistics Chain in Practice

As we have seen, receiving is where incoming products are checked, as well as their quality and organization for storage.

Goods receipt is what initiates a company's sales process. If errors occur at this stage, all subsequent stages will be compromised.

In practice, this stage is important for business management, especially for generating information. Much more than just receiving products, this is the department responsible for entering the data that makes the products available for sale, for example.

The main objective of goods receipt is to ensure the replenishment of a business's inventory. And it is an important step for any company, regardless of its niche.

Use Technology as an Ally

Like any process operated by people, goods receipt can also have failures.

Currently, there are technologies on the market that help minimize these errors. Data integration and support tools are fundamental to achieving the best results.

Contrary to what many people think, modernizing and automating actions relates to simplifying tasks, not complicating processes. That is, investing in software that optimizes procedures is very important for increasing a company's productivity.

I need a delivery receipt software. What now?

Get to know the system and transform your company's yard management!