Storage space in Torgsoft: how to set up shelves, racks and cells

In a large store or warehouse, knowing only the total stock quantity is not enough. An employee needs to quickly understand exactly where to look for the required item: on the sales floor, on a specific rack, shelf, in a bin, or in another storage area.

For this purpose, Torgsoft has the additional option «Product storage location». It allows you to create storage addresses and assign products to them.

The option helps organize address-based product placement and makes it easier for employees to find goods. At the same time, it is important to understand its purpose: «Product storage location» does not maintain a separate quantitative stock balance for each shelf or bin.

What «Product storage location» records

A storage location is created for a specific accounting center. Therefore, the same product may have different addresses in different stores or warehouses.

Several storage locations can be used for one product if it is physically stored in different areas.

At the same time, Torgsoft stores the total product balance for the accounting center rather than the quantity at each individual address.

The records still show 20 units of the product at the accounting center, while the storage locations indicate where this product can be found.

Product storage location — is an address directory for organizing a warehouse and finding products, not a separate quantitative inventory system for individual bins.

How to enable storage locations

After activating the additional option, open: Settings → Parameters → Additional functions → Storage locations.

Torgsoft provides two operating modes:

1. multiple product storage locations in the warehouse;

2. one product storage location in the warehouse.

The choice depends on the warehouse structure and whether one product item can physically be located in several places.

Multiple product storage locations in the warehouse

This mode is suitable for stores and warehouses with racks, shelves, rows, bins, and other separate areas.

It allows you to:

• maintain a separate directory of storage locations;

• assign one product to several addresses;

• use storage location barcodes;

• create permanent storage locations;

• use temporary locations for specific operations.

To work with addresses, open: Warehouse → Storage location.

For each location, you can specify:

• name;

• barcode;

• accounting center.

A product can be assigned to a storage location from «Warehouse status» or by scanning the product barcode.

Locations can also be assigned in the product card on the «Product storage location» tab.

How to name shelves, racks, and bins

To make it easier for employees to navigate the warehouse, it is advisable to use a consistent naming system.

Using the same number of digits in the numbering helps sort addresses correctly in the list.

For a large warehouse, several address levels can be included in the name: room, row, rack, shelf, and bin.

Generating storage locations

If the warehouse contains many similar racks, you do not have to create each address manually.

Torgsoft has the «Generate storage locations» action.

During generation, you can specify:

• the main rack name;

• number of shelves;

• shelf prefix;

• number of rows;

• row prefix;

• numeric or alphabetic numbering type.

For example, if a rack has three shelves and five rows, you can generate 15 storage locations at once.

This is more convenient than creating each address manually, especially when the warehouse has many identical sections.

Storage location barcodes

You can use your own barcodes for storage locations.

This allows an employee to select the required address by scanning instead of searching for it manually in a large list.

This approach is especially convenient for warehouses with a large number of:

• racks;

• shelves;

• bins;

• order picking areas.

A label with the address name and barcode can be placed at the physical location.

The employee scans the code and works with the corresponding storage location in the software.

If one product is stored in several locations

In multiple-storage-location mode, one product item can be assigned to several addresses.

Both addresses can be specified for this product. This helps an employee know where else to look for the required item if it is not in its main location.

However, Torgsoft does not distribute the quantity between these addresses. If the total stock is 15 units, the software does not automatically determine how many of them should be on the sales floor and how many — in the warehouse.

Permanent and temporary storage locations

In warehouse operations, goods are not always located only on their main shelf.

Some goods may temporarily be located:

• in the receiving area;

• in the order picking area;

• near an employee's workstation;

• in another temporary location.

For such situations, permanent and temporary addresses can be used in multiple-storage-location mode.

The main location shows where the product is usually stored, while the temporary location helps record its current physical placement during specific warehouse operations.

One product storage location in the warehouse

For a small store or warehouse, you can use a simpler mode — one product storage location.

With this setting, the address is specified directly in the product card.

This mode is suitable if:

• each product item has one permanent address;

• there is no complex system of racks and bins;

• the product does not need to be assigned to several locations.

In this mode, there are no:

• separate storage location directory;

• multiple addresses for one product;

• location barcodes for quick selection;

• temporary storage locations.

For a small store, this may be sufficient, for example, if you only need to specify:

Which option to choose

One storage location is suitable if the warehouse is small and one permanent address is sufficient for each product.

Multiple storage locations are better if:

• the warehouse has many racks and bins;

• one product can be stored in several locations;

• address barcodes need to be used;

• there are permanent and temporary areas;

• employees need to quickly find products in a large warehouse.

Before configuring the system, it is advisable to first plan the physical structure of the warehouse and establish a consistent rule for naming addresses. This prevents the directory from turning into a set of different labels such as «rack 2», «R-2», «second rack» and «warehouse near the door» that all refer to the same location.

What is important to consider

A storage location helps employees find products, but by itself it does not guarantee that the goods are physically placed at the correct address.

An employee may:

• place the product on the wrong shelf;

• leave it in a temporary area;

• move the product without changing the address;

• accidentally place identical products in different parts of the warehouse.

Therefore, storage addresses must be kept consistent with the actual physical placement of goods.

Inventory counting is a separate process aimed at comparing the actual quantity of goods with the recorded quantity and bringing stock balances into line. It should not be replaced by checking individual shelves using the storage location directory: a product may actually have been placed on the wrong shelf or in another part of the warehouse.

That is why the «Product storage location» feature should be used for address-based warehouse organization and product search, while the inventory counting procedure should be handled separately.