This guide will give you an introduction to search functionality (note: in previous versions of the Pio app 'Search' was called 'Inspect').
When you need to locate a specific product, bin, or SKU in your grid, it is advisable to utilize the 'Search' functionality. Here are some examples where the 'Search' feature is highly useful:
- quality checks: you can request all bins containing a particular product/SKU to facilitate quality checks
- error correction: in cases where mistakes have occurred during picking or storing, you can access a specific bin to fix the problem
- item retrieval: if you require a particular item from the grid for activities such as a photo shoot or live demonstration, the 'Search' function ensures swift access to those products
It is important to note that search mode takes up a lot of robot power. The robots have to dig around to reach a specific bin, and this can slow things down. Therefore, it is essential to keep this in mind, especially if your colleagues are picking at another port simultaneously and are under pressure to meet shipping carrier deadlines.
This video will guide you through the search functionality in Pio. Begin by watching the video, and then explore additional step-by-step information below the video for further clarification.
Topics covered in this article
Step 1 - Search or scan items
Step 2 - Select item or bin
Step 3 - Making adjustments in the bin
Step 1 - Search or scan items
You can easily search for products, bins, kits, SKUs, and shelf locations using the search bar at the top of the screen. Additionally, you have the option to scan items using a scanner.
The following example shows how you can search for a product name:
Step 2 - Select item or bin
Note that the search category filters are displayed below the search bar (Products - Shelves - Bins - Kits). If you'd like to view bins containing your search term, simply click on the 'Bins' button.
Once you have selected the desired product, you'll be shown an overview of the bins (or compartments for split bins) where the product is located:
You can search and request multiple bins simultaneously. Just click the '+ Add to queue' button next to the bin(s) you want to add to the queue.
If you only want to to request one bin, click on 'Request added bins'.
If you want to add several bins to the queue, you can modify your search terms in the search field and select '+ Add to queue' for other bins containing different products.
After adding desired bins to the queue, click on the "Request added bins" at the bottom of the screen:
Please keep in mind that requesting a large number of bins simultaneously will significantly impact your system's performance. It is advisable not to check more than 10 bins at a time while using other ports simultaneously.
Add all bins to queue
If you want to view all instances of the selected product, you can also choose the "Add all bins to queue" option. This will add all the bins containing the product to your queue for easy access:
Review and remove bins in queue
To review and remove bins that you have added to the queue, simply click on the queue button located at the top of the screen. This will display a menu where you can manage the bins in your queue:
Step 3 - Making adjustments in the bin
If you need to add or remove a product while using the Search functionality, simply click on edit button. From there, you can adjust the quantity of products in the bin as needed. This feature comes in handy, for example, when you have temporarily taken a product out of the grid for a photo shoot and now want to restore it to a bin. However, please note that for regular incoming products and returns you should always use 'Store' flow.
After updating the stock amount in the compartment, click on 'Confirm' to save the changes:
Viewing bin or shelf history
When you view a product, you have the option to access the bin history for any shelf or bin.
This feature provides an extensive list of all activities related to item quantities, including details such as when the actions were performed and the user responsible for them: