Organize a cross-dock in a warehouse¶
Cross-docking is the process of sending products that are received directly to the customers, without making them enter the stock. The trucks are simply unloaded in a Cross-Dock area in order to reorganize products and load another truck.
- menu
- (diagram)
- shows
- A schematic drawing of a cross-dock: an inbound truck unloading into a cross-dock area where goods are re-sorted and immediately loaded onto an outbound truck, bypassing stock.
- module
- stock
- notes
- Simple schematic drawing, no Odoo UI.
Configuration¶
In the Inventory app, open and activate the Multi-Step Routes.
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- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Settings
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- The Inventory settings page scrolled to "Warehouse", with the "Multi-Step Routes" checkbox enabled (which also enables "Storage Locations").
- highlight
- The "Multi-Step Routes" checkbox (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Note
Doing so will also enable the Storage Locations feature.
Now, both Incoming and Outgoing shipments should be configured to work with 2 steps. To adapt the configuration, go to and edit your warehouse.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Warehouses
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- A warehouse form with "Incoming Shipments" set to two steps and "Outgoing Shipments" set to two steps.
- highlight
- The "Incoming Shipments" and "Outgoing Shipments" options (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
This modification will lead to the creation of a Cross-Docking route that can be found in .
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Routes
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- The routes list with the "Cross-Dock" route that was created automatically by the two-step configuration.
- highlight
- The "Cross-Dock" route row (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Configure products with Cross-Dock Route¶
Create the product that uses the Cross-Dock Route and then, in the inventory tab, select the routes Buy and Cross-Dock. Now, in the purchase tab, specify the vendor to who you buy the product and set a price for it.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products
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- A product form with the Purchase tab open, showing the vendor and the purchase price.
- data
- Product "Cross-dock item", vendor "Wood Corner".
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Products ‣ Products
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- The same product form with the Inventory tab open, showing the "Buy" and "Cross-Dock" routes ticked in the Operations section.
- highlight
- The "Buy" and "Cross-Dock" route checkboxes (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Once done, create a sale order for the product and confirm it. Odoo will automatically create two transfers which will be linked to the sale order. The first one is the transfer from the Input Location to the Output Location, corresponding to the move of the product in the Cross-Dock area. The second one is the delivery order from the Output Location to your Customer Location. Both are in state *Waiting Another Operation because we still need to order the product to our supplier.
- menu
- Sales ‣ Orders ‣ Orders
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- A confirmed sales order for the cross-docked product, with the Delivery smart button showing two transfers.
- highlight
- The Delivery smart button (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
- menu
- Sales ‣ Orders ‣ Orders
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- The two transfers linked to the sales order (Input to Output, and Output to Customers), both in "Waiting Another Operation" status.
- highlight
- The status column (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Now, go to the Purchase app. There, you will find the purchase order that has been automatically triggered by the system. Validate it and receive the products in the Input Location.
- menu
- Purchase ‣ Orders ‣ Requests for Quotation
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- The purchase order that the cross-dock route generated automatically for the sales order.
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
- menu
- Purchase ‣ Orders ‣ Purchase Orders
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- The receipt of the purchase order being validated, with the destination set to the Input location.
- highlight
- The "Destination Location" field (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
When the products have been received from the supplier, you can go back to your initial sale order and validate the internal transfer from Input to Output.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Transfers
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- The internal transfer from Input to Output now in "Ready" status.
- highlight
- The "Ready" status (red frame).
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Transfers
- shows
- The same internal transfer after validation, in "Done" status.
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
The delivery order is now ready to be processed and can be validated too.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders
- shows
- The delivery order from Output to the customer, now in "Ready" status.
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders
- shows
- The validated delivery order in "Done" status, completing the cross-dock flow.
- module
- stock
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.