Warehouse Management Guide

Overview

The Warehouse Management system provides multi-location inventory control with support for different warehouse types, capacity management, and location-based operations. Each warehouse can have unique settings, stock levels, and operational parameters.

Warehouse Types

Main Warehouse

Primary distribution center for inventory operations.

[
    'type' => 'main',
    'name' => 'Main Distribution Center',
    'code' => 'MDC',
    'is_active' => true,
]

Characteristics:

• Central inventory hub
• Primary receiving location
• Fulfillment center
• Typically largest capacity

Satellite Warehouse

Regional fulfillment locations for faster delivery.

[
    'type' => 'satellite',
    'name' => 'West Coast Fulfillment',
    'code' => 'WCF',
    'parent_warehouse_id' => 1,  // Links to main warehouse
]

Use Cases:

• Regional distribution
• Faster shipping to specific areas
• Overflow storage
• Seasonal locations

Virtual Warehouse

Dropshipping or external stock not physically held.

[
    'type' => 'virtual',
    'name' => 'Supplier Dropship',
    'code' => 'DROP',
    'is_active' => true,
]

Use Cases:

• Dropshipping from suppliers
• Third-party logistics (3PL)
• External warehouses
• Consignment locations

Consignment Warehouse

Supplier-owned inventory on your premises.

[
    'type' => 'consignment',
    'name' => 'Vendor Managed Inventory',
    'code' => 'VMI',
    'supplier_id' => 2,
]

Characteristics:

• Supplier owns inventory
• Payment on consumption
• Supplier manages replenishment
• Reduced capital requirements

Creating Warehouses

curl -X POST https://api.crm.test/api/v1/operations/warehouses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -d '{
    "name": "East Coast Distribution",
    "code": "ECD",
    "type": "satellite",
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Warehouse Ln",
      "city": "New York",
      "state": "NY",
      "postal_code": "10001",
      "country": "USA"
    },
    "contact": {
      "name": "Warehouse Manager",
      "email": "warehouse.ec@company.com",
      "phone": "+1-212-555-0100"
    },
    "capacity": {
      "total_sqft": 50000,
      "pallet_positions": 2000
    },
    "settings": {
      "allow_negative_stock": false,
      "auto_reorder": true,
      "require_bin_locations": true
    }
  }'

Warehouse Settings

Stock Management

'settings' => [
    'allow_negative_stock' => false,     // Prevent overselling
    'auto_reorder' => true,              // Auto-generate POs
    'require_bin_locations' => true,     // Enforce bin tracking
    'enable_batch_tracking' => true,     // Track lot/batch numbers
    'enable_serial_tracking' => false,   // Serial number tracking
]

Capacity Management

'capacity' => [
    'total_sqft' => 50000,              // Total square footage
    'pallet_positions' => 2000,          // Available pallet spots
    'current_utilization' => 1500,       // Currently used
    'utilization_percentage' => 75.0,    // 75% full
]

Warehouse Operations

View Warehouse Inventory

Get all inventory for a warehouse:

curl -X GET "https://api.crm.test/api/v1/operations/warehouses/1/inventory" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

Transfer Between Warehouses

Move stock between locations (see Inventory Guide).

Warehouse Statistics

curl -X GET "https://api.crm.test/api/v1/operations/warehouses/1/statistics" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

Response:

{
  "data": {
    "warehouse_id": 1,
    "warehouse_name": "Main Distribution Center",
    "total_products": 450,
    "total_stock_value": 1850000.00,
    "total_stock_units": 12450,
    "low_stock_items": 23,
    "out_of_stock_items": 8,
    "capacity_utilization": 75.0,
    "recent_activity": {
      "receipts_today": 5,
      "shipments_today": 18,
      "transfers_out": 3
    }
  }
}

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/warehouses	List all warehouses
POST	/warehouses	Create warehouse
GET	/warehouses/{id}	Get warehouse details
PUT	/warehouses/{id}	Update warehouse
DELETE	/warehouses/{id}	Delete warehouse
GET	/warehouses/{id}/inventory	Warehouse inventory
GET	/warehouses/{id}/statistics	Warehouse stats

Related Guides

• Multi-Warehouse Inventory - Inventory operations
• Stock Movement Tracking - Movement audit
• Purchase Orders - Receiving workflow