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' => '01hwxyz123abc456def789ghi0',  // 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' => '01hwxyz223abc456def789ghi0',
]

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/01hwxyz123abc456def789ghi0/inventory" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

Transfer Between Warehouses

Move stock between locations (see Inventory Guide).

Activate / Deactivate a Warehouse

Use the dedicated status endpoints to control whether a warehouse participates in inventory operations:

# Activate
curl -X POST "https://api.crm.test/api/v1/operations/warehouses/01hwxyz123abc456def789ghi0/activate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

# Deactivate
curl -X POST "https://api.crm.test/api/v1/operations/warehouses/01hwxyz123abc456def789ghi0/deactivate" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}"

Deactivation

Deactivating a warehouse does not delete inventory records. Existing stock remains tracked but the warehouse is excluded from new allocation and transfer operations. Reactivate the warehouse to resume normal operations.

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
POST	/warehouses/{id}/activate	Activate warehouse
POST	/warehouses/{id}/deactivate	Deactivate warehouse
GET	/warehouses/{id}/inventory	Warehouse inventory

Related Guides

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