Source: Deutsche Nachrichten
A delivery arrives at the goods receiving area. During item registration, a quantity discrepancy is identified, the transaction is corrected and the process is repeated. A few days later, the same error occurs with another delivery. For warehouse employees, making these corrections has become part of their daily routine. But why does the problem keep recurring?
Industrial companies handling high volumes of incoming goods generate numerous inventory transactions, inspections and corrections every day. Individual errors can usually be resolved quickly. However, recurring discrepancies become more problematic when they repeatedly require additional processing steps.
Process Mining in goods receiving enables companies to investigate these patterns using digital event data. The analysis reveals which process steps are actually performed, where errors occur most frequently and which workflows repeatedly deviate from the intended procedure.
When Error Corrections Become Part of the Standard Workflow
Quantity discrepancies, incorrect item assignments and incomplete delivery information are common challenges in goods receiving.
Problems arise when employees have to process the same transactions several times. A delivery is initially recorded, subsequently corrected and potentially submitted for another inspection.
Traditional warehouse KPIs can indicate how many errors or inventory corrections occur. However, they do not explain which activities preceded these errors.
This is where Process Mining becomes particularly valuable.
Instead of simply comparing error rates, the actual sequence of process activities is reconstructed. This makes it possible to identify recurring correction loops and investigate them systematically.
Goods Receiving Transactions as the Foundation for Process Analysis
COSYS Warehouse Management Software supports mobile recording of incoming goods, item information and delivered quantities.
Warehouse employees can scan goods using mobile data collection devices, assign delivery positions and record quantities. The resulting transaction information is then available for subsequent warehouse operations.
For process analysis, timestamps, transaction references, processing steps and documented error events are particularly relevant.
COSYS Process Mining uses this event data to represent related activities in event logs.
These records allow the actual processing sequences to be reconstructed.
For example, an analysis may reveal that certain goods receiving positions repeatedly move between item selection, quantity verification and correction transactions.
However, this requires the relevant events to be recorded consistently and clearly associated with the corresponding transaction.
Which Errors Frequently Occur Together?
An isolated error message often provides limited information about the underlying cause.
The analysis becomes more valuable when several related events are examined together.
For example, if manual item corrections are regularly followed by additional quantity checks, this may indicate a problematic processing sequence.
An unusually high number of returns to previous data entry screens may also suggest usability difficulties or unclear operating procedures.
COSYS Process Mining helps make these recurring process variants visible.
However, identifying a pattern is not the same as establishing its root cause.
An unusual correction loop could result from inaccurate master data, incomplete supplier information or a necessary quality inspection.
Expert evaluation therefore remains an essential part of the analysis.
For manufacturers in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands, where goods receiving processes often support complex production and supply operations, understanding these relationships can help reduce repeated handling and improve transaction accuracy.
Goods Receiving Errors Affect Downstream Warehouse Operations
Errors in goods receiving often have consequences beyond the original transaction.
If an incorrect quantity is recorded, the available inventory may become inaccurate. An incorrect item assignment could result in goods being initially directed to an unsuitable storage location.
The consequences may only become apparent during putaway, order picking or production supply.
By linking goods receiving events with subsequent warehouse movements, companies can investigate these relationships in greater detail.
COSYS Internal Transport Management can provide additional data when goods are transported between warehouse areas or production locations after registration.
This makes it possible to examine whether incorrect or delayed goods receiving transactions coincide with additional transport orders or delayed material availability.
Such analyses help companies understand how errors in one process stage may influence the wider intralogistics workflow.
Verify Process Improvements Using New Event Data
Identifying recurring errors is only the first step.
If the analysis reveals that certain items require frequent manual corrections, the associated master data and data capture rules should be reviewed.
If errors occur predominantly within specific process variants, revised work instructions or additional validation checks may be appropriate.
After implementing improvements, the newly generated event data can be analysed again.
Warehouse managers can then determine whether correction loops occur less frequently, processing times have decreased or the number of subsequent inventory adjustments has changed.
This turns Process Mining into a valuable tool for continuous improvement in goods receiving operations.
Rather than relying exclusively on individual error reports, companies can evaluate whether corrective measures have improved the underlying workflow.
Conclusion: Investigate the Root Causes of Goods Receiving Errors
Recurring goods receiving errors create additional administrative work and can disrupt downstream warehouse and production processes.
COSYS Process Mining helps reconstruct actual workflows, identify unusual process variants and systematically investigate recurring correction loops.
COSYS Warehouse Management Software and Internal Transport Management provide relevant operational process data. Business Intelligence and process analytics complement these capabilities by supporting detailed evaluations of error frequencies, throughput times and process deviations.
Modular software solutions, suitable mobile data collection hardware, implementation support and hardware services provide a scalable foundation for digitalising and optimising intralogistics operations.
For UK manufacturers, this creates opportunities to improve goods receiving accuracy while reducing unnecessary processing and operational disruptions.
Tip: Want to understand recurring goods receiving errors and improve your warehouse processes? Discover COSYS Process Mining and COSYS Warehouse Management Software. You can also test the mobile functions of the warehouse software free of charge and without obligation using the COSYS demo apps on Google Play or the Apple App Store.