Zero crossing

Zero crossing is a technical term used in warehouse logistics. If the withdrawal requirement of an article at a picking location is greater than or equal to the stock quantity of the article in question, this is known as zero crossing. A zero crossing is part of Inventory Management and Warehouse Management and occurs either planned or unplanned.

zero crossing – Planned

If the withdrawal quantity requested in picking corresponds to the stock of the article currently documented in the Warehouse Management System, this quantity drops to 0 after the withdrawal. This is then a planned or intended zero crossing.

zero crossing – unplanned

If there are errors in inventory management, the requested withdrawal quantity may not be covered by the actual stock of the article. A related order cannot be executed in this way. Due to the different documented stock, a zero crossing was not expected in processing. In this case, it is an unplanned or unwanted zero crossing.

Inventory and zero crossing

If all stock levels of the articles are always recorded permanently in terms of quantity and even digitally supported, the zero crossing is displayed in the system beforehand. Deviations from the documented stock levels to the actual stock levels can thus be corrected and uncovered. In such a system, an explicit zero-crossing inventory can also be carried out to find and correct exactly these possible zero-crossings.

When a planned or unplanned zero crossing occurs, at the latest, a purchase order is triggered for the appropriate amount of the article in question. The reorder points that trigger such a replenishment order vary depending on the article, type of production or delivery process. This ensures that the required article is always available in the warehouse. Warehouse management systems simplify documentation and processing and are indispensable for very large and diverse warehouses

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