Shipping Management
Quick facts
| Category | Order fulfillment and shipment tracking |
|---|---|
| Used by | Manufacturing, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive and other production-based industries |
| Also called | None widely standardized |
| Related standards | None specific |
| Related processes | Sales management, invoicing software, order management, manufacturing inventory control |
| Semantic match | shipping management, order fulfillment, shipping labels and tracking, lot traceable shipments |
What is Shipping Management?
Shipping management covers the final stage of order fulfillment, from confirming an order is ready to ship through packing, labeling and dispatching it to the customer. Within an ERP system, shipping data is typically pulled directly from the corresponding sales or production order, rather than requiring separate manual entry.
Common functions include generating shipping labels, barcodes and packing slips, applying carrier-specific shipping rules based on weight, zone or priority, and sending tracking information to customers as shipments move through delivery.
Because shipments often connect to lot or serial-tracked inventory, shipping management also plays a role in traceability, recording exactly which lot or serial numbers were included in a specific shipment to a specific customer.
Why is Shipping Management important?
Manual shipping processes are time-consuming and error-prone, particularly for manufacturers processing many orders, where a mislabeled or misdirected shipment can result in costly returns and customer dissatisfaction.
Pulling shipping data automatically from sales and production orders reduces the risk of shipping the wrong item, quantity or destination, while also speeding up the overall fulfillment process.
Connecting shipments to lot and serial data supports full traceability, which is essential in regulated industries where organizations must be able to confirm exactly which units were sent to which customer in the event of a recall or quality investigation.
How does Shipping Management work?
A typical shipping management process includes:
- Order readiness. Confirm the order is complete and ready for shipment.
- Pick and pack. Pull the correct items and quantities, often guided by system instructions.
- Labeling. Generate shipping labels, barcodes and packing slips automatically.
- Carrier assignment. Apply shipping rules based on carrier, zone, weight or priority.
- Dispatch and tracking. Ship the order and send tracking information to the customer.
- Invoicing trigger. Generate an invoice automatically once the shipment is confirmed.
Manual Shipping vs. Automated Shipping Management
| Comparison | Manual Shipping | Automated Shipping Management |
|---|---|---|
| Data source | Re-entered from the sales order | Pulled automatically from the sales order |
| Labeling | Manually created | Auto-generated labels, barcodes and packing slips |
| Traceability | Dependent on manual recordkeeping | Lot/serial data automatically tied to the shipment |
Real-world examples of Shipping Management
A manufacturer processes a batch of orders at once using batch shipping, generating labels and packing slips for multiple shipments simultaneously to reduce processing time during a high-volume day.
A medical device company's shipping management system automatically records the lot numbers included in a specific shipment, supporting full traceability if a quality issue with that lot is identified later.
An electronics manufacturer integrates its ERP shipping module with a third-party carrier platform, automating label creation and reducing manual data entry across multiple shipping carriers.
Regulations and standards related to Shipping Management
Shipping management is not itself a regulatory requirement, but accurate shipment records, particularly lot and serial traceability tied to specific shipments, support broader traceability expectations found in ISO 13485, AS9100 and similar regulated industry standards.
How QT9 helps with Shipping Management
QT9 ERP shipping management capabilities
- Pull shipping details automatically from sales and production orders.
- Generate and print shipping labels, barcodes and packing slips.
- Auto-send tracking emails and monitor delivery progress within the system.
- Quickly assign lot or serial traceable inventory to shipments.
- Process multiple orders at once with batch shipping.
- Create invoices automatically for shipments as they leave the dock.
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Common mistakes with Shipping Management
Common mistakes include relying on manual shipping data entry disconnected from sales orders, increasing the risk of shipping errors and delaying invoicing.
Other problems include failing to capture lot or serial information at the point of shipment, which can make it difficult or impossible to trace which specific units went to which customer if a quality issue arises later.
Frequently asked questions
Related quality management terms
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