How to set up Product Configurations
Product Configurations can be single Unit Configs and/or many Unit Configs
A Product can have its unit(s) packed together in different Configurations.
Use Configurations to allow a Product Id to have many Configs instead of having different unique Ids for the same Product. A unique Product Id may come as a single Unit, or it may be prepackaged in a pack of 8, or case of 32 (4 packs) , or packed and stored as a pallet of 5,760 units (180 cases). Juice boxes, soap bars, pop bottles... etc. are all examples of Products that have a different number of units packaged in different Config sizes.
Cube-Q will automatically select the best Configs to load out of the Quantity of an order and/or by Priority. This keeps the Products To Load (PTL) list from exploding and getting very long, and having to pre-calculate how many single, packs, or cases are needed. It is only necessary to enter the order Quantity of the Product Id, and Cube-IQ will automatically break the Load Quantity down into different Config packages, and optimize them into selected Containers.
Product Configs can be used to ensure a Product is loaded in a particular way when its Quantity is a certain amount; stacked on top of each other and/or side by side. Products Configs may also be a layer of units to ensure a special layer configuration is used for stability.
Here is an example of an Orange Product Id with a Length, Width, and Height of 4 x 2 x 3.
Here are 4 Configs created for the Orange Product Id loaded on pallets in a 20' Container using Load Edit.
The first Config on the left is a 1 Unit Config, second Config is an 8 Unit Config, third is a 32 Unit Config, and the fourth is a 5,760 Unit Config.
Switch a Product Id's Orientation tab to Configurations before setting up Configs
The Product Configuration tab must be used instead of the Orientations tab to add Configs and control their orientation and placement. A Product must either use the Products' Orientations tab or Configurations tab, it cannot use both settings simultaneously.
New Products have the Orientations tab enable by default.
Use the Configurations tab by: 1) click Products menu, 2) click Orientations tab, and 3) click the Set up Configurations button
The Products Configuration tab, highlighted in yellow, is now returned instead on the Orientations tab.
Add a Product Config with 1 Unit
Products do not automatically have Configs created. It will likely be necessary to create a Config with 1 Unit to start.
The following example will use the Orange Product Id from the earlier example, and this 1 Unit Configuration will be named "Each".
Create the Orange Product's first Config by: 1) click Configurations tab, 2) click the Add Config button, 3) click Create button in the Data Entry popup window, change the name to "Each"
The # Units field will automatically set to 1 on account of the default Data Entry values. The # Long, # Wide, and # High are all left at 1, resulting in the dimension and weight of this fist Config to equals the original Orange Product (4x2x3 and .25 lbs.) and # Units is 1.
Here is the first Config after renamed to "Each".
The shape drawn for this Config is identical to the shape drawn for the Product on account of this Config being 1 Unit.
Add Configs with multiple Units using the Data Entry fields
The next Config will have more than 1 Unit. The # Unit field is automatically calculated from the Data Entry popup window. This next Config will have the Data Entry fields adjusted in the way its units are packed together.
The following example will add a second Config to the Orange Product for a "Pack" of 8 units, this Config's dimension will be 8x4x6 to reflect the number of units.
Create this second Config by: 1) click Product Configurations tab, 2) click Add Config Button, 3) Change the # Long, # Wide, and # High to 2, 2, and 2 in the Data Entry popup window, 4) click Create button, and rename to "Pack"
Based on the Data Entry numbers entered; the # Units is automatically set to 8, and the Config's dimension is automatically set to 8x4x6. Here is a table of how the units and dimensions were calculated.
|
Config |
|
Data Entry Calculation |
|
|
Value |
|
# Units |
= |
# Long * # Wide * # Height |
2 * 2 * 2 |
= |
8 |
|
Config Length |
= |
# Long * Product Length |
2 * 4 |
= |
8 |
|
Config Height |
= |
# Width * Product Width |
2 * 2 |
= |
4 |
|
Config Width |
= |
# Height * Product Height |
2 * 3 |
= |
6 |
Here is the second Config after renamed to "Pack" and changing the color to a darker orange. The weight of 2 lbs. also reflects 8 Products, each .25 lbs.
The drawing for this Config is identical to the shape drawn for the "Each" Config on account of its Length, Width, and Height are double the dimensions of the "Each" Config.
Add Config by manually setting the # Units, dimensions, and Weight
A Config can be created by manually entering its # Units and dimensions after the Data Entry popup is closed. The drawing will change to the new shape.
The following example will add a third Config to the Orange Product where there will be 32 units in a "Case". The Data Entry popup window will not be adjust for this Config; however, the dimension will be manually entered instead.
Create the third Config by: 1) click Configurations tab, 2) click Add Config button, 3) click Create button in the Data Entry popup, 4) type "8", "16", "6" inches, and 8 lbs. to the dimensions/Weight fields, 5) change name to "Case"
The drawing for this Config has a different shape; however, it can technically fit 4 "Packs" along the width if this Config.
Set each Config Priority to prioritize which Config is used first
Cube-IQ will load the Config with the highest Priority first if possible. The highest Priority is 1, a Config with Priority 1 will normally be selected to Load before Configs with 2, 3, 4… etc. The default Priority is 9.
The Orange "Case" config has 32 units, the "Pack" is 8 units, and the "Each" Config is 1 Unit; therefore, the logical priority would be a Priority of "9" for Each, "6" for Pack, and "3" for Case. The following Configs are used to Load 110 Orange Products: 3 Cases, 1 Packs, and 6 Each.
Set Priority for each config by: 1) click Configuration tab, 2) click a Config's tab, and 3) change Priority number
Optimize Load with Product Configs
Products with Configs in a Load are listed in the Products To Load (PTL) list only once. The dimensions in the list will be the Product's dimensions. The Config dimension's are not listed in the PTL
Here is a Sample Config Load with Qty of 5,555 Orange Product using 1 Pallet Container. The Orange Product has the Case, Pack, and Each Config; however, the Length, Width, and Height in the PTL show The Orange Product Id's dimension instead of Config dimensions.
Here is the Sample Config Load after it is Optimized. There are 5,555 Orange Products loaded. Some are loaded as a Case or Pack or Each Config but all 5,555 Orange Products are loaded. There are 171 Cases, 10 Pack Configs, and 3 Each Configs loaded on a Pallet.
Cube-IQ has taken the liberty of loading Packs on the 8th layer. The 8th layer can be all Cases instead by having Config Priority rule be more strict.
Config Priority can be to set to strict
Cube-IQ has a checkbox in Options where Config Priority can be set to strict.
The Priority strict option will ensure the 8 Packs highlighted below in the Sample Config Load are loaded as Cases instead.
The 8 Packs highlighted above are not loaded as Cases on account of the Config Priority is not strict.
Set Config Priority to strict by: 1) click Options menu, 2) click Loading Rules tab, 3) check the "Product Configuration priority is strict" box
Here it is reoptimized after Product Configuration priority box is checked.
The Sample Config Load above now only loads 2 Packs on the top layer, and all the packages on the second to top layer are now Cases.
Add a Config from an Optimized Load
A Config can be created from an Optimized Load. Products loaded into a Container can be converted into a Config and saved as a Product Config.
Here is a Sample Load where 5,760 Orange Products are loaded on to a pallet.
Here is the Pallet full of Orange Products Optimized without the pallet drawn. This example is also how the Orange "Cases" are saved in the physical warehouse.
Convert this Load into a Config by: 1) click Load Setup, 2) click Optimize, 3) right click white area in the Loads tab, and click "Convert to Configuration" in the context menu, then 4) click OK in the Configuration created popup window
Here is the Config created from the Sample Full Pallet Load after having it Convert to Configuration. The Config name defaults to CFG-5760, the # Units is 5,760, and the dimension and weight is automatically populated. Orientation for this Config must be 2, and Priority is 1 to ensure it has priority over the other Configs. CFG-5760 image is also automatically drawn to the Optimized Load of Orange Cases.
The Optimized drawing grid details are also kept intact when converted to a Config, the grid drawing details are preserved.
Sample Load of Orange Product with all 4 Configs
Here is a Load having 1 Orange Product Id loading a Quantity of 5,801 using all 4 Configs. The Configs are from the Examples above: Each, Pack, Case, and Pallet Config.
This Optimized Load returns 1 Pallet Config, 1 Case Config, 1 Pack Config, and 1 Each Config loaded on 2 containers.
Quantity of all Product units are loaded.
Container #1 has 1 package, the CFG-5760 Config, totaling 5,760 units.
Container #2 has three packages totaling 41 units: 1 Case, 1 Pack and 1 Each Config.
Notes:
Use Cube-IQ's Stacking Code with Configs
Every Config can have a Stack Code. Stack Code of a Config overrides the Product Id's Stack Code. A Config's Stack Code is in its tab under the Stacking area.
Here is where a Case Config's Stack Code can be selected.
Click here to learn more about Stack Codes.
Use Max. supported weight with Configs
Every Config can be limited by how much Weight of other Products can be stacked on it. A Config's Max. supported weight overrides the Product's setting.
Here is where the Max. supported weight setting is for Each Config.
Click here to learn more about Max, supported weight.
Use Matching code with Configs
Every Config can use Stacking codes. A Config's Stack code overrides the Product's setting
Here is where the Stacking code setting is for Each Config.
Click here to learn more about Matching codes.
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