Configure Warehouse Bins

Warehouse bins are sublocations within a warehouse. Bin Management allows GoldFinch to track where inventory is stored and how it moves through receiving, put-away, picking, production, quality control, and shipping.

A bin may represent a physical storage location, such as a rack position, or a functional area, such as receiving, staging, quality control, or shipping.

Before You Begin

Design the warehouse and bin structure before creating records in GoldFinch.

Confirm:

• Which warehouses require bin-level tracking
• Which physical locations need separate bins
• Which functional areas must be represented
• How bins will be named and labeled
• Which Bin Type applies to each bin
• Whether Bin Ranking will guide picking priority
• Whether mobile scanning will be used
• Whether bins will be created manually or imported

Avoid creating more bins than the operation can consistently maintain.

Physical and Functional Bins

Physical Storage Bins

Physical bins identify specific inventory storage locations.

A bin number may represent:

• Aisle
• Bay
• Level
• Position

For example:

01-05-03-02

This could represent aisle 01, bay 05, level 03, and position 02.

The exact format should match the physical layout and be easy for warehouse employees to locate and scan.

Functional Bins

Functional bins represent areas used for particular warehouse processes rather than permanent storage.

Examples include:

• Receive
• Cross Dock
• Quality Control
• Return
• Production Input
• Production Output
• Staging
• Ship

Functional bin names should clearly communicate their intended use.

Establish a Bin-Numbering Convention

Use a consistent naming convention before creating or importing bins.

A good convention should be:

• Unique within the warehouse
• Easy to read
• Easy to sort
• Easy to locate physically
• Suitable for barcode scanning
• Consistent across aisles and zones
• Flexible enough for future expansion

For warehouses with many locations, use leading zeros so bin names sort correctly.

For example:

• 01-01-01-01
• 01-01-01-02
• 01-01-02-01
• 01-02-01-01

Avoid names that employees could easily confuse, especially when printed as barcodes.

Common Bin Fields

When creating or importing bins, review the following fields:

Additional fields may be available depending on the customer’s GoldFinch version and configuration.

Select the Appropriate Bin Type

Assign an appropriate Bin Type to every bin.

GoldFinch includes standard Bin Types such as:

• Pick
• PutAway
• QC
• Receive
• Ship

The Bin Type helps determine how the bin participates in warehouse activities.

For example:

• A Pick bin generally contains inventory available for fulfillment.
• A Receive bin holds newly received inventory.
• A QC bin separates inventory from ordinary picking.
• A Ship bin holds picked inventory awaiting shipment.

Review Understand and Configure Bin Types before assigning Bin Types. Do not modify the standard Bin Types without guidance from a GoldFinch Implementer.

Configure Bin Ranking

Bin Ranking can prioritize bins during picking.

Use ranking when the warehouse wants GoldFinch to prefer certain bins over others. For example, the organization may want to pick from:

• Primary pick bins before bulk storage
• Lower or more accessible locations first
• Forward-picking locations before reserve inventory
• Designated lots or areas according to operating procedures

Establish the ranking rules before assigning values.

Use a consistent numeric approach, and confirm the meaning of lower and higher values through testing in the customer’s configuration.

Bin Ranking should support the physical picking strategy and should not conflict with lot, expiration, allocation, or other inventory-selection requirements.

Create Bins Manually

Manual creation may be appropriate when:

• Only a small number of bins are required
• The warehouse structure is still being tested
• Each bin requires individual review
• Functional bins are being added to an existing warehouse

For each bin:

1. Select the applicable Warehouse.
2. Enter the Bin name or identifier.
3. Select the appropriate Bin Type.
4. Enter the Bin Ranking when applicable.
5. Complete any additional required fields.
6. Save the bin.
7. Confirm that it appears under the correct Warehouse.
8. Test the bin in the appropriate warehouse activity.

Import Bins

For warehouses with many bins, you may import records using the Salesforce Import Wizard or another approved data-loading method.

A typical import file includes:

• Warehouse
• Bin
• Bin Type
• Bin Ranking

Before importing:

1. Finalize the warehouse layout and naming convention.
2. Confirm that the Warehouse records already exist.
3. Confirm the exact values used for Bin Types.
4. Remove duplicate bin identifiers.
5. Validate the Bin Ranking values.
6. Test the import with a small sample.
7. Review the imported records before loading the remaining bins.

Do not import the full warehouse until you have verified the sample records.

Assign Functional Bins to the Warehouse

After creating functional bins, assign them to the applicable fields on the Warehouse setup.

Depending on the warehouse model, assignments may include:

• Pick Bin
• Receive Bin
• Ship Bin
• Cross Dock Bin
• Return Bin
• Input Bin
• Output Bin
• Other default warehouse locations

Confirm that every assigned bin belongs to the correct warehouse.

Print Bin Barcodes

After finalizing the bin-numbering convention, print and attach barcode labels to the physical warehouse locations.

Organizations may:

• Print bin labels from GoldFinch
• Use an external label-printing solution
• Outsource label production to a barcode vendor
• Use color or other visual identifiers for warehouse zones

GoldFinch recommends the Code 128 barcode format because it efficiently represents alphanumeric bin identifiers.

Before printing all labels:

1. Print a representative sample.
2. Confirm that the barcode matches the GoldFinch Bin value.
3. Test the label with the intended mobile device or scanner.
4. Test labels at the expected scanning distance.
5. Confirm that the label remains readable under warehouse lighting.
6. Verify that the printed label fits the physical location.

Place labels where employees can scan them safely without obstructing warehouse operations.

Test the Bin Structure

Before go-live, test representative activities using the new bins:

• Receive inventory
• Create and complete a Put-away
• Pick inventory
• Move inventory between bins
• Stage inventory for shipment
• Count inventory
• Scan bin barcodes
• Process lot- or serial-controlled items
• Review Bin Contents and Warehouse Entries

Confirm that employees can locate the physical bins and select or scan the correct GoldFinch records.

Changing an Active Bin

Changing an active bin’s name, type, ranking, or warehouse assignment can affect:

• Existing Bin Contents
• Open Warehouse Receipts
• Put-aways
• Picks
• Warehouse Shipments
• Mobile scanning
• Warehouse reports
• Employee procedures

Before changing an active bin:

• Review its current inventory
• Identify open transactions that reference it
• Confirm whether its barcode label must be replaced
• Test the proposed change
• Communicate the change to warehouse employees
• Coordinate significant changes with a GoldFinch Implementer

Do not delete or repurpose a bin merely because its current quantity is zero. It may still be referenced by open or historical warehouse transactions.

Operational Recommendations

For reliable bin management:

• Use consistent names across the warehouse
• Label every physical bin clearly
• Keep GoldFinch bin records aligned with the physical layout
• Record every inventory movement
• Avoid using functional bins as general storage
• Review bin rankings periodically
• Investigate negative or unexpected quantities promptly
• Train employees before introducing new bins
• Test barcode labels before full deployment

Available fields and behavior depend on the customer’s licensed GoldFinch modules, version, warehouse configuration, and user permissions.