Order packing

Order packing turns the goods of an order into closed, labelled boxes. You scan each parcel into a box, close the box and put the right label on it. The station shows what is still left to pack and how the order ships, so you know whose label goes on the box.

Where to find it: Warehouse → Order handling → Order packing

When you'll use it

• To pack the orders whose goods are reserved.
• To split one order across several boxes.
• To dispatch a courier shipment and get its label without leaving the packing bench.
• To come back to a packed order and print a label again.
• To unpack a box and pack it again, for example when something went into it by mistake.
• To clear boxes of orders that were cancelled after packing.

Key concepts

The box. Everything you pack goes into a box. In Complaia a box is a handling unit with its own code that starts with HU-. A box is open while you fill it, closed once you close it, and issued when it leaves the warehouse. An order has one open box at a time. If a colleague has already opened one, you continue in it and see Took over the box already open for this order.

One scan is one parcel. A product that ships in three parcels needs three scans, one label from each parcel. Progress on this screen is counted in parcels, not pieces.

How you pack. Before the first scan, the station asks How are you packing this order?

Choice	What happens
No carton	The product ships in its own packaging. Every scan is a separate box with its own label. The box closes by itself after each scan.
One of your cartons	Several parcels go into one carton. You scan, then close the box yourself. The carton gives the box its size. The box weighs its contents plus the empty carton.

Your last choice is remembered on that computer for eight hours. For the next order it is only a suggestion: the card shows Last time with the name, and you click a card to confirm or change it.

Packing uses the reservation. Normally the goods were set aside earlier on Stock reservation. If a line has no reservation yet, the scan reserves the goods at that moment, from the warehouse you scan the parcel from. The station then says how many pieces it set aside. If nothing is available, the scan is refused and you see which documents hold the goods.

One warehouse per document. A parcel from a different warehouse than the reservation is refused. If that warehouse can cover the whole document and nothing has been packed yet, you can move the document there with one button. See Pack from another warehouse.

Closing a box does three things:

• it gives the box its number (box 1, box 2 and so on);
• it counts the contents as packed on the order;
• it marks the reservation of those goods as Packed.

Stock does not go down yet. That happens when the box leaves: at Shipment handover, at Loading, or when the customer collects it.

Whose label goes on the box depends on how the order ships. The Logistics order row in the order card shows it.

The order ships by	Label on the box
Your own transport, personal pickup, or no shipment at all	Your own box label, printed from this station.
A carrier, for example InPost or DHL	The carrier's label. Your own label is not needed and does not print by itself.
Several shipments, some of them by carrier	Your own label stays the main one. The carrier shipments are listed with their numbers, so you can take the right label for the right box.

A carrier accepts as many boxes as parcels were declared on the shipment. This applies when the order has exactly one shipment and it goes by carrier. The station shows the number and refuses to open one more box, because that box would travel without a label. Fewer boxes are fine. If the shipment is not dispatched yet, the carrier gets the number of boxes you actually closed.

The order status does not decide what is listed. A document is ready to pack when something of it is reserved or already in a box. It moves to Packed when everything is packed.

The screens

The list

Three tabs sit above the table:

• To pack — documents ready to pack, oldest first. At the end of the table, a collapsed group Waiting for reservation holds documents where nothing is reserved yet.
• Packed — fully packed documents, newest first. Open one to print a label again.
• To unpack — boxes of documents that were closed before their boxes left. See The To unpack list.

Column	What it shows
Number	The document number, with the type (Order or Logistics order) and the sales channel's number below.
Status	The order status. You can filter by it, but it does not decide what is listed.
Products	The first product with its photo, code and attributes, then how many other products there are.
Customer and delivery	The customer, the company, the carrier or delivery method, and the address.
Packed	Packed and ordered pieces, for example 2 of 5 pcs, with a bar. A fully packed row shows ready to issue.
When	The order date, the delivery date of the shipment (red when it has passed), and waiting N days after 3 days (amber) and 7 days (red).

In the Waiting for reservation group, each row has a Reserve button that opens Stock reservation for that document. Click Show on the group to open it. The Readiness filter shows only ready documents or only waiting ones.

The header has Refresh. Click a ready row to open the packing station.

The packing station

📷 Screenshot to add: the packing station with the question "How are you packing this order?", the To pack table below it, the Order boxes section and the Order card on the right.

Left side: the work

• The card How are you packing this order? with No carton, one card per active carton and, if you may manage cartons, Add a carton. After you close a box with Close & take the next carton, the card asks which carton box 2 goes into.
• The scan field Scan a code or type a product name. A scan lands in it only while the cursor is there.
• Bands below the field: a refused scan with its reason, a note when a scan reserved goods, warnings about the carrier's box limit or an overweight box, and a green note when everything is packed.
• To pack — one block per line, with the product photo, code and attributes. Where the goods lie is shown next to the product, for example Take from with the warehouse and zone of the reservation. Where the stock is opens a window with all places. Below the product, one row per parcel shows its state: To scan, In the open box, Packed, or To settle for a scan that could not be matched to a parcel. The section header shows Packed N of M parcels.
• Items not on the order — appears only when the open box holds something the order does not list.
• Order boxes — the open box and one tile per closed box. A tile shows the box number (for example Box 1 of 2), its state, its contents, the code, Dimensions and Weight, and two buttons: Print label (Print again after the first print) and Unpack. Only the last closed box can be unpacked.

Right side: the Order card

• The status, order date, customer, delivery address, phone, payment, delivery date and customer notes.
• Logistics order — how the order ships: the carrier and service, your own transport with the route, or No logistics order. With the Shipments: View permission, the number opens the shipment in a new tab. Below it you see what the carrier needs, for example Cartons for InPost: 2 or Apply the InPost label, with an action button.
• Packing in — the carton you chose, with Change.
• Open order — opens the order in a new tab.

Bottom bar — appears when there is something to do. It shows what is in the open box and offers Close box (or Close & take the next carton) and Unpack. After the last box it reads Order fully packed and offers Back to queue and Print labels (N).

The To unpack list

This tab lists boxes that are still in the warehouse although their document is closed. Their goods are still reserved for a document that no longer needs them.

Column	What it shows
Box	The box code, its number and its state.
Document	The document number and type.
Reason	Why the box is here. For a cancelled document, unpack it. For a completed or delivered document, the box may have reached the customer without being issued in Complaia. The reason then links to Shipment handover.

Search by box code or document number.

Common tasks

Pack an order

1. Open Warehouse → Order handling → Order packing and click the order.
2. Read the Logistics order row in the Order card. It tells you whose label you need and how many boxes a carrier accepts.
3. Answer How are you packing this order?. Click No carton or one of the cartons. The question closes and the cursor returns to the scan field.
4. Scan the first parcel. The first scan opens the box.
5. Keep scanning. Each parcel turns to Packed or In the open box in the To pack table.
6. With No carton, simply scan the next parcel. Each scan closes its own box, and you see Parcel 1 closed: a separate unit and label.
7. With a carton, close the box when it is full. See the next task.

Close a box and print its label

1. Check what is in the box. The bottom bar says how many parcels and items it holds.
2. Click Close box. If parcels are still waiting, the button reads Close & take the next carton.
3. Read the window Close box N?. It shows the carton and the contents. Nothing can be added to a closed box, and only Unpack undoes the closing.
4. Confirm. If the box holds goods that are not on the order, the window is a warning instead. See When it doesn't work.
5. Read the message, for example Box 2/2 closed. The box appears under Order boxes.
6. Print or apply the label, depending on how the order ships:
   • Your own label. While more boxes are to come, you see Labels will print together once the whole order is packed. The total number of boxes is known only at the end. After the last box you see Everything is packed. Print the box labels. Click Print labels (N) in the bottom bar. The labels open as one PDF in a new browser tab. Print it from there.
   • A carrier's label. You see Stick on the carrier label. Our logistics label is not needed here. Continue with Get the carrier's label.

Take the next carton

1. When the goods do not fit, click Close & take the next carton.
2. The card asks What are you packing box 2 in?, with your current carton selected.
3. Scan the next parcel to open box 2 in the same carton, or click a different carton first.

Add an item you cannot scan

1. Click the scan field. A list opens with what is still to pack from this order, down to single labelled parcels.
2. Type part of the name or code to narrow the list.
3. Click the entry, or press Enter. It adds one parcel, exactly like a scan.
4. If the list is empty, it says why: Everything from this order is already boxed, Nothing matches what you typed or Nothing left to pack from this order.

Pack from another warehouse

Use this when the goods were reserved in one warehouse, but you stand in another one and have the parcel in your hand.

1. Scan the parcel. The scan is refused, and the band names both warehouses.
2. If the band shows Pack from "Warehouse name", click it. The button appears only when nothing of the document is packed yet and the other warehouse can cover everything.
3. Read the window. It lists what moves. The reservations in the first warehouse are released and the same quantities are reserved in yours.
4. Confirm. You see You now pack from "Warehouse name". The scanned parcel goes into the box.

If the button is missing, the band says why. Pack in the warehouse of the reservation, or move the goods with a stock transfer.

Get the carrier's label

When the order ships with a carrier, a band above Order boxes tells you where the label is. Its title is, for example, InPost supplies the label.

1. If the label is already there, click Open the InPost label. It opens in a new tab.
2. If the shipment has not been dispatched yet, click Dispatch with InPost and get the label.
3. Read the window Dispatch the shipment with InPost?. It shows the place of dispatch. Dispatching creates the shipment at the carrier and is a paid service. It happens once.
4. Click Dispatch and get the label.
5. Wait while the band reads Waiting for the InPost label. The label usually appears within a few seconds. If it does not, click Get the label from InPost.
6. Stick one page of the label on each box.

A carrier that is not connected to Complaia has no dispatch button. Print its label in the carrier's own system.

If your warehouse sticks both labels on a box, click Print the internal label anyway to print your own box labels too.

Print a label again

1. Open the order. If it is still being packed, it is on To pack. If it is finished, switch to Packed.
2. Under Order boxes, click Print label on the box. An open box has no label yet.
3. To print every box of a finished order at once, click Print all (N) above the boxes.
4. For a carrier shipment, click Open the … label instead.

Unpack a box

Use this when something went into a box by mistake, or when a box is too heavy and has to be split.

1. To empty the open box, click Unpack in the bottom bar.
2. To undo a closed box, click Unpack on its tile. Only the last closed box can be unpacked. Unpack the higher numbers first.
3. Read the window Unpack box N?. It lists what is in the box.
4. Click Unpack box. The parcels go back to To scan and the box disappears from the list.
5. Scan the parcels again, into the same carton or another one. A label printed for that box is no longer valid.

A box that has left the warehouse, or whose route loading has started, cannot be unpacked.

Clear boxes of a closed document

1. Open the To unpack tab.
2. Read the reason. If the document was completed or delivered and the goods reached the customer, do not unpack the box. Issue it on Shipment handover instead.
3. Otherwise click Unpack on the row and confirm.
4. The reservations of the box are released, and the goods stay on the shelf as available stock.

When it doesn't work

What you see	Why	What to do
The order is not under To pack	Nothing of it is reserved yet, or it is already fully packed.	Open the Waiting for reservation group and click Reserve, or look under Packed.
Warehouse frozen by stocktake: packing on hold	A stocktaking session is open. Scanning, closing and unpacking are blocked for everyone.	Wait until the session is posted or cancelled.
Product not recognized.	The code is not a label or product code that Complaia knows.	Scan the parcel label again, or choose the item from the list under the scan field.
This product is not on the order. Scan a product from this order or pack it as a separate shipment.	Every line of the order has a product, so a different product can only be a mistake.	Check the item against the To pack table.
The window Product not on this order	Some lines of the order have no product from your catalog (usually orders from a sales channel), so Complaia lets you decide.	Click Add anyway only if you really want to add it. It does not count towards the order, and it leaves stock with the box.
The window The box contains goods not on this order when closing	The open box holds such an item.	Click Close anyway, or cancel and Unpack the box.
A refused scan saying nothing is available in the warehouse you scan from	None of that product is available there. The band lists the documents that hold them.	Release one of those reservations on Stock reservation, or receive more goods.
A refused scan saying the parcel is in another warehouse	The goods are reserved in a different warehouse.	See Pack from another warehouse.
This package is already packed in a box. Scan a different package.	That parcel label was scanned before.	Take the next parcel.
A refused scan saying the ordered quantity is already in boxes	The line is fully packed.	Do not pack more. If more has to go, increase the quantity on the order first.
A refused scan saying a set is not packed as a whole	A set has no labels of its own.	Scan the products of the set, one by one.
More than ordered	You scanned more than the order asks for.	Unpack the box and scan again.
Close box is greyed out with a note about the last box	The carrier accepts no more boxes, so the last one closes only when everything is inside.	Scan the remaining parcels into this box.
The carrier accepts as many boxes as parcels declared on the shipment (N), and that many are already closed. Another box would travel without a label.	All boxes the carrier accepts are closed, but parcels remain.	Unpack the last box and pack into fewer boxes, or change the number of parcels on the shipment.
No carton is greyed out with a note that the carrier takes fewer parcels	Without a carton every part would be its own box, and the carrier accepts fewer boxes.	Choose a carton. If you have none, add one under Cartons.
A warning that a box weighs too much	The box is heavier than the carrier accepts. Dispatch is blocked until you fix it.	Unpack it and split the goods over more boxes.
The parcel did not close. Close it manually before scanning the next one	With No carton, the automatic close failed.	Click Close box, then continue.
A band saying the carrier did not accept the shipment, with a reason	The carrier refused the dispatch.	Fix the shipment as the reason says, then click Dispatch again with ….
The browser blocked the print window. Allow pop-ups and try again	Labels open in a new tab.	Allow pop-ups for Complaia and print again.
There are no boxes to print. Close at least one box first.	Only closed boxes have labels.	Close the box.
A banner No-warehouse mode instead of the scan field	Your company ships orders without passing them through the warehouse.	Click Create / open shipment and print the courier label from the shipment. See Fulfilment.
Could not determine the warehouse mode	The station could not check how your company fulfils orders, so packing is blocked.	Refresh the page. If it keeps happening, ask an administrator.
A box cannot be unpacked	It has left the warehouse, its route loading has started, or it is not the last closed box.	Unpack the higher numbers first. A box that has left comes back through Route returns.
Stock did not go down after packing	Packing never takes stock off.	The box leaves stock at Shipment handover or Loading.

Permissions

To do this	You need
See Order packing in the menu, pack, close and unpack boxes, print labels, dispatch a carrier shipment from the station, move packing to another warehouse	Order packing
See the Add a carton card	Warehouse: Manage
Open the shipment from the Logistics order row	Shipments: View
Open the order from the Order card	Orders: View
Use Reserve in the Waiting for reservation group	Stock reservation

Order packing is enough on its own for the station. The built-in Warehouse worker role has all of these.

On a POS terminal the same work is on the tile Packing. In the mobile app it is the tile Packing in the Order handling section, with the same permission.

Related

• Stock reservation — the step before
• Shipment handover — where courier boxes leave stock
• Loading — where boxes for your own vehicles leave stock
• Cartons — the box templates offered here
• Shipments — the shipment, the carrier and the number of parcels
• Identifiers & labels — the codes you scan and print
• Fulfilment — how packing moves the order status