Orders and transfers relate to the same thing: a shipment (delivery) that is received or shipped in Movilitas.Cloud. In both cases, the users refer to an order ID and delivery ID.
The main difference is whether you want to control the warehouse activities in Movilitas.Cloud.
Do you want full control over what the users can scan in Movilitas.Cloud?
- If yes, go with orders.
- If no, go with transfers.
Another aspect of orders versus transfers is the level of integration between Movilitas.Cloud and an external system.
- For orders, there is an extended integration between the external system and Movilitas.Cloud.
- Orders come from an external system through the Serialized Logistics V2 API or a collaboration channel, like SAP ICH.
- Orders are pre-defined "tasks" in Movilitas.Cloud that control what a user can scan in the application to complete the task.
- If there is a status change in the order or the order is completed, Movilitas.Cloud updates the external system.
- Movilitas.Cloud acts as a warehouse management system.
- For transfers, the integration between an external system and Movilitas.Cloud is limited:
- The order is not registered in Movilitas.Cloud before executing it in Movilitas.Cloud.
- Imagine it like the order exists on a printed paper in the warehouse or the user opens two separate systems on the computer: one is the order management system, the other is Movilitas.Cloud.
- The user creates the transfer on the fly in Movilitas.Cloud.
- This is typically done in the mobile application through scanning or the scanning can be done outside Movilitas.Cloud and the created transfer is passed to Movilitas.Cloud over the Serialized Logistics V2 API.
- Movilitas.Cloud records the received or shipped items and can update the external system through a collaboration channel. However, as you can see, there is no control over what can be scanned, how many items can be scanned, and so on.
IMPORTANT: The business and IT processes at your company define which route to go. This is decided during the tenant setup and shall be followed until further revision. If you are unsure, consult a tenant administrator or involve other relevant departments of your company and Movilitas.Cloud Product Management to find the best way to go.