Automatic creation of consignments

Creating a consignment automatically means that Opter goes through a number of orders and brings together the shipments that match one another in a single consignment order, based on certain fields in the shipments. The shipment on the new consignment order (consignment shipment) can then be dispatched as usual.

Although it is called “automatic creation of consignments”, the consignment order must be created manually. What is automatic is the choice of which shipments to group into a consignment. The consignment function goes through shipments based on the settings in the consignment type. It does not matter what searches have been made or which shipments and consignments are displayed in the Consignments window.

Step 1: What are the characteristics of the consignment order and which shipments will be grouped into a consignment?

The characteristics of the consignment order are determined by a consignment type. Click on Settings > Consignment types. On the General tab, set the values to be held by the consignment order that is created. These settings apply both when carrying out the automatic and manual grouping of consignments.

On the Settings tab, set the fields on the shipments that should match one other to ensure the shipments can be automatically grouped into a consignment. These settings only apply to the automatic creation of consignments. Click on to save all changes.

For more information about the individual settings, see Consignment types (window).

Step 2: Carry out the creation of a consignment

Open consignment check (Order > Consignments) and select the consignment type to be used from the Consignment type drop-down list. The consignment type determines the characteristics of the consignment orders and the shipments to be grouped in a consignment. Then click on Automatic consignment (1). The following then occurs:

1. Shipments that match existing consignment orders as set out by the following criteria are added to those consignments:

   • the same customer

   • the same shipment type (direct transport/line haul services/pickup/delivery)

   • the same order date

   • the same sender

   • the same receiver.

2. New consignment orders are created for shipments that have the same values for the fields entered for the consignment type (see step 1 above).

A message is displayed with information about the number of consignments that were updated and/or created. The consignment orders that have been updated or created are displayed under Consignments at the bottom of the window (2). Select a consignment to see which shipments are included in it in the upper list (Shipments).

A consignment order can be deleted by selecting the row and pressing Delete (3). Click on to save all changes.

Step 3: Manage consignment shipments in dispatch

The consignment orders that are created are allocated to a shipment, a consignment shipment, which is assigned as usual. Consignment shipments and original shipments can be displayed in different ways in dispatch. For more information, see Dispatch settings (window).

Consider the following

Keep the following in mind when creating or updating a consignment order using automatic consignment:

See also