The quick answer
Open WMS Putaway Strategies and create a strategy for the warehouse location with the Item Family, the destination Zone and a Sequence lower than the default strategy's. Once it is saved, eligible bins of that zone can be added to the Enter To Bin list on SCM Mobile Bin Putaway for items that carry the family. Check the item's family and the zone's bin assignments first, and read the list before and after to see the strategy take effect.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
The account needs NetSuite WMS with SCM Mobile, a warehouse location that uses bins, WMS item families and WMS zones, and stock waiting in a staging bin. The example receives into inbound staging and puts away from there; an account that bypasses staging shows the strategy's bins during receiving instead. The item has to carry the family in its WMS Item Family field on the WMS subtab, and the family has to exist before you choose it on the strategy. The bins you want offered have to be active, at the same warehouse location and assigned to the WMS Zone you will choose, and the item's mixed-item and mixed-lot settings must allow them. The operator needs the receiving and bin putaway permissions, and the person creating the strategy needs access to the WMS Putaway Strategies record, the item, the location and the bins. The menu paths, labels and columns on these pages vary by role and release, so match each page by its title.
A strategy changes which bins are offered and their priority. It does not force the operator to use one bin, and it does not set up the family, the zones or the bin assignments. The example uses 10 Each of FST-210 waiting in the staging bin IB-Stage-LKS01 at Lakeshore Depot, with the item family Fasteners. The walkthrough stops at the destination list and does not complete the putaway.
01. Check where the staged item is offered now
On SCM Mobile choose WMS and the warehouse Lakeshore Depot, then Receiving > Putaway > Bin Putaway. The list of staging bins shows IB-Stage-LKS01 with its items and quantity. Confirm that the FST-210 stock is still there with the expected quantity and status.
Select IB-Stage-LKS01, then FST-210. On Enter Quantity type 10 and choose Enter Quantity. On Enter To Bin, note the bins listed. In this example the list shows the General Storage Zone bins GS-01-01, GS-01-02 and GS-01-03, which come from the general strategy, the only strategy that applies to FST-210 here. In your account other strategies, preferred bins, the inventory status and the item's mixing rules can also shape the list. Do not choose a bin; leave the device.
02. Open the strategy list and look at the general strategy
In the WMS Warehouse Manager center, go to WMS Configuration > Configure Strategies > WMS Putaway Strategies. WMS Putaway Strategies List shows the strategies that exist.
Open Lakeshore Putaway Strategy ALL. It names the Zone General Storage Zone and the Sequence 99, has no item criteria, and applies to Lakeshore Depot, so it acts as the default for items at that location. Check that it is active, go back to the list and choose New WMS Putaway Strategies.
03. Name the strategy and set its criteria
Enter the Name Lakeshore Putaway Strategy to Fasteners and choose the Location Lakeshore Depot, which scopes the strategy to that warehouse location. Choose the Item Family Fasteners. Leave Item, Item Group, ABC Velocity, Class, Department, Units and Inventory Status blank so they do not narrow the match. Units is compared with the unit on the transaction and Inventory Status with the status of the stock, so fill them only when the rule should depend on them. Choose the Zone Fastener Rack Zone, the WMS Zone whose eligible bins can be offered, and enter the Sequence 10. Strategy sequence orders the strategies, lowest first, so 10 is considered before the default strategy's 99. Within a strategy, the bins follow each bin's own WMS Put Seq No.
The form marks only Name as required, but a usable rule needs a Location and a Sequence, so set both deliberately.
04. Save the strategy and check the record
Select Save. The saved record shows the name, the Item Family Fasteners, the Zone Fastener Rack Zone, the Sequence 10 and the Location Lakeshore Depot, with the other criteria blank and the Inactive box cleared. An active strategy is available to matching putaway operations from then on; a task you already had open may need to be reopened. It applies when the warehouse location and the item's attributes satisfy it, so an inactive strategy, a family the item does not carry, or a zone without eligible bins would show no change.
05. Put the item away again and read the destination list
On SCM Mobile repeat Receiving > Putaway > Bin Putaway, select IB-Stage-LKS01 and FST-210, enter 10 and choose Enter Quantity. Use the same quantity and status as before. On Enter To Bin, bins from the Fastener Rack Zone, FR-01-01, FR-01-02 and FR-01-03, now appear together with the General Storage Zone bins that were offered before. In this example the fastener bins come first because the strategy's sequence is lower. Do not rely on the row order alone: preferred bins, available quantity and put sequence can change it, and bins that are inactive, at another location or excluded by the item's mixing rules or inventory status will not appear.
Check the result
- Before the strategy, Enter To Bin listed GS-01-01, GS-01-02 and GS-01-03.
- The saved strategy names Lakeshore Depot, the family Fasteners, the zone Fastener Rack Zone and sequence 10.
- After it, the list also held FR-01-01, FR-01-02 and FR-01-03, which is consistent with the new strategy contributing those bins.
This walkthrough stops here. Choosing a bin and completing the putaway would move the stock and is not part of the lesson. NetSuite does not normally show which strategy contributed a bin, so the evidence is the strategy record, the item's family, the zone's bins and the change in the destination list. It does not identify one strategy as the single cause if other strategies or preferred bins could add the same bins.
Common questions
Do I need a Location on a putaway strategy?
Yes, in practice. The form marks only Name as required, but putaway matching is warehouse specific, so a strategy without a Location is not a useful rule. The Location scopes the strategy to that warehouse location. The zone's bins still have to be active, at that location and assigned to the WMS Zone.
Which strategy wins when more than one matches an item?
Matching strategies are considered in ascending sequence, so a lower number is considered first, and several applicable strategies can contribute bins to the same list. Use distinct numbers when priority matters; do not rely on a tie. The row order you see can also reflect preferred bins, available quantity and the bins' put sequence.
Why does Enter To Bin show no bins or the wrong bins?
Check that an active strategy applies to the warehouse location and the item. Then check the strategy's Location and Item Family against the item, any Units or Inventory Status criteria against the transaction and the stock, that the zone's bins are active, at the same location and assigned to the WMS Zone, and that the mixed-item and mixed-lot settings and preferred bins are not changing the list. Reopen the task if you saved the strategy after it was opened.
What does a location-only putaway strategy do?
It is a broad default for items at that warehouse location, subject to the normal bin rules, as long as it has no other criteria. Give it a higher sequence number than the specific strategies so they are considered first.
How is the Item Family matched to the item?
The strategy's Item Family is compared with the family on the item. In the test account behind this guide, setting the WMS Item Family field on the item's WMS subtab made the strategy apply, while the separate Item Process Family field was not needed. Confirm the field your account uses by testing one item.
Are putaway strategies used for purchase order receiving as well as bin putaway?
They apply to the destination bin lists of supported inbound and inventory processes, including purchase order, transfer order, returns and inbound shipment receiving, putaway, bin transfer and inventory transfer. The exact mobile menus depend on the account. At a warehouse that receives into inbound staging, the receiving page offers staging bins and the strategy is applied when the staged stock is put away. Picking uses pick strategies, not putaway strategies.
How do I test that a strategy is working?
Read the whole Enter To Bin list for a staged item of the family before and after you save the strategy, using the same item, quantity, unit and inventory status, and make sure the stock and the bins have not changed in between. Do not expect a strategy ID on the completed putaway, and do not treat a new zone appearing as proof of one single cause.