How to Process an Assembly Work Order

Assembly work orders (WOs) let your team pick component SKUs, build a finished Assembly SKU, and transfer completed inventory to a receiving location — all tracked in ShipHero. Use this article to step through the full assembly process, from assigning pick locations to completing the transfer.

Table of Contents

• Assign the Assembly Work Order Staging Area and Picking Locations
• Pick Assembly Work Order Component SKUs
• Assemble the Work Order Components
• Alternative Picking Process for Assembly Work Orders (Custom Flow)

Attachments and Assembly SKU barcodes can be downloaded and viewed at any time while processing a work order. Select Print barcodes from the Items section and the Download icon when hovering over an attachment in the Attachments section.

Print Barcodes	Download Attachment

Assign the Assembly Work Order Staging Area and Picking Locations

Select the locations components will be picked from and the location where inventory will be staged before assembly — called the Staging area.

Assembly Work Order Staging: Things to Consider

• You can update the number of Assembly SKUs to create and the pick quantities at any time before marking as ready to pick.
• Components can be picked from multiple locations.
• When a SKU has a lot code, you can only pick the same lot and expiration date for that SKU. Mixing lot codes for the same SKU is not supported.
• When lot codes match, you can choose different locations for the same SKU.

Assign Assembly Work Order Staging Area: Step-by-Step

1. Go to the work order and click Assign under the Staging area. Select a location to transfer the picked component inventory to, then click Add to save.

   The pop-up shows a list of locations with current on-hand quantities and location types. When the Assembly SKU has lots and expirations enabled, lot information appears per location and is sortable by FIFO or FEFO logic.

   

2. Click Assign next to each Assembly component SKU, select the picking location, then click Add.

   

   To select multiple locations: Check the box next to each location and click Add. Then enter the quantity to pick from each location.

   For lot-controlled SKUs, select the same lot when picking a component from multiple locations.

   Select Multiple Locations	Enter Pick Quantities

3. Once all locations and quantities are set, click Mark as ready to pick to advance the work order status.

   

Pick Assembly Work Order Component SKUs

Mobile picking is not supported for work orders. Picking assembly components is a physical process: use the printed pick list to collect inventory, then update the work order manually when complete. An alternative custom flow is available to use the mobile app for inventory transfers and added quality assurance.

1. When the work order status is Ready to pick, click Print picking sheet to generate a PDF of the pick list.

   Print Picking Sheet Button	PDF Pick List

2. Physically pick the inventory from the listed locations and move it to the Staging area.

3. Once all inventory is picked and moved to the Staging area, select Mark as assembly in progress.

   

Assemble the Work Order Components

When the work order status is Assembly in progress, your team physically builds the Assembly SKU. You can transfer finished SKUs to a receiving location as you go or all at once.

When receiving the finished Assembly SKU incrementally, a yellow status pill shows the completed quantity out of the total requested. When the full quantity is transferred to receiving locations, the pill turns green.

Partial Completion	Full Completion

1. Select a Receiving location where the finished Assembly SKU will be transferred.
2. Enter the quantity of the finished Assembly SKU in the Kits quantity field.

3. Click Transfer to. When the confirmation prompt appears — "You are about to transfer completed assembly kits from staging to receiving. This action cannot be undone." — click Transfer to complete.

   Transfer To Button	Transfer Confirmation

   To receive finished Assembly SKUs across multiple locations: Update the Kits quantity and Receiving location fields for each location and click Transfer to for each.

   

For information on adding a lot code to an Assembly SKU, see How to Add a Lot Code to an Assembly SKU.

Alternative Picking Process for Assembly Work Orders (Custom Flow)

Because mobile picking is not yet supported for work orders, you can use transfer locations — temporary warehouse locations used as checkpoints — while physically moving inventory. This ensures all inventory moves are tracked in ShipHero.

Alternative Assembly Work Order Picking: Things to Consider

• A transfer location is a warehouse location being used as a temporary holding point — it is not a dedicated location type in ShipHero and is not the same as a transfer bin used during replenishment.
• Set the location as non-pickable and non-sellable so pickers are not routed there during standard mobile picking flows.
• Use a custom prefix such as "WOTL-" (work order transfer location) or "TL-" to identify these locations easily in reports.
• Create a location type named "Transfer Locations" and assign it to these locations for easy filtering.

Alternative Assembly Work Order Picking: Step-by-Step

1. Prepare the work order as normal, selecting the Staging area and picking locations.
2. Print the picking list and print a barcode for a temporary transfer location.
3. Use the picking list to transfer inventory from the selected locations to the transfer location using the mobile app.
4. Once all items are picked, update the picking locations of the components on the work order to the transfer location used.
5. Select Mark as assembly in progress to move the inventory from the temporary transfer location to the Staging area.