A forty-foot box and a two-hour slot
The container arrives on a trailer at one o'clock and the haulier wants it empty by three. Your team unloads carton by carton, stacks pallets, and someone tries to tick off the printed packing list as they go. Cartons are mixed, some are labelled only in the supplier's language, and a few are crushed at the back.
The count at the end is 'about right'. Two weeks later, a customer order cannot be picked because one line was short by several cartons. By then, raising it with the factory is a long email thread with no evidence.
Why devanning checks are rough
Unloading is physical, fast and time-limited. Packing lists are often in formats that are hard to use on the floor, and carton labels do not always match your product codes. Without a quick way to record what each carton is, staff count totals rather than lines. Damage is noticed but not recorded properly. And the result is keyed into the stock system later, often as the ordered quantity.
| Problem at unload | How it shows up later |
|---|---|
| Short on one line | Picking shortage weeks later |
| Extra of another | Stock discrepancy at count |
| Mixed cartons | Wrong products in a location |
| Damaged cartons | Customer returns, no evidence for a claim |
| Labels not matching codes | Stock booked under the wrong product |
What rough counts cost
Short and wrong deliveries from overseas factories are harder to claim for the longer it takes to spot them. Stock figures are wrong from the day the container arrives, which means orders promised against stock that does not exist. Damage without photos is hard to recover from anyone. And staff spend time later hunting for stock that was never there.
Insurance is part of it too. If cargo was damaged in transit, your insurer will want to know what was found at unloading, with evidence. A note that says 'some cartons crushed' is not much to work with. Photos tied to specific cartons and lines, taken as the container was opened, are.
The devanning check we build
- Before arrival, the supplier's packing list is imported and matched to your product codes, including their carton label references.
- Carton labels are generated or mapped so each carton can be scanned. If the factory prints barcodes you specify, scanning is immediate; if not, staff select the line on screen and count.
- During unloading, a handheld shows expected cartons per line and the running count, so shortages and extras are visible before the container is empty.
- Damage is recorded against the carton with photos on the handheld.
- At the end, the received quantities, not the ordered ones, are booked into your stock system.
- A variance report goes to the buyer the same day, with photos, ready to raise with the factory or the insurer.
Asking factories to print cartons with your barcode is often the most useful single change. We can provide the label specification to send to your suppliers.
After the first few containers
Discrepancies are known before the haulier leaves. Stock figures start right. The buyer raises shortages with the factory while the evidence is fresh. Damage has photos. And the warehouse team has a clear process instead of a clipboard and a best guess.
Is this how your containers are unloaded?
- Unloading is checked against a printed packing list, roughly.
- Shortages are found at picking, weeks after arrival.
- Damage at unload is not photographed.
- Stock is booked in at the ordered quantity.
- Factory carton labels do not match your codes.