Bin Management - How to's

Last Modified on 08/19/2026 11:19 pm EDT

About Bin Management

The Bin Management screen in 1place allows you to efficiently organize and control the physical locations where your inventory is stored. From here, you can:

  • Add and delete bins to keep your storage structure up to date.
  • Set a picking order for each bin to ensure items are picked in the most efficient sequence.
  • Define a zone for each bin to simplify assigning pickers to a specific zone or 'area', such as an entire isle racks and bins, (or even multiple isles of racks and bins).
  • Assign pickers to zones for faster and more efficient order fulfillment.
  • Import and export bins for quick setup or bulk updates.
  • Track activity to see when and who added or edited each bin.

This feature is designed to help warehouses streamline operations, reduce picking errors, and improve overall productivity.



A Few High Level Ideas

Ideas For How to Design a Bin Numbering System

  • We suggest thinking long term when you come up with your Bin numbering system.
  • The combination of the Isle #, Rack #, and Shelf # comprise the BIN #.
    • For instance, using 01-14-03 as an example BIN #, the 01 would be the Isle #01, the 14 would be RACK # 14, and 03 would be SHELF (or Area) # 03.
  • It might make the most sense to start the Shelf numbering from the GROUND UP.
  • Also, consider that the SHELF configuration may change, so try not to lock yourself into inflexible bin #s. For example. Suppose you have 18 foot high Racks with a Shelf every 3 feet. You might think, well the bottom 3 feet area (on the ground if no bottom shelf existed) would be bin area 01, the 1st shelf (3 feet above the ground) would be bin area 02. The next area on shelf 2 would be be 03, etc. But what if you added a shelf (later on) in between the 1st and 2nd shelves? Now your logical numbering is off. So, to prevent this, you might consider numbering your shelves in the smallest common denominator, such as every 1 foot, or something like that. Using the example above your first bin ‘area’ (which is on the floor) might be bin area 01, and the first shelf (3 feet) above it might be called bin area 04. So, in summary if you had a RACK (that was on Isle 05, RACK # 50) with shelves 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 feet above the ground, you might make the following BIN # labels:
    • 05-50-00 (on the ground)
    • 05-50-03 (1st shelf 3 feet above the ground)
    • 05-50-06 (2nd shelf 6 feet above the ground)
    • Etc… Then if you added any shelves later on, a bin # would be available for us, such as 05-50-07 if you put another shelf 1 foot above bin # 05-50-06.
  • Alternatively you could separate the Isle-Rack-Shelp with periods (to make it easier for warehouse workers to 'hand enter' bin locations without having to use the shift key for each '-'. They would like more like this:
    • 05.50.00 (on the ground)
    • 05.50.03 (1st shelf 3 feet above the ground)
    • 05.50.06 (2nd shelf 6 feet above the ground)

Ideas for Defining Zones (if you even need to)

  • Depending on the size of your warehouse, the number of warehouse picking employees you have, and how you pick you may (or may not) want to create 'Zones' of isles/racks/shelves.
  • If you prefer to have each stock picking employee pick 1 or more entire Orders, from 1 side of the warehouse to the other, then creating 'Zones' may not be helpful, and not necessary. In this case you can just assign ALL Bins to a zone you create called something like Warehouse, or 1, etc
  • On the other hand, if you have a huge warehouse with stock picking employees that are each responsible to pick and manage parts in a certain area or 'zone', or if you have multiple buildings, with particular employees that pick parts in their own assigned warehouse--then in these situations creating Zones and assigning each bin to a Zone might make a lot more sense.
    • Note: On the Shipping / Receiving screen you can quickly assign all parts in 1 or more Zones with a single click on each Zone button. This makes is really quick and easy to assign all parts in x Zone(s) to 1 picker when the Order comes in.

Bin Management How To's

How to Add a New Bin

Follow these steps to add a bin in Bin Management:

  1. Click the Add New Bin(s) button in the lower-left corner of the Bin Management screen.
  2. A pop-up Add New Bin(s) form will appear.
  3. Enter the Bin Location (required).
  4. Set the Picking Order (determines the sequence in which this bin is picked during order fulfillment).
  5. Select the appropriate Zone from the dropdown.
  6. Click Save Bin(s) to add the new bin.
  7. Review the list or use the Search function to verify that the bin has been successfully added.



How to Delete a Bin

Follow these steps to remove a bin from Bin Management:

  1. In the Bin Management screen, locate the list of Bin Locations displayed in a table along with their Picking Order, Zone, and Action options.
  2. Under the Action column, click the X icon for the bin you want to delete.
  3. A confirmation pop-up will appear with the message:
  4. "Are you sure? Do you want to delete this Bin?"
  5. Click Yes to proceed and permanently remove the bin.



How to Set or Edit the Picking Order for Bins

The Picking Order controls the sequence in which bins are picked during order fulfillment. Setting it correctly makes picking faster, more accurate, and easier to adjust in the future.

Recommended Format for Picking Order Numbers

We recommend using large decimal numbers such as 1000046.0000 for your picking order instead of simple numbers like 1, 2, 3.

This format offers several key benefits:

  1. Correct Sorting in All Cases
    The picking order data is saved as text in the database, so the system sorts alphabetically instead of numerically. This means:
    1
    10
    11
    2
    20
    21
    Large padded numbers like 1000046.0000 sort correctly whether the system treats them as numbers or text.

  2. Easier Insertion of New Bins
    With simple numbering (1, 2, 3), inserting a new bin between 2 and 3 would require renumbering all bins after 2.
    With large decimal numbers, you can easily place a new bin in between (e.g., 1000046.5000) without affecting others.

  3. Reduced Conflicts
    Unique, longer numbers reduce the risk of duplicates — especially in multi-user or multi-warehouse environments.

  4. Works Well with System-Generated IDs
    Some systems use these numbers not just for picking order but also as internal identifiers, so having extra digits helps with both purposes.

Three Ways to Set or Update the Picking Order for your Bins


  1. When Adding a New Bin
    • While filling out the details for a new bin, enter the desired picking order in the Picking Order field before saving.
  2. Editing an Existing Bin
    • On the Bin Management screen, locate the bin you want to update.
    • Click the pencil/edit icon under the Actions column.
    • Enter or adjust the picking order, then save your changes.
  3. Using Import/Export
    • On the Bin Management screen, click Export Template to download the current bin list.
    • Open the file, update or add the picking order values in the appropriate column.
    • Save the file, then click Import Bins from File to upload your changes.

Defining and Managing Bin Zones

Why Zones Exist

Zones allow you to group bins into specific areas within your warehouse. This makes it easier to assign picking tasks to certain staff members and speeds up order fulfillment by reducing unnecessary movement. For example, all fast-moving items might be in Zone A, while bulk or overflow items are in Zone C.

Step 1 – Define Available Zones

Before you can assign a bin to a zone, you must create the zones in the system.

  • On the Bin Management screen, click the Define Zones button.
  • In the popup, add each zone name or code you want available in the dropdown list.
  • Click Save Zones to save your changes. These zones will now appear as options whenever you add or edit a bin.

Step 2 – Assign or Edit Zones for Bins

There are three ways to define or change a bin’s zone:

  1. When Adding a New Bin
    • In the Add New Bin(s) screen, select a zone from the Zone dropdown before saving.
  2. Editing an Existing Bin
    • On the Bin Management screen, locate the bin you want to update.
    • Click the pencil/edit icon under the Actions column.
    • Select the desired zone from the dropdown, then save your changes.
  3. Using Import/Export
    • On the Bin Management screen, click Export Template to download the current bin list
    • Open the file, update the Zone column with the appropriate zone names or codes.
    • Save the file, then click Import Bins from File to upload your changes.

About Bin Management

The Bin Management screen is used to configure and manage the physical storage locations used for inventory. It allows you to:

  • Set up and manage bins for a warehouse.
  • Define Zones to group bins by warehouse area.
  • Set the Picking Order for bins.
  • Assign Pickers to Zones.
  • Define Staging Bins for order fulfillment.
  • Import and export bin information.
  • Track bin activity and changes.

Bin Management Setup Process

The recommended setup sequence is:

1. Set Up Warehouse
↓
2. Enable Bin Management
↓
3. Define Zones
↓
4. Add Bins
↓
5. Set Picking Order
↓
6. Assign Pickers to Zones
↓
7. Define Staging Bins

1. Set Up the Warehouse

Before configuring bins, make sure the warehouse has been created in Settings > Warehouse.

Once the warehouse is available, it can be selected from the Warehouse dropdown in Bin Management.

2. Enable Bin Management

  1. Go to Warehouse > Bin Management.
  2. Select the appropriate warehouse.
  3. Check Enable Bin Management if it has not already been enabled.

Once enabled, you can begin configuring the warehouse's bins and zones.

3. Define Zones

Zones allow you to group multiple bins into a specific area of the warehouse.

For example:

  • AA – Aisles 1–5
  • AB – Aisles 6–10
  • AC – Aisles 11–15

How to Define Zones

  1. On the Bin Management screen, click Define Zones.
  2. The Zone(s) window will open.
  3. Select the warehouse.
  4. Enter the zone names or codes.
  5. Click Save Zone(s).

The zones created here will become available when adding or editing bins.

Important: Define your zones before adding bins so that the appropriate Zone can be assigned when creating each bin.

4. Add New Bins

After the zones have been created, add the physical storage locations for the warehouse.

  1. Click Add New Bin(s).
  2. Enter the Bin Location.
  3. Enter the Picking Order.
  4. Select the appropriate Zone.
  5. Save the bin.

Repeat this process for each storage location that should be available for inventory.

5. Set the Picking Order

The Picking Order determines the sequence in which bins should be visited during the picking process.

Set the picking order according to the physical path that warehouse employees normally follow.

For example:

BinPicking Order
01-01-011000001.0000
01-01-021000002.0000
01-01-031000003.0000
01-02-011000004.0000

This allows the system to follow the intended warehouse picking sequence.

Picking Order Recommendations

Use a numbering scheme that leaves room for inserting bins later.

For example:

  • 1000001.0000
  • 1000002.0000
  • 1000003.0000

If a new bin needs to be placed between two existing bins, a value such as 1000002.5000 can be used without having to renumber the remaining bins.

6. Assign Pickers to Zones

Once your zones and bins have been established, you can assign warehouse employees to specific zones.

This is useful when different warehouse employees are responsible for picking inventory from different areas.

How to Assign Pickers to Zones

  1. From Warehouse > Bin Management, click Assign Pickers to Zones.
  2. Select the appropriate warehouse.
  3. Assign the appropriate picker to the zone(s) they are responsible for.
  4. Save the assignments.

Example

ZoneAssigned Picker
AAPicker 1
ABPicker 2
ACPicker 3

This allows picking responsibilities to be divided by warehouse area.

Note: Zones are especially useful for larger warehouses where individual pickers are responsible for specific sections of the warehouse.

7. Define Staging Bins

Staging Bins can be configured for inventory or orders that need to be temporarily placed in a designated area before the next step of the fulfillment process.

How to Define Staging Bins

  1. From Warehouse > Bin Management, click Define Staging Bins.
  2. Select the appropriate warehouse.
  3. Define the bins that will be used as staging locations.
  4. Save the staging bin configuration.

Staging bins can be used to establish designated locations for inventory while it is being processed, picked, or prepared for the next step in warehouse fulfillment.

Managing Existing Bins

After the initial setup, the Bin Management screen can be used to maintain the warehouse.

From the bin list, you can:

  • Edit a bin using the pencil icon.
  • Delete a bin using the X icon.
  • Update the Picking Order.
  • Change the Zone assigned to a bin.
  • Review the number of items and units currently associated with a bin.
  • Review when the bin was added or edited and by whom.

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