What you can do
Put a picked item back into CRIBWISE from the Shop Floor Interface – as new, as used, for service, for scrap, or for recycling. You choose the condition first, and that choice decides where the item goes and what happens to its cost.
Before you start
- You need a Shop Floor Interface login with permission to return items. The options on the screen follow your permissions, so a colleague may see more tiles than you do.
- The item must already be picked. Return works on picks, not on stock – to put new stock into a device, use restock instead.
- Know which condition the item is in before you start. The condition is not something you can change afterwards on the same return.
- For a consumable, check that the pick is still inside the return window. Allow return of consumable items for in System settings > Stock daily use sets that window in days.
Important: Used, For service and Scrap handle durable items only. If everything you picked is a consumable, those three lists open empty even though the tiles are there.
Choose the return option
Select Return on the main menu and the interface asks for the condition before it asks for the item.
| Option | Use it when | Works on | What happens to the item |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | You picked too many, picked the wrong item, or never used it | Durable and consumable items | Goes back to its location as available stock. The pick is cancelled and its cost is refunded. |
| Used | The item has been used but is still usable | Durable items only | Goes back to stock in used condition, so the next operator knows what they are picking. |
| For service | The item needs regrinding, calibration or repair first | Durable items with an active service setup | Goes to a location reserved for service. Ordinary picking cannot reach it. |
| Scrap | The item is broken or worn out beyond use | Durable items only | Leaves the system. Nothing is placed back in a location. |
| For recycle | The item is finished but goes to a recycling collection point | Depends on your setup | Goes to a location set up to collect items for recycling. |
(1) New, (2) Used, (3) For service and (4) Scrap. This device has recycling switched off, which is why there is no fifth tile.
For recycle only appears once Activate recycle is switched on under System settings > Stock daily use and the device has a location set up to receive recycled items.
Quick start
Experienced users – return an item in five steps:
- Select Return on the main menu.
- Select the condition: New, Used, For service or Scrap.
- Select the pick you are returning from the item list.
- Set the quantity and select Return.
- Put the item in the location shown and select Returning finished.
Need more detail? Follow the full steps below.
Steps
Step 1 – Open the return flow
Log in to the Shop Floor Interface and select Return on the main menu.
The counter in the top right corner, Picked durable items, tells you how many durable items are out on this device. Select the arrow beside it to list them.
(1) the Return tile. Move picked item is a different operation – it changes the cost allocation of a pick without putting the item back.
Step 2 – Choose how the item comes back
Select the tile that matches the condition of the item. Use the table under Choose the return option if you are unsure which one applies.
Each tile opens its own item list, filtered to the picks that condition can accept.
Step 3 – Find the pick
The list shows every pick that is still open on this device, newest first – not a list of items, but a list of individual picks. The same item picked three times appears as three rows, each with its own date, cost allocation and quantity.
Select the row you are returning.
(1) a pick, showing the physical cost allocation step (Machine ABB) so you can tell two picks of the same item apart. (2) the chevron, which expands the row for the full pick detail. (3) the toolbar. (4) Show mine.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Filter cost allocations (funnel) | Narrows the list to picks made in one cost allocation value. |
| Sort by | Reorders the list. |
| Scan (barcode) | Finds a pick by scanning the item. |
| Search field | Searches item IDs, names, descriptions and cost allocations. Type or scan into it. |
| Show mine | Hides picks made by other operators on this device. The list shows everyone’s picks by default. |
Tip: On a shared device the list gets long. Show mine is usually the fastest way to find your own pick.
Filtering by cost allocation
Select the funnel to open a bar of the cost allocation steps present in the current picks. A crosshair icon marks the step your site treats as physical. No cost allocation collects the picks made without one, with a count beside it.
Select a step to see its values, each with the number of picks behind it, then select a value to filter the list. Use the breadcrumb to change the value or go back to all picks.
(1) the funnel, filled in while the filter is open. (2) the steps, with the crosshair on Machine marking the physical step and 4 picks with no cost allocation at all.
The steps and values come from the picks that are open right now, so they appear and disappear as items are picked and returned.
Step 4 – Set the quantity
The quantity screen opens on the full picked quantity, with N Picked above it as the ceiling. Adjust it with − and + or type the figure, then select Return.
To return several picks in one trip, select Add to return list instead and pick the next row. A return list works like a pick list: you build it up, then hand it in once.
(1) the quantity, (2) Add to return list for a multi-item return, and (3) Return to hand this one back on its own.
Step 5 – Put the item back
Items to return tells you where the item goes. Go to the location shown and put the item in.
What you do next depends on the hardware:
- On a controlled device, the location opens. Close it when the item is in.
- On an open storage device, confirm the placement with the checkbox on the row.
Then select Returning finished. If the item is serialized, choose the serial number you are handing back before you confirm the placement.
(1) the item and its target location, A-01-01-02. (2) Returning finished. (3) Cancel, which drops the return and leaves the item picked.
If the location has no room left, an information screen appears instead of the placement step. How to handle insufficient space during an operation covers what to do.
Step 6 – Check the summary
Return summary lists what went back, to which location, and how much. It names the device in the heading, which is worth a glance on a site with several devices.
Success: the item, its location and its quantity appear on the Return summary screen, and the pick is gone from the return list. The quantity is back in stock and pickable.
From here, select Main menu to start another operation or Logout to end the session.
(1) the completed return – one piece back in A-01-01-02. (2) Main menu.
Scrapping an item
Scrapping follows the same first steps – find the pick, then set the quantity – but the wizard has one stage the other options do not: Scrap reason, which sits between Item selection and Quantity selection. Choose the reason code that explains why the item is being written off.
There is no location step at the end, because nothing is placed back. You can add items to a scrap cart the same way you add them to a return list.
(1) the Scrap reason stage. The list below is empty because nothing durable is picked on this device – consumables cannot be scrapped.
Warning: Scrapping removes the quantity from stock and cannot be reversed from the Shop Floor Interface. Use New or Used if the item is still serviceable.
When Mandatory reason code for scrapping is switched on under System settings > Stock daily use, the wizard will not move past the reason stage until you choose one.
Returning items with special handling
An item with Special handling for restock and return set on its item record does not get a target location from CRIBWISE. You choose the locations yourself, one item at a time, after the quantity step and before the placement step.
On that screen, the top right corner shows the condition, the quantity you are returning, and how much of it you have placed so far. Use − and + per location or type the figure, then select Confirm.
Two things are worth knowing:
- You can confirm with less than the full quantity placed, including none of it.
- If the same item comes back in more than one condition – some used, some new – the screen appears once per condition, and you choose locations for each separately.
Cancel skips that item. When other items are still waiting, CRIBWISE asks whether to cancel only the current item or the whole return.
Important: Items with special handling can only be returned to open storage devices in the current version.
Settings that change the return flow
All of these sit in the Admin Portal. The first four are under Administration > System settings > Stock daily use; the last is on the device itself.
| Setting | Effect on returns |
|---|---|
| Allow return of consumable items for | How many days a consumable pick stays returnable. Older picks drop off the New list. |
| Activate recycle | Adds the For recycle option. |
| Mandatory reason code for scrapping | Forces a reason code before a scrap can be completed. |
| Comments after return | Asks the operator for a comment when the return is done. |
| Allow returns for other devices | Lets this device accept items picked on a different device. See How to create and manage devices. |
Next steps
- Check the item is back in stock – open Overviews > Item overview in the Admin Portal and confirm the quantity landed in the location you used.
- Handle what happens after a service return – see Understanding service lists for how the item reaches the service technician, and How to pick items for a service order for collecting it again.
- Move a pick instead of returning it – if the item is still in use and only the cost allocation was wrong, see How to move a picked item to a different cost allocation.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The pick you want is not in the list | It was made on a different device | Return it on the device it was picked from, or ask an administrator to switch on Allow returns for other devices on this device. |
| A consumable pick is missing from the New list | The pick is older than the return window | Check Allow return of consumable items for under System settings > Stock daily use. Picks past that many days cannot be returned. |
| Used, For service or Scrap opens an empty list | Nothing durable is picked | These three options only handle durable items. Check the Picked durable items counter on the main menu – if it reads 0, there is nothing for them to show. |
| A durable item is missing from the For service list | The item has no active service setup | Only durable items with service configured can be returned for service. Check the item’s service settings in the Admin Portal. |
| There is no For recycle tile | Recycling is off, or the device has nowhere to put recycled items | Switch on Activate recycle under System settings > Stock daily use and set up a location to receive them. |
| You see fewer options than a colleague | The options follow your permissions | Ask an administrator to review your user group. Each return operation is granted separately. |
| The location has no space for the return | The location is full | Follow How to handle insufficient space during an operation. |
Related articles
- How to return an item as new – the New return step by step on an open storage device, including the return list.
- How to pick an item – the operation a return reverses.
- How to move a picked item to a different cost allocation – change the cost allocation of a pick without returning the item.
- How to restock items on the Shop Floor Interface – putting new stock into a device, which is not a return.
- How to handle insufficient space during an operation – what to do when the location is full.
- Understanding service lists – where an item goes after you return it for service.
- Getting started with Shop Floor Interface: layout and menus – where Return sits in the interface.