ABSTRACT
The dispatch process is the final stage of fulfilling a customer’s requirements. Once an order is compiled and dispatched from the organisation’s site, control is effectively transferred to third parties, third parties that the organisation has to have complete trust in. Emphasis is placed on two key aspects – accuracy and damage. Simple activities like picking the product and lot number set out in selection lists might not be as straightforward as one would expect. The consequence of picking other lot numbers can easily be dealt with, but investigating the reason why this had to be done is not always undertaken. Underlying problems such as this result in an ever-increasing gap between what a business system will think is there and what is actually there. The reduction in data integrity significantly increases the risk of inventory being classed as un-saleable. Such risks have to be mitigated, and emphasis is placed on the value in extending training beyond the initial training given to individuals.
