This article explains how to receive Advanced Shipping Notices (ASNs) into specific storage containers on the Access Mintsoft app when using the Cartons and Pallets module. This module enables you to organise received inventory into cartons and pallets during the receiving process, making it easier to track, move, and manage inventory by storage unit.
The information in this article applies to customers using the Cartons and Pallets module on the Access Mintsoft app. For more information on this module, review the Cartons and Pallets setup and overview help guide.
Prerequisites and setup
Before you can receive ASNs to cartons and pallets, ensure the following are in place:
Required configurations in Mintsoft:
Carton Types must be defined.
Pallet Types must be defined.
Storage locations must be set up in your warehouse.
Courier Print Tool must be configured if you want to print labels automatically.
User permissions:
Your user account must have permissions to receive ASNs and create cartons/pallets. Contact your system administrator if you're unable to access these features.
Tip: To configure Carton Types, Pallet Types, and storage locations, refer to the Cartons and Pallets configuration guide in the main Mintsoft system.
Understanding ASN receiving with cartons and pallets
When receiving ASNs in the Access Mintsoft app, you can choose how to organise received inventory:
Loose item receiving: Items are received directly to locations without containers.
Carton and pallet receiving: Items are received into storage containers for organised storage and handling.
This article focuses on carton and pallet receiving, which is useful when you need to:
Track inventory by specific containers.
Move bulk quantities efficiently.
Maintain physical organisation in your warehouse.
Process palletised or cartonised shipments from suppliers.
Choosing the right receiving method
Select the appropriate receiving method based on your operational needs:
Receive to existing carton or pallet:
You have pre-existing cartons or pallets that need additional inventory.
You're consolidating items from multiple ASNs into the same storage unit.
You're adding stock to partially filled containers.
Receive to new carton:
You're receiving items that need to be stored in a carton-sized container.
Items will be stored on shelving or in pick locations.
You're processing smaller quantities or individual SKUs.
Receive to new pallet:
You're receiving bulk quantities.
Items will be stored in pallet racking.
You're receiving full pallet loads from suppliers.
Split items across multiple cartons or pallets:
You're receiving large quantities that won't fit in a single container.
You want to distribute inventory across multiple storage locations.
You need to maintain maximum quantities per storage unit.
Receive to existing carton or pallet
To receive an ASN to an existing carton or pallet on the Access Mintsoft app:
Within the Access Mintsoft app, select ASNs.
Scan or select an ASN.
Select Receive to Carton/Pallet.
Scan the Carton or Pallet Barcode of the existing storage item you want to add inventory to. This is the barcode label on your physical carton or pallet.
Scan or select the current storage location where this carton or pallet is physically located in your warehouse.
Scan the SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) or Product Barcode. The SSCC is typically a barcode on the shipping carton or pallet provided by your supplier. If the product doesn't have an SSCC, scan the product barcode instead.
Select the Quantity to book in. This is how many units of the product you're receiving into this carton or pallet.
Select Confirm Quantity.
If the full quantity hasn't been received yet, press the back arrow in the top left corner to return to the contents of the ASN.
Repeat steps 6-9 for any additional products.
Finally, select one of the following actions:
Partial Book ASN: Select this if the ASN has arrived but you haven't received all expected items yet. The ASN will remain open for additional receiving.
Mark ASN Complete: Select this when all expected items have been received and the ASN is fully processed. This will close the ASN and make it ready for invoicing.
Mark Awaiting Put Away: Select this if items are received but need to be moved to their final storage locations. The ASN will appear in the Awaiting Put Away tab.
Receive to new carton
To receive an ASN to a new carton on the Access Mintsoft app:
Within the Access Mintsoft app, select ASNs.
Scan or select an ASN.
Select Receive to Carton/Pallet.
Select Begin New Carton.
Select the Carton Type.
Enter or scan a unique Carton Code (this will be the identifier for this carton in your system, such as 'CTN001' or similar), then select Continue. Alternatively, select Auto-generate a Carton Code.
Scan or select the goods-in location where you want the carton initially assigned. This is typically a receiving dock or staging area before final put-away.
The carton will be created in Mintsoft with your assigned location, and a carton label will be automatically sent to your configured printer (Courier Print Tool). Keep this label to attach to the physical carton.
Scan the SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) or Product Barcode. The SSCC is typically a barcode on the shipping carton provided by your supplier. If the product doesn't have an SSCC, scan the product barcode instead.
Select the Quantity to book in.
Select Confirm Quantity.
If the full quantity hasn't been received yet, press the back arrow in the top left corner to return to the contents of the ASN.
Finally, select one of the following actions:
Partial Book ASN: Select this if the ASN has arrived but you haven't received all expected items yet. The ASN will remain open for additional receiving.
Mark ASN Complete: Select this when all expected items have been received and the ASN is fully processed. This will close the ASN and make it ready for invoicing.
Mark Awaiting Put Away: Select this if items are received but need to be moved to their final storage locations. The ASN will appear in the Awaiting Put Away tab.
After completing the receipt, you can use the footer buttons to continue receiving:
Create New Carton/Pallet: Starts the process to receive into another new carton or pallet.
Existing Carton/Pallet: Receive additional items into an existing carton or pallet.
Receive to new pallet
To receive an ASN to a new pallet on the Access Mintsoft app:
Within the Access Mintsoft app, select ASNs.
Scan or select an ASN.
Select Receive to Carton/Pallet.
Select Begin New Pallet.
Select the Pallet Type.
Enter or scan a unique Pallet Code (this will be the identifier for this pallet in your system, such as 'PLT001' or similar), then select Continue. Alternatively, select Auto-generate a Pallet Code.
Scan or select the goods-in location where you want the pallet initially assigned. This is typically a receiving dock or staging area before final put-away.
The pallet will be created in Mintsoft with your assigned location, and a pallet label will be automatically sent to your configured printer (Courier Print Tool). Keep this label to attach to the physical pallet.
Scan the SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) or Product Barcode. The SSCC is typically a barcode on the shipping pallet provided by your supplier. If the product doesn't have an SSCC, scan the product barcode instead.
Select the Quantity to book in.
Select Confirm Quantity.
If the full quantity hasn't been received yet, press the back arrow in the top left corner to return to the contents of the ASN.
Finally, select one of the following actions:
Partial Book ASN: Select this if the ASN has arrived but you haven't received all expected items yet. The ASN will remain open for additional receiving.
Mark ASN Complete: Select this when all expected items have been received and the ASN is fully processed. This will close the ASN and make it ready for invoicing.
Mark Awaiting Put Away: Select this if items are received but need to be moved to their final storage locations. The ASN will appear in the Awaiting Put Away tab.
After completing the receipt, you can use the footer buttons to continue receiving:
Create New Carton/Pallet: Starts the process to receive into another new carton or pallet.
Existing Carton/Pallet: Receive additional items into an existing carton or pallet.
Awaiting put-away (cartons and pallets)
Once items are received to cartons or pallets, they remain in a staging or goods-in location until you complete the put-away process to move them to their final storage locations.
After receiving items to cartons or pallets, you can put them away into their final storage locations. You have two options:
Option 1: Put away individual products
Select the Awaiting Put Away tab, then select the ASN.
Select the product to put away.
Scan the Location Barcode or select from the list.
Confirm the location selection.
Repeat steps 2-4 for remaining products.
Option 2: Put away entire carton or pallet by scanning
Instead of selecting individual products, you can put away an entire carton or pallet at once by scanning its barcode:
Select the Awaiting Put Away tab, then select the ASN.
From the ASN breakdown screen, scan the Carton/Pallet Code (the barcode label on your storage item) or SSCC barcode (if using supplier-provided container codes).
The system will identify all items in that carton or pallet.
If the carton or pallet contains items with batch numbers, serial numbers, or expiry dates:
Review each product's attributes.
Scan a GS1 barcode (a barcode standard that contains product information including batch, serial, and expiry data) or manually enter attributes if needed.
Select Continue for each product.
Scan the Destination Location barcode or select from the list.
Confirm the location selection.
All items in the carton or pallet will be moved to this location.
Tip: Using Option 2 (scanning the carton or pallet barcode) is significantly faster than Option 1 when you're moving entire storage units. This method is ideal when you don't need to separate individual products and want to keep the full contents of the carton or pallet together in one location.
Split items across multiple cartons or pallets
When receiving ASN items, you can split a quantity across multiple cartons or pallets. This is useful when you need to distribute large quantities across multiple storage units. To split items across cartons or pallets:
Select the Awaiting Receipt tab, then select the ASN.
Select Receive to Carton/Pallet, then select Begin Receipt.
Select a product to receive.
Enter the quantity you want to receive (must be 2 or more).
Select Split Across Cartons/Pallets from the footer buttons.
Select the Carton Type or Pallet Type.
Choose how many cartons or pallets to split across (minimum 2). Use the +/- buttons or tap the number to enter a specific quantity.
Choose how you want to distribute the items across your cartons or pallets:
Distribute evenly: Items are distributed equally across all cartons or pallets.
Custom distribution: Specify the preferred quantity per carton or pallet.
If using Custom distribution, enter the preferred quantity per carton or pallet. The last carton or pallet will receive any remaining items.
(Optional) Select Preview Cartons/Pallets to see how items will be distributed. The preview shows each carton or pallet code and its quantity.
Select Generate & Receive to create and receive the items.
The system will show a success message if items are distributed evenly.
If items can't be distributed evenly, a warning will show the distribution details.
All generated cartons or pallets will be automatically received to the goods-in location.
Example: You're receiving 100 units of Product A. You want to split them into 4 cartons with 25 units each. Select Split Across Cartons/Pallets, choose Carton Type, enter '4' for quantity, select Distribute evenly, and the system will create 4 cartons with 25 units each.
Review generated cartons or pallets
After generating multiple cartons or pallets (through the split feature or bulk creation), you'll see a summary screen showing all generated items.
The summary screen displays:
Title: Generated Cartons or Generated Pallets.
A list of all carton or pallet codes that were created.
Each item shows the storage item code and a carton or pallet icon.
Available actions:
Reprint Labels: Reprints barcode labels for all generated cartons or pallets.
Home: Returns to the home screen and clears the session.
Note: Use the Reprint Labels function if you need to replace damaged labels or print additional copies for your warehouse team.