Packaging area

Scan-to-pack packing station: Scan each product to assign it to the right package, enter weight and tracking number, then print PDF labels — all without leaving the screen.

Overview

The Packaging Area is the station dedicated to packaging orders ready for collection. You find a list of orders whose items have already been collected and are physically located in the packing area. From here, with a single barcode scan, you assign each item to the correct package, check weights, add the carrier's tracking number, and print shipping labels.

The scan-to-pack system minimizes errors: each scan produces a unique product → package assignment. If you scan an unpackaged item, the app asks you which package to put it in. If the item is already in a package, the app offers you to move it or remove it from the current package. Reusable bins from Cluster Picking can be transferred to permanent shipping packaging in a single action.

When all the items in the order have been assigned to a package, the green "All items packaged" section appears: this is the signal that the order is ready for final validation and delivery to the courier.

The Packaging Area requires an active connection to the server Odoo for all operations: parcel assignment, weight saving and label printing are not available offline.

List of Orders Ready to Pack

The Packing Zone main screen shows all outbound orders ready to be packed. Each order appears as a card with the essential information to immediately identify the shipment to be processed.

Document Number — the order code (for example WH/OUT/00342), highlighted for quick reading.
Customer — the name of the recipient, to verify that you are working on the right order before you start packing.
Source Document — the number of the sales order or document that generated the shipment (for example, SO-2024-0189).
Number of Lines — how many different items the order contains, as a quick estimate of packaging complexity.

The list does not update automatically. If you have just completed a pickup and want to see the new order in the Packing Area, use the manual update button at the top of the list.

Only orders in the correct status (ready to be processed) appear in the list. Orders in draft, already shipped or canceled are not shown.

Product Scanning (Scan-to-Pack)

The central mechanism of the Packaging Zone is product scanning. Every time you scan a barcode, the app understands the context and automatically opens the right window, without forcing you to navigate through menus.

Item not yet in a package

If you scan an item that has not yet been assigned to any package, the app opens the package selector. From here you can:

Choose one of the packages already open for that order
Tap "Create New Package" to open a new package, choosing the type from those configured in Odoo

After confirmation, the item is assigned to the chosen package and the package immediately appears in the "Packages" section of the order.

Item already in a package

If you scan an item already assigned to a package, the app opens the move dialog. From here you can:

Move the item to another package in the order
Choose "Unpack" to release the item and reassign it with a new scan

If you scan a barcode that isn't recognized or isn't in your order, the app shows a "Product not found" warning without changing anything. The scan is simply ignored.

If you use a Zebra device with a laser scanner, scans are handled automatically without touching the screen between items. It's the fastest way to work in high-volume environments.

Create and Manage Packages

Each order can have an unlimited number of packages. You can create them, fill them, empty them, and move items between them without ever leaving the order screen.

Create a new package

Tap "Create New Package" in the selector that appears after scanning. Choose the packaging type from the list (small box, medium box, pallet, etc.) — the available types are those configured in your Odoo. The package is created immediately and becomes available to receive items.

Move an item between packages

Rescan the product you want to move. The move dialog shows the current package and all other packages in the order with the number of items already contained. Tap the destination package to move the item.

Remove an item from the package

In the moving dialog, choose "Unpack" to release the item. It returns to the "not yet packaged" state and you can rescan it to assign it to a different package. Useful for correcting incorrect assignments.

Completely empty a package

On the package, tap the "Empty All" button. The app asks for confirmation before proceeding. All items in the package return to their unassigned status and you can repack them again. The empty package remains visible but does not affect the order.

Reusable bins from Cluster Picking

If the order went through Cluster Picking, you may find reusable bins (warehouse containers) among the packages. These cannot be used as final shipping packaging. Use the "Transfer to Shipping Package" button to move all items in the bin to one shipping package:

Choose an existing shipping package to consolidate multiple bins into a single package
Or tap "Create & Transfer" to automatically create a new shipping package and move everything in one operation

After the transfer, the bin is automatically emptied and becomes available for subsequent Cluster Picking rounds. You don't need to handle it manually.

Operation	How to do it	Effect
Create package	Scan item → "Create New Package"	New package created, item assigned
Assign article	Scan item → choose existing package	Item added to the chosen package
Move article	Rescan → choose another package	Item moved to new package
Remove from package	Rescan → "Unpack"	Free item, ready for new assignment
Clear everything	Button on the package → confirm	All items released from parcel
Transfer bin	Button on reusable bin → choose destination	Items moved to shipping package, bin emptied

Weight and Tracking Number

Before printing the labels and validating the order, you can complete two important pieces of information directly on the screen.

Weight per package

Each package has a weight field (in kg) that you can modify directly in the package card. Enter the weight detected by the scale. The automatic theoretical weight also appears next to the field, calculated by adding the weights of the products contained as configured in the catalog Odoo. Use it as a reference: if the weighed weight is very different from the theoretical, there may be an error in the contents of the package or outdated weight data in Odoo.

Courier tracking number

The courier tracking number can be found in the header section of the order. Edit it and confirm to save it to Odoo. If the carrier generates the tracking automatically upon validation, the field will be populated with Odoo and you will be able to see it in the app after an update.

The theoretical weight is only reliable if the product weights have been configured in Odoo. For shipments at the real weight rate, always physically weigh the packages and enter the value detected.

Print Shipping Labels

Shipping labels are generated as PDFs directly from Odoo and delivered to the app. You can print a single package or all the packages in the order in a single document.

Single label

Each pack card has a dedicated print button. Generate a PDF with that package's label — it includes the package's barcode, weight, and recipient information. Useful for reprinting a single label in case of an error.

All labels in one PDF

The print button in the order section generates a single PDF with all the labels in sequence, one page per package. Saves repeated printing operations and ensures that all labels are generated with the same updated order status.

View and Share

After generating the PDF, the app offers two actions:

View — opens the PDF as a preview within the app. You can scroll through the pages and check the contents before sending to print.
Share — opens the Android sharing menu to send the PDF to a Bluetooth printer, via email, to Google Drive, or to any other app installed on the device.

The print button only works if the label printing module is configured correctly in Odoo. If an error appears, check that the courier module is installed and that the label report is active in the backend.

Completion Indicator

When each item in the order has been assigned to a package, the "All packaged items" section appears at the top of the screen with a green background. It is the unmistakable signal that the order is ready for validation.

Until at least one item is in a package, the green section doesn't appear — but you can still tap "Valid" at any time. Remember that validating with unpackaged items is generally an operational error.

Print labels only after the green section appears. This way the PDF reflects the correct final status of the packages. Labels printed before moving items may not match the physical contents.

If a movement line has partial quantity (for example you only have 3 pieces out of 5 required), the item does not count as packaged even if you put some of it in a package. To manage partial quantities, intervene in the backend Odoo before proceeding with packaging.

Practical Examples

Standard e-commerce order

Open order WH/OUT/00521 — Customer: Rossi Srl — 4 items.

Scan the first item → tap "Create New Package" → choose "Small Box" → Package 1 is created and the item is assigned.
Scan the second item → choose the already existing Package 1 → assigned.
Scan the third item (fragile) → tap "Create New Package" → choose "Fragile Box" → Package 2 created.
Scan the fourth item → choose Package 2 → assigned.
Enter the weight: Package 1 → 0.8 kg, Package 2 → 0.4 kg. Enter the courier tracking number.
The green "All packaged items" section appears. Print labels (PDF with 2 pages) → Share → printer. Then validate the order.

Correct an incorrect assignment

You realize you put a heavy item in the fragile package.

Rescan the item (already in Package 2) → the move dialog appears.
Choose "Remove from package" → confirm → the item returns to free status.
Rescan the item → choose Package 1 (the one for heavy items) → correctly assigned.
Update the weight of Package 1 to reflect the new content.

Order with bin from Cluster Picking

The order shows a reusable bin "BIN-VERDE-003" with 6 items.

Tap "Transfer to Shipping Package" on the bin.
Choose "Create and Transfer" → confirm. The 6 items are moved to a new shipping package created automatically.
The bin empties and becomes available again for the next round of Cluster Picking.
Enter weight and tracking, then print the labels and validate the order.

Tips

If you already know your packing structure, create all the necessary packages before you start scanning. This way the package selector shows the right options immediately and you don't have to interrupt the flow to create them during the scan.

Configure the packaging types with the maximum recommended weight in Odoo (e.g. "S box: max 2 kg"). The theoretical weight in the app helps you understand when you are about to exceed the threshold and it is worth opening a new package.

Name the reusable bins in a mnemonic way (e.g. BIN-A1, BIN-A2…). The transfer to the Packing Area automatically empties them at the end of each shift, ready for the next shift without manual intervention.

Before validating an order, check: visible green section, weight entered for each package, tracking number filled in, labels printed and physically applied, no reusable bins left as shipping packages.

Limits

No offline mode — all operations (package assignment, weight saving, printing) require active connection to Odoo. If you log out, the changes are not applied.
Partial quantities cannot be managed by the app — if a line has fractional quantities (e.g. 3 of 5), management must be done in the backend Odoo before proceeding with packaging.
Packaging Types only from Odoo — you cannot create new packaging types from the app. If a type is missing, the administrator Odoo must add it in the backend.
Printing depends on configuration Odoo — the label report must be configured in the backend. If the courier module is not active or the report is not available, the print button returns an error.
Package deletion only from Odoo — empty packages cannot be deleted from the app. They remain visible on the screen but do not affect the completion of the order.
No movement history — the app only saves the final status (which item is in which package). If you need a log of all operations performed, backend customization is required.
Weight entered manually — there is no automatic integration with bench scales. The weight must be entered by the operator in the dedicated field.