Fulfillment Engine
Intelligent item availability across multiple warehouses. The purpose of this module is not to manage fulfillment but to answer the question of if this produc tis available.
Responsibilities
Inventory Management
- Track inventory across multiple warehouses
- Sync with external inventory systems
Delivery Zone Management
- Define geographic delivery boundaries
- Filter warehouses by deliverable zones
- Estimate delivery time estimates
- Apply zone-based constraints
Availability Checking
- Real-time inventory availability
- Multi-warehouse aggregation
- Zone-filtered results
Delivery Zones
Concept
Delivery zones define geographic areas where warehouses can deliver.
Zone Types
Geographic polygon:
- State or province boundaries
- Custom drawn regions
- Multi-state territories
Zone Properties
Each zone has:
- Geographic boundaries
- Delivery time estimates
- Serving warehouses
- Pricing modifiers
- Carrier restrictions
Multi-Warehouse Scenarios
Scenario 1: Single Warehouse
Order: 50 units to Chicago
Warehouse A (Milwaukee): 100 units in stock, serves Chicago, 1-day delivery
Result: Allocate all 50 from Warehouse A
Scenario 2: Split Shipment
Order: 150 units to Chicago
Warehouse A (Milwaukee): 100 units in stock
Warehouse B (Indianapolis): 60 units in stock
Result: Split - 100 from A, 50 from B
Scenario 3: Zone Constraint
Order: 100 units to rural Montana
Warehouse A: 200 units, doesn't serve Montana
Warehouse B: 80 units, serves Montana
Result: Can fulfill 80 units max
Scenario 4: Optimization
Order: 200 units to Dallas
Warehouse A: Has stock, 800 miles away, 4 days, $150 shipping
Warehouse B: Has stock, 200 miles away, 2 days, $75 shipping
Result: Optimize for Warehouse B
Spatial Filtering
Uses search engine for geographic queries:
Point-in-polygon:
- Is delivery address within zone?
Radius search:
- Warehouses within distance of address
Zone intersection:
- Does warehouse's delivery zone include this location?
Fulfillment Engine: Smart allocation, optimized delivery.