Transfer Requests
This guide walks you through moving stock from one warehouse to another using a Transfer Request — from creating it, to getting it approved, to actually moving the stock across.
What is a Transfer Request?
A Transfer Request is a documented, trackable way of moving stock from one warehouse (or warehouse unit) to another — for example, restocking a branch from the main store, or supplying raw materials so a product can be manufactured. It never leaves the business: both ends of the move are internal warehouses.
This is one of three related request types in the system. A Transfer Request moves stock warehouse to warehouse. An Issue Request (its own guide) moves stock to a customer. A Loading Request (its own guide) moves stock onto a vehicle for a delivery trip, and can only be created from a Trip.
Just like the other request types, each product line on a Transfer Request can be fulfilled one of two ways:
- The stock is already on the shelf — someone simply transfers it directly from a source warehouse.
- The stock still needs to be made — a Manufacturing Order is raised first, and once the goods are produced, they're moved to the requested destination.
Unlike an Issue Request, a Transfer Request has no "returnable item" concept (like collecting empty bottles) — that only makes sense when a customer is involved.
Starting a request
- Go to Inventory → Transfer Requests. This opens the list of every Transfer Request in your organisation.
- Click the Create Request button.
The Transfer Requests list — Inventory → Transfer Requests.
- Fill in the New Transfer Request form:
Requesting Warehouse Unit— where the stock will be transferred to. Required.Warehouse manager— the person responsible for this operation. Optional.Notes— any extra context worth recording. Optional.
- Click Create Request. Your new Transfer Request is created with a DRAFT status and you're taken straight to it.
The "New Transfer Request" form — Requesting Warehouse Unit, Warehouse manager, Notes.
There's no Customer field here — a Transfer Request only ever moves stock between your own warehouses.
Building the request (Draft)
Once created, the request is a DRAFT — an empty shell you now need to add product lines to.
- On the request's detail page, click Add items.
- In the "Add transfer request line" panel that slides in, fill in:
Product— search and select what needs transferring.Quantity— how much of it.Source Warehouse— optionally suggest where it should come from. Whoever fulfils the line later can still pick a different one.Notes— optional.
- Click Add line.
The detail page while the request is still in Draft, showing the Add items, Submit, and Edit buttons.
The "Add transfer request line" side panel.
Each product you add appears as its own card, starting with a NOT STARTED badge. You can only add one line per product — if you need more of the same product, edit the existing line instead of adding a second one.
Product lines listed on the left, each showing a "NOT STARTED" status badge.
While still in Draft, you can click a line to select it and edit or remove it, and you can click Edit at any time to change the Requesting Warehouse Unit, Warehouse manager, or Notes. Once lines exist, the Requesting Warehouse Unit becomes locked — clear all lines first if you need to change it.
Sending it for approval
Once your lines are added, the request needs to move through two quick approval steps before anyone can start transferring stock.
| You are here | You click | It becomes |
|---|---|---|
| DRAFT | Submit | READY |
| READY | Approve | APPROVED |
Submit only appears once at least one line has been added. Clicking either button takes you to a confirmation screen showing your Current State and the New State it's moving to, with an optional Notes box. Click the coloured action button to confirm, or Go back to cancel.
The confirmation screen shown for a status change, here "Approve transfer request."
Detail page in READY status, showing the Approve button.
There's no separate "Start Fulfillment" click here — the moment a request is APPROVED, fulfillment is already available.
Only staff with approval permissions will see the Submit and Approve buttons. If you don't see one of them, ask a supervisor — the same goes for cancelling a request, since there's no Cancel button on this screen for everyday users.
Fulfilling the request
Once a request is APPROVED, you can start moving stock straight away — one product line at a time.
Click a product line on the left, and up to two buttons appear for it on the right:
The fulfillment action buttons and quantity summary shown for a selected line.
Only one of these actions can be in progress per line at a time — if one is already running, the other greys out until it finishes.
Fulfil via Transfer
Use this when the stock is already sitting in a warehouse, ready to move.
- Click Fulfill via Transfer.
- Fill in:
Source Warehouse unit— where the stock is being taken from.Quantity— how much to move now.
- Click Submit.
The "Fulfill request line" panel set up for a direct stock transfer.
Fulfil via Manufacturing Order
Use this when the product still needs to be produced before it can be moved. See the Manufacturing guides for how Bills of Material and Manufacturing Orders work.
- Click Fulfill via MO.
- Fill in:
Bill of Materials (BOM)— the recipe used to make the product.Manufacturing Warehouse Unit— where production happens.Quantity— how much to produce.Finished Goods Warehouse Unit— where the finished stock will be stored once produced.
- Click Submit. This raises a Manufacturing Order; once production finishes, the finished goods are transferred through automatically towards your requested destination.
The "Fulfill request line" panel set up to raise a Manufacturing Order.
Watching progress
Every line shows exactly how far along it is, and every action taken against it is recorded in a visual chain so nothing gets lost.
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| NOT STARTED | Nothing has been transferred or produced against this line yet. |
| IN PROGRESS | Some, but not all, of the requested quantity has been moved. |
| DONE | The full requested quantity has been transferred. |
A line card mid-fulfillment, showing its progress bar and updated badge.
Below the fulfillment buttons, the Fulfillment Chain lays out every step taken on that line as a timeline — grey for pending, blue for in progress, and a filled green circle with a checkmark for done.
The Fulfillment Chain timeline for a line, showing each linked document and its status.
The detail page also has a few other tabs worth knowing about:
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Items | The product lines and fulfillment workspace covered above. |
| Warehouse Stock | A live look at stock currently sitting in the destination warehouse unit. |
| Transfers | Every stock-transfer document linked to this request. |
| Orders | Every Manufacturing Order raised from this request. |
| Activity | A log of who did what, and when, on this request. |
"Warehouse Stock" is a tab you won't find on an Issue Request — it's here because both ends of a Transfer Request are warehouses you can check stock levels for.
The "Warehouse Stock" tab, showing stock currently held in the destination unit.
Finishing the request
Once every line's badge reads DONE, the request is finished — and you don't need to click anything for that to happen.
There is no "Complete" button on this screen. The system automatically marks the request COMPLETE the instant every line has been fully transferred, and records a note on the request saying it was completed automatically.
A finished Transfer Request, showing the green COMPLETE status, reached automatically.
Quick reference
Status meanings
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| DRAFT | Being built. Lines can still be added, edited, or removed. |
| READY | Submitted, waiting for someone to approve it. |
| APPROVED | Signed off. Fulfillment can begin immediately. |
| COMPLETE | Everything requested has been fully transferred. Reached automatically. |
Glossary
- Outstanding quantity
How much of a line is still left to transfer — the requested amount minus what's already moved.
- Source Warehouse / Warehouse unit
- Where the stock is being taken from for a fulfillment.
- Requesting Warehouse Unit
Where the stock is being sent to — set once when the request is created.
- Fulfillment
Any single action that moves a line towards being complete — a transfer or a manufacturing order.
- Bill of Materials (BOM)
The recipe of raw materials/components needed to manufacture a product.
- Manufacturing Order (MO)
An instruction to produce a product using a BOM, raised when the stock requested doesn't already exist.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no "Complete" button?
A plain Transfer Request finishes itself — the moment every line is fully transferred, the system marks it COMPLETE for you. There's nothing to click.
Can I ask for a returnable item back, like on an Issue Request?
No. Returnable items (like empty bottles) are only relevant when a customer is involved, which is why that option only exists on Issue Requests.
Why can't I put a request "In Progress" myself?
For a plain Transfer Request, the system briefly passes through an internal In Progress state on its way to Complete — you'll never need to trigger it by hand, and there's no button for it.
What's the difference between this and a Loading Request?
A Loading Request is the same idea but for loading a vehicle ahead of a delivery trip — it can only be created from a Trip, not from this screen. See the Loading Requests guide for that flow.
Can I edit or delete a product line after I've clicked Submit?
No — lines can only be added, edited, or removed while the request is still in DRAFT.
Can I cancel a Transfer Request?
Cancelling is possible in the system, but there is currently no Cancel button on this screen for everyday users. If a request needs to be called off, speak to your supervisor or administrator.