There are 4 very distinct consignment creation methods in MachShip. They are:

• Create Consignment

Accessed via the top menu Create/Manage, click Create Consignment under the Consignments section.

The Create Consignment method was designed to take away the need for users to have knowledge about which carriers will be the most efficient to use to send freight between two locations. It will take an input of from and to location data as well as shipping item information in order to present to the user a list of carrier options.  These carrier options will be listed in order of price, ETA or name, based upon the user's needs. From here the best decision can be made for the shipment's circumstances. 

If this is the best method for you and you would like a full end to end set of instructions on how to generate a consignment via the Create Consignment method, please go here.

• Quick Consignment

Accessed via the top menu Create/Manage, click Quick Consignment under the Consignments section.

Due to the extra time required on routing up valid carrier options, the Quick Consignment method was developed in order to allow for the creation of a consignment when the user has pre-defined knowledge over which is the best carrier to use. The quick consignment method requires the user to provide the from, to and the item information but has the added step of selecting the carrier and service required. From here they will create the consignment. 

The Quick Consignment method will work best for clients who are looking to create multiple consignments in quick succession with the same carrier or with the same details. An example of this may be an airbag service with Startrack or Toll or a stock transfer movement which will always travel with the same carrier. 

If this is the best method for you and you would like a full end to end set of instructions on how to generate a consignment via Quick Consignment please go here.

• Pending Consignment

Accessed via the top menu Create/Manage, click Create Pending Consignment under the Consignments section. If you are looking to finalise a Pending Consignment select the Pending Consignments menu option. 

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One of the key efficiency targets for any business is to cut out manual tasks and automate as many processes as possible. In the Supply Chain and Logistics sector, a key blocker to this achievement is having prior knowledge of the final shipping dimensions and weights of a consignment. In order to allow for partial automation of the consignment creation process, MachShip has the Pending Consignment feature which will enable a user to pass through Order Data or incomplete consignment data. 

With this incomplete consignment or order data, despatch teams can:

• Finalise and create consignments with correct and accurate shipping dimensions. By utilising already pre-loaded pick-up, delivery, reference and if possible, carrier data, the time it takes to create a consignment can be cut down significantly.  
• Consolidate orders or orders with pre-created consignments in a more efficient process than via the Edit Consignment method. 
• Store consignment data that enables you to finalise and automatically print labels at a convenient time. 

Data can be fed into MachShip to create a Pending Consignment via any of the integration methods which are available. 

If this is the best method for you and you would like a full end to end set of instructions on how to provide data to MachShip via Pending Consignment there are multiple methods and these are outlined below:

• How to Create a Consignment via the UI go here
• How to Create a Pending Consignment via Import go here
• How to Create a Pending Consignment via the API go here
• How to Create a Pending Consignment via Folder Polling go here
• How to Import Consignments go here

After finalizing and creating all consignments using one of these creation methods (Pending Consignments, Create Consignment, Quick Consignment) will move into a status called Unmanifested. Unmanifested will mean that a user can obtain labels and documentation but it only exists in MachShip and as such it can be edited and altered without the need to contact the carrier.

• How to edit a consignment is outlined here

In order to understand how a consignment can move from Manifested please follow the instructions linked here