title = "Finished Goods Storage and Pre-Shipment Staging"

content = """
Finished goods at Ridgecrest Metalworks require the same discipline in storage as raw materials—if not more, given that these parts already represent full manufacturing cost and are committed to customer orders. Damage or misidentification of finished goods is among the most expensive errors a facility can make.

**Transfer to finished goods.** Parts move to the finished goods zone (Zone E) only after the final inspection step has been completed and the QA inspection stamp or traveler sign-off is recorded. No uninspected parts may be placed in finished goods storage. The ERP goods receipt from production transaction must be posted at the time of transfer.

**Packaging before storage.** Finished metal parts must be protected before placement in finished goods racks. Protection requirements vary by part type and customer specification:
- Machined surfaces: VCI (volatile corrosion inhibitor) poly bags or paper wrap.
- Ground or polished surfaces: foam interleave or padded packaging to prevent contact scratches.
- Painted or coated parts: foam-lined bins or hanging fixtures that avoid contact with finished surfaces.
- Bare carbon steel exposed surfaces: rust inhibitor oil or VCI film applied at final inspection.

**Storage layout.** Each customer's finished parts are kept in dedicated rack locations with customer name, part number, and sales order tags. Co-mingling of different customers' parts in the same location is prohibited. Parts awaiting a partial shipment must be clearly tagged with quantities already allocated so pickers do not over-issue.

**Pre-shipment staging.** Twenty-four hours before scheduled ship date (or earlier for large orders), the warehouse team pulls finished parts from their rack locations to a dedicated staging lane adjacent to the shipping dock. A packing list is printed and a physical count is verified against the sales order. Staged orders must be physically separated from other staged orders by at least one empty lane.

**Hold for final documentation.** Some customers require a certificate of conformance (CoC), material test reports, or first article inspection (FAI) packages to accompany shipments. Parts may not leave the building until these documents are ready, signed, and attached to the shipment. Confirm document requirements against the customer order before releasing for loading.

Environmental protection in finished goods areas matches raw material requirements: dry, off-floor, temperature-stable.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
