Online warehouse management

How to organize online warehouse management and what nuances should pay attention to 

• Who uses the online warehouse management
• Is it necessary for you to manage warehouse online?
• How to choose WMS?

The warehouse management system (WMS) evolution is like the evolution of other software solutions.

Initially, it was the movement and storage of materials control system at the warehouse, bur the WMS part becomes more wide, there is added the production operations management, transport management, order management, compatibility with accounting systems.

For today, warehouse management system must include:

• Flexible positioning system;
• The warehouses asks and their control settings;
• The integration with data collection devices.

Warehouse Management System (WMS) helps to automate warehouses business-processes: Acceptance, shipping, commodity accounting, storage, movement, inventory.The warehouse management system implementation  allows to make warehouse control ability and speed of work higher, exclude manual errors, delays and losses control, to minimize the human factor influence.

The cloud warehouse management system ABM WMS is the affordable price solution, without any costs for computer software purchase, in the reason of it is provided by SaaS model (lease).It is equally effective for warehouses different types, and industries.

Who uses online warehouse management

The application of cloud warehouse management system is economically justified for:

• Logistic centers – technological processes automate;
• Warehouse accounting of raw materials, unfinished and finished products in the manufacturing companies warehouses;
• keeping records in the context of expiration dates, characteristics and certificates in pharmaceutical companies warehouses;
• high distributor and retail companies warehouses intensity;
• 3PL operators responsible storage warehouse management;
• at the other warehouse housekeeping, where the accounting, storage and movement of goods are carried out.

Do you need he online warehouse management?

Every warehouse doesn’t need WMS. Are the initial and current costs associated with the purchase and implementation of the WMS system, the managed warehouse management justified?

The WMS functionality allows you to optimize warehouse management, reduce costs for warehouse staff, improve customer service, reduce inventory, improve accuracy and quality of inventory.

The WMS introduction will reduce the cost of staff, provided that the cost of maintaining the system is less than the cost of warehouse staff. The company will be able to serve more customers more efficiently by reducing the time for the orders formation. Also, with the system help, the accuracy and efficiency of acceptance will be increased, which will allow reducing the level of insurance stock, and consequently, freeing frozen funds. Besides, by optimizing the storage process, the useful capacity of the warehouse will increase.

In addition to increasing the warehouse personnel labor organization efficiency, the decision to implement warehouse management system is associated with the need to improve the quality of customer service. This is achieved by supporting the system with LIFO / FIFO / FEFO methods, cross-docking, rapid assembly, tracking the use of automated warehouse equipment, etc.

The warehouse management system cloud format allows you to save the company’s budgets, because it does not require the initial significant investment, as it happens when buying a system in the property. Online cloud systems are constantly being improved and all updates are immediately available to all users. Online solutions developers are interested in providing quality support and service, because only in this case the client continues to use the system.

How to choose warehouse management system?

How and with which criteria from a wide range of solutions, from simple 1C box systems to European developments, choose the warehouse management system that suits your warehouse.

Warehouse management system settings functionality and flexibility.

The system should allow you to keep an accounting of weight dimensions, order picking conditions, take into account the size and number of racks and pallets, take into account the temperature regime, the finished product or raw materials properties classification. The warehouse management system should know where the product is located, where it can fit, how much goods to take, and have customized scenarios for the sequence of acceptance, assembly, and shipment.

The WMS work logics should make the cross-docking operations tasks easier: acceptance and shipment of goods / goods through the warehouse directly, without accommodation and storage.

The system should flexibly adjust to your business needs, while the cost of configuration should be minimal. In simple and budgetary warehouse management system, when the business process changes, system improvements are required with the help of programmers, which drags out the deadlines and increases the implementing and owning the system cost. Choose a system, the changes to which are made without programming.

Integration with loading and unloading equipment and accounting systems and ERP.

When you choose warehouse management sysem, it is important to consider the possibility of integration with the handling equipment used in the warehouse.

In addition, since the WMS system is usually integrated with other modules and systems (finance, accounting, transport management, sales accounting, etc.) it is important to find out the possibilities of integration with these systems. There are standard exchange files or other integration options. When you choose the system integrator, choose the one that is familiar with most of the common accounting and ERP systems for integrating the WMS. This will allow you to competently build an IT architecture and, at the start of the implementation project, lay the necessary requirements for the systems.

Company integrator experts experience and qualifications in the implementation of the warehouse management system.

Specify whether the integrator company has sufficient experience in optimizing warehouse business processes (area and topology organization of the warehouse, testing, training). Which project team will be assigned to your project. It is good, if the project team will include: project manager, business analyst, consultant, developers, technical support. This will ensure the project manageability and the launch of the system on schedule.

Warehouse Management Automation project

Recommended stages:

• Pre-project examination
• Current situation analysis, qualified experts, reference precise terms, consultations in the equipment selection.
• Introduction
• Setting up the WMS system, connecting equipment, testing.
• Post-project support
• Warehouse personnel training, maintenance, the system continuous development.

Having skipped any of the stages, the company risks remaining with the spent budget and uninvested or inculcated incorrectly automated warehouse management system.

Evaluate the totality of the effects you receive and decide whether to postpone the automation of your warehouse.

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