What Is a Warehouse Management System (WMS)?
A Warehouse Management System (WMS) is software that provides better enterprise resource planning
and manages the operations of the supply chain from the manufacturer to the warehouse. It's as well the
inventory control that is needed to ensure everything is organised in the
best possible way.
Our services include warehouse system development for advanced workflow management. We can build any
workflow and picking logic optimisation modules and related custom software to help you control the
warehouse workflow, including the inventory, batch-tracking and delivery commitments.
![Custom warehouse management system development with Magora, UK]( "developers for hire")
A Guide for Automation
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The implementation of WMS is a great step ahead in monitoring inventory turnover for
advanced
analysis.
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Reporting as a part of warehouse software functionality provides data about the best and
worst
sellers, saving you time and money spent worrying about out-of-stock goods or picks and
highlighting unsellable stocks.
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Delivery route mapping, provides quick and effective optimisation of your logistics
costs.
This Allows you to:
- Organise inventory automation.
- Optimise the warehouse space capacity and the stock items rotation.
- Plan and control the stock resources.
- Manage all the goods distribution on the shop floor and control the FIFO, LIFO
principles and
the shelf-life time.
- Picking, packing and third-party logistics orders.
- Track and improve overall warehouse performance.
A warehouse system is an automated tool used by most high-growth retailers for their supply chain
management.
Clients
5 Qualities of a Good WMS
Not all warehouse management solutions are the same, and the right WMS can help save time and money and
ultimately increase customer satisfaction.
The Right Features
The first thing you should find out about a WMS solution is what it can do for your
business.
When analysing WMS solutions, ask yourself: "Will the WMS streamline our business
processes?" For example, if your company has difficulties in measuring employee
productivity, a good WMS solution would prove useful. The WMS must be able to track the
tasks performed by employees (and where they are performed), providing direct visibility
of employee productivity.
A WMS can help you do more with fewer features in many other ways. From this particular
point of view, a good tool can maximise what it can do for you, thus minimising your
work.
In short, can a system WMS do more with fewer resources? If so, it can be a good
candidate.
Ease of Use
If the WMS is easy to use, it will reduce the amount of time you spend in training –
from scavengers to senior managers to all employees. Well-designed WMS allows users to
spend less time configuring and monitoring daily operations so they can quickly adapt to
new requirements.
When choosing a system, look for easy-to-understand menus and help screens to increase
usability. For example, make sure the WMS allows for simplified data entry and the
creation of model reports and graphs. Similarly, panel display (automatic real-time
update) provides users with a single location to access all the most important data.
All in all, does your potential WMS seem easy to use?
Complete Transaction Management
A good WMS lets you manage everything door-to-door – from receipt to display.
Look for a WMS that provides detailed information about everything – products, employees
and transactions – at every step along the way.
Here are some steps that should be traced:
- Received goods
- Packing
- Choice of orders
- Transportation
- Inventory Audit
When you can keep track of everything that happens in the warehouse, from people to
mobile devices and products, you can conduct expert analysis to help you get smarter and
more stocked products more efficiently.
So as you look at the WMS solution, ask yourself, "Is this WMS software helping me
manage all my resources?"
Flexibility
WMS solutions need to be able to scale as the business grows and adapt to future needs.
WMS that fails to do so cannot be considered a long-term solution.
Another measure of flexibility concerns hardware. WMS must be compatible with other
versions of the following tools:
- Scanner / RF terminal
- Label Printer
- Forklift Radio Terminal
Finally, how flexible is your potential WMS when it comes to different types and sizes
of business? A good WMS should achieve significant success in wholesale and industrial
distributors of all sizes.
If your business is successful, it will grow and continue to grow. Your investment
should be able to grow with your business. That's why the flexibility of WMS is
important – so make sure the potential WMS is suitable for many ERP, brands, types of
hardware, business models and scales.
Useful, Easy to Read Indicators
Data is important, but so is data representation. It's one thing to have metrics that
help you track the performance of your warehouse operations, but understanding the data
is another matter.
Good software should offer you the option to easily create reports and graphs, letting
you keep on top of how the warehouse is running. For example, well-designed program can
track the organisation-wide performance of warehouse employees in real-time and allows
management to compare groups of employees (receivers, morning pickers, night pickers,
etc.) and operational branches (Western, Eastern, and so on.). You want to invest in a
WMS that measures each employee's performance based on criteria, including speed and
accuracy.
Top Ready-to-Use Warehouse Management Software Systems 2018
Growing companies are increasingly investing in IT systems to automate and streamline business
processes. In general, shelf systems are produced to meet the perceived needs of a particular market or
industry. In fact, they apply to all common functions, so finding a system that meets all your needs
isn’t easy. Nonetheless, here are the top 3 warehouse management systems to consider.
Zoho Inventory is cloud-based inventory management software that helps you create and
manage sales and purchase orders and track inventories. You can integrate it with online
sales channels like eBay, Amazon and Etsy and shopping carts like Shopify.
NetSuite's stock and inventory management software allows you to integrate your system
with an inventory control solution. With NetSuite's stock control software, you can
efficiently manage every step of the product life-cycle as well as your different
business lines. You can manage inventory levels and strengthen control over inventory
operations.
This solution enables warehouses to grow their business, increase operations and meet
the needs of all customers. As the most popular cloud-based WMS on the market, this
software provides full EDI integration, automated billing management, global visibility,
innovative packaging and shipping methods and mobile barcode reading capabilities.
What to Look for in the Warehouse Management System
The right management tool depends on every aspect of your workflow and business needs –
but here are the top things that large and medium retailers need to consider when deciding:
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Organisation of the warehouse – Store the exact location of each SKU and drive it via the best
route on foot to this location in the warehouse.
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Digital barcode operation – Use scanners and moving barcodes to minimise paper requirements and
optimise accuracy when buying, packaging and reserving new inventories.
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Expected integration – The system can be integrated with all stores, markets, shipping partners,
number of warehouses and anything else unique to your company.
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Ease of use – an easy-to-operate platform suitable for all existing, new and temporary team
members.
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Integrated solution – Other important management areas concerning retail operations, including
orders, inventory and shipping.
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Reporting – Track and save the history of each operation in the warehouse and which team member
is performing (high-level KPI reports and employee accountability).
Cloud Warehouse Management Systems
Companies invest in warehouse management software to optimise and automate inventory fulfillment
processes while controlling costs. Dynamic and easy to set up, a powerful WMS system can leverage the
cloud for quick and cost-effective deployment with the following benefits:
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Improve operational efficiency – Warehouse management software manages cloud service operations,
while the supply chain can view inventory and operations in real-time and understand how
customers use relevant procurement technologies.
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Lower Total Cost of Ownership – Implementing a cloud-based warehouse
management system
helps control costs because companies no longer need to pay for expensive maintenance and
upgrades.
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Improve customer experience – Faster customer service means a better customer experience and a
better deal. Customers can shop anytime, anywhere. A cloud-based WMS helps companies meet the
demands of the realities of the market.
Our Achievements:
322 App Development Projects
413 Mobile Applications
75 Enterprise Software Solutions
How to Choose the Right Tool for Your Business
Proper WMS can save time and money and ultimately increase customer satisfaction. On the other hand, the
wrong WMS can actually undermine customer service and company reputation, reducing productivity because
by adding costs.
Custom software can play a key role in a company’s development and efficiency – for example, by
helping to introduce automation to ongoing working processes without breaking any of the corporate
functionality rules that come with a ready-made solution.
Custom software plays a key role in the development and efficiency of the enterprise, as it allows
for the introduction of automation to already working processes instead of breaking corporate rules
based on the functionality provided by the ready-made program solution.
Here at Magora, we have a wealth of experience that proves that creating tailor-made products is better
for business growth and prosperity.
If you’re looking for a warehouse management system – one that's appropriate to your needs instead of
trying to squeeze itself into the limitations of ready-made warehouse software systems – contact us
today to discuss your project.
