Article by:
Newline Computing
When it comes to choosing the right warehouse management system (WMS) for your business, it’s important to understand your warehouse needs and the benefits of having an integrated WMS. Whether your goal is to automate your warehouse operations for the first time or to upgrade to a more robust warehousing system it is important to find the right WMS, ask the right questions of your software reseller, and successfully implement the system. Newline are confident that the more people know about warehouse management software, the more likely they are to choose Newline.
Don’t wait until your warehouse operations are no longer competitive to evaluate whether you need a new system.
The availability of new technologies and increased market demands are driving rapid change in many industries. Watch for trends such as rising customer expectations, increased competitive pressure, or dropping margins. Introducing new or improved automation management technology to your warehouse can be a powerful tool for increasing competitiveness in a challenging market.
If you plan to sell to large retailers, you’ll need to comply with their terms in order to remain in good standing and keep your margins in place. Most large retailers have strict vendor compliance requirements that make a modern warehouse management system absolutely critical for success. Since many large retailers use EDI (Electronic Data Interchange), an ideal WMS solution will have EDI integration and be able to automatically transmit order information into an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system.
If you’re one of the many businesses selling products over the Web, a WMS is essential. An online business encounters higher transaction volumes and greater customer expectations. Your material-handling needs also change when you ship directly to consumers rather than to businesses. Instead of pallet or case shipments, most online businesses fulfill many small unit shipments. As shipping times decrease, new requirements such as cross-docking may be required. Without the right system, many errors can occur. And with thin margins, shipping errors can be detrimental to your business. You want a WMS solution that supports and integrates with your e-business initiatives.
If you’re finding that the lag time between warehouse activities and the entry into your warehouse system or accounting database is slowing down your business, you may want to consider automating those processes. A strong WMS solution integrated into your ERP system will allow you to monitor the warehouse activities in real time, minimizing entry errors, and help measure the efficiency of your warehouse employees.
If you plan to relocate to a new warehouse, this may be a good starting point to implement a new warehouse management system. By designing a plan from the ground up at your new location, you can eliminate the bottlenecks and inefficiencies of your old warehouse. The sooner you plan and implement, the sooner you can reap the benefits of your new system.
An objective way to assess your warehouse efficiency is to conduct a detailed benchmark measuring your current capabilities. The benchmarks can show you how well your warehouse is performing and the areas you may want to improve. If your assessment indicates significant changes are necessary, now is as good a time as any to implement a new system that provides the required functions of your warehouse.
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