Business

The Role of WMS in Supply Chain Fulfillment Operations

A Warehouse management system for all-scale manufacturers and distributors is essential for material handling and inventory control. The simplest definition of this warehouse technology is to manage, monitor, and improve the daily operations with a distribution center. The core functions of WMS involve how you receive, store, sort, search and pick items for order fulfillment and shipment and how you determine when to order more.

WMS makes fulfillment processes quick and cleaner, easier to monitor and track, and, of course, less susceptible to human error. It offers greater visibility into the entire supply chain inventory and fulfillment operations from the storage facility to the store shelf. However, not all warehouse management solutions are designed and developed equally. While searching for the right solution, don’t fall for a system that comes with every feature available. Find which is best for your supply chain operations fulfillment and flexible enough to adapt as the business grows.

Get The Right Solution For Your Business:

First thing first, do not confuse warehouse management system (WMS) with warehouse control system (WCS) and warehouse execution system (WES). Understand how they overlap each other. For now, our focus is on WMS with the following core functionalities.   

  • Receiving goods
  • Dispatching goods
  • Verifying order receipts
  • Putting away inventory
  • Tracking stock items
  • Replenishing inventory
  • Orders consolidation on a dock
  • Picking and shipping
  • Creating pack slips
  • Creating bills of lading
  • Retail compliant labels
  • RFID scanner devices

The Main Advantage Of WMS:

WMS ensures increased efficiency and productivity in a distribution center. An advanced solution with primary features being asset management, work orders, and inventory control, it enables greater efficiency in fulfillment operations. Eventually, it will help boost your customer service levels.

How does WMS work?

The event of disruption such as pandemics or grave weather conditions will severely impact an already inefficient distribution center. Warehouse management involves every single step to pick and move your products from shelves to the consumers – quickly and seamlessly. It primarily involves;

  • Inventory reception
  • Asset tracking
  • Picking and packing
  • Shipping and delivery
  • Analytics and reporting   

Different Types of WMS:

Warehouse management software systems are available as;

Standalone systems
As the most basic warehouse management model, a standalone system is often integrated and used with a company’s original software and hardware. 

Supply chain modules
While its main focus is the automation of recurrent tasks, WMS as supply chain solution’s primary module also helps in customer relationship management, risk assessment, and other ongoing business processes.

ERP modules
The warehouse management module of an ERP solution encompasses almost all aspects of your distribution center, including supply chain planning, customer relationship management, and accounting to name a few.

Cloud-based systems
A cloud-based warehouse management solution offers quick implementation, data automation, and lower costs in addition to providing the same benefit of a more conventional WMS.

Get The Best WMS For Your Business:

Now, it all depends on your specific business requirements and financial capital and what options potential vendors can provide. However, the most helpful approach is to conceptualize how to select the best suitable WMS. And, this should lead you to the best service provider like MWI solutions.

Remember that selecting a warehouse management system should strengthen your business’s bottom line.

Pro Tip: Always avoid choosing WMS on price instead of function. A low-cost software solution that fails to meet your business requirements will end up costing you more down the line.

Wrap Up:
Do you have a scalable WMS in place? If not, then consider the implementation of warehouse technology to run your operations smoothly. MWI Solutions offers organizations well-designed, dynamic, and thoroughly tried-and-tested warehouse management software. To determine when to purchase, replace or upgrade your WMS, connect with MWI Solutions. 

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