Inventory software tells you how much you have. A warehouse management system tells you exactly where it is and directs the person walking to fetch it. If your team spends time searching for stock, you have outgrown inventory software.
Receiving and putaway
Errors at the dock follow goods all the way to the customer. Receive against an advance shipment notice and scan everything.
Location and stock control
A bin-level map of the warehouse is the core of a WMS. Without it, none of the optimisation features work.
Picking, packing and dispatch
Picking is the largest labour cost in most warehouses. The right method depends on order profile: many small orders need batching, a few large orders do not.
Every scan removes a place where a person had to remember something.
Returns and value-added work
E-commerce returns can be a fifth of volume or more in some categories. Returns need their own flow: inspect, grade and return to stock, refurbish or scrap.
For 3PL operators
A third-party logistics provider runs many clients in one building and bills each differently. This needs to be in the data model from the start.
Integrations and hardware
A WMS sits between the ERP or order system and the transport system. Plan integrations with ERP, marketplaces, couriers and, where used, conveyors and robots. Handhelds should work offline for short periods because warehouse Wi-Fi has dead spots.
