Why You Need To Use a Warehouse Management System

What is a WMS Warehouse Management System?

How Technology Can Help With Warehouse Management

What does WMS mean? A WMS is a warehouse management system that helps with supply chain management. The best warehouse management software gives everyone a transparent look at exactly what is happening within the warehouse. This software not only records but also helps your business manage everything that happens within the warehouse. It helps you track:

• Inventory management
• Shipping processes
• Receiving shipments
• Putting shipments away and adding items to stock
• Order picking and packing
• Incoming and outgoing shipments

Why Do Companies Need A Warehouse Management System in Supply Chain Management?

A warehouse management system software helps companies to improve order accuracy, shipping speed, and overall customer satisfaction. A warehouse is much more than just a storage center. It is where inventory is stored, chosen, and picked for orders. It is the last place your products will be seen before getting into the hands of the customer. Each stage of the product’s journey at the warehouse is important. Using the best warehouse management system can help to make the warehouse logistics process smooth not only for your customers but also for the teams working in the warehouse.

What Do Top Warehouse Management Systems Do?

Before there was software to help with warehouse management, people just used spreadsheets written by hand. Some of the most basic WMS used today still use a spreadsheet concept. However, most of the better systems do not use these methods. Your WMS should be able to do the following:

• Track inventory received, including making sure that shipments received match purchase orders and invoices.
• Monitor orders and shipments, making sure they go out on time and have the correct items in each one.
• Track available inventory in real time via different metrics like SKU, serial number, location in the warehouse, expiration date, or customized tags.
• Track employee efficiency to make sure accuracy and timeliness are encouraged and rewarded properly.
• 3PL integration to work more efficiently with partners.
• Integration with other platforms you may use like a CRM (customer retention manager), ERP systems(enterprise resource planning), e-commerce platform, or TMS (transportation management system).

What Is the Best Warehouse Management System and Why?

Wondering how to choose a warehouse management system? There are so many options for a WMS system available today. The best one is hard to define because each situation is slightly different and may benefit from the features of a different program. Some of the top warehouse management systems are designed for specific industries. Others are better for smaller or larger warehouses.

Some of the top types of warehouse management system software include:

• Netsuite WMS
• Fishbowl Inventory
• Infor SCM
• High Jump
• Manhattan Associates

However, we are very partial to our own WMS warehouse mangement system. Our custom platform is a part of our powerful customer portal. This portal includes a WMS, a TMS, and more. It’s all rolled into one so you can see everything about our work together in one place. Transparency is very important to us and we kept that in mind while developing this platform. Our platform is cloud-based so you can access essential logistics data from anywhere that you have a cell connection or wifi access.

What is WMS System and Why Is It Important?

The WMS meaning includes supporting everyday operations in the warehouse, or in multiple warehouses. On a basic level, it is very important because it helps to reduce human error. Inventory counts done by hand are often full of errors and may need to be recounted, using valuable employee time that could be used better elsewhere. It helps to reduce the challenges faced. in warehouses, and improves overall customer service through inventory accuracy, order accuracy, and faster order picking, order fulfillment, and shipping times.

It gives you better control over your inventory through better transparency and accuracy. What does WMS Mean? It may mean bigger profits for your business. This is not only because it can help you save on labor costs by using employee time more efficiently, but greater order speed and accuracy lead to higher customer satisfaction. This can lead to more trust in your brand overall and more sales because customers will know they can expect to receive their items reliably and quickly. These are some of the top warehouse management system benefits, and the reason that companies try to streamline their supply chain through warehouse management.

What is SCM Software?

A WMS is a type of SCM software. SCM software stands for supply chain management software. So, that means any type of software that is used to help manage your supply chain. A full SCM program is usually very comprehensive.  Some of these types of programs even try to forecast demand so you can plan your production and other business functions like marketing and sales pushes around those forecasts. They also often include order purchasing and financial accounting tools to manage accounts receivable and accounts payable, as well as a general ledger.

Many SCM programs have a WMS warehouse management system as part of their offerings.

How Much Does a Warehouse Management System Cost?

The cost varies greatly depending on your business and your needs. Some are subscription-based and have a monthly fee of anywhere ranging from $50 to $5,000 a month, or more. Others have a yearly fee or a one-time fee that you pay to purchase the software. Some WMS also base the cost on the number of users or the number of warehouses. There are many factors that go into the price of choosing and implementing a WMS. However, there are so many options at different price ranges, it’s just a matter of finding the one that has the features you need and the price that fits your company’s budget.

Want to Learn More?

We created our customer portal with WMS with our clients in mind. We wanted to create something that would give them the most transparency and control over warehouse management. Contact us for more information about how our WMS can help your business stay on track.