Effective warehouse management is not only about having the correct data. It’s also the staging ground for a customized and robust set of workflow solutions. It links teams beyond the boundaries of your warehouse, looping in IT, engineering, sales, and more to create cooperation and transparency across all functions.
When you select and implement a Warehouse Management System (WMS) suitable for your business, you can count on gaining these 10 benefits.
Benefits
Depending on a company’s size, industry, and individual requirements, WMS benefits may differ slightly. These are however the top 10 advantages of a warehouse management system:
1. Optimized Processes
Choosing a WMS that matches your business will enable you to optimize the processes within your warehouse seamlessly. This not only means finding the right processes to suit the business itself, but also those that will handle the types of materials being managed.
Automating processes will take the load off the team for outbound shipments, and allow them to concentrate on inbound freight’s variable aspects and the inevitable snags that have to be addressed in-house.
When linking a WMS with a transport management system, the company can create a holistic outlook that encompasses much more than the racks and walls.
2. Reduce Operating Expenses
A well-designed WMS will reduce operating expenses in several ways. The system will determine the most effective use of both space and labor, which will ultimately reduce waste. WMS software can help you evaluate where best to keep certain equipment, products, and materials to optimize warehouse flows.
3. Enhance Visibility
One of the most important components of a WMS is inventory visibility. WMS software provides inventory data in real-time by using RFID tagging, serial numbers, and barcoding. Those methods permit users to document all items as they enter the warehouse, their movement on the floor, and while being transported from one location to another.
4. Improve Management
Apart from helping optimize route creation and inventory placement, a WMS can help determine the best employee for specific jobs. Those solutions allow you to assign jobs to team members by taking into account factors like current tasks, proximity, and skill level.
Many WMS solutions also either have billing management tools built into the software or can integrate closely with third-party apps to provide this functionality.
5. Strengthen Security
All WMS systems should require employees to enter transactions while using their own individual user accounts. This will create an audit trail that links transactions to that specific employee. When accountability is monitored, it helps reduce many forms of shrinkage, including pilferage, while also highlighting opportunities for more intense training and coaching.
6. Boost Performance
A crucial benefit of warehouse management systems is continuous updates. Vendors of warehouse management software introduce new features regularly to reflect current best practices in the industry. This makes it much easier for companies to stay abreast of the latest developments and to improve their processes continually based on the latest innovations.
7. Optimize Outbound and Inbound Logistics
Just like users are able to optimize the location of equipment and inventory, they also have the facility to optimize the way in which these are moved around in the warehouse. When you start planning to receive inventory, warehouse management systems provide inbound planning tools like putaway and scheduling management.
Those tools will permit both you and your suppliers to establish the best dates and times to receive shipment based on equipment and labor availability.
8. Increase Employee Morale
Warehouse management systems help provide structure in the workplace, both figuratively and literally. Research clearly shows that this type of structural support has a massive impact on boosting employee morale. Employees find fulfillment in their work if they know exactly what they should do and where they should be.
A well-designed WMS can help employees enjoy better accuracy in their work, autonomy within their roles, and more efficient task allocation.
9. Strengthen Supplier and Customer Relationships
A warehouse that is run efficiently will help reduce order accuracy errors and delivery lead times, and this will lead to more customers being satisfied with their orders, which can in turn result in increased sales.
Efficiency also helps with supplier relationships.
When the team is waiting and ready to accept supply chain orders and incoming materials, it will result in your partners being able to move on to their delivery or next task much faster.
10. Continuous Improvement
In any company, improvement is dependent on many different factors. From the instantaneous travel paths during pick and pack to the “longer game” processes such as employee engagement, a company always has the opportunity to achieve more and do better.
Process changes are a major critical factor to drive improvement, and a good WMS will help facilitate them. Evaluate “what if” scenarios to find out what results you can reasonably expect from big changes, and use the WMS’ functionality to track and implement smaller changes.
A good WMS should always allow you to tackle continuous improvement within the company.
Summary
Well-designed warehouse management systems provide one of the best ways to improve the profitability and success of your business quickly. It is however crucial that you take the time to select the perfect WMS for your business in order to cater to your organization’s unique requirements. The sooner you invest in and implement a system, the sooner your company will be able to start reaping the rewards.
