Warehouse Management System

Any business that keeps inventory in a warehouse, a warehouse management system is vital. Why? A WMS enables you to accurately track and maintain stock to enable your business to use resources economically, allowing you to profit tremendously.

Why Having a Warehouse Management System Is Important?

One-third of businesses in distribution and warehousing do not utilise a warehouse management system; this places them at an increased disadvantage compared to others in the industry that do use WMS. But why is a warehouse management system necessary? The purpose of a WMS is to give you an overview of your warehouse while allowing you to automate tasks that would otherwise need an enormous amount of work to carry out. The short answer is that warehouse management software enables you to save costs, reduce risks, and streamline, allowing your business to expand.

However, there are practical reasons you should implement a WMS in your warehouse.

On-Time Shipments

One hurdle many distributors face is the inability to sustain on-time shipments, making this a top priority. Which is only intensified by retailers requiring quicker turnarounds – caused by the role e-commerce has played in making turnarounds shorter – the responsibility then shifts to warehouses to ensure they have sufficient stock to meet demand and can ship that inventory when necessary.

With WMS, on-time shipments are all but guaranteed. The software can be prompted to reorder stock when inventory decreases below certain levels. Additionally, the system also gives you control over lead times if you allow retailers to purchase out-of-stock items.

Furthermore, as an intuitive system, a WMS can impact your bottom line, allowing you to factor price fluctuations into your quotations.

Accurately Count Inventory Across Locations

The purpose of a warehouse is to store inventory to be distributed to various locations. To do this, you need accurate forecasting. However, many warehouses and their subsequent supply chains lose precious dollars because inventory is inaccurately counted when more than one location is involved, leading to inventory stores being bloated or insufficient.

Warehouse management software resolves this issue by ensuring that inventory count is automatically synced across every warehouse, causing you to better forecast your needs.

Reduce Duplicate Roles

However, data from the same survey conducted by the Warehouse Education and Research Council also revealed that the composition of employees was of greater concern for businesses than on-time shipments. Primarily because many distribution centres and warehouses are now experiencing either a staff shortage or an oversupply, and realise how critical staff is to the operation.

Having a WMS solves the issue of having a bloated or insufficient workforce by enabling companies to better prepare for workforce demands. Additionally, as WMS conducts reports, these reports can be used to reveal ordering patterns to determine high-volume periods when more employees are required.

What To Look for In A Warehouse Management System?

Although a critical part of the supply chain, not every warehouse management system will have the best results. Therefore, it is your duty to ascertain whether the WMS you want to implement will enhance your business as you expect.

Mobility

There isn’t any reason the software you choose to use should not also be practical. Since most warehouse managers or stock managers will be on the floor throughout the day – and unable to regularly update a desktop system – having a mobile component to a warehouse management system that integrates with the rest of the software in real-time is crucial.

Features That Enhance Business Processes

The features included in your WMS will determine if it is a suitable selection for your business. You should focus on features that will improve accuracy, reduce repetitive tasks, enhance profitability, ensure error-free processes, and easily integrate with existing CMS.

Ease of Use

Unfortunately, the use of big data has become synonymous with complex processes and specialised knowledge. However, a preferential warehouse management system should be both intuitive and allow users of different skill levels to use the system with ease.

Real Time Alerts

To ensure you are in control of your inventory and can manage the demands of your supply chain and customers, having real-time alerts and updates are crucial.

Time and Cost-Saving Automation

The final essential element to warehouse management systems is the ability to automate processes. Your chosen WMS should be able to automate tasks like reordering stock when inventory depletes and alerting you to order discrepancies, among other tasks. This is the most efficient way to reduce labor costs and guarantee you don’t have errors or delays.

Antzman Is The Preferred WMS

The team at Antzman has spent years developing a comprehensive warehouse management system that enables businesses to track stock and analyze reports, enabling them to make decisions that benefit their businesses. Our philosophy is that when you don’t have to be focusing on tracking your inventory, you can focus on other aspects of your business.

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