What is a warehouse management system?
A warehouse management system (WMS) is a piece of software that is designed to support the daily running of your warehouse.
With a good WMS, it is possible to handle almost any logistical task from a single central interface, including monitoring inventory levels, tracking stock locations, and managing tasks and resources.
Benefits of WMS
If you want to streamline and optimise your operations, there is no better place to start than the warehouse.
Businesses that invest in a good WMS can soon expect to become more efficient, less wasteful, and more profitable.
What can you do with a warehouse management system?
Almost any task that is undertaken in a warehouse can be optimised with a good WMS:
- Warehouse receiving
- Warehouse putaway
- Warehouse picking
- Warehouse packing
- Warehouse shipping
Indigo WMS features systems to optimise every stage of your warehouse operations, from inbound to outbound.
See WMS featuresWhat sort of ROI can I get with a warehouse management system?
We won’t beat around the bush – installing a good WMS will be a significant improvement for your business. However, once you start to use its many features, you will wonder how your business ever got by without them.
Imagine having full real-time visibility of all your stock and orders. Imagine being able to decrease the amount of time it takes to fulfil customer orders, and invoice customer payments. Imagine being able to guarantee the total accuracy of every order, while significantly reducing your material and shipping costs. All of this and more is possible with a good WMS. So while the initial investment might be high, you can expect to make a full return on investment in around 12 months.
Learn MoreWhat other benefits can a warehouse management system bring?
Without a WMS, your warehouse staff will have to manage everything by hand – picking, data entry, inventory, putaway, and shipping.
Manual data entry is extremely time-consuming, and thanks to good-old human error, you can never be sure that your outgoing orders are being accurately fulfilled, or that your inbound stock is being correctly put away.
Also, without a WMS, an extensive paper trail is required if you want to stand any chance of managing your inventory. As well as being unwieldly or inefficient, this sort of system makes it almost impossible to effectively monitor and review your operations.
So if there is any part of your process that is underperforming, or if your customers are complaining that there is a discrepancy in their order, you will have immense difficulty pinpointing the source of the problem.
So think of your WMS as your indispensable tool
Rather than forcing your staff to process orders and enter data manually, tasks can instead be completed using handheld scanners. When picking, these can instantly tell your staff precisely where to find the correct stock. And once the items are picked, they are scanned. This gives you instant verification that the correct item in the correct quantity has been picked. A WMS will also replace the complex paper trail you rely on to manage your inventory and orders, so you can get a complete picture of your entire process in one clear, easy-to-use central interface.
Here are just some of the problems you can solve with a good WMS:
- Late or missing invoices
- Late deliveries and discrepancies in customer orders
- Difficulty locating stock
- Inaccurate or out-of-date information in the system
- Inefficient processes and supply chains
Let’s talk
- For more information about the Indigo WMS, or to find out how we can help you to optimise your warehouse operations, call us on +44 (0) 191 375 6700