What is a WMS? All you need to know about warehouse management system
Running a warehouse requires using sophisticated management systems. After all, it would be impossible to control every process without proper organization.
WMS, WES, WCS* – these are not just letters, these are the abbreviations of the solutions implemented to keep your warehouse in order. In this article, we will focus on the first one from this list. So, what is a WMS? Read on to find out!
*Short dictionary:
WMS – Warehouse Management System
WES – Warehouse Execution System
WCS – Warehouse Control System
WMS – what is it?
Warehouse Management System, or WMS, is a type of software used to organize your storing facility. It is a solution used for:
- Managing inventory – keeping track of the products and displaying real-time stock levels, along with their location in the warehouse,
- Controlling orders – optimizing the order flow, choosing priorities and processing the orders,
- Picking and packing goods – creating the most efficient pick-up routes, labelling goods, finding the best location for each type of stock and finding the best package type for each product,
- Overlooking additional services – controlling the flow of additional, extra-paid services concerning your products,
- Keeping the system integrated and reporting issues – maintaining the flow of information between systems, collecting data and analyzing them for any potential problems.
Is WMS a must?
Since now you know what a WMS is, let’s discuss its effectiveness. Imagine running a huge warehouse, for instance for a major e-commerce company. Would it be possible for you to keep track of thousands of orders each day without any additional help? The answer is no.
Warehouse Management System is a must for any warehouse. It covers so many aspects that would be impossible to comprehend without a whole team dedicated to it. However, people make mistakes, and hiring a whole group of employees just to overlook all processes would be inefficient and expensive. Therefore, it is crucial to introduce a WMS.
Is WMS better than WES and WCS?
Since there are so many systems used for managing warehouses, it might cause disorientation. After all, how can you know which one will be the best for your facility? Yet, if you realize what each of these systems is, it will be much easier for you to make a choice.
What WMS is good at, is overlooking manual and automated processes. The WCS controls the automation equipment and is a message broker between the WMS and the machinery. The WES is somewhere in the middle – it covers some areas of both WMS and WCS. Therefore, the choice of right system depends on what the work in your facility looks like.
Conclusions
WMS stands for Warehouse Management System. It is a kind of software used to overlook and control the workflow of your facility. As such, it is extremely useful – larger warehouses would not be able to function without proper organization, which can be achieved by using a WMS. However, in some cases you might consider opting for a WES or a too WCS – it all depends on the kinds of solutions used in your facility.