If you’re a retailer, adding more warehouses to your supply chain is a key part of growing your business. It’s also how you embrace an omnichannel retail strategy. Of course, this introduces new challenges. Managing one warehouse is challenging enough as it is. Without the right people, processes, and tools, managing several can be a complicated nightmare.
Consolidate Inventory in Multi-Warehouses
Similarly, if you’re a third party logistics company, your network might include several warehouses for countless clients. Losing track of items or falling behind is not an option. Without the right systems in place, a mere spike in business can overwhelm the most experienced companies.
What you need is access to a cloud based multi-warehouse WMS that provides visibility over your entire warehouse ecosystem. This system must provide real-time inventory data for the entire network, calculate safety stock, and trigger purchase orders accordingly.
A web based multi-warehouse 3pl management software must also provide accurate data on your best selling items within specific channels and across all of your channels combined. These insights allow you to develop effective strategies for allocating goods to certain warehouses.
Assign Orders to the Right Warehouse
In addition, your cloud based 3rd party logistics software should streamline the flow of orders from your sales channels to your order pickers. It should include integration for popular channels like Amazon FBA, Shopify, and eBay. Plus, a great system allows automatic order routing, so customer orders are instantly sent to the best warehouse for each job.
Finally, your system should empower you to employ 3PL best practices. As your warehouse grows, embracing strategies like cross-docking, zone picking and wave picking can enhance warehouse productivity, streamline workflows, and eliminate warehouse waste.