What is WMS?

What Can a WMS Solution Do?

Now that we’re summed up what WMS is, let’s look at what it can do for you warehouse operation. In the time between you receive a product and the moment you’re handing it off to a carrier for shipment – a great many things happen. WMS helps to automate and simplify those key processes: 

• • Inbound logistics: Receiving inventory, smart put-away
  • Inventory management: Tracking items through each stage of your workflows, cycle counting, wave planning and order allocation
  • Fulfillment management: Order picking, packing, replenishment, and shipping 
  • Labor management: Stock locating, task interleaving, automated materials-handling equipment interfaces

WMS systems resolve fundamental inefficiencies that occur with a warehouse, especially when it comes to fulfilling high-volume demands.

What Are the Benefits of Using WMS?

You now know how WMS solutions can assist with warehouse operations. But the benefits extend far beyond the aforementioned items. Here are the top benefits of using a WMS: 

• • Reduction in Labor Costs – Automating warehousing processes like order picking and packing not only increases the overall productivity of a warehouse but reduces the need to bring in more warehouse employees when seeking to keep up with demand. As a result, foot traffic is cut down, fulfillment can happen faster, and labor costs are maintained or drastically reduced. 
  • Accuracy: WMS solutions keep your inventory highly organized by turning processes like picking and packing into a science and helping you maintain a perfect inventory. They curb the risk of fulfillment issues caused by human error by regulating every major aspect of your warehouse. As a result, you have better insights into your available inventory, replenishment needs, potential inventory issues, and fulfillment needs. 
  • Visibility: Using a WMS solution allows all the data within your warehousing network to be centralized and used to do things like provide order tracking and real-time delivery estimates for customers, better customer service, and improved business or billing processes that are not functioning as well as they could. With a WMS solution backing your operation, you will always be abreast of any issues that arise. 
  • Competitivity: When you are able to offer high-value fulfillment options like kitting, self-serve billing, SKU proliferation, order customization, your business differentiates itself from your competitors. Adding these options is greatly facilitated when utilizing WMS, and they not only improve your customer satisfaction but your ROI as well. 
  • Scalability: As your operation becomes more complex and takes on more inventory, customer orders, or clients, your fulfillment network will need to expand. With a WMS, you can confidently scale your operation without fear that you are risking fulfillment success. Whether you’re a 3PL/4PL running complex fulfillment operations or you’re taking your own brand Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), warehouse management systems provide the security needed to grow while helping you deliver order fulfillment excellence..  

A WMS system  allows warehouses to optimize their operations and add value to pre-existing fulfillment processes without adding extra work. Through AI-powered automation, increased levels of visibility, and extreme accuracy, implementing cloud-based and mobile-friendly WMS is the way of the future and what leading high-volume DTC businesses are doing today.