If you’re running your consumer packaged goods warehouse on an outdated system or even spreadsheets, you could be costing your company millions. It could be time to upgrade if you find it challenging to manage inventory and meet customer expectations.
Take a look at the next level: a warehouse management system or WMS.
What is WMS?
A warehouse management system is the primary operating system for your warehouse. It does more than simple inventory counts. It will automate operations and provide actionable management insights that you can’t get from a spreadsheet.
With a WMS, you can manage operations such as:
- Receiving
- Shelving received goods
- Order picking
- Shipping
- Inventory audits
With today’s emphasis on e-commerce and real-time visibility, a warehouse management system can transform the efficiency of your warehouse operations. Using an intuitive dashboard, a WMS manages operations from door to door. It provides detailed information on the movement of goods in the warehouse from receiving to manifesting. It tracks products and transactions as well as staffing needs. You’ll have a holistic view of operations at a glance.
The bottom line is, a WMS supercharges your warehouse operations.
How to Adopt a WMS
The first question is, do you build or buy your warehouse management software? Or should you partner with a third-party logistics provider (3PL) that offers WMS capability? A 3PL is an outsourced logistics partner. Companies of all types use a 3PL to handle all or part of their distribution and fulfillment, such as warehousing, shipping, and returns. Often a 3PL will offer warehouse management software as a part of the relationship. According to A.T. Kearney and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals report, 67 percent of 3PLS invest in a WMS.
Why should you use a 3PL’s WMS instead of adopting your own? A 3PL continually invests in and develops its warehouse management software to stay ahead of the fast-paced changes in the industry. Building and managing a WMS is beyond the capabilities of most small to medium-size enterprises. A 3PL can help your organization gather the right data and analyze it to produce business intelligence.
Look for a 3PL with a warehouse management system that supports multiple sales and shipping channels and has the flexibility to add channels in the future. If your CPG company is adding or expanding e-commerce capabilities, or adopting new strategies such as buy online, pickup in-store, a robust WMS will support your plan. You’ll need a solution that can scale your business as it grows.
Benefits of a Warehouse Management System
A WMS delivers a range of benefits across your warehouse and fulfillment operations, including:
- Inventory visibility: You’ll have a continuous count of products in the warehouse. You won’t have to shut down for an inventory count. You’ll know where every item is and how many are on the shelf.
- Order fulfillment accuracy: The WMS will ensure you put the right product in the right package at the right time. Customers will appreciate getting what they order. You can also reduce the expense and hassle of handling returns. You’ll be able to track inventory levels and make sure the shelves have the product you need.
- Flexibility: A WMS should support multiple options for managing inventory, picking and packing, and managing data associated with each product.
- Data collection: Collect data from events throughout the supply chain for real-time insights.
- Increased productivity: Manage labor levels and staff schedules based on your scheduled workload.
Why Taylored Services
The Taylored Services WMS manages all your warehouse services for the supply chain management. From unloading through receiving, storage, inventory tracking, order fulfillment, and shipping. If your supply chain requires value-added services like kitting, inspection, cross-docking, and order-to-ship product allocations, the Taylored Services WMS will fulfill your needs.
It’s part of a comprehensive 3PL relationship that enables your business to scale and keep pace with customer expectations. Talk to Taylored Services about using a WMS to take back control of your warehouse.
Gary Wollenhaupt is an experienced supply chain writer with a background working for rail, intermodal and ocean transportation carriers.
SOURCES
https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/cpg-brands-find-their-place-online/
https://www.kearney.com/transportation-travel/state-of-logistics-report
https://www.supplychain247.com/article/how_to_engage_your_3pls_with_big_data_analytics
https://tayloredservices.com/technology/warehouse-management-system/