If you predicted that we would publish a “predictions for 2012” piece today, then congratulations, you are a true visionary! Of course, it was a safe bet to make because we always share what we see in our crystal balls this time of the year (click here and here for our 2011 and 2010 predictions, respectively).
Our predictions don’t always hit the mark, but our main goal… Continue reading
I’ve been paying attention to multi-tenant Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) ever since they appeared in the market about five years ago. A multi-tenant system has an architecture where users from different companies and different parts of the world access the exact same Internet-based software. Salesforce.com is the best known enterprise solution based on this architecture.
Historically, multi-tenant WMS was an extremely low-cost solution – in some cases as low… Continue reading
My colleague Clint Reiser and I recently interviewed twelve logisticians at manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies ranging in size from very large to very small. Our focus was on four key dimensions that should logically correlate with how well a Third Party Logistics (3PL) provider is able to perform. Those dimensions include a 3PL’s IT capabilities, their ability to execute, their ability to drive continuous improvement, and their ability to… Continue reading
Three years ago, I thought the probability of using an outsourced warehouse management system (WMS) to run a complex distribution center was low. Today, my perspective on this topic has dramatically changed. The pervasiveness of virtualization technologies, which now enable infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), has ushered in a new computing platform, “the cloud,” which is perfect for WMS deployment.
A few years ago, SaaS transportation management systems (TMS) were emerging as… Continue reading
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Guest Commentary: How Flexible Distribution Has Supported Overstock.com’s Rapid Growth
I think one of the toughest tests for a WMS implementation team is supporting a high growth retail customer through its busy season, which is what we did with Overstock.com during the December busy season in 2002 and 2003. In 2002 Overstock.com had annual revenues of $92 million. By 2010 the company had grown to $1.1 billion. Although Overstock.com’s growth has dramatically changed its product mix and distribution processes… Continue reading
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