Archive for Warehouse Management Systems
I attended the SAP Insider Logistics and Supply Chain Management 2010 conference in Orlando, Florida a couple of weeks ago. My colleagues attended other SAP Insider conferences held at the same time focused on manufacturing and product lifecycle management (PLM). You can read their takeaways about those conferences and the keynote presentations by Richard Campione, Executive Vice President of Suite Solution Management, and Peter Graf, SAP’s Chief Sustainability Officer… Continue reading
I recently spoke to the folks at BabbleWare, a new software vendor with a low-cost warehouse management, manufacturing execution, and mobile field-based execution applications. BabbleWare mentioned that one of its WMS clients is actually experimenting with using the iPhone as their barcode scanning application.
Are they crazy?
Yes, you can buy a barcoding application at Apple’s App Store, and it is cheap—only $1.99 for the RedLaser
WMS Architecture and Total Cost of Ownership
· CommentsIn 2006, I interviewed 22 companies that had implemented or upgraded a Warehouse Management System (WMS) solution at a single site or across many sites. These interviews clearly suggested that the architecture of the solution affected its Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
I looked at the type of WMS solution that was implemented—traditional configuration versus Business Process Modeling (BPM) configuration. The latter should really be described as “micro BPM”… Continue reading
Last year, I interviewed several warehouse managers in the chemical industry to learn more about their operations and how they are using supply chain execution (SCE) technology. Chemical manufacturers, distributors, and logistics service providers (LSPs) all operate chemical warehouses which differ in complexity. At one end of the spectrum are distributors (or LSPs that handle chemicals on behalf of manufacturing clients) who receive containers, usually drums, from suppliers… Continue reading
We all remember the story of Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, where one bed was too soft, one was too hard, and third was just right. When it comes to warehousing technologies for food distribution, I see the same thing.
In grocery, most store shipments are composed of mixed-SKU pallets. The layout of a grocery distribution center (DC) generally mirrors a store’s layout. So, if fruits and vegetables are… Continue reading
Task interleaving is an advanced productivity practice enabled by leading warehouse management systems (WMS) with task management engines. Task interleaving is designed to reduce deadheading—i.e., when a worker, for example, picks products and drops them off at a dock and then returns to the picking area without performing any useful tasks along the way. In most operations, some workers are dedicated to picking, while others are dedicated to put-away. Task… Continue reading
When you’ve been in a discipline for a long time, you forget sometimes that not everyone is as immersed in a topic as you are. I was reminded of this when I was asked to participate in a webinar on warehouse management system (WMS) task management, slotting optimization, and labor management with Tom Kozenski, VP of Product Strategy at RedPrairie. The webinar will air September 29th at 11:30 ET… Continue reading
The Value of Becoming a Technology-Driven 3PL
Posted on Sep 10 2009 | By John Reichert · Comments (1)In the past, entering and competing in the Third Party Logistics (3PL) marketplace required sales savvy, options for inexpensive warehouse space and good operational management skills. With these things in hand, a 3PL could acquire clients, lease space, hire workers and launch operations in very short order. Price was always king and the 3PL with the lowest price usually won. Contracts were renewed provided the 3PL met its service levels… Continue reading