WMS: what it is and what functions it performs

WHICH FUNCTIONS HAVE A WMS?

WMS allow you to organize all warehouse operations in a timely and efficient manner: the functions of incoming and outgoing materials, internal location and stock management. Let’s see them in detail.

ENTRY FUNCTIONS

The warehouse management program allows you to gain better control of incoming goods and to catalog them quickly.

• Goods receipt: you can easily control and manage incoming flows of goods, verifying their quality and adherence to the order placed and recording the entries (this also applies to the entry of returned products)..
• Logistics data acquisition: you will have the possibility to track the movements of the packages in order to identify them at any time, after having collected any information on lots, serial number, expiration dates, weights, etc.
• Labeling of containers and goods: you can code the products in a unique way, delating possible errors and speeding up operations, simply by reading barcodes or RFID tags.

All these functions can be effectively integrated with the company’s ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), creating an important dialogue and sharing always updated information.

LOCATION FUNCTIONS

The WMS also facilitates the product siting process, it helps you manage their allocation order and fix their position according to the type, characteristics and measures. All this is possibile thanks to:

• Allocation based on rules and customized strategies: the positioning of the goods responds to a carefully planned procedure, which simplifies all operational and management phases;
• Cross-docking: a cutting-edge system that, through the management software, can transform your warehouse into a “transit point” for goods, thus making storage unnecessary. Basically, the entry is organized in such a way as to make it contextual to the fulfillment of orders. The warehouse becomes a transit center and loses its storage function. This feature is very useful in case of urgent or delayed material;
• A rational procurement and consolidation: the replenishment of any picking locations starting from stocks can be effectively arranged according to the characteristics of your warehouse and the picking needs. The WMS allows you to better organize refueling times and synchronize them with picking .

STOCK CONTROL FUNCTIONS

The WMS gives you the opportunity to always have an eye on the stock situation and to know exactly the availability of materials in terms of number of packages, pieces, etc.

In this way, you will be able to avoid the so-called stock outages or unnecessary obsolescence and obtain:

• A constantly updated warehouse mapping view: the WMS codes each warehouse location with a unique code. In this way, you will reduce travel times, search times for material and you will be able to keep any high-risk materials separate, group the components of certain kits, avoid errors in picking as much as possible;
• Location management: the software allows you to constantly review the logics with which the warehouse mapping was based, always keeping it optimal and effective, for example according to the rotation index of the items;
• Stock status management: you can monitor or set data on any quarantines, breakages, losses, blocks or reserves in real time;
• Calculation of the warehouse rotation index: it is one of the most important specific parameters in the management of goods, which the WMS is able to calculate and update;
• Inventory: you will be able to constantly check stocks, to proceed with the reordering in the appropriate time and to identify any stock differences.

OUTPUT FUNCTIONS

Finally, the WMS allows you to rationally coordinate all shipping activities: order processing, returns, the transfer of products to other warehouses, as well as:

• The management of picking operations, including multi-order, which takes place by defining the fastest routes each time;
• The labeling of the shipped goods: the identification of packages is performed as that of incoming goods or with connection to the software of the main express couriers for the automatic generation of package labels and waybills;
• The preparation of documentation relating to shipments: you can automatically generate a packing list, to be attached to the transport documents;
• The management of the loading operations of shipments on vehicles, with the control of the activities to be carried out, to avoid making mistakes;
• The sending to the ERP system of data relating to the closure of the shipment: the ERP receives all the information on the number of units to be shipped and on the type of packages delivered with each order. With these data, the ERP system is able to coordinate the administrative procedures related to each customer.

NO DISADVANTAGES IN HAVING A WAREHUSE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM 

LCS Group warehouse management software are developed to exactly meet your needs and can be configured in a specific way, to best implement all the procedures and activities you require.

Are you looking for a partner who can provide you with highly customized solutions for an optimal management of your warehouse? Contact us to find out more!