What is a Warehouse Management System (WMS)?

Though WMS come in varying degrees of complexity, scalability and integration with other systems, most importantly enterprise resource planning (ERP; aka finance system), they all share a common goal: driving down costs, improving operational efficiency by directing people, places, product, and processes 

In this article, we unpack the core features and value proposition of a tier-1 WMS. 

WMS in its simplest, handwritten form, has been with us for millennia - think Sumerian supply chain management circa 3000 BC. The ability to manage and account for materials inventory input and output is as old as trade itself. In the modern context, a WMS may remain a simple locator system for the smallest of businesses or embody a comprehensive task-directed environment for the largest of enterprises. Here we will focus on the tier-1 WMS as it embodies the complete DNA of a modern, state of the art, system.  

Quite distinct from many other enterprise systems, a WMS must by its very nature be highly configurable to serve innumerable physical variabilities, across multiple industries, with widely diverse processes. To say that a WMS must support a wide range of operational differences would be quite an understatement. 

To understand the true scope of a tier-1 WMS requires some classification of its many fixed and moving parts, along with a categorization of various functions and processes it supports. The tier-1 WMS is intended, by design, to be configured to match your operational requirements. 

Looking at its base functionality, we could define warehouse management as encompassing the “4 Ps”: 

• People 

• Places 
• Product 
• Processes 

It is also important to understand the inbound and outbound dynamic related to it. 

What does a WMS really do

As outlined in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, below is a high-level overview of key benefits of the Generix Group WMS: 

REAL-TIME, DYNAMIC INVENTORY TRACKING & TRACEABILITY 

Warehouse optimization means maintaining a laser precision view of all of your inventory and materials wherever they are in the process. The Generix Group WMS allows businesses to leverage unprecedented visibility, maximizing efficiency and track & trace. 

CLEAR WORKFORCE PRODUCTION VISIBILITY & GUIDANCE 

Your processes evolve and change, as does your workforce. In such a dynamic environment, your workflows and efficiency gains need to be at once anchored yet malleable. The Generix Group WMS allows you to design and manage workflows and guide employees in real-time as conditions change. 

TOTAL WORKFLOW DESIGN, MANAGEMENT & AUTOMATION 

From simple packaging to complex kitting and customer-focused personalization, your production workflows are the beating heart of your business. Just as supply chains change, so too do customer expectations. The Generix Group WMS perfectly mirrors your processes at the most granular level and continually optimizes them as required. 

ADVANCED BUSINESS RULES FOR MAXIMUM THROUGHPUT 

We understand that the devil is in the details when it comes to supply chain execution. But the details are also where your unique business rules, at the most granular level, can deliver considerable efficiency returns. The Generix Group WMS allows warehouse management to establish and refine advanced operational logic to drive their processes for maximum efficiency. 

UNPRECEDENTED FLEXIBILITY TO CUSTOMIZE & CONFIGURE 

Modern warehousing and logistics operations simply can't afford to have their workflows and processes set in cement, simply because their software makes it so. This has been one of the most frequently cited failures of all legacy and many "new" WMS suites. The Generix Group WMS provides an unprecedented level of composition that can be easily managed in house. 

AIR-TIGHT MES INTEGRATION ENSURING 100% DATA AVAILABILITY 

Designed from the ground up to work in complete synchronicity with our comprehensive MES, our WMS provides any business involved in goods transformation a game-ready solution to support their growing operation. With 100% data availability coupled with informed decision-making support, our WMS/MES has you covered. 

Want to learn more about Generix Group’s WMS?

Let us illustrate how your company can leverage our tier-1 WMS to achieve real, quantifiable, and profit-driven results including: 

• Scaling your operations more efficiently 
• Meeting new business demands faster 
• Onboarding labor and manage it more effectively 
• Integrating more readily with IoT and advanced automation 
• Improving traceability and quality reporting 

• Mitigating operating risk 

We service a multitude of companies in a wide range of industries, including 

• Consumer Packaged Goods 
• Automotive Aftermarket 
• Retail / Multi-Channel Distribution 

• E-Commerce 
• Third-Party Logistics (3PL) 
• Asset-Based Businesses 
• Food & Beverage 
• Discrete & Process Manufacturing 

• Medical & Pharma 
• And many more…