WMS stands for Warehouse Management Software
WMS is a well-known industry term in the logistics sphere and also well-searched on Google. No need to wonder why warehouses HAVE TO HAVE WMS systems– just imagine if you could place an RFID tag on every item in your house and could simply log onto your computer and search for anything you wanted to find (that black top you wore a year ago, your car keys, the dog’s collar)- that’s one of the benefits of WMS-organisation. Other benefits include track-and-trace, streamlining of inbound and outbound processes and a great reduction in administrative costs and time.
Warehouses are large, complex and need to integrate with many transport, distribution and administrative processes, therefore, WMS is the answer to many prayers.
Warehouse Management Software (WMS) Followed the Invention of Data Warehousing
The concept of data warehousing dates back to the late 1980s when IBM researchers Barry Devlin and Paul Murphy developed the “business data warehouse“. Imagine what the industrial world was like before that; corporations with multiple offices and departments usually functioned in isolation as data was not as easily transferable and visible as it is today.
Warehouse Management Software has greatly enabled globalisation
How would globalisation be possible if distribution channels were not as efficient and able as they are today? Where would goods that are supposed to be shipped from Australia to South Africa be stored, how would they be stored, how would shippers ensure that each container or package reached the right distributor, how would they prove that it had been delivered?
Warehouse Management Software is Not a Big Corporations Thing Only
WMS might seem extremely expensive and only suitable for extremely large warehouses where it takes you ten minutes to walk from the one point of an isle to the next but the great thing about WMS is that it can be configured and comes in many shapes and sizes. It is more important to ensure that your warehouse is organised and suited for optimal distribution from the start and that you acquire a WMS system that can grow with you. Thereby, you can ensure an ROI along with growth for the future.