Download the robot guide referenced in the episode at https://www.softeon.com/blog/robot-and-goods-to-person-selection-guide/.

Lookout for new episodes every month. Watch them all at https://www.softeon.com/wms-pioneers.

Lookout for new episodes every month. Watch them all at https://www.softeon.com/wms-pioneers.

The report by Softeon is available here: https://www.softeon.com/new-report-state-technologies-distribution-2022

An often unrecognized key to Warehouse Management System implementation success is ensuring valuable days aren’t lost early in a project.

Cross-docking in distribution is often talked about, but there are several types, and it generally takes a robust WMS to well handle the complexity and timing issues. In this episode, we dive deeper into cross-docking.

Different from the WMS Magic Quadrant analysis, the Critical Capabilities report focuses solely on functionality across nine different attributes. Those attributes include core and extended WMS capabilities, adaptability, usability, the ability to support automated material handling systems, and several others.

In fact, a recent survey by Gartner found that for the first time, addressing labor issues was cited as the top reason for investing in DC automation, surpassing reducing operating costs, the traditional driver of material handling systems adoption.

Labor management software can provide a variety of capabilities and benefits to address labor issues in distribution.

How else are you going to determine the fit of various packages to your operational requirements?

Despite its criticality, it is surprising how often companies don’t really think through the many elements needed to get the demo process right – which in the end means selecting the solution that is right for you both short and long term.

Here are a couple of points...

A recent Gartner survey found that for about two-thirds of companies interested in robotics, the driver for doing so now is to combat labor shortages, not to drive cost reduction, which is very different than just a few years ago.

Gartner has categorized these robots into seven types.

The report is based on survey data from a wide variety of business sectors, led by retailers and consumer goods companies of all sorts, but many other industry sectors as well.

The full report will be available soon, but here’s a little preview.

We covered the first 4 of those tips, which included:

• Understanding WMS Value Upfront
• Creating a clear decision-making framework
• Getting the demo right, and…
• Not wasting time early in the project

This week, the final three uncommon tips...

On this podcast we’ll cover the first 4 of those, and we promise these will be a little different than tips you might have heard from others.

That included a session on Warehouse Management Systems, or WMS, led by well-known Gartner analyst, Dwight Klappich.

During the session, Klappich detailed what he sees as key trends in WMS technology moving forward. As an intro to those trends, Klappich first noted that Warehouse Management Systems are getting smarter.

Facing similar challenges, tool maker Hilti launched a program earlier this year to revolutionize the way it treats DC workers, across more than a dozen facilities in the US.

But is that really the right approach?

While many logistics professionals are very familiar with this topic, it is clear from conversations with many companies that others don’t really have all the details – and that quite a few lack directed putaway capabilities with the system they are currently using to run their distribution center.

As the name suggests, directed putaway is all about the WMS communicating to DC associates through a mobile wireless terminal where in the DC a product should be stored, at the specific location level.

But to understand directed putaway, you also need to add the related concept of zoning or zone management.

A good WMS should allow you to define, practically without limit, different putaway zones for which rules will be applied relative to putaway. A zone is simply a grouping of locations.

As a quick review, those 5 WMS project drivers were:

• You are Experiencing Rapid Growth
• You are Opening a New DC
• You are Making Significant Logistics Strategy Changes
• You have or are Consolidating Facilities
• You Want to Significantly Increase DC Automation

Now, let’s add 5 more...

There are in fact a wide number of potential factors that drive companies to look for a new WMS solution, which we have handily grouped into 10 different logistics scenarios, and in Part 1, we lay out the first five.

You might need a new WMS if...

This capability is needed in two primary situations: The first is when there aren’t enough pick locations to handle all SKUs a DC carries. The second scenario is when demand for SKU in a wave or general order pool far exceeds the storage capacity of the forward pick location for that SKU.

This podcast dives into the benefits that can be achieved, the challenges, and the keys to making your investments future-proof.

Even for managers with some WMS experience, we’ve found it useful to review the core benefits that a WMS delivers. Here they are...

This is due to the major advantages from Cloud deployments in such areas as time and cost of the implementations and ease of system management post-go live, requiring little internal IT resources.

After a significant number of Cloud WMS deployments, Softeon has gained insights that are potentially of interest to prospective WMS adopters, which we’ll summarize in this broadcast.

The result: big peaks and valleys in volume, resulting in lots of wait time and reducing total system throughput.

WES was developed to address that challenge, using algorithms to level-load cartons on to the equipment, and using techniques such as waveless order picking to meet that goal.

That capability can deliver real value and either increase throughput from an existing system, or reduce the size, floor space and cost of new equipment being planned.

But there has been little focus on WES for manual or only modestly automated facilities. Softeon is working to change that.

https://vurbl.com/station/4Hg29rMKQY0/

Order picking efficiencies are gained through use of batch picking, where picks are grouped so that all items needed for orders to be processed in a given wall module or modules are picked in one stop in the picking area. This is generally much more efficient than discrete order picking

The reality is there are many tools available to take on the DC labor challenge, whether your issue is labor costs, labor availability, DC throughput or like many all three.