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“Our Implementation was as close to painless as it was possible to get. We couldn’t have done it without Socius24.”
– Smart Garden Products
“By upgrading to the latest version of Dispatcher WMS we have been able to fully leverage the power and flexibility of this platform … and ensure we deliver the best possible service in a highly efficient manner.”
– Versteijnen
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Socius24. Warehouse Management Software Solutions
Increasing Sales using an advanced WMS
In this series about using a WMS to optimise the supply chain, we’ve already talked about Manufacturing and Distribution. So today, we’re going to talk about why those products were created and stored in the first place – sales. And this article specifically, is about increasing sales using an advanced WMS.
Now you might not think that a WMS would be a useful tool when it comes to sales within a supply chain, so if that’s the case I’ll walk through it with you below.
Fundamentally, the supply chain can be a bit of a cut-throat arena, so leveraging every advantage you have simply makes sense. And an advanced WMS like Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS can bring a surprisingly sizable contribution to your sales department.
The reason it can do this is that it connects your Sales team to the broader supply chain network. And understanding the symbiotic relationship between Sales and your WMS can be a game-changer.
Sales teams thrive on data-driven insights, and an advanced WMS has plenty of them. It can provide you with a wealth of information that can be used to plan and then boost sales strategies. Your WMS can provide a real-time view of inventory levels, order statuses and delivery schedules, and all of this information empowers your sales team to make informed decisions. It means that your managers can align sales targets with actual inventory, and this on its own can optimise the sales process.
One of the most powerful provisions that something like Dispatcher WMS can offer is instant access to inventory data. This kind of transparency means that your people can confirm product availability immediately, and because they can provide accurate information to your customers, a common knock-on effect is that it enhances trust. It also allows for upselling and cross-selling opportunities that are based on real-life stock levels and historical customer buying patterns.
Knowledge is powerful. And profitable.
We’ve touched above on the fact that being able to provide customers with real-time, accurate data can contribute to an improved customer experience, but it doesn’t stop there. Because your WMS can also provide accurate and timely deliveries, it continues to contribute to building loyalty. Your sales team, if it’s equipped with something like Dispatcher WMS (or our own User Services Portal – USP) can confidently make promises and deliver on tight schedules. And all of this contributes to the overall customer journey in a very positive way.
But it’s not just direct contact with the customer that benefits from this kind of information. The detailed data that an advanced WMS can supply also allows for analysis of historical sales data and inventory turnover. And this allows your sales team to anticipate market trends and customer needs.
This kind of foresight can then feed back into the kind of proactive stock management that ensures that your products are available when they are needed. Which in turn, minimises lost sales and enhances your ability to respond to the market.
So… while a Sales/WMS linkup might not be the most obvious of applications for a warehouse management system, strategically used, it can significantly enhance your sales. And with the right WMS, providing real-time data, increasing customer satisfaction, and enabling proactive market responses, it can become an indispensable tool for growth.
Statistically speaking, a properly deployed Dispatcher WMS can increase warehouse throughput by up to 40%. We imagine that would make a difference to your bottom line.
Want to sell more? We can help. Email us today on info@socius24.com.
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This is the second in a series of articles looking at how an advanced Warehouse Management System (WMS) can support each link in the supply chain. In the first article, we looked at the Manufacturing stage in-depth, and here, we’re moving onto optimising Distribution.
So… where Manufacturing is a crucial element of the supply chain because of its role in the creation of the goods that flow through it, Distribution is pivotal in creating a seamless flow of goods from the warehouse to the end consumer. And at the heart of this process is where we find Distribution Managers and their teams. This article covers the potential that an advanced WMS can offer you in the context of a warehouse or Distribution centre.
Distribution managers shoulder a hefty burden.
They have to oversee inventory management, they have to deal with order processing, they have to coordinate all of the logistics around receiving inventory, safely and efficiently. They have to deal with transporting it around the warehouse and then shipping it out to customers. And then on top of that, they have to lead the team that’s helping them get all of the above done.
But an advanced WMS like Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS can make their life infinitely easier – if they’ll let it.
Because with it, that WMS brings access to real-time data that’ll allow them to make data-driven decisions quickly. It’ll also give them a panoramic window into not only their own part of the supply chain, but every part of the supply chain that is talking to their WMS. And this kind of information can help Distribution Managers head problems off at the pass – and as soon as they know about them, rather than only finding out what’s going on when the metaphorical (and sometimes literal) wheels have fallen off.
Because, let’s face it, the earlier you know about something, and the more you know about it, the faster and easier the solution will be.
Another aspect of the everyday life of a Distribution Manager is that they are also responsible for the efficient running of their warehouse. And an advanced WMS can help them transform chaos into calm. With its automated picking, packing, and shipping processes, a properly deployed WMS will minimise manual errors and optimise workflow. It’ll help ensure that orders are picked accurately and shipped promptly.
And that accurate picking comes down to inventory control – which is something else that a system like Dispatcher WMS can help with. Indeed, our customers report nearly 100% inventory accuracy post-implementation. And having confidence in your inventory levels will also put a stop to bottlenecks like stockouts, while making sure that you’re not carrying too much inventory. In fact, those same customers also report that they’ve been able to reduce their stock levels by up to 25% after they deployed Dispatcher WMS.
But an advanced WMS doesn’t just help Distribution Managers, it has a tangibly beneficial effect on the workdays of their teams too. It helps to automate routine tasks; it allocates responsibilities efficiently and it makes sure that everyone knows what they are supposed to do at all times. And then it streamlines work processes, which in turn enhances the work environment. It helps to foster a culture of efficiency, and this contributes positively to job satisfaction levels.
And all of this has a knock-on effect when it comes to customer satisfaction as well. This is because the system helps teams meet delivery expectations, and e.g. manage returns effectively (in an e-commerce setting), which means that the WMS can also improve the customer experience. And that will, in turn, strengthen customer loyalty and trust.
An advanced WMS, when implemented correctly, provides plenty of holistic benefits to your whole business. It does this by generating substantial cost-savings while at the same time improving the experience for everyone involved.
But don’t take my word for it. If you’d like to check out what the people who use Dispatcher WMS every day have to say about it, here are our Case Studies. You should read them.
Go on, I’ll wait.
The integration of an advanced WMS like Dispatcher WMS into your Distribution department isn’t just an operational tool (even though it is an extremely powerful one). Instead, consider it to be a strategic asset that’s going to help you modernise and future-proof your distribution operations. It’s not just going to help you enhance efficiency… it’s going to help you secure a competitive edge.
If you have questions about implementing Dispatcher WMS, then we are happy to answer them. We’ve been working with it since its inception, and we believe that we know it best. We’re happy to answer your questions.
What do you want to know?
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WMS in Manufacturing – The Supply Chain isn’t called the Supply Chain for no reason.
Each of its links are important parts that make up the whole. Every role counts and each one has its own unique challenges and goals. But luckily, an advanced WMS like Dispatcher WMS from Blue Yonder is a versatile tool, and over the years it’s been designed to enhance efficiency and streamline operations for every step of the journey.
In this series of articles, we’re going to look at the benefits that it brings to various roles within the supply chain.
In Part ONE, we’re going to start at the very beginning, because it’s a very good place to start (with thanks to The Sound of Music). Which means that today we’re going to talk about how Dispatcher WMS can support the challenges and goals presented by Manufacturing.
Real-Time Manufacturing Data
At the core of an effective Manufacturing operation is the level of its ability to optimise the inventory that it uses on a day-to-day basis. A properly deployed WMS can provide intricate levels of stock visibility and can include within its embrace both raw materials and finished products. This kind of real-time insight helps Manufacturing managers to avoid production disruptions that are caused due to inventory shortages, while at the same time empowering them to be precise in their production planning.
Integration
It can help to integrate Manufacturing schedules with inventory data, which is what allows managers to fine-tune production runs and minimise waste. It can be extremely granular with its management and can be used to measure such things as e.g. use-by dates and batches, while also allowing the tracking of inventory at a serial number level if need be. Where raw materials are combined to create new products, it can easily keep track of both, even leading workers through the kitting process if need be.
Coordination and Collaboration
And this level of information is supported by its ability to coordinate with suppliers, streamlining processes and ensuring a timely arrival of new materials. All these things combine to allow for a consistent production flow – something that’s crucial when it comes to shortening lead times.
Quality Control
Quality control is another fundamental pillar of support that an advanced WMS can offer a Manufacturing manager. Using the system, it’s possible to oversee product quality throughout the entire Manufacturing process, which means a more consistent output, which naturally leads to a better customer experience.
Cost Reduction
And finally, from a management perspective, an advanced WMS can help to reduce operating costs through inventory optimisation and production efficiency. This, in itself, can boost the financial health of any manufacturer, enhancing its ability to be competitive in the market.
But it’s not only Management that can benefit from a good WMS.
Team Efficiency
For the teams that report to them, Dispatcher WMS is a powerful tool for increased efficiency. It allows immediate, real-time access to essential data like inventory levels, task allocation and it can offer insights into what’s coming down the line from a customer order point of view. It means that Manufacturing teams can respond quickly to changes.
The system can automate routine tasks, streamlining workflows to reduce manual interventions and human error. Something that, in turn, allows team members to focus on any issues that need to be dealt with by an actual person.
But a good WMS isn’t just about streamlining, it’s about creating easy collaboration. It’s about supporting team efforts and creating environments where team members can share information seamlessly. And it’s about having essential, current information on hand so that effective coordination can take place.
Safety and Compliance
And finally, safety and compliance, both fundamental parts of the Manufacturing process can be robustly supported by Dispatcher WMS through its ability to manage hazardous goods.
Using a WMS is a transformative force in the Manufacturing sector.
It offers a suite of benefits that cater to both managers and their teams. And in Dispatcher WMS’ case, its comprehensive functionality helps not only to streamline operations, but also to allow for scalable growth. Which means while it can offer immediate returns, it can also pave the way for long-term success.
If you’d like to talk more about how Dispatcher WMS can support your Manufacturing, email us now on info@socius24.com for a no obligation, free of charge demo.
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Technology can be a double-edged sword.
It’s amazing from an efficiency point of view, it’s enormously helpful when it comes to optimisation, and it’s a crucial part of your portfolio when it comes to increasing profitability. But, at the same time, dependence on technology can open businesses up to attack by creating vulnerabilities that would otherwise not be there.
If what you’re doing in your warehouse is printing off lists and working from them, then it’s unlikely you’ll have a system that’s connected to the outside world. Which means it’s also unlikely that someone can hack into your systems and create whatever havoc they have in mind on any given day.
Business Vulnerability
But it also means that you’ll be very uncompetitive in your market – and that creates a different kind of business vulnerability altogether.
To be competitive, you need to leverage the advancements in tech that are available to you, while at the same time, safeguarding yourself from any potential cyber-attacks.
Which is where Cyber Essentials Plus comes in.
Cyber Essentials Plus
Cyber Essentials Plus is the gold standard for cybersecurity in the UK. It’s a UK Government backed scheme that builds on the basic Cyber Essentials certification, and it involves an independent audit of security controls that have been put in place to protect against a wide range of potential cyber-attacks.
It’s particularly relevant for organisations that handle sensitive customer data; like WMS (Warehouse Management Software) implementors such as Socius24. And achieving this certification has made sure that we have every recommended security control in place.
Discovery and Mitigation of Risk
For WMS providers like us, reaching Cyber Essentials Plus certification isn’t just about enhancing our own personal security measures. The certification process helped us to find and mitigate vulnerabilities, it helped us to firm up our foundation for safe, reliable operations, and it enhanced our defences against potential cyber threats.
Going through this process has aligned us with compliance requirements and the highest of industry standards. We know how important security is to our customers, and we take it extremely seriously.
Are you protected?
If you are working with someone like us, we recommend that you look for this kind of security certification. If your provider has it, then you can feel confident that your business data is being protected against breaches and cyber threats. Achieving the Cyber Essentials Plus certification shows that your provider is committed to their (and your) security, and that the measures they’re taking have been externally validated by security experts.
It was our intention that going through the process would help us to update our internal operations and streamline our existing security practices. We have many security-sensitive clients and we wanted to be proactive rather than reactive in ensuring that our data protection standards are as rigorous as possible.
Continuous Improvement
The Cyber Essentials Plus certification is just one of the ways that we are continuously improving as a business. It’s part of our commitment to our own operational excellence – something that we prioritise so that we can help our customers with their own strategic growth.
We’re investing in future-proofing our operations so that we can ensure that our customers are in the safest possible hands.
As ever, if you have questions, you can always find us on info@socius24.com
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Last week, we talked about how we could future-proof the supply chain with an advanced WMS. This week, we’re going to go into it in a little more detail.
Specifically, we’re going to talk about how warehouse managers are on the front line when it comes to dealing with demand changeability.
As well as that, they’ve got to contend with supply disruptions and workforce dynamics (amongst a million other jobs). So, the need to build resilience into their systems and processes is more urgent than ever, and it underscores the need for effective, efficient, adaptable warehouse operations.
I’m probably preaching to the choir, I know, but it’s a topic that needs to be discussed.
Constant Flux
Your average warehouse manager lives in a world of near-constant flux. There can be sudden market shifts, or supply chain disruptions caused by incidents, accidents, additional paperwork, or even armed conflicts. These things have become a daily reality.
And the pressure to maintain service levels, DESPITE all the challenges a normal day brings, can be totally overwhelming.
Warehousing has always been highly pressured. But recently, it’s become more of a full-contact sport where every day seems to bring even higher stakes. It’s an environment where making the right decisions hinges on the availability and analysis of real-time data.
There are tools out there than can help. One of them is Dispatcher WMS. It’s a warehouse management system that’s been designed not just to manage, but to transform your warehouse operations.
Strategic tool
For busy warehouse managers, Dispatcher WMS isn’t just software; it’s a strategic tool that gives them real-time visibility into what’s happening in their warehouse. It’s a tool that enhances their inventory accuracy (it’s close to 100%, listening to our customers). It’s something that helps them streamline processes and reduce costs. It’s a huge step on the path towards operational excellence.
Dispatcher WMS offers the warehouse manager a way to optimise their operations for efficiency and resilience. It offers sophisticated analytics and provides data-driven insights that empower operators and managers to make informed decisions, quickly. It’s a way to turn potential disruptions into opportunities for growth.
Industry experience
We’ve been in this industry a long time, and we know that people who run warehouses don’t get to that position without requiring some serious evidence-based analysis, so if you’re in the market for a new WMS, we’d recommend that you start with our case studies – they showcase Dispatcher WMS’ ability to optimise operations with smart, scalable solutions. And they do it far better than we could by talking about it here.
Dispatcher WMS started off as a green screen application – if you’re old enough to know what one of those is. We (sadly) are old enough and many of the team at Socius24 did, indeed, work on Dispatcher when it was still a green screen kind of thing. And many of us have worked with it ever since, as it’s morphed through various iterations – resulting in its latest UI version.
Many of the existing users of Dispatcher WMS have been on the system from the start. When a new version has been released, they’ve upgraded. They’ve done that because it’s best-in-breed. And as it’s evolved, its functionality and integration capabilities have evolved too. There’s very little it can’t do and won’t talk to these days.
By the way, if it can’t do or talk to exactly what you need, well, don’t worry, because we can help you with that.
Due to its heritage, Dispatcher WMS has a wealth of whitepapers and in-depth information that it can offer the interested party. And because of our history with it, we can expand on anything the documentation might have missed.
But as well as being able to expand on the documentation, we’ve also developed our own, in-house mobile application that supports and augments the system.
We created User Services Portal (USP) to work directly with Dispatcher WMS. It allows pre-defined users to access it from anywhere that has a browser, and it offers a new kind of flex-licensing that has been created to support customers who have seasonal variations in labour requirements. It’s also been built with an intuitive UI that reduces onboarding times down to hours (rather than days).
USP is a fantastic tool inside the warehouse, but also it lets you securely expand the visibility of what you’re doing to customer services teams, sales teams, independent couriers and even customers themselves, should you want to do so. Or, in fact, any interested parties, just so long as you’ve created an account for them.
Stay ahead of the competition
Between them, these systems provide the capabilities that supply chain leaders need to stay ahead. And Socius24 have the experience that’s needed to get the best, fastest ROI out of any deployment.
For a modern warehouse manager, everyday challenges are just part of the job. But when they implement Dispatcher WMS, they find that rather than constantly firefighting (from an operational rather than literal point of view), they can instead plan, strategise and then optimise.
These days, for businesses to thrive, they can’t just ‘manage’ their warehouses. They need the information required to turn challenges into victories. They need it to be right. And they need it now.
With Dispatcher WMS (and USP), they get all the above, and more.
If you’re a warehouse manager who is ready to turn uncertainty into clarity, and maybe even to get a good night’s sleep occasionally… then come talk to us about taking the next step: Info@socius24.com
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Future-proofing your Supply Chain by increasing agility and resilience
There’s nothing that’s much more constant than change… and that probably goes far more so when it comes to the supply chain, where every single component part is (ideally) in motion, all of the time.
But of late, disruptions have become increasingly commonplace, and their compounding effect has grown more significant than ever before.
The Pandemic wasn’t necessarily the cause of every breakdown in the supply chain, but it certainly highlighted where more contingency could have been built into the system. And since 2020, at the same time as not having totally recovered from those disruptions, the supply chain has continued to be affected by plenty of other factors: fluctuations in market demands, delivery disruptions caused by conflict or incident, or delays created by new legislation… just to name a few.
The Amazon Effect
All these things have been combined with an increased focus on eCommerce. The Amazon Effect (e.g. next day delivery) had already started pre-pandemic, but multi-channel fulfilment really took off when much of the world was locked down and couldn’t get out to the shops.
And this has all created a bit of a perfect storm, to be honest. It’s had a hand in increasing inflation around the world, bringing with it higher costs, smaller profit margins and a general weariness in the warehousing sector. How much more can things be squeezed before they go pop?
Some businesses have, indeed, popped. And there are plenty out there still feeling the pinch, riding the waves of that same perfect storm.
Maybe yours is one of them?
If you’re here, then I’m assuming that you’re in the warehousing industry – most people don’t read this kind of thing for fun. So, you don’t need me to explain what a warehouse management system is. But if you hang around until the end, hopefully I’ll be able to explain what an advanced WMS can do for YOU, specifically.
The Power of an Advanced WMS
As we’ve already discussed, warehousing, logistics and the supply chain are under constant pressure from lots of different directions. There are a multitude of external forces bearing down on them every day. These forces all demand efficiency, while at the same time insisting that your business withstands and mitigates against disruptions that are currently, usually, unknown. Or situations that even if they are known, are typically out of your control. They also require that you adapt quickly to sudden changes.
None of this is easy. But there is another side to the coin – an ability to do all these things will (and does) lead to huge business opportunities.
It’s a very carrot and stick situation.
And if you’re reading this, as already stated, you’ll be aware that there are tools available to you that will help you get it done. A WMS, or more specifically, an advanced WMS (like Dispatcher WMS) can help you with all the above. Configured properly, it’ll give you:
- Visibility – so that you can set expectations with your customers, see what’s coming down the pipe towards you, and plan accordingly.
- Real-time Analytics – so that you can see the actual state of play, right here, right now, and be able to make data-based decisions.
- Integration – very few WMS are stand-alone these days. Having something that can talk intelligently to your ERP, TMS, LMS, OMS etc. and act on the information handed back is a game-changer.
- Detailed Historical Data – so that you can see what worked and didn’t work last time… and be able to project when it’s likely to happen again.
All of this (and so much more) comes as part and parcel of a well-deployed Advanced WMS. And when you implement something that’s been developed (and adapted and upgraded and updated) for over 30 years, then you have all that experience and functionality at your fingertips. Standing on the shoulders of giants, as it were.
The Right WMS for You?
The right WMS has the data and the processing ability needed to help you pre-empt disruption and then dynamically adjust your warehouse operations as new situations arise.
And part of this power comes from the joined-up thinking that it provides. It can integrate seamlessly with your suppliers and partners, which means that your supply chain can (if it wants to) respond to emerging challenges with a cohesive plan of action. As opposed to plans made by many cats running in many different directions, for example.
Imagine being able to see things coming and being able to mitigate against them, or at least, be able to respond proactively rather than reactively. That’s the kind of agility that lets you take (or make) opportunities, rather than not even being able to see them in the first place. If you find the right WMS for you, it’ll allow you to orchestrate this kind of flexibility. You’ll be able to efficiently reallocate resources and adjust your strategies in response to changing market conditions. On the fly, if you want.
There are plenty of WMS out there, and choosing the right one for you is critical to business success. You’ll need to assess how well a system aligns with your business goals, and how closely it supports your digital transformation initiatives. If you’re at that stage, we’ve just written an in-depth article about how to best do this – you can find it here.
Things to Consider
We’d suggest that important things to consider would be scalability, integration capabilities and the quality of the analytics and real-time data that the system can provide.
We also think it’s important to point out that the success of your WMS implementation doesn’t just rely on the software you choose. The team that you choose to help you deploy it are also a significant factor in that success. We’d suggest that you look out for people who have a broad (and long standing) range of experience over lots of different verticals. You want people who will have already encountered most situations and warehouse processes before they get to you.
This is because every warehouse is different, and the more experience they have, the more likely they’ll be able to come up with a solution that works for you, quickly, efficiently, and effectively.
Talk is Cheap
You should also look for people who have a proven track record. It’s easy for businesses to tell you what they could do for you; talk is cheap. Instead, we’d suggest you request proof, read Case Studies, and ask for site visits to existing customers. Maybe see if they’ve won awards for what they do.
Fundamentally, the better deployed your new WMS is, the better it will work for you and the faster you’ll see a return on investment. Which is, after all, the point of implementing it in the first place.
In our experience (which is, incidentally, some of the longest standing in the industry), businesses that have embraced advanced WMS and that have engaged experienced implementation teams when they did so, have not only streamlined their operations but have also transformed their supply chains. They have 24/7 engines that are helping them grow and innovate. They don’t fight fires constantly, they make data-driven, strategic decisions that propel them forward. They see efficiency gains that support a proactive approach to supply chain management, and they capitalise on the opportunities that others miss.
Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS
Implementing an advanced WMS like Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS is a strategic decision. It helps businesses to strengthen their supply chains and it fortifies them against vulnerabilities that could otherwise affect them. Disruptions are out there; they’re happening every day. And while you don’t know what’s coming, you can mitigate against a lot of it if you use the right tools.
Your choice of software and deployment team are pivotal to your future success because they set the foundation for a supply chain that can adapt and excel. Embracing an advanced WMS and having the support of a skilled implementation provider are steps that YOU can take towards securing your own competitive edge.
Are you ready for Future-Proofing?
If you’re at the point where you’re ready to take back control, contact us to learn how Dispatcher WMS could be the key you’re looking for when it comes to unlocking the full potential of your warehouse operations. You can email us anytime on info@socius24.com
Successful WMS Implementations – your Roadmap.
We’ve talked before about how standing still in the warehousing industry isn’t really a possibility anymore. So, if you’ve not already implemented an advanced WMS (or you have, but you’re considering an upgrade), then this article talks about best practices when it comes to deploying a new WMS.
Transformative Leap Forward
Successfully implementing an advanced WMS is probably the single fastest and most dramatic way that you can give your business a transformative leap forward when it comes to operational excellence.
But these things don’t come particularly cheap, and there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to successful WMS implementations. So today, I’m going to talk about some of the more common hurdles that you might need to overcome on your implementation journey. As ever, if you’ve got any questions, you can always reach out to us for clarification or for more info.
The Modern Warehouse
To start off with, I’m going to talk a bit more about the modern warehouse. It’s much more of a complex entity than it’s ever been before; every second counts, and efficiency is key to success. In order to thrive, a warehouse manager needs to find ways to smoothly orchestrate their inventory management, be able to optimise order fulfilment, and streamline their supply chain operations. Which is often easier said than done.
However, there are options available to help achieve this, and Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS is one of them. Systems like this will help you manage your space optimally, of course, that’s a given. But Dispatcher WMS (especially if you deploy it with our home-grown User Services Portal app) can also to ensure that your inventory is not only visible to you, your customers, and any other stakeholders with permission to view it, but that it’s also aligned to demand in real-time.
An effective WMS should be able to look at what you need and make decisions about how to help you achieve it. If you’re interested in the kind of AI (Artificial Intelligence) used in Dispatcher WMS, then you can read about it here. So when we say it’s transformative, we’re not exaggerating.
Dramatic Change
But as with everything that creates dramatic change, it does come with some challenges attached.
Below are some of the more common hurdles that you might experience when you deploy a new WMS. And there are hurdles. But, like eating the elephant, it’s all doable (because we do it all the time), just so long as you address each bit individually.
Step One – Strategic Planning and Goal Setting
The first bit to address is your strategic planning and goal setting. After all, unless you know where you’re trying to get to, you won’t know which direction to travel in, or when you’ve arrived. So, the first thing to do when you’re executing a digital transformation project like this is to name clear objectives and lay out a well-defined roadmap for your implementation journey.
Once you do that, then you can align the capabilities of any potential warehouse management systems with your strategic goals.
This is going to help you to find gaps right away. Because, some WMS are more functional than others, and some of them have longer and better pedigrees. So, job one is to work out what you want to do with this new software, and only then to start looking at available options that could help you achieve your goals.
Step Two – Which WMS?
Once you know what you want out of your new WMS, then it’s time to decide – and you’ve got to choose the right WMS for you. It’s pivotal to your successful WMS implementation.
Ideally, you want something that’s scalable, functionally rich, and that is highly user configurable – because you don’t want to have to commission expensive changes from the software vendor. It should also have robust and proven integration capabilities.
All these things are mission critical for businesses aiming for growth and adaptability – which is probably, let’s face it, the whole point of the project in the first place.
Step Three – Who
Next, you need to pick the right team to help you deploy it. Now, a lot of this comes down to culture; you need to find the right people for you.
But while you’re looking for them, you should probably bear in mind that the more often they’ve done this, and the more verticals they’ve implemented their WMS across, then the more likely they are to be able to offer you a streamlined implementation that draws on the experience that they’ve garnered over that time.
Or rather, even if you think they’re super groovy cool people, the most important thing is to make sure that your installation team knows what they’re doing.
Things to look out for – have they been recognised by third parties as providing excellent results? Have they got many case studies that you can read – over a considerable length of time, and many different industries?
If you can find the right team, it’s going to save you time, energy, money, and heartache – because they’ll be able to look at what you need and extrapolate from what they’ve seen before – rather than having to reverse engineer every little bit of your operation.
Step Four – Process Mapping
Preparation and process mapping are fundamental to your eventual success. As soon as you have your preferred system and your preferred deployment team on board, the next job is a meticulous audit of what you do currently.
And then, you need to decide if that’s what you want to continue to do, or if instead, you want to use your digital transformation as a reason to reassess and potentially change everything. Typically, in our experience it’s a bit of both. And this is one of the reasons you should select a WMS that can not only deal with increased throughput, but one that can also adapt and grow with you as your operation evolves.
So, you need to map your processes to the WMS, and make sure that you are going to end up with something that is tailor made for you. This is not the time for plug and play software, and the more attention to detail you can put in at this point, the easier things will be later.
Step Five – Data Management
Data Management … have you ever seen the whole Data in = Data out example? Your WMS is only going to be as good as the information you use to set it up. Which means that the success and eventual ROI (Return on Investment) of your digital transformation is inherently linked to the integrity of your data.
You may decide that you want to work from a clean slate, which would let your new system run precisely as you configured it from day one – and without any kind of hangover from The Before Times. But it’s much more likely that you’ll want to transfer the data you have, in some way, over to the new WMS.
The more meticulous you are about this, the better your results will be.
Step Six- Integration
It’s not impossible that your new WMS will be a stand-alone system. But these days, it’s quite unlikely that you won’t have some other system, somewhere, that you’ll need to integrate it with.
This is another reason to choose a WMS that has a track record. If you get the right system, with luck, it will already have been integrated with what you’re using (or at least with something similar) and this will help to minimise expense when it comes to your own system integration.
It’s also likely to reduce the opportunity for things to go wrong.
Step Seven – Training and Change Management
Once you have your new system, it’s got data in it, and it’s hooked up to the other bits of your operation, it’s time to train your staff up. But before we talk about that, it’s worth mentioning that change management starts a lot earlier than the day you introduce your workers to your new WMS.
Change can be intimidating, and there’s often a lot of fear around a system such as a new WMS. The focus that people can put on a transformation like this might be more on the side of what (or who) it’s going to replace, rather than how it’s going to be able to allow the business to expand.
Share your plans with your people as soon as you have selected the right vendor/software. The more inclusive you are with your change management, the more involved and engaged your staff will be in the transformation journey, and that will translate to a much better result.
If you can empower your team through concise product familiarisation training, it’s going to help them understand how to get the most out of your new software, and that means you’re much more likely to see a smooth transition.
One of the biggest risks when deploying a new software system is that if your team can’t use it, and don’t want you to know that, they’ll quietly go back to doing what they were doing before.
Taking the time to train your workforce on your new WMS, and explaining how it can improve processes and help them do their jobs more easily is going to foster a culture of continuous improvement, right from the start.
Step Eight – Testing
As an ex-QA, this might be my own personal bugbear. I think that testing is often left until the last moment, which typically means that problems that could have been mitigated months ago become showstoppers.
Work with people who will help you test early and test often. The sooner you find issues, the easier they are to address proactively.
And this is another vote for working with an experienced implementation team – they know where to start looking and can help you focus on what matters most from an operational point of view.
Step Nine – Go Live Support
Dedicated support during your Go Live is a game changer.
Experienced teams will be able to keep cool heads… because there will always be something. The more you do of the above, there less of it there will be, but there will always be something. And that’s OK. It’s normal.
But if you have the right team, they’ll be able to be proactive rather than reactive. And that is a great indicator of a successful implementation.
Step Ten – Continual Improvement
Ideally, you’ll have a way of continuing to work with your implementation team, post Go Live. After all, they already know how things are set up, and they’ll be able to help you troubleshoot much faster and more effectively if something falls out of the mix.
Which it probably will.
The trick, of course, is to have done as much of the above as possible, already, so that whatever it is will work out just fine. It’s not failure when something like that happens, it’s finesse. It’s iterative improvement.
With a system like Dispatcher WMS, your journey doesn’t come to an end once implementation has happened. The system offers advanced reporting and analytic capabilities that provide you with a continuous feedback loop. Which means that you can use that information to fine-tune your operations.
Yes, it’s going to help you streamline your activities, but that’s just the beginning. Its real magic is in its ability to adapt and evolve with your business, which is where you’ll start to see dramatic changes for the better.
Starting out on a WMS implementation journey isn’t something to be taken lightly. But it is the way to operational excellence. And it is your opportunity to iteratively increase efficiency and productivity. Which is what it takes to stay a step ahead.
If you’d like to see the diversity of operations that a system such as Dispatcher WMS can support, or to read about other successful WMS implementations, then have a read of our case studies.
Lots of different verticals, lots of different operations, one WMS.
As you read them, you’ll be able to see the system’s adaptability, the implementation team’s expertise, and the transformative potential of a well-designed, properly deployed Warehouse Management System.
So, if you’ve been thinking about next steps for your business, and what, specifically you can do to make massive change in your business in 2024, then hopefully this has been useful.
If you’d like to learn more about what Dispatcher WMS can do for YOUR business, then reach out today. Let’s explore how it can become the cornerstone of your logistics strategy and the way to propel your business to the next level: info@socius24.com.
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AI in the warehousing industry – things tend to move fast.
Mostly, this is because if they don’t, then they’re likely to be overtaken by something (or someone) else. Like sharks, businesses must move to stay alive – or at least, in a financial sense – afloat.
What ‘New Normal’?
Over the last few years, there have been enormous and fast-moving changes in consumer demands. There is no ‘new normal’… if there ever was a ‘normal’ to start off with. And it’s partly due to these increased demands that more focus has been placed on technologies that can help us stay one step ahead of the competition and redefine the way that we manage our supply chain.
These days, the warehousing industry has plenty of challenges, from maintaining inventory accuracy to managing an ever-decreasing workforce. We just published an in-depth article about that if you’d like to read it. And those are just the first two complications that spring to mind. But whatever issue you might be having with your warehouse, there’s one thing that’s going to make it easier to manage – and that’s access to real-time data.
These days, there are all kinds of sparkly new options available, e.g. integration with automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) – where inventory can be tracked via RFID chips – just to name a couple. And they’re great, the more the merrier when it comes to tools to help you optimise your operations. But they both have one thing in common – real-time data.
It’s the silver bullet when it comes to improving efficiency.
Why? Well, I’m glad you asked.
AI in the Warehousing Industry needs accurate input to work. Because if you know exactly what’s going on in your warehouse, then you can make informed decisions about it, immediately. That means that when things are going well, you can make them even better and more efficient; you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
It also means that if things aren’t going to plan, then you’re going to know about it as early as possible. Which will give you the best chance of fixing things before push comes to shove, your shipment is half-picked, and you’ve missed your delivery window.
Communication goes a long way when it comes to setting customer expectations, and the more information you have, the better you can communicate it.
From a congestion, or rather, from a time-reduction point of view, if you know where all your inventory is, and what kind of MHE you need to access it, then you can use real-time data to make sure that you don’t end up with a pop-up car park in one of your aisles.
If you know how long (on average) it takes for one of your operators to pick a particular kind of order, or a particular kind of SKU, then you can plan for how many operators you’re likely to need when you get that massive order in next week.
If you have an advanced WMS like Dispatcher WMS, then not only can it use the algorithms that you set up to Putaway and pick inventory in the most efficient way possible, but it can also analyse the throughput of your warehouse and start making recommendations as to where to store the fastest moving inventory. In real time.
Spoiler alert, Dispatcher WMS has been using AI in the warehousing industry for YEARS. That’s what those algorithms do – they look at what’s going on and they make recommendations.
And when you combine real-time data with historical data, you can start not only to see trends, but to predict them too.
Contingency planning can become an actual thing, rather than a theory. Exciting stuff.
With a properly deployed WMS, you can have a near 100% accurate view of every item in your warehouse: where it is, if it’s allocated against something, the condition it’s in, how much there is left of it. Everything can be tracked. Everything can be measured. And knowledge is power.
Now, none of this functionality is cheap. And most businesses don’t have a blank cheque when it comes to digital transformation. But putting robots and IoT to one side for a moment, you can get all the way down the road to real-time data that we just talked about just by implementing the right Advanced WMS.
Robots and IoT might be able to do marvellous things, but it’s your WMS that will hold the data, and it’s your WMS that will typically make decisions about what to do with your inventory. Although, if you’re using an ERP or BI tools, then that’ll work too. Just so long as they feed back their data to your WMS, so that it knows what you want from it.
It all sounds very complicated, and concerns about cost and the digital literacy of an often-semi-skilled workforce are valid. But if you’re open to using a strategic approach that focuses on the right partners and the right software (in our case, we implement Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, and quite often supplement it with our own intuitive user-interfaced User Services Portal), then implementation challenges can be systematically addressed and overcome.
As we look to the future of the warehousing industry, the integration of AI is promising all manner of increased efficiencies. And it’s probably going to be amazing, once the kinks have been knocked out. Well, either that or our new Robotic Overlords might decide we don’t need to worry about warehousing any more.
But anyhow, in the meantime, if you’d like to use some AI that’s been around for a long time, and that’s being successfully used (right now) by over 2000 other ambitious and industry-leading businesses, in 60 different countries around the world, then might I suggest you consider the algorithms that form part and parcel of Dispatcher WMS.
Because those algorithms have already made BILLIONS of excellent decisions for the companies that have deployed Dispatcher WMS.
Let us know if you’d like to talk about it: info@socius24.com
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We are delighted to announce that Socius24 are finalists in the 2024 Go:Tech Awards for Best Mobile Technology Award.
We’ve been included as finalists because of our innovative mobile app-based WMS tool, User Services Portal (USP)
User Services Portal (USP) is a mobile-friendly technology designed to work in and around your warehouse operations, in places that legacy Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) can struggle to reach.
It is tablet or mobile phone agnostic and brings data and operational tasks on to the shop floor, into delivery vehicles and anywhere our customers (or their customers), suppliers need to view/update WMS data or conduct WMS tasks.
Static vs Dynamic
Often, WMS functionality is tethered to static, back-office workstations, remote from the warehouse floor, or to specific types of Product Movement Equipment e.g., Forklifts – which cannot access the entire warehouse.
Increased Accuracy
When conducting certain operations, inaccuracies can be introduced into the system, because a workaround for this situation is often to write information down manually, then hand enter it into the WMS, once back at a workstation.
Savings and Sustainability
Instead of being tied to a specific workstation, USP can instead be accessed on any equipment that can access an internet browser – including tablets and mobile phones. This is not only revolutionary within the WMS industry, but also leads to significant savings – businesses don’t need to buy dedicated workstations and can reuse what they already have; equipment that’s already been commissioned and can be repurposed.
A knock-on effect is that USP contributes to customers reaching sustainability goals more easily; they don’t need to obsolete perfectly functional equipment to implement their WMS.
Customers who use USP (a bolt-on application to Dispatcher WMS from Blue Yonder) have seen significant benefits from implementing:
- Service speed to Ecom customers 5% faster
- Retail speed 6% faster
- Launch availability (stock in stores for launch) 4% better than same launch in the previous year
- Ecom speed in last ecom Sale was 3% better
- Saved around 10% in variable labour costs
- Moved from 4pm to 7pm cutoff for orders
- Reduced Supply Chain by 24 hours
If you’d like more information or a no obligation, free of charge demo, please contact us today on info@socius24.com
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We could go a long way to solving the World’s Food Crisis with Advanced WMS
It’s fair to say that the world needs to urgently embrace sustainability when it comes to the way that it produces and distributes food. As the population of the planet grows ever larger, and the average temperature nudges ever higher, the need to sustainably feed humanity is growing ever more critical.
We live in a food paradox.
As a planet, we produce enough food to feed everyone – but 2.5 billion tonnes of it goes to waste each year (which in turn contributes to global warming) – while at the same time, about 10% of the population goes hungry. It’s not acceptable, and it doesn’t make sense.
Food waste, however, isn’t only down to us all buying too much salad and then letting it turn to sentient slime in the ill-named ‘crisper drawer’ of our fridge. There are massive inefficiencies in our global food network, and climate change is only exacerbating the problem.
There are droughts, heatwaves and unexpected frosts that decimate food crops on one side of the coin and floods and storms that disrupt supply chains on the other, just to start off with. And the impact is felt world-wide.
But what if we could mitigate some of these issues? What if we could adapt the way we work? What if we could change the way that we produced and distributed food? What if we could affect the outcomes?
You know what I’m going to say, don’t you. I’m going to talk about the role that an advanced WMS has in all of this.
Because it’s significant.
An advanced WMS, like Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS, for example, is perhaps currently a bit of an unsung hero when it comes to revolutionising our approach to food distribution.
Because it’s not just a tool for inventory management – WMS can also be a powerful tool when it comes to optimisation. We can use it for real-time tracking, yes, but we can also use the immense amount of data that it collects to create demand forecasting and seamless logistics coordination.
We can use WMS to make sure that the right food gets to the right place, at the right time. We can make decisions using accurate and timely information, and we can rapidly take action, based on those decisions.
Even if you knew nothing about humankind, the fact that so much food goes to waste while a significant percentage of the population goes to bed hungry will tell you a lot. The world is made up of many different ecosystems and economies. Different places have different characteristics and different challenges. We all know that no two warehouses work the same way – now extrapolate that information to every country in the world, with all their individual locations, peoples, and requirements.
But far from this being a challenge, it’s where advanced WMS can shine.
If you get the right one, it’ll be able to offer you a customisable solution that can cater to regional requirements. Those requirements might be optimising cold storage in the arctic tundra or streamlining grain distribution at the equator. Either way, there are systems that will do both, without raising so much as a digital eyebrow. And they’ll stop food going to waste within the warehouses as well, so long as the FIFO and shelf life are set up correctly.
As societies evolve, so do their consumption patterns. Some regions will see increased wealth, which means that they’ll likely also see an uptick in consumption, and thus, waste. Other regions, probably the ones where climate change is already threatening food production, will experience negative outcomes on people’s livelihoods. But the use of WMS could be aligned with sustainable consumption trends, and it could be used to increase equitable food distribution. It could help us create the kind of balance that we’re going to need if we’re going to make the world a fairer place – even in the face of climate change.
2050 is the current target for net-zero emissions. But it’s a goal that’s fraught with challenges. There are technological barriers, local turf wars and dogged resistance to change. The sheer scale of the logistical coordination required is mind-boggling. But we could address these challenges if we really wanted to. And advanced WMS could be a tool for progress, it could be used to innovate, to help support policy reform and through available advances in supply chain visibility, it could promote collaboration.
We’re rapidly approaching the edge, and if we want to keep away from it and leave a better world for future generations – one where hunger is no longer a thing, and sustainability is the norm, then we need to act.
Now.
So, if you’re part of the Supply Chain, and if you haven’t already implemented one, please understand that embracing an advanced WMS isn’t just a good strategic business decision – it’s also a very effective step that you can take towards supporting sustainability.
If you’ve got questions, then please, don’t hesitate to get in touch – info@socius24.com. We’d be delighted to help you explore the possibilities – and to be part of the solution.
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