Warehouse automation: the four essential qualities of an effective WMS

Numerous reasons for automation exist, corresponding to various business contexts. However, as evidenced by the growing number of projects, certain motivations emerge with remarkable consistency.

1# Address the evolving demands of online commerce

It has become increasingly common for consumers to place online orders on Sunday evenings for delivery on Monday mornings. This practice exemplifies the current expectations of a supply chain: speed, flexibility, and customization. Some customers desire a gift message, others prefer a simplified return process, and still others request special packaging. This fragmentation of expectations complicates preparation, and in light of this pressure, traditional methods are revealing their limitations. Automation enables the fulfillment of these demands without faltering, all while ensuring customer satisfaction.

2# Alleviate teams and realign skills

It is also essential to consider the human aspect. Working in a warehouse is physically demanding. Lifting heavy loads, extensive walking, and repetitive motions are all factors that can lead to issues such as recruitment challenges and increased sick leave.
By automating specific labor-intensive tasks, we enhance working conditions, enabling operators to focus on areas that demand judgment, expertise, or oversight.

The rise of robotization and the growing prevalence of automation in warehouses presents new challenges and issues:

• An increasing number of functional bricks to facilitate coexistence.
• Diverse equipment/IS, thus interfaces must be established.
• A decision-making chain that requires clarification.

This is where the WMS assumes a pivotal role. It will be tasked with orchestrating workflows, allocating tasks, interfacing with equipment, and ensuring seamless operations. To maintain its relevance in an automated environment, the WMS must embody four essential qualities.

Automation presents a significant opportunity to enhance efficiency, quality, and flexibility. However, this performance is contingent upon the effective management of the entire system.

In this context, WMS is not just one component among many. It serves as a keystone that must exhibit flexibility, strength, communicativeness, and intelligence to effectively adapt to the prevailing realities. An automated warehouse is not merely a technological showcase; it is a dynamic ecosystem, perpetually in motion and necessitating tools that can meet its demands.