While the entire world is experiencing supply constraints to some degree, goods are still moving at an accelerated rate. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, total retail e-commerce sales for Q2 2021, saw a 3.3 percent increase (adjusted figures) from Q1. Quarter three experienced growth as well, and trends continue to point upward. This means that businesses need to cast their sights on the days ahead, preparing to scale as markets expand.
The Destination is Growth
Scaling an operation is a systematic process and requires intentional preparation. Far too often, companies selling high-demand products find themselves pointed in an aimless direction— a thing that significantly stunts growth potential. Whether you are a large 3PL provider or a small local business, a successful supply chain doesn’t just strive to meet current demand, but future demand as well.
Lewis Carroll, the author of the beloved children’s favorite Alice and Wonderland provided us with some unerring wisdom when he said:
“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”
But, when it comes to a healthy supply chain, we do know the destination— it’s growth, a continual process — and the road that leads there is proper systems. Perhaps one of the most valuable systems at play is your organization’s WMS. Just like anything else, there are some good eggs and some questionable eggs in the basket. There is no room for a questionable WMS as far as the future is concerned.
How Do Your Systems Hold Up?
At times, it can be difficult to pinpoint issues when there’s not a point of reference. Some operations feel there is no need to upgrade their WMS even though there are bottlenecks holding them back. The following five questions may shed light on improvements that can be made.
Are you afforded maximum flexibility and functionality?
An overall capability of any great WMS is to do a lot with as few resources as possible. As your WMS maximizes what it can do for you, workloads will be reduced all-around. So if undue time is being spent tracking employee performance, managing inventory, or generating reports, you are likely encountering capability constraints with your WMS.
How usable is the system?
As your output increases, so will the employee headcount. A well-integrated WMS will be used by everyone who steps foot into the warehouse from pickers to upper management. There is no time to waste training new individuals on complicated systems that could be easily supplemented with simpler solutions. If new workers can’t begin working comfortably with your system in a few hours’ time, usability may be an issue.
Is integration seamless?
Any great WMS will work harmoniously with your ERP. This is where both the WMS itself and its implementation specialists play a large role. Your supply chain solutions partner should provide you with the right tools and the expertise needed to combine two technologies into one, creating an efficient distribution engine.
Are goals easy to quantify?
When tracking metrics, there are three key words to focus on:
- Speed
- Reliability
- Intelligibility
Useful data is great, but what purpose does it serve if it can\’t be quickly accessed, can’t be trusted, and can’t be understood? If you find yourself exhaustively combing over data, your WMS could likely use an upgrade.
Does your WMS account for the future?
While a great WMS will help you brace for the future, this question outgrows the system itself. To achieve maximum success, you need a good supply chain partner, one that will use their warehousing and logistics expertise to help you reach your long-term goals. Systems and organizations alike must be agile, changing with the tides, and a great supply chain partner will help facilitate this change over time.
Takeaways
When it comes to the logistics of managing and distributing your inventory, you need a system you can grow your business around— one that can help drive sales and improve your bottom line. A flexible WMS system will help you shape such a process, customizing it to the unique needs of your organization.
Sequoia Group’s award-winning TECSYS WMS is designed to accelerate workflows and increase accuracy all within the cloud. Using TECSYS WMS, our customers have seen considerable improvement in the following areas:
- Overall Efficiency
- Picking Accuracy
- Order Accuracy
- Backorder Decrease
- Inventory Sales
Through advanced system capabilities, our WMS seeks to future-proof your business and help you reach your destination of growth time and time again. Let us take the hassle out of the process and help ease the burden of warehouse management logistics.
