Printable version.

If you have 30,000 square feet or more of inventory space, you should strongly consider an integrated warehouse inventory system. Commonly called Inventory Management Systems or Inventory Control Systems, these systems fully integrate into your company operations with links to your accounting software, customer service, web site, and other business functions. They typically also take advantage of productivity enhancing technologies such as Automatic Identification (Barcode and RFID) and Wireless Communications (WLAN and WWAN). Specific benefits to your operation of these systems include all the benefits of the Basic Inventory Systems and Physical Inventory Count Systems plus additional features that further reduce errors and improve productivity. See the following sections below for more information:

Have questions? Call us at (949)-600-6970.

1. Read the information below to make sure this type of system meets your needs.
2. Determine what budget amount you can afford to spend.
3. Contact us to help. We can tell you about our proven five step process so you make the best decision and get it done right the first time!

Warehouse Management Systems provide enormous potential to streamline operations.

Receive Order: The system begins with the entry of a receiving order. Commonly imported directly from data retrieved from a purchase order in the accounting system, the receive order details for the receiver exactly what product and in what quantities to expect. The receiver typically uses a portable device with barcode scanning capability to match what arrives to what is expected. Once completed, information is imported back to the accounting system to let it know what was received against the purchase order.

Put-away: 'Put-away' occurs when product is taken from receiving and stored in a given inventory location. Most WMS systems possess the ability to allow the receiving to happen either in one step or in two depending on the size and complexity of the operation. Some will also help improve put-away efficiencies through 'directed put-away' where a portable device actually provides an optimized route for the picker to follow to accomplish the pick with the least amount of time and effort.

Manage Inventory: Once the inventory is stored in a given location, the user can perform basic inventory management functions such as min/max stock level reports and physical inventory inspections.

Pick Order: When you need to remove product from inventory, a pick order is generated. The accounting system typically provides this information for the pick order by electronically transferring a Sales Order into the system. Converted to a Pick Order, the data from the sales order tells the warehouse picker exactly what quantity of what item in what location to pick. A portable scanning device often assists the picker in confirming the product picked matches exactly what is ordered reducing errors and costs associated with those errors (such as shipping).

Shipping Order: After the picker picks the entire order (or at least everything available), the shipping department confirms and prepares the order for shipment. Links into shipping systems such as UPS Worldship, ClipperShip, and StarShip allow the WMS to print out both shipping and product labels taking time consuming and error prone steps out of your shipping process. Most systems offer the ability to combine Shipping and Picking Orders into one step.

System Components		Estimated Costs
	Database Software Labeling Software	EBS Complete "Sure-Fire™" Approach (Proven 5 Step Process, expandable software, rugged portable device, training and implementation assistance)	$25,000+
	Handheld Scanners Portable Data Collection	Full Featured Scalable System (Expandable software, rugged portable device, implementation support available)	$15,000+
	Consulting Training Installation	Low-end "Do-It-Yourself" Kit (Low-end software, low-cost tethered hand held scanner, minimal implementation support)	$5,000+
[Back To Top]
Examples		Key Features
Distributors (all industries) 3PL and 4PL Operations (all types) Manufacturers (all industries) Warehouse Storage		Integration with ERP, Accounting, Shipping, CRM, and other Systems Receiving and Shipping Order Verification Barcode Scanning Compatibility (including wireless scanning) Optimize Inventory Levels Multiple Units of Measure Kitting Directed Pick and Put-Away Item and Location Search & View Physical Inventory & Adjustment Transaction History with Date/Time Stamp Lot, Serial Number, Expiration Date Tracking Import/Export Data Predefined Reports Inventory Valuation User Definable Fields