Warehouse efficiency is greatly impacted by the way your Warehouse Management System directs users through the work environment. The WMS is not just in charge of the individuals on your team, but also all of the products that come into the warehouse. It can provide exact directions to the right people and improve accuracy at every stage.

Organization

During put away, many companies have a difficult time ensuring that all products of like type end up in the same place every time. If a product comes in multiple colors or sizes, this challenge becomes even greater. A WMS resolves this by tracking the location where the product is put away no matter where it is and by breaking it down into individual packages, each with its own ID. The WMS can direct the team member to put a package away in a zone or even a specific location if desired. This improves accuracy by:

• Ensuring that the product is in the correct location to be picked at a later date
• Making it easier for pickers to identify the correct item since they are directed to the correct location and the correct package every time
• Clearly separating variants of the product into their own packages so they are not confused during fast picking

The WMS is also capable of identifying high-demand items and grouping them together into hot zones for accessibility while placing less popular items elsewhere.

Directed Picking

Warehouse efficiency is also affected by the amount of downtime and travel time that pickers need to move between locations. The WMS uses precise directions to improve accuracy and efficiency across the board. Whether it is a handheld scanner or a pick-to-light system, the picker will know exactly which location they are looking for, how to get there, how many items to pull out and which orders to place them in. There should never be any second-guessing of the system's instructions because it can determine the most efficient way to perform the tasks at hand.

Verification Steps

There are a number of ways that WMS systems help verify the accuracy of orders during picking. In some systems, the program simply won't allow you to close the batch if it is missing an item or if it believes you scanned something incorrectly. It will flag the order and require review. In other cases, the software will calculate the total weight of an order based on the weights of the individual line items. If the order does not weigh enough based on the computer's calculation, it will be flagged for review. Similarly, dimensioning modules like our 3D pack can determine the correct size of box that should be used to ship an order. If something is missing, it will be obvious that there is a problem.

All of these instances provide ways for the WMS to catch errors before the order leaves your warehouse. By constantly checking for accuracy and using all available data to analyze the order, you are sure to see your warehouse efficiency and accuracy increase with the help of the WMS.