Are you still on the fence about whether or not you really need a Warehouse Management System? You may be shocked to know that nearly all warehouses have adopted this technology and that you fall further behind the competition every day that you spend debating its merits. Warehouse Management Systems help to fill gaps in your warehouse functionality and increase your potential for throughput. If your company is still relying on paper tracking systems and manual controls, consider these questions.

1. How many hours do you spend on reports? Nearly all companies track productivity in one way or another, along with accuracy of orders and inventory levels. What may be astonishing is the amount of time that your team members actually spend on filling out forms, gathering and analyzing data, and producing reports. What would happen if even half of those working hours were spent on fulfilling orders instead of paperwork? A Warehouse Management System offers this functionality by doing all of the analysis and reporting for you in a fraction of the time.
   
   
2. How much lost product do you have? Inaccuracies in inventory can be a major blow to any warehouse's efficiency and customer service. Do you regularly contend with misplaced items, out of date product, or even shortages? The modern Warehouse Management System offers directed putaway to ensure your items can always be found in their correct locations, inventory tracking that flags any item counts that don't match up, and management of FIFO to keep your stock rotation in order.
   
   
3. How easy is picking? Picking is often the area where warehouse managers feel the real pinch. Are your team members running over each other in the warehouse? Are they constantly complaining about missing items, or unable to fill orders on time? Are there constant quality control issues stemming from picking errors? The use of a Warehouse Management System allows you to prioritize orders by shipping times, conduct in-process quality checks for accuracy, and route pickers so that they can work around one another without slowing each other down.

You can see that Warehouse Management Systems are important for warehouses of any scale. They maximize operational efficiency and provide greater functionality than you could ever hope for from paper-based systems. Companies who wish to remain competitive in the current market need to invest in a proper Warehouse Management System today. The investment will continue to pay off for years to come and allow you to outgrow any company who chooses not to get on board.