There are a wide variety of reasons that companies choose to transition from paper-based processes to using a Warehouse Management System. From data analysis and reporting to process verification and simplification, there are many ways such a system allows you to optimize your warehouse for efficiency and productivity.

Data Gathering

Tracking product movement on paper often means stacks and stacks of records. Each time a part is received, moved, and shipped, it means filling out some type of form. The problem is that nobody has enough time to shuffle through these forms and to gather all of the valuable information that they contain, and certainly not enough time to put together a complete picture of what is happening in the warehouse.

A WMS offers a great alternative by giving you a big-picture view of your data, analyzing it across extended periods of time and giving you detailed reports on customized metrics. All of these reports can be kept up to date with real-time tracking and produced at a moment's notice.

Process Verification

One of the biggest issues with paper-based warehouse management is the possibility of human error. Since there are few ways to effectively cross-check and reference paper forms, a single error can be carried through to all future steps in the process without anyone realizing the mistake.

A WMS will validate that each activity is performed correctly. It is capable of tracking each product from the receiving dock all the way to shipping. The system is able to determine when a part that should have been put away or picked has not been or when an actual quantity doesn't match the expected quantity. When these situations happen, the inventory involved in the discrepancy is quarantined and reports can be generated in order to analyze what has happened. You will save time and money on lost and mislabeled products right away.

Simplification

More than anything, a Warehouse Management System provides a massive boost to productivity by offering something that paper-based systems could never accomplish: simplication.

Your Warehouse Management program will utilize information about all of the orders coming in, item locations, warehouse layout, and staffing to generate highly efficient routes for picking, stocking, and consolidating. You will be able to reduce your down time and wasted steps dramatically as the WMS formulates a plan based on real-time data. The WMS is capable of dispatching large numbers of orders without causing mix-ups or traffic jams as well as enabling processes like zone-based or batch picking that would be impossible in a paper-based warehouse.

All warehouses can benefit from the use of a Warehouse Management System. No matter how big or small your operation is, paper-based warehouse management is a burdensome and inefficient way of doing things when software can streamline the whole process and provide a very high return on investment.