Managing an efficient, safe, and productive warehouse is not an easy feat. That’s why more and more businesses are turning to a warehouse management system (WMS) to efficiently monitor and control their operations from end to end: from receiving to picking to packing to shipping.

The benefits of a good WMS include increased order accuracy, faster receiving and picking times, better inventory control, and many more. But the keyword here is “good,” and with so many WMS options out there, how do you pick the best fit for your company? To help you in your selection process, here are six things that your WMS should have:

#1. Stock locator

Your WMS must be able to provide you with real-time visibility into the physical location of every product in your warehouse, thereby reducing the time it takes to find a stock manually. It should facilitate the use of advanced tracking systems such as radio-frequency identification (RFID), barcode scanners, and automatic identification and data capture (AIDC).

“Finally! I was getting tired of playing treasure hunt in the warehouse.”

#2. Incident tracking

With thousands of inputs and outputs from dozens of customers and vendors, it’s hard for warehouses to avoid issues such as wrong shipments, receipt mismatches, missing inventory, and customer complaints. A good WMS should be able to track every single incident to ensure that it is resolved, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

#3. Labor management

There’s a lot more to warehouse management than simply keeping an inventory of goods. A WMS improves employee productivity by giving managers the means to monitor performance and identify processes in need of improvement. This makes life easier for employees.

#4. Warehouse design

An effective warehouse is optimized for inventory allocation. It has organized zones that not only make selecting and packing goods quicker and easier, but also use the available space efficiently and keep the consumption of resources down to a minimum.

A WMS helps you achieve an effective warehouse. By collecting important data from worker activities and connected devices around the facility, you can draw insights on how to continually improve warehouse design. For example, your WMS may help you find ways to replenish pallets more efficiently or ensure that the proper handling equipment is optimally located.

#5. Cloud storage

Storing huge inventories on paper simply isn’t a practical option anymore, and relying on on-site digital storage isn’t a desirable solution either, given how a disaster can compromise the entire operation. Storing the data remotely in a cloud-based environment keeps it safe from disaster and makes it accessible on any device in any location. Online storage also reduces your dependence on local hardware, reducing capital investment costs and increasing your business resiliency in cases of potential data loss.

“But I had so much fun hiding underneath all these paper records!”

#6. ERP integration

Information silos are some of the biggest barriers of optimal business efficiency. All too often do different departments within the same company suffer from lack of collaboration due to using disconnected systems that don’t work well together. When that happens, orders end up taking substantially longer to fulfill, and the scope for error grows much larger.

With proper integration, you’ll be able to expedite processes, achieve greater accuracy, and enjoy real-time data tracking throughout the organization.

Red Key Solutions offers a complete WMS with all of these features. By partnering with us, you can bank on our extensive experience in maximizing technology to assist manufacturing companies in achieving their long-term business goals. Get in touch with us today.

Red Key is a leading Managed IT firm that is bringing AI to companies in New York City, Westchester County, Fairfield County Connecticut, California & beyond.