What Are the Features of a Warehouse Management System?

At a glance, it may seem like storing items in a warehouse isn’t very complicated. You just put a bunch of things in the warehouse, note how many items there are (for example, 500 books and 1,000 notepads), and then you’re all set!

This setup may have worked when warehouses were small and didn’t hold much. Now, though, warehousing is so much more complicated. 

The key to successfully dealing with all this complexity is a sound warehouse management system (WMS). One that can successfully keep track of everything stored in a warehouse.

The purpose of a warehouse management system is to optimize warehouse operations and procedures. People expect a quick turnaround these days when ordering goods, and an efficient WMS can help with that.

There are several essential features to look for in a top-quality WMS. This blog will discuss what a good WMS can do for you and what you should look for when considering one. 

A Warehouse Management System…

Supports Receiving Goods

When goods are delivered to a warehouse, the first step in successful logistics management services is properly receiving them. 

Therefore, any system you implement must offer functionality that correctly supports receiving all kinds of goods. Everything from slippers to sugar!

At a minimum, a WMS must be able to track any differences between the number of products received at the warehouse and the number of products listed on the manifest or shipping bill for the products.

In addition, it may be able to provide suggestions on the best location for storing the goods you’ve received. This feature enables you to optimize your storage space, keep more goods, and make more money!

Must Support Detailed Inventory Management

One of the key features that a WMS must offer is inventory management. No matter what kind of services a warehouse can provide, they won’t stay in business if they can’t quickly and easily give details on a customer’s inventory. 

After all, you don’t want to store your goods in a warehouse only to discover you’re unable to find anything. 

Inventory management as part of a warehouse management system should offer at least two main features:

• It should provide information on how many you have of a particular item in a warehouse, whether that’s broccoli or beach balls.
• It should give information on where different items are located in a warehouse. This feature is essential, as it makes the process of picking and packing much faster. 

Robust inventory management is vital to successful logistic management services in Ontario. 

Whether you’ve got goods in just one or several warehouses, inventory management can ensure that you know exactly what you’ve stored and where it is.

Should Support Mobile Deployment

As warehouses have expanded in size and scope, technology has been working hard to keep up with them. 

Keeping track of your inventory without using mobile devices is time-consuming and challenging.

Today, you can use mobile devices (such as handheld scanners) to quickly scan barcodes and relay information back to your WMS. 

If you find an item missing a barcode, you can use mobile printers to print one quickly.

While a WMS that supports mobile deployment may initially cost more, the investment will pay off with improved efficiency. 

Remember, efficiency is key to both quick turnaround times and customer satisfaction!

Should Support Picking and Packing

Another feature that WMS provides is a way to make picking and packing more efficient. It can be very time-consuming to pick the correct type and number of items and then pack them correctly for shipping, so more efficiency is always good. 

A system may be able to:

• Create and print picking lists.
• Note, that all the items required, can be found in the warehouse.
• Suggest an ideal route for workers or equipment to take.
• Create necessary documentation, such as shipping labels and a bill of lading.

Ultimately, a robust WMS helps improve efficiency for Ontario-based logistic management services.

How can Wills Transfer help me with logistic management services?

If you’re looking for help with your logistic management services in Ontario, you’ve come to the right place! 

We’ve got over 75 years of experience in logistic management services, with a strong focus on customer satisfaction.

At Wills Transfer, we pride ourselves on providing our customers with top-notch service, and one of the key pieces to that service is our robust warehouse management system. 

Our WMS helps us do everything from maintaining accurate inventory records to tracking activities such as shipping and receiving. Our end goal is to make our entire logistics management process seamless!

We’d be happy to explain a warehousing management system’s functions, features, and benefits and how we can help you with warehousing and third-party logistics.

The Benefits of a Warehouse Management System

We’ve explained some of the essential features of a WMS. It should support:

• Receiving goods
• Inventory management
• Mobile Deployment
• Picking and packing 

Although we’ve been in business a long time, that doesn’t mean we’re not up to date on technology. 

Our cutting-edge WMS ensures that we can always provide you with all the details you need on your inventory and is a crucial part of our logistics management services.

At Wills Transfer, you can count on us to ensure that our logistics management services in Ontario ensure your goods always get where they need to go!

Contact Us to Learn More

Whether you need help with warehousing, distribution, or logistics management services in Ontario, we can help! You can call Wills Transfer at 613-283-0225 or contact us online to learn more about how we can help you.