Digital networking in the warehouse

The warehouse management software is outdated and no longer fits in with the modern networked world. Many companies are familiar with this scenario and yet balk at taking the risk of swapping their systems for a modern software solution.

Jürgen Wagner, software team leader at Kardex Remstar, explains how to make the successful switch to warehouse management software (WMS) that is fit for the future.

There are understandable reasons why IT managers fail to tackle the task of replacing their old systems with new TCP/IP(Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)-based warehouse management software: unclear requirements, fear of downtimes, a lack of personnel resources, and/or the time and costs involved. Although companies are still able to operate their dynamic storage and retrieval systems with an outdated WMS, they no longer fit in with the new networked world. They are merely isolated solutions. As such, nobody can efficiently manage the organization, evaluation, and administration of the overarching processes. A modern warehouse management system is needed to ensure that a newly introduced SAP WM (Warehouse Management) or MM (Materials Management) module can process the item-related information from the warehouse systems.

Most managers have acknowledged this fact. That is why many logistics specialists and warehouse and supply chain managers have been carefully rethinking their processes since the financial turmoil of 2008. During the sluggish period, they had more time to compare new technology and solutions. In view of the growing pressure on costs, they also felt compelled to eliminate intralogistics sub-processes that added no value. After all, most of a company’s capital is often tied up in its warehouse. Every superfluous item in the inventory costs money.