Know your Worth (or ROI)

Like any business, return on your software investment is an important metric to keep track of. Using an ERP or a WMS can certainly help you build reports, but without knowing what you’re looking for, it may be hard to show your growth. Most metrics fall into two categories: saving money or saving time.

Let’s look more closely at way to maximize supply chain ROI.

Watch Now: This video from Inspirage shows how to set performance targets to prove the value of your supply chain solution.

Add Automation to your Supply Chain

Inaccuracies can occur when inventory numbers are being entered manually. If inventory is counted in the morning and then not keyed in to your ERP until hours or days later, your numbers could already be inaccurate. Mobile data collection eliminates this bulky and error-prone process by automatically updating your systems with the correct information in real-time.

Real-time data collection can save time by eliminating manual data entry. It can also save money as stock levels are always accurate and therefore unnecessary ordering or overstocks can be avoided.

Make Customer Service a Top Priority

One ROI metric you can measure is customer retention – which is often a direct result of customer service.

The first step to great customer service is approaching it as a company holistically. Empowering employees in your warehouse to provide great customer service is a key component of unlocking this metric. When fast shipping and correct orders are everyone’s responsibility, there is an immediate increase in correct orders.

• According to Four Kites, here are some of the biggest increases in ROI that you might see:
• Reduced phone calls and emails, leading to more responsive customer service
• Improved relationships with customers and upstream suppliers
• Improved end-customer operations – driving more future business

 Combining these elements of automation and customer service can be game changing. Mobile data collection can give you complete visibility into where your orders are in the process of being picked, packed, or shipped. This can eliminate orders being lost in the warehouse…and it can also provide visibility into where the order is before it arrives at the customer’s home.

Choosing Hardware for Your Environment

Why is it important to have a dedicated hardware partner on your WMS implementation project? Having a dedicated hardware team can help you make hard decisions – and then help you maintain those decisions after the hardware is live in your warehouse. 

One of the first decisions that you will need to make is what kind of hardware you will utilize for mobile scanning. The initial distinction to make would be between consumer and ruggedized devices. Depending on your environment, you may be able to get away with a consumer device – which is essentially a smart phone that has been mounted to a scanning gun (you also see consumer tablets with some scanning capabilities as well). These devices are often used in retail environments where light scanning is required. They are usually not intended to work well in very extreme or harsh environments.

Is a Rugged Device Right for You?

A rugged device, on the other hand, are designed to withstand extreme temperatures, dirt, and potential drops. They have a longer life expectancy than consumer devices, simply because they can withstand more bumps and bruises by design. Additionally, rugged devices may have an option for buttons and keys. Consumer devices are typically touchscreen, which can be difficult to use in environments where the person scanning must wear gloves. There are a couple of other important factors to keep in mind with a rugged device: battery life and long-range scanning.

Battery Life

Rugged devices are designed with longer lasting batteries than a consumer device. Think about it: consumer devices are not designed with the intention to run apps and scan barcodes for long periods of time. It drains the battery life quickly. To charge a consumer device, it must be plugged in because the battery is not removable. Rugged devices are equipped with long lasting batteries that can be removed and replaced – reducing downtime. There is never a need to dock a device in the middle of a shift with a rugged device.

Long-Range Scanning

The other major consideration is long-range scanning. Long-range scanning simply means the ability to scan from far away. This is an important feature in warehouses with high racking or vertical storage. Instead of getting on a high-rise to scan, the rugged scanner can simply be adjusted to scan at long-range, saving the time and effort of moving heavy machinery to scan. This is not an option with a consumer device.

While consumer devices might appear less expensive in the long run, their life expectancy coupled with other factors such as battery life and long-range scanning capability may not make them the best option for your facility.

What is Automation?

 In our last post, we discussed automated data collection. But did you know that the warehouse automation goes beyond just mobile barcode scanning? The world of automation is full of imagination – the sky is the limit. Automation customers have implemented everything from a simply conveyor belt to drones that fly over the warehouse to count inventory. In this post, we will cover what automation is, common uses of automation, and how to integrate automation with your ERP.

Perceptions of Automation

Some customers think that automation is synonymous with “automatic.” While some forms of automation do automatically trigger tasks to be done or labels to be printed, others simply follow the dictionary.com definition of “reducing human intervention.” At it’s core, automation is about working smarter and not harder. By that definition, WMS is a form of automation. Let’s look at some other ways automation customers are using technology in their warehouse.

Warehouse Control System (WCS) & Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)

A WCS is a software application for orchestrating activity flow within the warehouse. They are used in conjunction with a WMS. These are commonly associated with warehouse automation, such as a conveyor system. A PLC is an industrial digital computer which has been ruggedized and adapted for the control of manufacturing processes, such as an assembly line or robotic device.

Conveyor Systems

Conveyor systems are mechanical devices that transport materials. There are many different types of conveyor systems, but they usually consists of a frame, rollers, wheels, and a belt. Conveyor systems are an efficient way to move materials or even pallets of finished goods from place to place. One major benefit of this technology is that it can reduce injuries caused by lifting or manually transporting inventory. When used in tandem with a WMS, scanners can be placed on the conveyor system that scan the inventory and automatically update the ERP in real time – saving time and increasing inventory accuracy.

Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS)

An ASRS is a type of warehouse automation specifically designed to store and retrieve product and inventory on demand. ASRS is a blanket term that can consist of equipment like picking cranes, carousels, or vertical lifts. The benefits of ASRS include more efficient use of floor space (since the automation typically stores inventory vertically), reduced labor costs, and increased order picking accuracy. When used with a WMS, ASRS can be optimized to pick efficiently. Essentially, the WMS will determine the picking tasks and most efficient picking paths for the ASRS to deliver inventory to the picker.