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Guest Column: Knowing When a WMS or WCS Is Right for Your Company
Companies moving product in and out of a DC or warehouse must understanding the differences between warehouse management and warehouse control systems or risk a distinct disadvantage
Although there is some functionality overlap, the differences between warehouse management systems (WMS) and warehouse control systems (WCS) can be significant. But until they are fully comprehended, companies that rely on the day-to-day movement of product in and out of a distribution center or warehouse can find themselves at a distinct disadvantage.
"A lot of companies probably don't know the difference in a WMS and a WCS system," says Jerry List, vice president of QC Software in Cincinnati. "To put it simply, the WMS plans a weekly activity forecast, based on such factors as statistics, trends and so forth. And a WCS acts like a floor supervisor, working in real time to get the job done by the most effective means.
"For instance," continues List, "a WMS can tell the system it's going to need five of SKU A and five of SKU B, hours in advance, but by the time it acts, other considerations may have come in to play and all of a sudden you have a logjam on a conveyor." A WCS can prevent that problem from happening by working in real time and adapting to the situation on the spot. "It can make a 'last-minute decision' based on current activity and operational status," says List.
Warehouse management systems began to flourish in the 1980s with the introduction of mini-computers. According to Kevin Tedford of KT Consulting in Marion, Ohio, who has worked with warehouse management systems for the past 20 years, companies knew when the time was right to implement a WMS into their distribution center operation.
"Businesses saw the need for a warehouse management system when they started hitting certain 'pain points'," explains Tedford. "This usually happened when they saw the costs of delivery rising, labor costs on the increase and a need to control inventory and keep track of what their people were doing. It was the moment they first began to realize they had no control."
According to Tedford, what the warehouse management system did was return the control to the distribution center supervisor. "The greatest advantage was it brought back inventory control and accuracy," he says. "And brought it back to a super-high level, so much so that companies could now exceed their customers' highest expectations, performing tasks in hours that at one time may have taken days or even weeks."
"Better, Faster, Cheaper"
With the turn of the century and the increase in the need to move more products faster in a shorter amount of time — and do it with fewer workers — technology began to accelerate.
The simple act of walking up and down a warehouse aisle picking products from a paper order was replaced by high-tech pick-to-light and pick-to-voice technology. The pace quickened and the products increased, and so did the need for better order verification and order fulfillment.
"A lot of companies probably don't know the difference in a WMS and a WCS system," says Jerry List, vice president of QC Software in Cincinnati. "To put it simply, the WMS plans a weekly activity forecast, based on such factors as statistics, trends and so forth. And a WCS acts like a floor supervisor, working in real time to get the job done by the most effective means.
"For instance," continues List, "a WMS can tell the system it's going to need five of SKU A and five of SKU B, hours in advance, but by the time it acts, other considerations may have come in to play and all of a sudden you have a logjam on a conveyor." A WCS can prevent that problem from happening by working in real time and adapting to the situation on the spot. "It can make a 'last-minute decision' based on current activity and operational status," says List.
Warehouse management systems began to flourish in the 1980s with the introduction of mini-computers. According to Kevin Tedford of KT Consulting in Marion, Ohio, who has worked with warehouse management systems for the past 20 years, companies knew when the time was right to implement a WMS into their distribution center operation.
"Businesses saw the need for a warehouse management system when they started hitting certain 'pain points'," explains Tedford. "This usually happened when they saw the costs of delivery rising, labor costs on the increase and a need to control inventory and keep track of what their people were doing. It was the moment they first began to realize they had no control."
According to Tedford, what the warehouse management system did was return the control to the distribution center supervisor. "The greatest advantage was it brought back inventory control and accuracy," he says. "And brought it back to a super-high level, so much so that companies could now exceed their customers' highest expectations, performing tasks in hours that at one time may have taken days or even weeks."
"Better, Faster, Cheaper"
With the turn of the century and the increase in the need to move more products faster in a shorter amount of time — and do it with fewer workers — technology began to accelerate.
The simple act of walking up and down a warehouse aisle picking products from a paper order was replaced by high-tech pick-to-light and pick-to-voice technology. The pace quickened and the products increased, and so did the need for better order verification and order fulfillment.
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