BY JAMES A. COOKE, EDITOR AT LARGE
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION
strategicinsight
ready, preset, go
WMS vendors are pushing software that comes preconfigured to the needs
of specific industries, cutting weeks—or even months—out of the installation
process. But experts warn it’s not for everyone.
VENDORS OF WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (WMS) GET IT: WHAT
you want these days is a fast and cheap installation. In response, they’re pushing the
concept of software that comes preconfigured to the needs of specific industries—
like retail or automotive or pharmaceuticals. Buy one of these packages, vendors say,
and you can skip right over some of the programming work during the installation
phase.
For all the hype, the idea of preconfigured WMS packages isn’t particularly new. In
fact, the consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PricewaterhouseCoopers)
came up with the idea years ago, according to consultant Steve Mulaik, a partner at
the Alpharetta, Ga.-based Progress Group.
Nonetheless, it’s clear that vendors believe the time is ripe for a product whose chief
selling point is the promise of simple, low-cost installation. “The WMS vendors are
really pushing this because everyone is cognizant of the time element and the costs of
implementation,” says John Sidell, a managing principal at the Kansas City, Mo.-based
systems integrator TranSystems ESync.
