40 DC VELOCITY FEBRUARY 2016 www.dcvelocity.com
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improved their products to the point where some look
and act like WMS. By enhancing WCS and using creative
marketing messages to sell their systems, software vendors
have both opened up opportunities for user companies
and made the software selection process more confusing
for them.
On the plus side, some WCS and WES providers have
standardized their products, developed new versions, and
enhanced their offerings. By using a common underlying
code base from one project to the next (instead of a series
of custom-built applications), they can roll out system
enhancements to all users at once. These are all benefits for
companies that have a non-customizable WMS in place or
that are using a WCS and need greater functionality.
On the minus side, these developments have led to some
market confusion. Because it’s getting harder to discern
among the choices—and because more vendors are pitching their products as the “complete solution” to a client’s
warehouse management challenges—selecting the right
solution (or solutions) is becoming more difficult for
buyers. There are also more opportunities to try to put a
“square peg in a round hole,” if you will, by using software
that’s really not capable of handling specific functions in a
sustainable manner.
FOUR ACQUISITION SCENARIOS &
RECOMMENDATIONS
Further complicating the picture, companies find themselves in a variety of situations with respect to the warehouse software acquisition process, making it impossible to
provide a universal set of purchasing guidelines. Some are
buying a new WMS and material handling systems at the
same time, while others are buying new material handling
equipment and a WCS, but not a WMS. Still others either
want to replace their WMS or need software that can better
manage advanced warehousing functionality (e.g., directed
putaway or waving) but aren’t interested in replacing their
WMS or material handling equipment (and WCS).
To help companies better understand their choices and
make the best possible purchasing decision, we offer some
recommendations tailored to each of these four “
acquisition scenarios.” They are as follows:
1. Companies purchasing a new WMS and material
handling equipment at the same time. With many WMS
installations hitting or passing the 10-year mark, companies in search of better functionality and capabilities may
be acquiring a WMS and buying new material handling
equipment simultaneously. The best bet in this case is to
purchase their WCS or WES system from the same com-
; Receiving
; Reserve putaway
; Slotting
; Wave management
; Order management
; Transportation
management
; ERP integration
; Management
reporting
; Supply chain
integration
; Mobile scanner
integration
; Voice data capture
; Non-automated pick
management
; Inventory management
; Small-parcel
manifesting
; Replenishment
management
; Labor management
; Shipping management
; Automated pick
management
; Pick-to-light
management
; Automated zone skipping
; Pack sort management
; Ship sort management
; Mobile scanner
integration
; Fixed scanner
integration
; Machine control
integration
EXHIBIT 1
Which software does what?
WHEN IT COMES TO FUNCTIONALITY AND CAPABILITIES, THERE’S SIGNIFICANT OVERLAP BETWEEN THE TASKS HANDLED BY WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS (WMS), WAREHOUSE EXECUTION SYSTEMS (WES), AND WAREHOUSE CONTROL SYSTEMS (WCS).
