Finding the right Warehouse Management System for Small Business is crucial for IT. Engineering, e-commerce, electronics and telecoms, pharmaceuticals and many other vertical business sectors. If a company’s warehouse is not running , its day-to-day business is likely to suffer.
Did you know? The Indian warehousing market unorganized players. Which account for almost 85% of the market. The remaining organized Warehouse Management System for Small Business operate. At the current capacity of 106.95 million metric tons (MT).
To further increase capacity and manage storage loads. Both organized and unorganized warehouses need to adopt the best automation tools. With a robust inventory management system, tied stock can .
Its is important for streamlining various business functions such. As tracking inventory in transit and in storage and managing inventory levels. It provides accurate figures for the different products in stock. And a clear description of the stock.
he is also provides managers with quick access to accurate information. To help them improve warehouse efficiency and productivity Warehouse Management System for Small Business.
But, there are different inventory management systems on the market. So it can be difficult to decide which one is best for your business. Here guidelines for investing in the best inventory management software.
Understand your inventory management requirements
When you’re trying to manage the day-to-day operations of your warehouse. You face many challenges. So why not make a smart decision and invest in a good inventory management system? List all your expectations from an Warehouse Management System for Small Business. Request a free demonstration and choose the right system for your needs.
Get a realistic budget
Successful implementation of an inventory management system requires. Investment in the right hardware and software. Hardware and software costs can before final implementation.
But, there are other hidden costs, such as maintenance, upgrades and consultancy. Which are often not taken into account when deciding on. The budget for an Warehouse Management System for Small Business investment.
If you don’t want to changing costs after implementing your inventory management software. Set your IT budget so that you can afford to spend money on software upgrades and maintenance later.
Functional scalability and flexibility
Key features that determine the usability of an inventory management system include.
Integration with existing applications
Reporting and analysis
and intuitive interface
Advanced data storage
Technical support
An inventory management system that includes. These basic features can prove to be a wise choice. But be sure to check the flexibility and scalability of the features. This will ensure that the software does not end up limiting. The functionality of your growing business and your growing warehouse. Software should always offer the option to expand the level of warehouse automation.
Ongoing support from the supplier
Once your inventory management system, you will receive. These support services from your supplier. Sooner or later, your employees may face certain challenges in using. The different inventory management modules. To ensure that workflows are not disrupted, it is important that. Your supplier provides 24/7 technical support to users. Of your inventory management system.
But, if you want to reduce your dependency on the technical support team. You should choose an inventory management system with a interface. If the user interface is confusing for the user, warehouse processes are bound to suffer. A WMS system is the only solution. If you want to track stock locations, stock quantities. Delivery status and sales reports.
How to find the right WMS for your small business?
07,000,000 is the number of results that come up when. You type in the Google search term warehouse management system. Talking about data overload there are countless options and information available. Which can make it difficult to find software. Especially if you’re not sure what your goals are for a new WMS system.
Choosing the right warehouse management system for your small business. Can have a huge positive impact on your bottom line. So it’s important to have an idea of what. You want to achieve with your WMS and what features. You need to meet those goals before talking to a vendor.
First things first
Start by asking yourself why your company is looking for a new WMS system in the first place.
There can be many reasons why a small business. Might want to adopt a WMS or move to a more robust solution.
Is your small business experiencing increasing order and inventory volumes. And can no longer manage inventory with time-consuming manual picking methods?
Are you using a legacy system that is no longer supported. By your supplier and lacks the functionality you need?
Are you using barcodes and barcode scanners. Or are you considering introducing barcode scanning to reduce picking errors?
Do you want to reduce the time it takes to complete an order?
you need more advanced functionality, such as the ability to pick. The same product from many locations in the warehouse or mobile picking.
Answering these types of questions is key when developing a technology road map. And scoping the WMS functionality you need. It’s also important to consider the following when you begin to plan your objectives.
Define your inventory
The size and organization of your warehouse. Will influence the type of WMS functionality. You need (simple or complex), so it’s important to understand. How your warehouse works and how the stock and picked across your facilities.
You can find steps to help you choose a WMS in our WMS Selection Checklist
If you’re a very small organization managing a few thousand SKUs and sending out 50-100 orders. A day, a complex warehouse management system may not be necessary. Less complex warehouses, warehouses that don’t must location tracking. Or cash-in-hand businesses that. Want to manage their inventory can benefit from simple inventory. Management features to achieve their goals. These features include.
Consolidation of bills of lading
Transport inventory management
Ability to print shipping labels
Pick/pack/shipment workflow management
Validation scanning (more on this below)
If your business and warehouse operations involve higher inventory. And order volumes. now is the time to start evaluating advanced inventory management systems. A common indicator that your business would benefit from. More advanced functionality is when you have the following requirements
Multiple storage locations for the same SKU in different storage locations. You need to be able to pick the same SKU from many locations.
You need barcode scanning. And manual picking to manage the receiving, picking, packing and delivery process.
Advanced WMS features include.
Empty stock and shelf availability. The system displays empty locations in the warehouse. So that SKUs can based on which locations are empty when products.
Integration with barcode scanning devices – Integration with barcode scanning. Devices for laptops, iOS, Android and Microsoft tablets. This allows users to attach the tablet to carts, forklifts, etc. for use during product picking.
Assigning storage and non-storage locations. The ability to assign storage locations as storage or non-storage. This indicates the actual stock level in the warehouse. But separates the products available for existing orders from those already reserved. Allows cross-docking of products.
Stock location priorities – Ability to set. Stock location priorities and classifications to improve picking efficiency. Based on these priorities and classifications. The system generates picking lists for the most efficient picking routes.
Tracking product movements in the Stock Software for Small Business. The system records all product movements in the warehouse. As you select items from the shelf and add them to the cart. The system clears units from the shelf and adds units to the cart. This allows the user to view stock that is still in stock but allocated to a specific order.
Cross-docking – the ability to receive and ship products without stocking them. The system also shows where there is shelf space when receiving products.
