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Of course, the need to run warehouse operations more effectively and efficiently is the primary and ongoing reason for WMS sales. But beyond that “given,” the pressures and needs arising from e-commerce fulfillment and omni-channel operations continue to be the most pervasive stimulus for taking that action. The need for responsive fulfillment operations, driven by e-commerce expectations and same day or next day delivery, are in turn pressuring warehouses to find more effective ways to handle rush orders. WMS capabilities such as waveless fulfillment or other business rules to prioritize orders while still efficiently handling high volumes are central to customer demands. Additionally, put-wall functionality, routing orders to pack stations, and out of the box integrations to automation such as sorters and pick/put-to-light are frequently noted as high priorities within the WMS selection process.
Supply chain convergence – or the concept of breaking down silos to create interconnected business processes across functions, time horizons, locations, and processes – has been a vision influencing warehouse operational improvements for years. However, the ability to offer, support, and integrate adjacent and complementary technologies has escalated from a secondary consideration to a primary determinant of the WMS selection process. The WMS selection process has evolved to a WMS-plus selection process. For example, warehouse labor management has consistently been an important add-on to WMS. But now labor management applications have evolved to include employee engagement, retention, and the management of other warehouse resources. These solutions are now critical to many companies when selecting a WMS. Additionally, the “other resources” to be managed are increasingly warehouse robotics or other forms of automation.
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