Warehouse Management System
A warehouse management system that replaced loose spreadsheets and processes orders 40% faster. A twelve-week implementation, with barcode scanning and real-time inventory management that delivered live results from the very first week.
- 40%
- Faster order processing
- 95%
- Fewer picking errors
- 30%
- Higher staff efficiency
- 12 wks
- From analysis to live
A growing company with a warehouse that could not keep up
A logistics company was growing fast, but without a warehouse management system the warehouse could not grow with it. Spreadsheets, manual counts and inventory management that broke the moment things got busy.
Manual registration
Every pallet that arrived had to be counted and recorded by hand. One mistake and the stock figures no longer added up.
No central overview
The warehouse ran on spreadsheets. Who had the current version? No one. The manager, the warehouse supervisor and the planner each worked from different data.
Slow picking processes
Pickers walked the warehouse from memory or from printed lists whose order did not match the walking route.
Wrong deliveries
Picking errors only came to light when the customer complained. Returns, credit notes and unhappy customers were the result.
First understand how the warehouse works, then build
We did not start behind a laptop, but on the floor. A few days walking the warehouse showed where the time really went and where the picking errors arose.
The warehouse management system had to fit how the warehouse already worked, not the other way around. So we first mapped the entire process: from the pallet coming in to the order going out the door. Only then did we know which steps barcode scanning could take over and where inventory management was getting stuck.
Then we built in phases. The core first: inventory management and scanner integration, so every movement in the warehouse landed in the system instantly. After that the optimised pick lists, and finally the ERP integration. The warehouse could test parts while the rest was still in development.
That order was no accident. By starting with stock, the team gained real-time insight into their figures straight away. The speed gains on order processing and the drop in picking errors came afterwards, once the optimised routes and scanning were up and running.
The warehouse management system we built
A complete WMS with barcode scanning and real-time inventory management, built around how the warehouse works, not the other way around.
Scan-driven goods receipt
Pallets are scanned on receipt. The system knows what it is, where it should go and updates stock instantly. No more manual counting.
Real-time inventory management
Stock is up to date the moment anything moves. Stock below the minimum? An automatic alert. More warehouses? Everything in one system, with transfers between them.
Optimised pick lists
The system calculates the most efficient walking route through the warehouse. Orders are grouped so the picker walks as little as possible.
Scanner integration
Works with the existing Zebra and Honeywell scanners. No expensive hardware investment. Staff carry on working the way they are used to.
ERP integration
Orders sync automatically with the ERP and stock flows back into the accounting system. No more double entry.
What the warehouse management system delivered
After twelve weeks the WMS went live. Orders processed 40% faster, 95% fewer picking errors and inventory management that always adds up.
Orders are processed in less time thanks to optimised pick routes.
Scanning prevents almost all picking errors and wrong deliveries.
Staff complete the same number of orders in less time.
Everyone works from the same up-to-date figures, with no version conflicts.
From spreadsheets to one system that adds up
The numbers tell the story, but the real change was in the day-to-day work on the floor.
Stock now adds up after every movement. Where the manager, the warehouse supervisor and the planner each used to work from different data, everyone now looks at the same up-to-date figures. Stock below the minimum? The system raises an alert instead of a nasty surprise after the fact.
On the floor, pickers scan the item and the system confirms whether it is right. The optimised walking route means they walk less and no longer search. That delivered 40% faster order processing and 95% fewer picking errors, and with it fewer returns and credit notes.
We migrated the inventory data over a weekend, so the WMS went live on Monday morning. For a week we ran alongside the old system to be safe, while the warehouse simply kept running. Twelve weeks after the first analysis, there was a system the whole team relies on.
From analysis to live release
Twelve weeks in four phases, with minimal downtime for the warehouse.
Analysis and design
- Spending days in the warehouse
- Mapping the process
- Creating the system design
Core development
- Inventory management module
- Scanner integration
- First pick lists
Integration and optimisation
- ERP integration
- Optimised routes
- Performance tuning
Training and delivery
- Staff training
- Test runs
- Live release
Questions about this warehouse management system
Wondering whether we could build a similar WMS for your warehouse? We are happy to think along.
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