Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and Transportation Management Systems (TMS) are an integral part of supply chain technology. One of the biggest obstacles to using them is that you rely on data inputs. Any system is only as good as the data it receives, after all. This plays into our discussion topic for this week.
Discuss how newer technologies such as AI, RFID, or GPS tracking can significantly improve the value of WMS and TMS respectively.
You are expected to create at east one post and respond to one other student in a meaningful way to receive credit for this discussion.
There are many different technologies that are used during supply chain planning. Warehouse (WMS) and transportation Management Systems (TMS) are two very important types of software that are predominantly planning system. They can integrate execution-level functionality at times such as displaying real-time tracking data, but they are essentially planning tools. Large ERP solutions like SAP have their own modules for warehouse and transportation management. However, companies often opt to implement dedicated systems because they tend to be more refined and can often cater to specific needs of a company as well.
Warehouse management entails all processes to handle warehouse operation ranging from scheduling appointments for trucks to receiving and quality inspections, put-away and picking. We discuss these processes in detail and look into how businesses support their warehouses through WMS system. During my career, I have seen well over a hundred different warehouses on three continents and I have never been in one that wasn’t managed by a WMS. The system is so important that it is virtually inconceivable to run your operations without it. Transportation management systems are essentially similar to WMS from the perspective that they manage all transportation planning processes ranging from load tendering, to driver scheduling, to managing all the paperwork in the process and eventually making payments to drivers. We discuss all of these aspects and also look into a few special areas of technology. Listen to the recording below to learn more.