Stages of selection and implementation of a WMS system. Warehouse accounting automation, positioning systems, RFID, barcoding Implementation of wms in a warehouse

up to 5 days to select a solution and calculate an estimate

Order the implementation of WMS to optimize the work of the warehouse and make its interaction with other departments of the company transparent. We will perform all the tasks for the implementation of the project - from finding the ideal solution to supplying licensed software, equipment and wireless networks. We will teach your employees how to use the system. You can:

use various identification technologies in work: barcoding, voice picking (voice-picking), Pick-by-light or Put-to-light;

abandon paper media in the warehouse, conduct electronic exchange of information within the company and when interacting with counterparties, integrate with various information systems firms and warehouse equipment;

dynamically change the storage address of the goods depending on the purity of the reference to the goods (ABC);

change the volume of storage places for goods depending on the type of TU (transport unit): EUR, FIN, American standard, Eurobox, etc.;

apply various strategies, acceptance, placement, replenishment, inventory, selection, packaging and shipment of goods;

use various motivational schemes for employees, send the results to the accounting department and employees with the final calculation with the required detail;

rate warehouse operations (billing) for automated billing for work/services within the company or to bailors;

automate the yard management process;

carry out warehouse operations leveling the human factor;

Privacy agreement

and processing of personal data

1. General Provisions

1.1. This agreement on confidentiality and processing of personal data (hereinafter referred to as the Agreement) is accepted freely and of its own free will, applies to all information that Insales Rus LLC and / or its affiliates, including all persons belonging to the same group with LLC "Insales Rus" (including "EKAM service" LLC) may receive about the User while using any of the sites, services, services, computer programs, products or services of "Insales Rus" LLC (hereinafter referred to as the "Services") and in during the execution of Insales Rus LLC of any agreements and contracts with the User. The User's consent to the Agreement, expressed by him in the framework of relations with one of the listed persons, applies to all other listed persons.

1.2. The use of the Services means the User's consent to this Agreement and the conditions specified therein; in case of disagreement with these conditions, the User must refrain from using the Services.

"Insales"- Limited Liability Company "Insales Rus", OGRN 1117746506514, TIN 7714843760, KPP 771401001, registered at the address: 125319, Moscow, Akademika Ilyushin St., 4, building 1, office 11 (hereinafter - "Insales" ), on the one hand, and

"User" -

or individual who has legal capacity and is recognized as a participant in civil legal relations in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation;

or entity, registered in accordance with the laws of the state of which such person is a resident;

or individual entrepreneur, registered in accordance with the laws of the state of which such person is a resident;

which has accepted the terms of this Agreement.

1.4. For the purposes of this Agreement, the Parties have determined that confidential information is information of any nature (production, technical, economic, organizational and others), including the results of intellectual activity, as well as information about the methods of carrying out professional activities (including, but not limited to: information about products, works and services; information about technologies and research work; data on technical systems and equipment, including elements of software; business forecasts and details of proposed purchases; requirements and specifications of specific partners and potential partners; information related to intellectual property, as well as plans and technologies related to all of the above), communicated by one party to the other party in writing and / or electronic form, expressly designated by the Party as its confidential information.

1.5. The purpose of this Agreement is to protect confidential information that the Parties will exchange during negotiations, conclusion of contracts and fulfillment of obligations, as well as any other interaction (including, but not limited to, consulting, requesting and providing information, and performing other assignments).

2.Obligations of the Parties

2.1. The Parties agree to keep secret all confidential information received by one Party from the other Party during the interaction of the Parties, not to disclose, disclose, make public or otherwise provide such information to any third party without the prior written permission of the other Party, with the exception of cases specified in the current legislation, when the provision of such information is the responsibility of the Parties.

2.2. Each of the Parties will take all necessary measures to protect confidential information using at least the same measures that the Party applies to protect its own confidential information. Access to confidential information shall be granted only to those employees of each of the Parties who reasonably need it to perform official duties for the execution of this Agreement.

2.3. The obligation to keep secret confidential information is valid within the term of this Agreement, the license agreement for computer programs dated 01.12.2016, the agreement of accession to the license agreement for computer programs, agency and other agreements and within five years after termination their actions, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties.

(a) if the information provided has become publicly available without violating the obligations of one of the Parties;

(b) if the information provided became known to the Party as a result of its own research, systematic observations or other activities carried out without the use of confidential information received from the other Party;

(c) if the information provided is lawfully obtained from a third party without an obligation to keep it secret until it is provided by one of the Parties;

(d) if the information is provided at the written request of a public authority, other public authority, or local government in order to perform their functions and its disclosure to these authorities is mandatory for the Party. In this case, the Party must immediately notify the other Party of the request received;

(e) if the information is provided to a third party with the consent of the Party about which the information is being transferred.

2.5. Insales does not verify the accuracy of the information provided by the User, and is not able to assess its legal capacity.

2.6. The information that the User provides to Insales when registering in the Services is not personal data, as defined in federal law RF No. 152-FZ dated July 27, 2006. "About personal data".

2.7. Insales has the right to make changes to this Agreement. When making changes in the current version, the date of the last update is indicated. The new version of the Agreement comes into force from the moment of its placement, unless otherwise provided new edition Agreements.

2.8. By accepting this Agreement, the User acknowledges and agrees that Insales may send personalized messages and information to the User (including, but not limited to) to improve the quality of the Services, to develop new products, to create and send personal offers to the User, to inform the User about changes in Tariff plans and updates, to send marketing materials to the User related to the Services, to protect the Services and Users, and for other purposes.

The user has the right to refuse to receive the above information by notifying in writing to the e-mail address Insales - .

2.9. By accepting this Agreement, the User acknowledges and agrees that the Insales Services may use cookies, counters, other technologies to ensure the operation of the Services in general or their individual functions in particular, and the User has no claims against Insales in connection with this.

2.10. The user is aware that the equipment and software used by him to visit sites on the Internet may have the function of prohibiting operations with cookies (for any sites or for certain sites), as well as deleting previously received cookies.

Insales has the right to determine that the provision of a certain Service is possible only if the acceptance and receipt of cookies is allowed by the User.

2.11. The user is solely responsible for the security of the means chosen by him to access the account, and also independently ensures their confidentiality. The User is solely responsible for all actions (as well as their consequences) within or using the Services under account of the User, including cases of voluntary transfer by the User of data for access to the User's account to third parties on any terms (including under contracts or agreements). At the same time, all actions within or using the Services under the User's account are considered to be performed by the User, except for cases when the User notified Insales about unauthorized access to the Services using the User's account and / or about any violation (suspicions of violation) of the confidentiality of their account access.

2.12. The User is obliged to immediately notify Insales of any case of unauthorized (not authorized by the User) access to the Services using the User's account and / or any violation (suspicion of violation) of the confidentiality of their means of access to the account. For security purposes, the User is obliged to independently carry out a safe shutdown of work under his account at the end of each session of work with the Services. Insales is not responsible for the possible loss or corruption of data, as well as other consequences of any nature that may occur due to the violation by the User of the provisions of this part of the Agreement.

3. Responsibility of the Parties

3.1. The Party that violated the obligations stipulated by the Agreement regarding the protection of confidential information transferred under the Agreement is obliged to compensate, at the request of the affected Party, the real damage caused by such a violation of the terms of the Agreement in accordance with the current legislation of the Russian Federation.

3.2. Compensation for damages does not terminate the obligations of the violating Party for the proper performance of obligations under the Agreement.

4.Other provisions

4.1. All notices, requests, demands and other correspondence under this Agreement, including those including confidential information, must be in writing and delivered in person or through a courier, or sent by e-mail to the addresses specified in the license agreement for computer programs dated December 01, 2016, the agreement of accession to the license agreement for computer programs and in this Agreement or other addresses that may be specified in writing by the Party in the future.

4.2. If one or more provisions (conditions) of this Agreement are or become invalid, then this cannot serve as a reason for the termination of other provisions (conditions).

4.3. The law of the Russian Federation shall apply to this Agreement and the relationship between the User and Insales arising in connection with the application of the Agreement.

4.3. The User has the right to send all suggestions or questions regarding this Agreement to the Insales User Support Service or by postal address: 107078, Moscow, st. Novoryazanskaya, 18, pp. 11-12 BC "Stendhal" LLC "Insales Rus".

Publication date: 01.12.2016

Full name in Russian:

Limited Liability Company "Insales Rus"

Abbreviated name in Russian:

Insales Rus LLC

Name in English:

InSales Rus Limited Liability Company (InSales Rus LLC)

Legal address:

125319, Moscow, st. Academician Ilyushin, 4, building 1, office 11

Mailing address:

107078, Moscow, st. Novoryazanskaya, 18, building 11-12, BC "Stendhal"

TIN: 7714843760 KPP: 771401001

Bank details:

The growing popularity of warehouse management systems is due to the fact that professional and adaptable WMS, depending on the classification and configuration, ensure the optimization of all warehouse processes in an end-to-end mode (acceptance, placement, storage, cargo picking, and much more), as well as monitoring the work of personnel, equipment , warehouse equipment. The ability to control operations, plan them automatically and carry out operational management centrally is a serious advantage that allows you to reduce costs and improve the quality of work, which determines the competitiveness of the company.

To properly prepare the implementation WMS systems, it is necessary to carefully plan the work of an automated warehouse and make a choice in favor of a solution provider that best meets individual characteristics business.

Preparing for the implementation of a warehouse management system (WMS) can be divided into five key phases: creating a logistics warehouse model, defining system requirements, making a decision to purchase a system, selecting suppliers, and conducting a tender.

Warehouse logistics model

The first step in choosing automated system warehouse management is the development of a logistics warehouse model. As part of this procedure, it is necessary to determine the optimal processes and the document flow required for them, distribute labor resources and resources of loading equipment, calculate warehouse productivity for each technological zone, and predict commodity volumes for the warehouse. The second stage consists in a theoretical description of the interaction of the warehouse with external services. The process of creating a warehouse model is quite complicated, and if the company does not have its own experienced logisticians, consultants can be indispensable. The result of this stage should be the development of detailed recommendations on the operation of the warehouse and the resolved issue of the need to implement WMS.

Determining system requirements

Based on the warehouse model created at the first stage, it is already possible to determine the basic requirements for the warehouse system. Namely: how WMS will describe goods and packaging, how it will distribute the technological zones of the warehouse, how it will work with documents and reports, and what will be the system interface and integration with other company software. The final document of this stage - SRD (Systems Requirement Document) - a document containing a detailed description of the required parameters of the control system for a particular warehouse.

Buy or not?

At the third stage, the company must decide whether it has the resources to independently develop a warehouse management system, or whether it needs to buy a ready-made software. In general, the first option is quite rare, when the others accounting systems the company created on its own. Most often, companies turn to WMS solution providers.

Supplier selection

Suppliers (or vendors) of WMS systems can offer both custom system development services and sell already turnkey solutions requiring little tweaking. When choosing a supplier, it is necessary to be guided by the following criteria: to what extent its product meets the requirements of the developed warehouse model, how wide the functionality is, how simple the system will be for the staff, what ROI and implementation effect it implies, as well as how stable the supplier is and what level of service he offers. The use of consultants allows you to effectively resolve issues of interaction with the supplier.

Thinking about the functionality of the system and its use in the future, one must not forget about its flexibility. If your business changes, will the WMS system continue to support your warehouse operations? How easy will this transition be? Will, for example, the task of using RFID technologies be successfully implemented if this is required in the future?

Tender

Then, a tender invitation should be drawn up based on the SRD, developed on the basis of the logistic model. The tender invitation is sent to the suppliers selected in the previous stage. Companies within the framework of the tender must be evaluated according to the following parameters: reputation, prestige of the product, implementation experience, implementation methodology, system localization (for foreign suppliers), service conditions, terms and cost of implementation, the possibility of customizing the product, total cost licenses and implementation.

Today's market dictates tough conditions, and for effective work a highly qualified team is required, which means that the supplier company must have a well-developed knowledge translation system, a working system for setting tasks and internal reporting.

This is not the first year, and the question is being raised more and more actively that the professionalism of the WMS supplier should be complemented by the professionalism of the customer's team. We can say with confidence that almost every supplier with serious work experience had precedents when, with a change of team, the project was frozen, or completely stopped to replace the solution with a more familiar new operational management of the customer. This means that only joint work can minimize project risks. It is important that the client clearly understands ultimate goal and project priorities. For some, it is important to increase the productivity of personnel, for others - to reduce the number of errors made to a predetermined value. Even in the list of the same goals, different priorities can be set, which will globally determine a different approach to the implementation of the functionality.

In the course of warehouse automation, one of the most important components is often underestimated - the project management methodology. In fact, this is the organization of the activities of all participants in the process at different stages of the project, determined at the level of the implementation methodology of the WMS solution supplier company. As a result of such an underestimation, a variety of difficulties can arise: from ineffective communications to failure to meet deadlines for the entire project or its individual stages. Taking into account the fact that in the conditions of Russian reality, deadlines are already often postponed by customers due to the unavailability of the facility, the potential possibility of delays on the part of the supplier can lead to delaying the project to such an extent that completely different functionality is required during implementation. It is known that the needs of a developing enterprise change over time, and only meeting the deadlines can be one of the guarantors of the compliance of the implemented solution with the current state of the warehouse complex.

The scope of work can vary greatly depending on the specifics of the project and the equipment used. However, if we talk about the most common scheme for implementing a warehouse automation project, then it consists of the following points:

1. Determining the goals and priorities of the project

Most often, joint work on this stage takes literally 1-2 days. But it is preceded by a lot of work on the customer's side, the result of which are the basic requirements for the automation system and the results of the project. At the same stage, there should already be information about key users and the composition of the project team with a clear distribution of roles. You need to study the supplier project team and pay special attention to its hierarchy. The fact that there should be a project manager in it to address any issue is known. It is also desirable that the project team include a project curator, for example, one of the top managers of the company.

A typical scheme of the contractor's project team looks something like this:

The project technologist assumes the functions of monitoring for compliance with the task end result and takes part in key stages of the project. With him, the customer's employees coordinate changes in the functionality that directly affect the technology of cargo handling, and it is the technologist, if it is provided for by the project, that performs the process design. The technical coordinator oversees the processes related to integration into the IT infrastructure, equipment configuration and functional modification.

The consultant takes on the tasks of setting up the software and training the warehouse representatives on the part of the customer.

It is quite possible that the customer representatives will not even interact directly with the assistant technologist, junior consultant, developers and hardware specialists, but it is simply necessary to make sure that at least a developer and a hardware specialist are available.

And it is important to remember that there are no comprehensive solutions. If the contractor convinces you that the WMS-system can do everything without development, ask to send and attach to the contract or terms of reference a complete description of the WMS-system with a matrix of settings. After all, it is quite logical that if the solution is so complete, then all the standard functionality is well documented, and the customer can easily find the features that he needs in it.

2. Collection of data on the operation of the warehouse complex

One of the most simple steps calculated for approximately 3-5 days. If a “boxed” solution is purchased, then data collection is necessary to determine the amount of improvements. With an adaptable WMS, a stage is required to implement the concept of “as is” or “as is” cargo handling technology. Be sure to ask the solution provider to provide at least general information on the specifics of the processes that he received as a result of such data collection. Any stage must have a clear result, otherwise it is uncontrolled work that may result in violation of the project deadlines. Also note that data collection cannot be performed solely by representatives of the warehouse management system supplier. Employees of the customer must also take the initiative and provide the necessary information about the specifics of their work. This is done by interviewing key users.

3. Shaping terms of reference(setting design, setting concept, etc.).

Almost every supplier of WMS - systems uses its own format of what can be called terms of reference (TOR) or settings design. It is from the standards used and the level of detail of the document that the duration of the stage depends (from 1 day to several months). By and large, for the customer at this stage, the main task is to obtain a structured document with the proper level of elaboration of operations, and corresponding to the current contract and the original agreements with the supplier. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the level of elaboration of technical specifications, since the cost of work also depends on it. In particular, some suppliers are ready to write technical specifications for free, while others will ask for more than a million rubles.

In addition, some vendors may send a functional description of the system instead of TOR, while others will spend six months on a multi-level description of processes with the highest degree of detail and several hundred pages of accompanying text. Of course, you can always choose the "golden mean" in the form of formalized processes implemented in a notation understandable to the parties operational level, accompanied by a textual description, from which it is possible to unambiguously understand the functions of the system within the framework of each described operation.

You should also be aware of the hardware and software requirements. You can talk about “minimum requirements” and “free software” endlessly, but you can really predict these parameters only if you understand the full amount of data about the functionality involved in the project.

4. Setting up WMS - systems

The WMS-system is configured on the basis of an agreed TOR, and is most often performed remotely, unless the terms of the contract imply otherwise. The duration of the stage is from several days to several months. If the solution provider has a clear classification of projects by complexity, as a rule, the planned duration of the setup phase is approximately 80% true.

You should pay attention to the type of payment for work. If we are talking about a fixed price, then the supplier takes care of all the issues related to the implementation of the functionality, including the involvement of additional specialists, just to meet the deadline.

As a rule, several specialists are involved in such work. For example, consultants are used to set up distribution rules or topology data loading, a reporting specialist is used to implement reports, hardware specialists are used to integrate with equipment, and developers are used to improve the system.

As soon as the setup of one of the processes is completed, it passes technical tests and is given to the project consultant to check the completeness of compliance with the logical part. Thus, the project can be spread over four or more employees working in parallel. Synchronization of the activities of the stage participants is the task of the project manager, who works with the customer.

5. Stage of acceptance of the WMS prototype - system (testing)

A warehouse management system is a complex software product that includes a large number of components and subsystems. Nevertheless, with the end-to-end process, you can always understand how the resulting product corresponds to the existing technical specifications.

An already written terms of reference (if it contains a step-by-step description of operations) can act as a “testing scenario”, but in some cases, when the distribution diagram is rather complicated, it is better to make a separate document agreed by the parties. In fact, at this stage, all visible problems that the parties encountered should be identified and closed. In addition, in addition to problems, at this stage, some details are usually clarified that affect the expansion of the budget and project timeline. This is especially true of specialized functionality developed for specific customer tasks, and taking into account the special specifics of the company's activities.

From here, a simple conclusion: you should choose a supplier with already existing experience in the required or similar area. The main task of this stage is to make sure that the product works at the level of end-to-end processes. It will not be possible to reveal hidden defects, since the WMS system can work even for several months without showing visible problems. To solve this problem, it is necessary to have a trial operation stage and a free warranty from the supplier of the WMS solution.

6. Training of WMS service personnel - systems (WMS administrator)

Since the warehouse management system is one of the critical ones for business, the presence of one or more specialists for its maintenance and solving operational issues is a necessity. For some customers, different employees of the IT department take on such functions, for others there are dedicated specialists, but the need for training does not disappear from this.

The number of employees participating in training or training, a clear program with a daily schedule, as well as testing (certification) of specialists with the issuance of a confirming certificate are important nuances that need to be clarified and worked out at the earliest stages. You also need to understand that not always the course of study is included in the original offer. If this is the case, then separate money will be taken for the trainings.

On the part of the WMS supplier, a specialized resource with the necessary experience and qualifications is usually involved in the training of the customer's technical staff. The learning process itself is optimally carried out in the supplier's office, in a specially equipped room equipped with a projector, test equipment (radio terminals, access points, label printers, etc.), as well as an installed system that allows demonstrating specific situations.

To understand the seriousness of the supplier company, at the stage of the first negotiations, you can clarify who exactly conducts the training, and what proven experience (how many trained specialists have successfully passed certification) on his account, what kind of handout is given to students, and how exactly testing (certification) is carried out .

7. Warehouse preparation

Preparing a warehouse for the launch of WMS is a responsible and multi-step stage. Within its framework, the operation of the equipment is checked, the tested system is installed at the customer's facilities, and a comprehensive test is performed for the performance of the software and hardware complex. If the configured WMS - system was not tested in a real warehouse, then within the same stage, marking of places and zones of the warehouse is carried out. The duration of the stage is an average of five working days.

The scope of work at this stage may vary. For some suppliers, the equipment is set up by an engineer on site, for others, the rate will be placed on consultations and support of this process. The choice depends on the customer and his current needs. If there is a shortage of a resource, you can request a complete configuration of the equipment by the solution provider. If there is a resource, it is better to request consultations and support, since after training, participation in the preparation of the warehouse will be a good practice, and setting up the equipment under the supervision of a professional specialist will allow the contractor's employee to "get his hand" and gain initial experience.

8. Training of key warehouse users

It makes sense to train key users directly at the warehouse, where all the preparatory work has already been completed, labeling has been carried out, and the infrastructure has been ensured. Immediately prepare for the fact that training should be done on-the-job, and requires the full involvement of employees in the process. Availability of instructions, hint cards and other handouts- a serious advantage. Employees should not receive material only orally. Do not forget that after receiving the key user necessary knowledge, he must ensure their transfer to other employees, and control the quality of work in his area.

Even if all warehouse personnel are present during the training, responsible persons for the correct transfer of experience should still be defined. Training is not a one-time process, and here the participation of the supplier is a temporary measure that has its beginning and end. Further regulation of this process is an important task that is directly related to business security. Unfortunately, personnel departments sometimes do not pay due attention to this fact, which leads to a deterioration in the work of personnel during personnel rotation, as well as distortion of the initial data received from employees of the WMS supplier company.

We will not dwell on how to choose a WMS provider for project implementation. Similar information can now be found on the Internet on many information resources. We only note that this issue should be approached as responsibly as possible. This is due to a wide range of companies operating in the Russian WMS market. According to experts, there are more than 50 Russian and foreign organizations in this segment. Unfortunately, not every WMS solution provider today is ready to offer a full range of services, in other words, a turnkey project, as well as extensive project experience and proper qualifications.

In addition, despite the fact that many potential users consider all WMS systems to be the same in terms of functionality and purpose, you need to understand that warehouse management systems have their own classification. At a minimum, they can be divided into basic level solutions, the so-called "boxed" systems with a given set of functions, and adaptable, allowing to adapt to the business processes of a particular customer, both at the time of implementation and in the long term due to the possibility of expansion and customization their functionality. The choice in favor of one or another integrator company that will automate the warehouse should also depend on this. In the case when it is planned to implement a professional adaptable solution, it would be logical if a company with experience in working with just such a class of WMS systems will take up the project.

Summarizing all of the above, I would like to reiterate that in modern conditions A warehouse automation project based on WMS systems is unique for each company. Without an integrated approach that takes into account all the subtleties of doing business for each individual organization, the introduction of modern high-tech solutions will most likely not bring the expected results. In order for the risks to be justified, and warehouse automation using WMS to be effective, you need not only “software” and promises “to do whatever the customer says”, but also project experience and sufficient qualifications of the specialists implementing the implementation.

The introduction of a WMS system allows you to make business processes in warehouses of various types automated. The main component of the system is the software that manages warehouse operations and interacts with external applications.

Typically, when implementing a Warehouse Management System on the customer's side, server hardware is prepared to deploy the database and the solution itself. Implementing the program in SaaS mode, this task is taken on by the developer. After that, peripheral devices are connected that provide automated input and identification of information in the system.

WMS software implements automated control warehouse. Achieving high efficiency allows careful planning of the work required for implementation.

Implementation stages

1. Identification of program requirements

To implement WMS, it is necessary to form the requirements for the warehouse system and develop a warehouse logistics model. This procedure involves the following steps:

• forecasting of the main objects of logistics - material flows and their parameters (structure, volume, seasonality);
• calculation of the target productivity of the warehouse;
• definition of technological zones;
• distribution of resources (labour and equipment used for loading and unloading operations) and equipment;
• determination of processes that require automated accounting and management, as well as the necessary workflow for them.

At the same stage of implementation, it is necessary to theoretically describe the interaction of the warehouse complex with external services. As a result, recommendations are developed for the functioning of the warehouse and the requirements for the automation system for managing it are outlined, namely: answers to questions about how WMS will describe commodity items and packaging, manage processes, generate documentation and reporting, distribute and control tasks in an automated mode for warehouse employees.

2. Profitability calculation

Calculating profitability, you need to analyze the payback period of the project that is planned to be implemented, calculate the budget. The calculation of these indicators is carried out in the future for several years, it includes the cost of implementation, equipment, technical support, and training of specialists.

3. Platform selection

When choosing which automated platform to implement, you should choose a solution that will fully ensure the automation of warehouse management. At the same time, they take into account the possibility of adapting the system to the specifics of business processes in a particular warehouse, the simplicity of its development by personnel, the possibility of integration with other installed applications, updates and support.

4. Choice of suppliers

WMS vendors can implement off-the-shelf automated warehouse process management solutions or offer custom system development services. When choosing a supplier who will implement a management program, you should pay special attention not only to how the product matches your warehouse model, but also to the stability of the supplier, the level of service he offers.

5. Implementation of the project and launch of WMS

At this stage, the WMS solution for business process management is installed, the system database is formed from the programs used, the interface is configured, and employees are trained to work with the program. The full process of transferring warehouse management to automated after the system is put into operation can take several weeks.

6. Technical support

Many factors influence the success of a warehouse management program project. Chief among them is the availability of specialists to support WMS functionality in working order. Companies with extensive experience in implementing WMS solutions offer wide range technical support services.

WMS - warehouse automation through the eyes of the customer

E. Valkin, general
Director of Folio 2000 LLC
O. Serzhantova, Sales Manager at Folio 2000 LLC

Warehouse Logistics Automation, or WMS, the warehouse management system so popular these days, is usually viewed from a developer's perspective, yet potential customers often feel that the issues they care about are not covered. In this article, we will consider the application of a warehouse logistics automation system from the point of view of a consumer, and not a professional supplier. The theses set forth in it can be taken as a kind of guide for understanding the need to use a warehouse logistics management system for business, an overview of the options and opportunities that it can give.

So, imagine that you are a potential user of the WMS system, and we, in turn, will try to consider the most pressing issues that arise when choosing it.

What is a Warehouse Management System (WMS)?

WMS (Warehouse Management System) is a warehouse management system based on automatic identification technology using the principle of address storage and a remote method of personnel management.

The warehouse management system allows you to automate and optimize the procedures for receiving, placing, storing, processing and shipping goods in warehouses of various types.

By dividing the warehouse into zones for the most efficient work, WMS manages the work and movement of warehouse equipment and employees across its territory, controls it, and promptly plans tasks for personnel, taking into account the current situation. Her task is to manage the entire warehouse process - from waiting for the receipt of goods to their delivery according to customer orders.

At the same time, based on the real needs of the customer, the volume of system implementation may vary. from entry level(solution based on paper worksheets) to a full-featured version that manages the warehouse in real time, using bar-coding technologies, radio equipment for data transmission (radio terminals and data collection terminals), positioning systems for warehouse equipment and other automation tools.

Tasks of WMS and benefits from its implementation

With over ten years of practical experience in the implementation of warehouse logistics systems by Folio, we see that customers want to use WMS to solve such urgent tasks as increasing profitability of warehouse operation and trade by increasing turnover, reducing losses and costs, intensifying the work of personnel and increasing the level of control.

At the same time, the desire is expressed for a quick payback of investments made in the automation of warehouse management, which is achievable only under certain conditions. To do this, we can recommend a not too expensive and easily implemented system, tested on a large number of objects.

Through the implementation of the WMS system, the customer receives:

• orderly work of the warehouse– all actions in the warehouse (shipment, acceptance, etc.) are performed in accordance with the tasks issued by the WMS;
• increase the speed of work due to faster shipment and receipt of goods, no downtime and unorganized work;
• full control of the current state of the warehouse: in case of address storage, the program at any time determines the location and quantity of the desired product in each cell (where and what lies); accounting can be conducted in several packing units;
• reducing the number of errors in the receipt, shipment and picking of orders due to the availability of procedures for automatic verification of the task and the fact of its completion using radio terminals or data collection terminals with memory (excluding regrading and theft);
• billing - billing of services in safekeeping warehouses, automatic billing for warehouse tenants on the basis of the history of warehouse operations stored in the computer with the goods of this company and the terms of tariffication under the contract;
• optimization and control of product placement when receiving and shipping using information about storage conditions this product and parameters of the location of the warehouse cell (including information on consignments of goods, expiration dates, storage specifics, etc.);
• efficient storage space management will allow to increase the turnover with the same area of ​​the warehouse, to determine the "slow" goods, excess space for use in another type of activity;
• personnel control and increased responsibility for their actions- fixing the moment of performing operations of unloading, receiving, moving, reconciliation, inventory, etc. and accounting for the employees who initiated this operation and performed it with the preservation of history. The execution time is recorded in the database and thus a report on the performance of each employee can be obtained. Accurate knowledge of the load of each employee increases labor productivity and is an additional motivation to improve its quality;
• unloading personnel from routine work and coordinating the work of personnel, reduction in the number of employees involved in loading and unloading operations by reducing the time it takes to search for goods in the warehouse and the time it takes to enter goods into a document. The program gives the loader a task for the radio terminal or a route sheet, according to which he accurately finds the right product;
• automatic calculation of piecework wages for warehouse workers using the data on completed transactions available in the program;
• the use of WMS eliminates dependence on the qualifications and mood of the staff, as it allows you to quickly train and use workers with low professional qualification thanks to the simplification of work in the warehouse.

In what areas are WMS systems used?

The use of a warehouse logistics management system is relevant for all types of trade (wholesale, wholesale and retail, retail, retail chains with remote warehouses, trade from a warehouse in the presence of all types of traveling trade).

WMS suitable for automation all types of warehouses(warehouse complexes, warehouse networks, warehouse terminals, distribution centers, 3PL operators, warehouses industrial enterprises producing consumer goods, including food products and warehouses of refrigeration plants, warehouses for safekeeping), for automation archival storage and all activities related to the reception of large volumes of storage, their movement and preservation. They are also used to account for the storage and movement of material and technical assets.

When should you consider implementing WMS?

A warehouse logistics management system is necessary in all cases where the business process contains:

• large storage volumes and a large number of storage locations;
• a large range of stored goods and materials (more than 500 units);
• a large volume of the warehouse (over 1000 m 2), which requires optimization of the placement and address storage of goods.

WMS is needed in safekeeping warehouses for billing customer services (billing), as well as in the absence of too fast goods movement (most of the goods remain in the warehouse for at least one day).

WMS system selection criteria

Here are the criteria that the user needs to make a decision in favor of a particular program, in order of their importance, which was determined by the employees of the Folio company as a result of many years of observation of thousands of employees and potential clients Folio WMS solutions.

1. Evaluation of WMS capabilities in relation to the needs of the customer's existing business process. For a correct assessment, a description of business processes should be presented or at least a pre-project survey should be carried out. Otherwise, a misunderstanding of the processes can lead not only to an erroneous assessment, but also to fundamental errors in the work.

2. The cost of the proposed WMS solution.

3. History of implemented WMS implementations.

4. The breadth of WMS functionality and its flexibility.

5. The prospect of developing the program in parallel with the development of business solutions.

6. Easy to use WMS for staff.

7. Ease of staff training.

8. Availability of the developer for prompt resolution of warehouse logistics issues, if necessary.

9. Adaptability of the system to existing software.

10. Adaptability of the system to the existing practice of business mentality and workflow (this is especially true when choosing imported systems).

Features of warehouse automation depending on the purpose

Despite the apparent uniformity of warehouse management procedures - the receipt, storage and movement of goods using the principle of address storage, warehouses for different purposes will have their own specific application, and these features should be taken into account when automating the functionality of warehouse logistics. Folio's long experience of working with various clients has made it possible to identify some typical solutions for different areas of activity, which we will briefly discuss below.

When automating control distribution warehouse it is necessary to ensure the entire cycle of acceptance and shipment of goods belonging to different owners and received from different suppliers. Intensive trade requires fast work with large volumes and a large range of goods, a clear identification of their location. It is necessary to form orders and send them on the day of receipt of the order, while their types and specifics of formation may have different execution algorithms. It should provide automatic control of the shipped goods and automatic tracking of sorting, take into account returns and make adjustments to the distribution already made.

Warehouse logistics in real time must guarantee the efficient use of warehouse space, determine the optimal (and, if necessary, minimum) level of warehouse stocks, and resolve the issue of their timely replenishment. And this, of course, is only a small list of tasks that should be solved in warehouses of this type.

With automation pharmaceutical and food warehouses necessary requirements for a WMS solution are address storage and automatic control of storage conditions in accordance with the specified parameters (temperature, humidity, etc.), automatic identification of consignments of goods by shelf life, work with certificates, serial accounting of goods.

Automatic reconciliation of the shipped and declared goods in case of intensive turnover will exclude regrading, provide control over the quantity and range of shipped goods. At the same time, all actions of the personnel and all movements of goods are recorded, including intra-warehouse movements and shipment to remote warehouses.

For production warehouses, having an intensive turnover with a large range of materials used and finished products, the warehouse logistics automation solution will allow automatic labeling of places and storage units in different packaging, automatic recording of receipts and write-offs, generated orders in the WMS system, automatic verification of the declared order range, fixing defects, marking, movement and accounting of finished products, control staff actions.

In addition to the above features, the functionality for working 3PL operators must minimize costs, associated with the processing and storage of goods, provide work with goods of different owners, automate intra-warehouse and inter-warehouse transfers, implement cross-docking, as well as work with certificates, identify batches by expiration dates, automate the assembly of kits and products, packaging and repacking, make additional complete sets , carry out the return of goods that did not fit in the car, carry out correction of an already made distribution.

In addition to a large set of automated algorithms for receiving and distributing goods, it is possible to advisory(arbitrary) nature of distribution, in which the distribution decision is made depending on the current situation, but information about the action taken automatically fixed in the system.

The warehouse logistics management program should have an open and simple configuration interface that allows the user to set the new parameters of cells (storage locations), goods and algorithms for optimal placement, shipment and movement of goods.

This non-exhaustive list of features is based on the needs of our very diverse clients, who over the years have optimized their inventory management using the Folio suite of software. All these options are implemented and actively used in the Folio WMS system.

How much time and money is needed to implement WMS?

The proposed Warehouse Management System (WMS) is an implementation solution, not a production run, although the main part of the tasks necessary for implementation has already been solved in a ready-made replicated system. In practice, there are cases when highly qualified employees of the customer, using only the advice of specialists and teaching materials, themselves carried out the successful implementation of the WMS Folio.

The scope of WMS implementation may vary from entry level to fully functional system, operating in real time. The choice of option is determined by many factors, such as the complexity of implementation, budget, etc.

Economy class level. "Folio WMS Kit" - a complete kit for the automation of a warehouse at storage locations along with radio equipment, installation and initial education for 5300 euros (set of programs and devices).

The program is combined with modern technological equipment and progressive warehouse management technology, and its cost is minimal in the market of similar solutions created in Russia.

The supplied set of programs and devices is used to work at a small warehouse facility or to start automating individual sections of large warehouses, it can be easily expanded by purchasing additional copies of the program and equipment and can be the initial step in automating complex objects.

WMS provides full-featured remote warehouse management, including personnel and equipment, in real time using bar-coding technologies and radio terminals, remote control. The kit comes with installed and configured software, as well as a complete list of equipment that is necessary for the system to work. The quoted price also includes three days of training, setup and startup assistance.

Full-scale WMS solution project allows you to automate the full cycle of managing the entire warehouse process - from waiting for the acceptance of goods to their delivery according to customer orders and implemented by the developer's specialists.

The full-scale implementation of the Folio WMS system is focused on the automation of enterprises, warehouses with large areas and networks with remote warehouses with tens of thousands of storage cells and thousands of items, with intensive turnover and working with hundreds and thousands of incoming and outgoing pallets per day.

It involves the use of high-tech warehouse equipment: high-bay racks, stackers, forklifts, conveyor lines, manual and forklift-mounted radio terminals, barcode scanners, laptops, different types complete set of goods: pallet, box, piece, container. Provides cross-docking.

This solution includes:

• pre-project survey and preparation of a preliminary estimate for the work and programs performed;
• preparation of terms of reference in accordance with the business process of the customer (at his request);
• finalization and adaptation of the WMS solution to the tasks and business process of the customer;
• commissioning related to the implementation and installation of software;
• commissioning related to setting up the WMS hardware;
• post-warranty support after launch within 6 months;
• training;
• selection and supply of recommended equipment at the request of the customer.

Duration of implementation - from 1 to 6 months.

First level. Circulation (boxed) solution "Folio LogistikSklad" with software installation and its subsequent configuration.

Supports the functions of commodity accounting, warehouse logistics and personnel management using data collection terminals (when using a radio channel, an additional program is required "Folio Radio Terminal"). This solution is used if the enterprise is not ready for a full-scale implementation of the "Folio WMS" or the introduction of the economy class product "Folio WMS Kit", but is in dire need of streamlining the work of the warehouse with an increase in the efficiency of its use, real-time status monitoring with quick search goods, preserving the history of its movement and controlling the actions of personnel.

It is used for low-budget automation of the enterprise and requires the presence of qualified and responsible warehouse personnel. The disadvantage of using the boxed version may be the wrong statement of work on warehouse automation with insufficient qualifications of employees implementing WMS.

Installation and configuration of such a solution can be performed by the customer or the developer.

Exclusion of typical risks at the customer

The experience of the Folio company shows that the use of the developer's employees in the automation of an enterprise or automation of a warehouse, at least for the initial setting of accounting with a minimum initial setup and a pre-project survey of the business process of the customer's enterprise, will help to avoid typical errors and risks of inefficient work associated with insufficient knowledge by the customer software functionality, reduce time commissioning, will put the work of the enterprise on stream and, in general, will save the financial resources of the customer.

Installation and initial configuration of the boxed version of "Folio WMS" takes 3-5 days, depending on the features of the business process of the customer enterprise and the organizational work of its staff.

Self-implementation of WMS in the automation of enterprises requires complete knowledge by the customer's employees of:

• the functionality of the purchased software;
• the current business process of the customer's enterprise;
• emergency situations business process of the customer, the frequency of their occurrence and ways to resolve them using software.

An example of evaluating the payback on the implementation of the warehouse logistics management system "Folio WMS"

The increase in revenues resulting from the implementation of Folio WMS was calculated by one of the enterprises with foreign investment, which has a large trading network in different regions of Russia. According to estimates made by foreign owners, while maintaining the volume of trade, the speed of shipment and movement of goods increased by 50%.

Only by saving the wages of four warehouse employees with an average salary of 20 thousand rubles. for the year of operation of the system, the economic effect from the use of WMS amounted to 960 thousand rubles, thus, the funds invested in it were directly fully paid off.

Savings due to the exclusion of sorting and theft amounted to 30% of the turnover of the warehouse. Employees who practiced theft simply quit.

The comfort of work for the client and the enterprise itself has sharply increased due to the shipment and delivery of goods at exactly the specified time, the specified range and the specified quantity. The downtime of the warehouse and the search for the necessary goods have stopped.

Fixing and storing the history of all the actions of the staff made it possible to objectively argue for an increase or decrease wages employees, manage their actions by defining current tasks and increasing the amount of work, justifiably punish the perpetrators for the mistakes made if there is documentary evidence of the actions taken.

AT this project a full implementation cycle was used, which took 4 months: pre-project preparation with an assessment of the business process and characteristics of the warehouse, assessment of the recommended equipment and its characteristics, refinement for business processes, implementation, support during warranty period, employee training. The cost of software and its implementation amounted to less than the first half-year profit from the use of the system.