Everything You Should Know Before Choosing WMS System (1)

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Everything You Should Know Before Choosing WMS
System
https//katalysttech.com/
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The How To of Choosing the Right WMS With so
many Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) available
in todays market, finding the right one for your
organization may seem daunting. Whether youre
looking to implement your very first WMS or
searching to upgrade due to limitations within
your existing system, a WMS is a major investment
capable of huge returns. As with any investment,
it will behoove you to take the time to do the
homework. With a little upfront planning and
forethought, you can be confident in knowing your
requirements and how each one impacts the WMS
selection process. To determine which WMS is
right for your business, ask yourself these 10
questions beforehand
1. Does the WMS meet my general needs? Study
your overall business goals and process demands.
What are your current challenges and limitations?
What areas are working well? From there, you can
determine if the prospective WMS fits the overall
footprint of your business and if it provides
room for growth. For additional help, ask a WMS
representative to explain, in detail, the
benefits of using the system given your
respective industry and requirements.
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2. What are the system requirements for
implementing the WMS? Not all WMS are created
equal there are a variety of sophisticated
platforms and system requirements to be
considered. For this reason, youll want to make
sure your WMS representative is aware of your
needs. In the meantime, check in with your IT
team to determine whether the WMS system can be
supported and if any internal upgrades are
essential after implementation. Other system
requirements to consider are licensing options
and related additional fees. 3. Does the WMS
support the integrations I require? If your
business requires specific interfaces, youll
want to identify which ones integrate and support
the WMS in question. From Electronic Data
Interchange (EDI) to Transportation Management
Systems (TMS) and everything in between your
current systems will help determine which WMS
best suits your framework. To confirm, ask a WMS
representative to disclose which interfaces are
part of the base package and which ones will
require custom development. 4. Does the WMS
accommodate the required Primary and Secondary
processes? Study the overall requirements and
process demands of your business. Does the WMS
system support basic functions like Order Entry,
Fulfillment, Shipping, and Receiving? For
additional consideration, research any special
processes such as Value-Added Services (VAS),
Kitting, Quality Audit, Serial Numbers, Lot
Numbers, Expiry Dates, etc., or ask a WMS
representative to fully explain functionality and
cost.
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5. Will the WMS support any forecasted growth and
expansion? Consider your companys long-term
goals and look at your business from a high
level. Do you foresee needing to build-up the
system again within the next 5-10 years? Will
additional traffic require more capabilities from
a WMS? Ask your WMS representative to go over all
applicable components, such as adding on
additional warehouses, adding user licenses,
purging/archiving data, program upgrades,
etc. 6. How adaptable is the WMS? How
efficiently can modifications be implemented? To
determine WMS adaptability, ask the WMS
representative about custom requests. Are
customized requests treated differently than
program defects? Further, what is the average
turn-around-time for program modifications? From
there, what is the overall process and pricing?
These are the types of questions thatll provide
insight into how efficiently changes can be
made. 7. What are the available options for
ongoing support? Does the product include a
support package? If so, is there a 24.7 Help Desk
available? Or further, will the company provide
support through the entire project life cycle and
beyond? Ask your representative to walk you
through all the available advisory, service and
support options. 8. What are the upgrade terms
and generally expected schedule of new version
releases? Take the time to unfold the
particulars of your selected WMS, including the
logistics of product upgrades. This can include
the cost to upgrade and what is involved
(downtime, resources, etc.), how often to expect
a new version.
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9. Does the WMS fit the budget? When it comes to
costs, keep in mind bundled features and perks.
Its important to get the details on each WMS to
fairly compare since there may be certain hidden
features rolled into the overall quoted price
(not including the software itself). These
features may include implementation resources,
training, ongoing support contracts and/or a
limited customization budget. Get down to the
details to make an informed choice that isnt
solely based on the initial sticker price. 10.
Will the new WMS bring enough long-term benefits
to offset the short-term expense? Once youve
been through the entire process of defining your
needs and the list of WMS is narrowed down, its
time to decide if the overall cost will be offset
by some measurable benefit. Will the WMS
encourage efficiencies? Will it solve accuracy
issues? Will it make us quicker, better, faster?
Will it enable us to provide superior customer
service? Is this WMS the best fit at the best
price? These are the questions you must answer
for yourself once youve done the research and
defined your requirements.
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• Katalyst Technologies is a leading IT services
  and solutions company servicing clients in the
  manufacturing, wholesale distribution, life
  sciences, e-commerce, logistics, and retail
  sectors. We provide industry specific IT
  products, strategies and solutions for companies
  implementing large-scale and transformational
  projects. Our business and technology experts are
  highly-skilled and work seamlessly across
  multiple geographies, with a global footprint in
  the U.S, U.K, India, and Germany. We specialize
  in the areas of Digital e Commerce,
  Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain
  Management, Engineering and Manufacturing,
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