Warehouse Management System)

Warehouse Management System)

At present, many enterprises have realized the strategic significance of enterprise management information for enterprise development, from financial software, inventory software CIMS, from MRP, MRPII to ERP, it represents the requirements for Chinese enterprises to move from extensive management to intensive management. The fierce competition and cost requirements make the management objects show as follows: integration with upstream, enterprise, and downstream Supply Chain information and resources. As a node in the chain, warehouses, especially in the manufacturing industry, have different inventory views on different chains. in the management of the logistics supply chain, inventory is no longer used as a measure to maintain production and sales, but as a balance mechanism in the supply chain. Its role is to coordinate the entire supply chain. However, modern enterprises are also facing many uncertainties, whether from suppliers or from production or customers, for enterprises, the only way to deal with the relationship between inventory management and uncertainty is to strengthen information exchange and sharing between enterprises and increase the transparency, reliability and timeliness of Inventory Decision-Making information. This is exactly what WMS wants to help enterprises solve.

The biggest difference between WMS and inventory management software is that the purpose of the inventory management software is to target the flow of goods and documents of specific objects (such as warehouses, record, check, and manage the warehouse operation results-alarm, report, and result analysis, such as recording the time when the goods are stored in the warehouse, and handling personnel; in addition to managing the result record, check, and management of warehouse operations, WMS provides guidance and specifications for the warehouse operation process, that is, it not only processes the results, it also ensures the accuracy, speed, and automatic registration of relevant recorded data (in the computer system) through the guidance and standardization of job operations ), increase warehouse efficiency, management transparency, and authenticity to reduce costs. For example, guide the operator to deliver an order through a wireless terminal: when the operator initiates a Delivery request, the terminal prompts the operator to go to the specific warehouse location to take out the specified quantity of goods, scan the shelf and commodity barcode to check whether the goods are correct, and then deliver the goods to the receiving area to enter the information of the transportation organization, complete the shipping task, it is important to include the shipping time, operator, cargo type, quantity, product serial number, carrier and other information that has been wirelessly transmitted to the computer information center database while loading the goods.

I. Features of WMS

The purpose of a computer-controlled warehouse management system is to independently implement various functions of Warehouse Management: Goods receipt, inventory at the right place, inventory management, order processing, sorting and distribution control. WMS focuses on optimizing and effectively managing warehouse execution, extending to the transportation and distribution plan, and interacting with upstream and downstream supplier customers, in this way, the efficiency and productivity of warehouses of warehouse enterprises, distribution centers and production enterprises can be effectively improved, the cost can be reduced, the customer satisfaction of enterprises can be improved, and the core competitiveness of enterprises can be improved.

WMS generally has the following functional modules: manage separate order processing and inventory control, basic information management, Cargo logistics management, information reports, receipt management, picking management, inventory management, database migration management, print management, and background service systems.

The WMS system supports backend services.ProgramMerge and distribute orders for different orders of the same customer, and uniformly schedule and issue commands for mounting, picking, replenishment, inventory check, and database Migration Operations Based on PTL, RF, and carton labels, and receives feedback from PTL, RF, and terminal PC in real time. The entire software business is consistent with the logistics management of enterprise warehouses, achieving real-time and effective control of inventory product management. The following describes some basic functions of brocade WMS:

Basic information management: the system not only supports setting the basic information of products including product name, specification, manufacturer, product batch number, production date, validity period and packing, in addition, the space management function encodes all spaces and stores them in the system database, so that the system can effectively track the location of goods, it also allows the operator to quickly locate the physical location of the target location in the Warehouse Based on the location number.

Rack mounting management: the system automatically calculates the Best rack mounting space and supports manual intervention to provide the space available for storing the same variety of racks, based on the principle of avoiding the waste of storage space, the recommended shelving space is given and sorted by priority. The operator can directly confirm or manually adjust the space.

Picking Management: The picking command contains location information and the optimal path, and determines the picking guide order based on the location layout, the system automatically provides guidance Paths Based on the location involved in the task on the RF Terminal interface and other related devices, avoiding invalid shuttles and product searches, and increasing the pick-up volume per unit time.

Inventory management: The system supports automatic replenishment by means of automatic replenishment.AlgorithmIt not only ensures the storage volume of the picking area, but also increases the utilization rate of the storage space and reduces the probability of the appearance of the location honeycomb. The system can perform logical segmentation and dynamic settings on the location through the depth information, without affecting the automatic replenishment algorithm, while effectively improving the space utilization and control accuracy.

Ii. Basic WMS architecture

The logistics of an enterprise occurs within the entire supply chain of the enterprise. WMS is an advanced sub-system that handles enterprise logistics business. It is fully scalable and can be integrated with existing system interfaces to work with other systems in the enterprise. Shows the system architecture of an enterprise's entire supply chain. Each subsystem works together to help the enterprise's supply chain operate efficiently.

Understand the role of WMS in the entire supply chain of an enterprise and better design the architecture Warehouse Management System. The WMS architecture is mainly reflected in the physical architecture and software system architecture. In general, WMS adopts the B/S structure to achieve online distribution processing through the Internet conveniently. Combined with the enterprise SCM module, WMS can easily communicate and cooperate with trade partners and trade alliances, create more business opportunities.

Iii. WMS Support Technology

WMS integrates information technology, Wireless RF technology, bar code technology, electronic tag technology, web technology, and computer application technology to combine warehouse management, wireless scanning, electronic display, and Web applications. A complete Warehousing Management System, in this way, operation efficiency is improved, information resources are fully utilized, and the network process is accelerated. Key technologies include radiofrequency, electronic tag, and data interface technology.

If WMS lacks strong support from the RF system, the warehousing level may not be greatly improved. The perfect WMS is inseparable from the support of the RF system. Because of its efficient operation, WMS uses quick, accurate, and dynamic acquisition of cargo processing data as the basis for its system operation. The RF communication system makes WMS real-time data processing possible, which greatly simplifies the traditional workflow. For example, there are more than 50 mobile codes, which can be simplified to one or two operations. Practice has proved that RF-based WMS has great advantages in both ensuring real-time collection of dynamic data and improving enterprise efficiency and ROI. RF radio frequency identification (RFID) is a non-contact automatic identification technology that uses RF signals to automatically identify the target object and obtain relevant data. Manual intervention is not required for identification, and it can work in various harsh environments.

Electronic Tags are RF cards, also known as sensor cards. They are a new technology IC card that uses radio waves to read card information. They have successfully solved the problem of no source and no contact. In practical applications, electronic tags are attached to the surface of the object to be recognized. The reader can read and recognize electronic data stored in electronic tags without any contact, so as to automatically identify the location. Usually the reader is connected to the computer, and the tag information of the read location is transmitted to the computer vendor for further processing.

Whether WMS can be seamlessly connected with enterprise resource management systems such as ERP has become an important factor in evaluating its functions, it is also an important foundation for enterprises, especially manufacturing enterprises, to implement supply chain management or integrated logistics management. Without this foundation, enterprises cannot effectively implement the quick response strategy QR code or effectively respond to the ECR Strategy by customers. This is based on the interface technology.

Iv. Application of WMS in China

The Warehouse Management System (WMS) is a specific form of warehouse management informationization. Its application in China is still in its infancy. At present, there is a dual structure in China's market: the high-end market represented by multinational companies or a few advanced enterprises in China, the proportion of its application of WMS is relatively high, the system is also concentrated in mainstream foreign mature brands. The low-end and Middle-end markets represented by domestic enterprises are mainly used for WMS products developed in China. The following is an analysis of WMS overview of domestic enterprises from the application perspective based on the excellent cases of Logistics informatization collected by the China logistics and procurement Federation.

The first category is the application system based on the typical distribution center business. Distribution Centers of supermarket chains in sales logistics and spare parts distribution centers of production enterprises in supply logistics, we can see such cases. The Modern Logistics Center of Beijing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a typical example. The purpose of the system is to implement the GSP and other national standards for the management and control of pharmaceutical logistics, and to optimize the process and improve efficiency. System functions include purchase management, inventory management, order management, picking, review, distribution, RF Terminal management, basic information management of goods and space, and other functional modules, improve the Job control level and job Orchestration in the database. The system has reduced the delivery time by 50%, doubled the order processing capability, and achieved remarkable social benefits. It has become a model of pharmaceutical logistics. These systems are mostly used in the supply chain management of manufacturing or distribution, and are also the most common among WMS.

The second category focuses on the integration of warehousing technology and solves the problem of integration and optimization between information systems of various automation devices. The production logistics information system of the No. 2 Hot Rolling Plant of WISCO belongs to this category. This system mainly solves the problems of Raw Material Database (Billet), semi-finished product database (Rough Rolling Plate) and finished product database (finishing sheet) coordination between operations, otherwise continuous operations will not be maintained, not only empty productivity, but also a waste of energy. The difficulty of the system lies in the seamless connection between the logistics system and the automation equipment systems of the steel rolling pipeline, making inventory a flow link of the pipeline and also an integral part of inventory operations. All kinds of special equipment have their own information systems. WMS should not only integrate the equipment systems, but also the process systems, but also the overall information system of a wider range of enterprises. The processes involved in such systems are relatively standardized and professional. They are mostly used in large ERP systems and become an important component.

The third type is an application system that focuses on the operation decision of the warehousing industry. Its distinctive features are a flexible billing system, accurate and timely accounting system, and a well-functioning customer management system, provides decision-making support information for the warehousing industry. The runfa Warehouse Management System of China Resources logistics Co., Ltd. is such a case. These systems are mostly used in some enterprises that provide public warehouse storage services. Their process management and warehousing operations have many technical commonalities and few features, so they do not have high requirements, it is suitable for providing general services to most customers. The company adopted a set of WMS suitable for its own characteristics, reducing labor costs, improving warehouse utilization, and significantly increasing economic benefits.

the core concept of the Warehouse Management System (WMS) is efficient task execution and process planning strategies. It is a high-performance WMS Based on Mature logistics concepts, efficient management process, advanced equipment co-casting successful warehouse management. WMS supports the implementation of enterprise warehousing and distribution through different function modules and adapts to the changing business strategies, e-commerce, customer needs, modern equipment, order size and structure environment, improve operation efficiency and resource utilization to reduce logistics costs and enhance customer service levels, so as to effectively manage all execution processes of a large warehouse or distribution center, in this way, the warehousing management strategy remains ahead for a long time, helping enterprises build the core competitiveness of logistics management, and interpreting the modern logistics management philosophy.