What it is, which questions it answers, and where it stops To run your warehouse you use a WMS, or the WM module of your ERP. These systems support the people on the floor: order pickers, forklift drivers and staff at packing stations. But planners, team...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] More service, more dissatisfied customers? That's the service paradox. I recently spoke with the logistics manager of a fast-growing wholesaler. "We do everything to serve our customers," she said. "That's our strength. Customers call, we arrange it. But...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] How can innocent choices double warehouse costs? The answer: cost discontinuities. In my previous blog about the service paradox, I showed how an excessive service focus can paralyze warehouses. But when does service actually go too far? Let's take...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] When a company grows, the warehouse eventually hits its limits. Do you expand? Build an additional hall or open a new facility? Growth requires space, you might think. But how much more can your existing warehouse actually...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] New solution optimizes planning of 40 to 60 containers per week Via Chassé, a wholesaler in office supplies and hobby materials, has automated container planning with Metrica from Jeroen van den Berg Consulting. The solution replaces the existing...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]Where does activity concentrate in the warehouse and where is there little movement? Warehouses have plenty of data, but often lack insight. A heatmap of your warehouse makes it immediately clear where bottlenecks exist. But how do...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] The first AI applications in WMS are now emerging. Instead of building reports, you can simply ask a chatbot: which pick aisle was busiest today? Or: where did wait times occur during replenishment? AI can also make warehouse...
[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="grid" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" z_index=""][vc_column][vc_column_text] A year ago, I wrote that AI was barely visible in WMS. That has changed. AI is quickly moving toward the warehouse floor, though the gap between marketing and reality remains large. It's helpful to distinguish three...
(and What You Can Learn from Them) In some distribution centers, everything seems to run perfectly. Deliveries are almost always flawless, the team is motivated, and there is enough flexibility to adapt to market changes. Collaboration with other departments runs smoothly, and the logistics manager has...
[vc_row][vc_column] [vc_column_text] One warehouse comes close to the leading group, three remain behind. Where do their opportunities lie? What can they improve? In my previous blog, I looked at the difference between the top 10% most mature warehouses and the rest. In this Warehouse Optimization Weekly series, I...