A warehouse management system (WMS) supports the day-to-day operations in a warehouse. An ERP system has most of the capabilities of WMS like tracking the course of inventory items picked, packed and shipped but integrating a WMS to ERP offers many beneficial features. Following features and capabilities demonstrates importance of integrating a Warehouse Management System to ERP system:
Information analysis: WMS facilitates optimization of inventory on the basis of real-time information. Information analysis helps to show the best location for every item to be put based on historical trends and data and so on.
Reduce man-power: WMS facilitates to cut manpower expenses as the system itself can do many things at the same time. It help accomplish many things with a small number of people.
Automate: Automating and streamlining the processes helps to overcome the problems of stock visibility and traceability, and improving picking accuracy, avoiding losses made through non deliveries, mis-deliveries, returns and service level fines.
Reducing Employee Theft: Warehouse-related theft costs as much as $80 billion each year. WMS can help management isolate exactly what’s gone missing to provide an early warning that employee theft may be occurring.
Improve ground-visibility: Provide visibilities across warehouse operation to clearly identify areas of blockage and wastage of materials.
(Fig ref: daniday.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/warehouse-management-system/)