Your guide to the top Warehouse Management Systems
In today's fast-paced business landscape, efficient warehouse management is paramount for ensuring seamless operations, maximising productivity, and meeting customer demands. To achieve these goals, many businesses turn to Warehouse Management System to streamline their processes and optimise their inventory management.
Supply chains are increasingly reliant on real time data to drive their decisions and processes. Due to this, legacy systems and processes no longer cut it in the fast-paced world of warehousing and fulfillment. Customers expect an omnichannel experience, whilst tight profit margins demand operational efficiency.
An effective Warehouse Management System (WMS) allows you to have complete insight and control over all stages of your inventory journey in, through, and out of the warehouse. With so many different types of warehouse management systems available, how do you know which WMS is right for your business? To simplify your decision-making process, we've compiled a guide to the top warehouse management systems currently available.
How do I know which Warehouse Management System is best?
Whether you are wanting to make inventory management or order fulfilment easier, a good WMS is one that aligns with your business's needs, strategy and budget.
By choosing the right warehouse management, you can expect to see the following benefits:
> Clear visibility over your inventory
> Optimised floorspace and warehouse layout
> Reduced order retrieval times
> Efficient labour management
> More accurate order processing and shipping
> Improved customer service
Our top Warehouse Management System picks
With so many warehouse management systems out there, it can be difficult to know where to begin. With years of operational experience in supply chain and warehousing, the uTenant team are familiar with many warehouse management systems and are here to help you decide which WMS is right for your warehouse and business needs. Here's a list of some of our top picks for warehouse management systems and why we love each:
> Oracle
> Infor
> Korber
CartonCloud
An affordable yet powerful solution for small to medium-sized businesses.
CartonCloud is an Australian based logistics software company with a global customer base. Its cloud-based WMS was developed inside a leading third party logistics (3PL) business, so you can be sure it’s been designed with real-world applications and solutions in mind.
Why we love it…
> Automated Invoicing – Upload your rate cards and CartonCloud will take care of the rest, invoicing your client automatically upon a job’s completion.
> Visibility for clients – CartonCloud allows your clients to see where their product is and check stock levels at any time of day reducing the time your team will need to spend answering questions about where stock is.
> Simple conversions – Lets you automatically scale between measurements, such as cartons per pallet, saving you time and avoiding costly miscalculations.
> No lock in – CartonCloud’s subscription service gives you flexibility with no lock in contracts.
> Daily backups – CartonCloud backs up your data daily, so you can be confident that your information’s safe and secure at all times.
Learn more or book a free demo.
Oracle
Transform warehouse operations to meet the challenges of today’s demand-driven marketplace.
Oracle is a cloud technology company that provides some of the world’s largest businesses with the infrastructure and software to help them unlock efficiencies. Their cloud-based WMS comes loaded with flexible features that make it suitable for companies of all sizes and that have seen Gartner name it a leader in warehouse management systems for 5 years in a row.
Why we love it…
> Realtime reporting – Oracle’s dashboards give you live information about your inventory and operations. They can also be accessed remotely, so you can make informed and strategic decisions on the fly with confidence.
> Workforce Management – Tracking performance and KPIs (key performance indicators) across a number of tasks is made easy with Oracle, which even allows for results to be broken up by teams or tasks for more accurate reporting.
> Value adds – In addition to its standard receiving and putaway functionality – such as booking and managing dock appointments – Oracle lets you configure and manage your own value-add services. Perfect for 3PLs looking to stand out from the crowd!
> Real time analysis – Oracle’s dashboards give you total visibility over your inventory at all times.
Learn more or take a product tour.
Infor
Architected for agility, usability, and results.
Infor’s WMS is targeted at larger companies who require a comprehensive and customisable platform, capable of advanced inventory and labour management, 3PL billing, complex reporting and more. Infor provides cloud-based solutions to over 67,000 customers across 178 countries, making it a truly global enterprise.
Why we love it…
> Visual interface – Infor’s interactive interface lets you see a 3D visualisation of your warehouse activity, making it easy to identify and address bottlenecks and inventory issues to increase your productivity.
> People Management – View real time performance metrics and manage the assigning of employees to specific tasks to get more out of your workforce.
> Value-Added Services – Accommodate personalised service requirements, from kitting, bundling, and light assembly, to compliance labelling and special packs.
> Receiving & Put-Away – Infor has lots of receiving and put-away functionality, including appointment scheduling, QC inspections, directed put-away, returns, cross-docking, and flow-through.
Manhattan
Exceed customer expectations in the omnichannel marketplace.
Manhattan Associates have over 30 years’ experience developing and delivering supply chain software, and their WMS is packed with powerful features to help your warehouse operate efficiently. Manhattan is focused on using advanced algorithms and complex AI to automate as many processes as possible.
Why we love it…
> Feature packed – Manhattan comes with a lot of features to meet even the most sophisticated warehousing demands, including value-added services, lot management, serial number tracking and product recall functionalities.
> Cycle counting – Save time and money with Manhattan’s auditor-approved cycle counting feature, which removes the reliance on physical counts.
> Cloud or on-premises – While many WMS operate on a cloud only model, Manhattan gives customers the option of an on-premises deployment strategy.
> Multi-tenant – Manhattan’s features are designed with multi-tenant operation and omnichannel fulfillment in mind, making it an ideal choice for 3PL providers.
Fishbowl Warehouse
Automate everyday processes and track inventory across multiple warehouses.
Focused on small to medium businesses, Fishbowl Warehouse is an affordable platform that punches above its weight in terms of features, with all the tools an SME needs to manage and add efficiencies to their warehousing. Fishbowl was founded in 2001 and has since expanded to service over 50,000 customers.
Why we love it…
> Seamless Integration – Fishbowl seamlessly integrates with a wide range of other systems, including QuickBooks, Shopify, ShipStation and more, unlocking more efficiency gains through automation.
> Modular interface – Customise your Fishbowl dashboard by adding the modules your business needs to optimise workflows and removing the ones you don’t need.
> Multi-Location Support – Get a strategic overview of how your business is performing across multiple facilities, with Fishbowl’s multi-location support. Carry out stocktakes either across your entire business or by location, view analytics on overall trends, and more.
> Genuine local support – Fishbowl’s support team are made up of real people that you can pick up a phone and speak to – a winner if you have complex questions.
Learn more or schedule a demo.
Blue Yonder
Any warehouse, anywhere.
Blue Yonder, formerly JWA, is a leading force in digital supply chain and omni-channel commerce fulfillment. Their end-to-end supply chain management platform focusses on intelligent automation and innovation and supports over 3,000 customers worldwide. In April 2021, Blue Yonder was purchased by electronics giant Panasonic.
Why we love it…
> Labour management – Determines the next, most optimal task with dynamic task management that includes configurable escalation priorities for tasks, based on permissions, priority, and proximity.
> Cycle counting – System-directed work for cycle counting provides greater than 99% accuracy, virtually eliminating the need for traditional cycle counting.
> Configurable interface – Users are empowered with more flexibility, real-time responsiveness and prescriptive mobile workflows.
> Outbound operations – Blue Yonder supports multiple pick methods for travel time reduction and pick efficiency, as well as scan verification to capture UPC, lot and serial number, and more.
Learn more (watch a product overview).
Körber
Conquering supply chain complexity.
Körber is an international technology group that provides innovative solutions to a broad range of industries, including logistics. Körber’s WMS – formerly known as HighJump – was designed with flexibility and scalability in mind. While Körber’s platform is a fantastic out of the box solution, it can be optimised and configured to suit your business’s unique needs.
Why we love it…
> ERP integration – Körber’s platform offers seamlessly integration with major ERP systems, decreasing implementation time and cost through a repeatable process.
> Self-directed working – Warehouse workers receive mobile task direction via handheld devices, significantly increasing productivity while reducing training costs.
> Scalability – From single distribution centre operations to global enterprises with dozens of distribution facilities, Körber’s WMS can support any business’s strategic needs through its modular add-ons.
> Seamless Automation – Körber’s WMS allows you to automate the flow of material through your warehouse, no matter what equipment you’re using.
Paperless
Effortless. Seamless. Paperless.
As the name suggests, Paperless are experts at delivering digital solutions to warehousing and logistics companies looking to streamline their operations. Paperless is based in Australia and created the country’s first WMS in 1988. Since then, they’ve been innovating and evolving that offering into the world-class platform it is today.
Why we love it…
> True scalability – Paperless’ interface uses modular ‘building blocks’ that let you add functionality as your business grows and customise depending on your operational demands.
> Customer reporting – With its easy-to-use report engine, you can build fully customisable reports directly out of the Paperless software.
> Workload tracking – Track both planned and actual workloads, KPI's, and work and idle time. Paperless’ Virtual Supervisor also alerts you to missed targets or workload limits, and includes escalation alerts.
> Pick & Pack – Paperless supports Pick & Pack for e-commerce or home delivery order processing (B2B and B2C) with full load build, planning, pick to truck functionality and trackability.
Microlistics
Warehousing made simple.
Melbourne Based Microlistics offer a range of warehouse management systems that come packed with innovative and well implemented features. Part of the WiseTech Global group, it has been helping businesses overcome their supply chain challenges. Not only that, but for over 25 years and has been recognised in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for WMS every year since 2015.
Why we love it…
> Task management – Microlistics’ real-time, system-directed task management allows you to embed corporate disciplines for processes to achieve measurable and repeatable outcomes.
> Flexible automation – Develop your own automated processes using Microlistics’ flexible rules-based engine.
> 3PL support – Handling multiple sites and multiple clients is easy with Microlistics. The platform allows you to consolidate existing supply chain software and to easily scale into new locations on a permanent, seasonal or ‘pop-up’ basis.
> Powerful insights – Gain insights into all aspects of your operation with Microlistics’ analytics dashboards, which give you a clear overview of labour productivity, inbound & outbound trends and performance, warehouse space, inventory levels, stock movements and more.
How to choose your Warehouse Management System match
Before deciding on a WMS, consider the following:
> Your current set-up and processes
> Your current and future strategies
> Your customer base and their requirements
Once you have an understanding of this, look at the features of each WMS and choose the one that will integrate and align with them the best.
While the systems we’ve listed in this article are great, there are many other options that may be more suited to your business, especially if you have unique requirements. Many WMS companies offer free demos and free trials to get a feel for how the system works - this will help you assess whether or not the WMS is the right one for your business.
Whether you're a small e-commerce retailer or a multinational corporation, there's a WMS solution tailored to meet your specific needs. By evaluating factors such as scalability, functionality, and integration capabilities, you can identify the perfect WMS solution to optimise your warehouse operations and improve customer experience.
Contact Us
Not sure where to start? uTenant can help you when it comes to what warehouse management system is best for your business, as well as discuss how to best optimise your warehousing operations.
Updated: 26 February 2024