Warehouse management systems are effective at tracking, directing and enforcing processes to keep things running smoothly. However, today’s operations move at a speed and complexity that outpace the WMS’s original purpose. The system isn’t broken; it’s blind. What’s missing is the ability to interpret changing conditions and continuously decide what should happen next.
For decades, the WMS has been the digital backbone of warehouse operations, directing the movement of goods through a facility. Today’s systems monitor inventory, assign labor, connect to enterprise resource planning and transportation systems, and enforce compliance rules. But WMSs aren’t perfect. They excel at enforcing structure and executive tasks, but a sudden surge in orders, a late inbound truck, or a labor shortage can throw everything off, and a WMS can’t easily adapt.
