Easily integrated software packages boost warehouse efficiencies
Summary
“With customers needing products faster than ever, larger beverage wholesalers need to find ways to get more products out the door on time,” says John Rosenberger, director of iWAREHOUSE GATEWAY and global telematics at The Raymond Corp., Greene, N.Y. “Because of this, many wholesalers are looking to make changes but ones that have a lesser impact on infrastructure and cost.” As warehouse management or location systems can be integrated onto equipment or in the warehouse with minimal changes, Rosenberger notes that such software solutions can offer insights that can help save money and boost efficiencies in the future. Ken Ramoutar, chief marketing officer at Lucas Systems, Wexford, Pa., notes that with more beverage distributors turning to consolidation for efficiency purposes, flexible software solutions become crucial. Dave Williams, vice president of technology solutions at York, Pa.-based Westfalia, notes that with greater SKU proliferation, the rules and complexities of dealing with those individual SKUs present challenges from an order fulfillment standpoint. “For example, Westfalia’s Savanna.NET Firefly is a fault recovery and visualization tool that provides colorized, 3D models showing real-time flow of pallets and any potential disruptions within the warehouse so that they can be addressed in a timely manner,” he says. “It is key to look for a system that leverages standard building blocks for proven functionality yet is highly configurable to allow for application to the unique processes and business rules of the organization.” Raymond Corp.’s Rosenberger suggests that when looking to update operations, warehouses should consider optimizing first.