Selecting, Buying, Installing and Using a Modern Warehouse Management System

This briefing is based on thirty years experience in the installation, servicing and operation of supply chain software. It was written for the executive, manager or engineer considering installation of a warehouse management system. It may also have special value to those who are considering a replacement of their present system. We begin with the purpose of warehouse management systems and a description of their costs and benefits. The build-versus-buy choice is discussed. Organizational impact and the short and long-term effect on customers are described. The book then moves into a discussion of how to buy a WMS, the project team that must be assembled, the marketplace for commercial systems, the types of systems available and how to go about choosing among them, the creation of a Request for Proposal and the evaluation of responses. It ends with a methodology for justifying/funding a system and concludes with discussions of installation and ongoing operation and maintenance.