OverviewA highly recognized coffee retailer / wholesaler needed to reinvent their internal supply chain and to fully support that endeavor, needed to reconfigure all of their warehouses and local delivery points responsible for storing and shipping product, which included direct local customer deliveryResolutionAt over 50 locations and within a 12 month period, MWI implemented a national program for modernizing, expanding and reconfiguring various types of storage systems across their network of warehouses and hubs throughout the USA.

This effort included all seismic and structural calculations, evaluation and upgrades of fire protection systems (if required) and obtaining city and county permits where required.

A wide variety of systems were provided including selective racking, push back, carton flow, shelving, and related adjacent support equipment.By properly executing a storage plan within each active facility, MWI was able to provide significant value by reducing footprint and wasted space.

By eliminating large forklift aisle and converting to a narrow aisle equipment allowed additional storage height and locations.

Providing picking at lower rack levels increased productivity and hroughput in all the facilities which allowed them the ability to add a complete new product line into their inventory.A large dedicated team from MWI led by an overall Program Manager was broken up into specialty engineering and implementation tasks to which contributed to a focused and on time delivery.Source: https://mwi.solutions/coffee-wholesale-retail-distribution/ 

Warehouse Management Software works as the heart and soul of a whole logistics and supply chain process.

It facilitates the warehouse managers to efficiently manage and monitor the overall systematic work going around in the warehouse and surrounding.MWI’s Intersport Warehouse Control System integrated with WMS:To get more from a warehouse management system MWI is offering a hybrid system that interlinks the warehouse control software with the warehouse management system.

Now there is no need to have two separate system software to manage and control the warehouse facility when it can be done via single integrated system software.Advantages of Warehouse Management systemInventory VisibilityA good warehouse management system provides real-time data of the inventory stock being managed inside the warehouse thus enhancing the visibility of the inventory.

Proper monitoring and keeping an eye on all the activities inside a warehouse and also outside like the manufacturing and dispatch domains.

Visibility is one of the key components of a WMS as it enables the warehouse managers to deal with every task more efficiently.Reduction in ExpenseWMS helps in reducing the overall cost and expense of a warehouse as it helps in automating the process.

Automation helps in cutting off the labor and other expenses that are caused due to manual work using human resources and tools for a specific purpose.Enhanced SecurityWMS with its vigilance and monitoring facility surely enhances the overall security of the warehouse, inventory, products, and overall logistic process from manufacturing to dispatch and shipment.

OverviewA distribution center for a home furnishing chain struggling with the fulfillment of online orders from over 10,000 skus.

The company faced major challenges with order processing efficiency and speed that was needed to fulfill and consolidate increasing orders for same and next day deliveries.

With the benefit of robotic “Butlers”, goods stored in flexible mobile racks are automatically delivered to various picking stations, thereby eliminating walking for the associatesChallengeTotal volume of orders was increasing while lines per order decreasing due to changing online customer demands, causing delay in order processing More customers were expecting same and next day delivery putting pressure on their existing manual and rigid automation systems to handleNew SKUS frequently added into inventory as well the need to accommodate seasonal goods for extended periods of time required extensive planning Existing systems were rigid and inflexibleResolutionThe GreyOrange Butler robotics delivery system accelerated order processing by delivering goods to directly to operator pick stations, all queued up in proper sequence Using artificial intelligence the Butler system places racks of goods with the more popular items closer to the pick stations, increasing overall efficiencyIn real time, the Butlers use continuous ABC analysis to optimize where racks should be positioned within the warehouse, which is helpful for seasonal items.

New system highly flexible, modular, and scalable.

OverviewA third-generation family owned electrical parts supplier in the Los Angeles area was challenged with growing product demand and increased business opportunities due to manual processes that limited capacity as well as congested floor space limiting the growth of new SKU mix.ResolutionTo help overcome these and other challenges, McCombs-Wall was selected to lead the design and implementation of a semi-automated materials handling solution for the new facility.

A new storage / fulfillment system interfaced with ORACLE allowed the customer to add desperately needed SKUs along with a tremendous increase in order picking capacity.

System enhancements included a new two story seismically designed pick module for split case and full case picking which included a powered spiral.

To manage specialty SKUs a 22-foothigh vertical storage carousel (Lean Lift) was also provided.The conveyor system was designed to automatically deliver empty corrugated cartons within the Pick Module to designated pick zones.

If additional picks are required, the system delivers them to the next picking zone until the order is complete.

Cartons are then conveyed to a check weighing system and finally sorted to the appropriate shipment lane.

The Warehouse Management Software is developed to provide various functionalities to manage the daily warehouse operations.

The key functionality of a WMS system is to offer a set of different tools and automated processes to boost performance.

The warehouse control solution is an essential part of the ERP software system but you can use it as a standalone option.

The Warehouse Control Software is actually a set of integrated applications to maintain and handle various warehouse operations.

The efficient WCS solution can easily manage your daily activities with multiple warehouses and locations.The software solution efficiently monitors various items and maintains the movement of different products to deliver orders.

A well-established Warehouse Management System includes central, regional, and retail warehouses.

When it comes to inventory management and order fulfillment, the apparel business faces numerous difficult issues.

From complicated SKU assortments to seasonal inventory spikes, increased large box retailer needs, and same-day direct-to-consumer fulfillment expectations, apparel manufacturers need a cost-effective, precise, and trustworthy supply chain now more than ever.Apparel distribution has evolved dramatically over time, and it will continue to do so in order to satisfy evolving customer expectations.

Apparel has always required different distribution strategies than other consumer items due to the specific physical qualities of each product.Ecommerce and Omnichannel Retailing in the Apparel Industry Manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers used to have distinct divisions in the sector, but those lines are beginning to blur.

Within the warehouse, one major invention has the potential to make this difficult task possible: mobile technology.Best apparel industry solutions include:Order fulfillment that shares inventory and personnel to serve numerous channels Flexibility for seasonal and promotional peaks and changing order profiles Advanced software to improve order fulfillment and provide insights into the operationEfficient processing of smaller and more complicated orders Automation that decreases warehouse manpower dependency Alignments for a dedicated retail store or eCommerce fulfillmentFrom simple options (such as voice or RF) to fully automated solutions, software and hardware that meet contemporary needs are available.Inventory Management for Apparel Fulfillment?Poor inventory management can be fatal to an apparel brand with a large number of SKUs.

When you factor in how quickly fashion and tastes change, firms might end up with outdated, unsold merchandise that loses value and costs money to keep season after season.To keep inventory levels as low as possible, brands must balance fill rate with a rigorous SKU selection approach.

There is a narrow line between minute details and the broad picture when it comes to warehousing, fulfillment, and distribution of fast fashion.

Warehouse Management Software works as the heart and soul of a whole logistics and supply chain process.

It facilitates the warehouse managers to efficiently manage and monitor the overall systematic work going around in the warehouse and surrounding.MWI’s Intersport Warehouse Control System integrated with WMS:To get more from a warehouse management system MWI is offering a hybrid system that interlinks the warehouse control software with the warehouse management system.

Now there is no need to have two separate system software to manage and control the warehouse facility when it can be done via single integrated system software.Advantages of Warehouse Management systemInventory VisibilityA good warehouse management system provides real-time data of the inventory stock being managed inside the warehouse thus enhancing the visibility of the inventory.

Proper monitoring and keeping an eye on all the activities inside a warehouse and also outside like the manufacturing and dispatch domains.

Visibility is one of the key components of a WMS as it enables the warehouse managers to deal with every task more efficiently.Reduction in ExpenseWMS helps in reducing the overall cost and expense of a warehouse as it helps in automating the process.

Automation helps in cutting off the labor and other expenses that are caused due to manual work using human resources and tools for a specific purpose.Enhanced SecurityWMS with its vigilance and monitoring facility surely enhances the overall security of the warehouse, inventory, products, and overall logistic process from manufacturing to dispatch and shipment.

what are the types of material handling systems along with a classification of material handling systems.Each and everything involved in a product to be manufactured, shipped, outsourced, put on the showroom display, or market for sale go through series of selection of material handling systems.

Overall material handling systems and their related stuff falls under the gigantic umbrella of the Supply Chain Management process.

To get going on the material handling systems we first need to know how the supply chain works.To be very precise, the supply chain along with material handling systems ensures efficiency and productivity in the overall consumer and supplier relationship.

Material handling moreover keenly focuses on moving the product after the manufacturing and ensuring the security, reliability of the product till the product is delivered to the customer or moved to the destined place.All the cycle from the production, manufacturing, delivering, and consuming comes under the banner of the supply chain and whereas all the contrivances and protocols used for the completion of the cycle fall under the whole material handling system thing.

This means the supply chain is the route of all the products being handled by the companies all around the globe and the material handling systems on other hand are its helping components that make sure the success of everything from production to delivery.Material handling is one of the most important parts of logistics operations.

The design depicts the overall layout and helps the engineers to develop the tools and pivot points that can maximize the output and minimize the effort as much as they can.Three basic mechanisms are given full attention while designing a material handling system and that are following:Unit Load ConceptThe In-process handlingDistributionUnit Load Concept refers to the items being treated as a single component and they are handled, manufactured, shipped, and deployed separately.

Various kinds of software are used to track the material handling system’s working and activities involved in the whole supply chain management cycle.

All this including logistics planning and execution, order management, etc.

with sophisticated setup software that not only helps to reduce the workload but ensure the next-level productivity and overall efficacy.Although there are tons of various sorts of software used accordingly as per need in the material handling industry but some of the most widely used and essential ones are the following:Warehouse Control Systems (WCS)Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)Workforce Performance Management Systems (WPMS)Transportation Management SystemsSupply Chain Visibility SystemsForecasting and Order Management SystemsYard Management SystemsAutomatic Identification and Data Capture SystemsAll of the above-mentioned types do follow the basic principles of material handling systems.

We will now discuss the specific role and functionality of every sort of software and will try to understand their working too.Warehouse control systems are the kind of material handling software that is essentially used to gain control over the hybrid and fully automated machines operated under the supply chain cycle, performing a variety of different tasks.

They are responsible for dealing with small low-level simple machines along with high-level robotic apparatuses as well.Warehouse management systems are the kind of material handling software that is meant to control and monitor the working of humans operating the machines, participants as laborers or workers, dealing with time management, calculations regarding attendance of employees, etc.

These particular kinds of software are specialized for calculations, record keeping, data storing, and data management of all types.Workforce performance management software keenly focuses on achieving the set parameters and performance goals in the material handling system environment.