Warehouse Management Systems

WMS selection

We guide you through the provider jungle with experience

Choosing the right warehouse management software is a very complex decision. One of the biggest challenges is that the changeover affects the entire order fulfillment process and therefore requires a comprehensive solution. Structures in the system landscape and process execution that have evolved over the years are often very individual, partly non-transparent and frequently unknown. As a result, it is often not possible to compare the compatibility of the processes in place with the providers’ offerings. Many companies therefore postpone the selection of a WMS for as long as possible, which further increases the time pressure. The large number of providers also makes the selection process complex, as outsiders often do not recognize the differences between the solutions.

Our logistics and process specialists will therefore guide you through the entire selection process and beyond if required. To enable a structured approach, we work together to define the key business processes and key users. We work with them to create a catalog of requirements and a long list of possible solutions. With our extensive experience in the field of process consulting, we record the actual processes in logistics and define new target processes with the key users. These serve as the basis for the selection of possible providers (short list).

The providers then present their solutions to you in workshops, for which we develop an evaluation scheme together with you. Based on all the information gathered, we draw up a recommendation for action and develop a roadmap for the introduction of the new WMS. We also use our expertise to support the final draft contract to ensure that your requirements are met by the provider.

Our service packages:

• Develop longlist and shortlist
• Create requirements catalog after process development
• Create tender documents and specifications for system and supplier selection
• Develop and carry out beauty contests with potential providers
• Develop a recommendation for action
• Create a roadmap for the WMS introduction

Your benefit:

1. You receive a tailor-made system for your core processes in operations and beyond.
2. You will receive a personalized roadmap for the introduction of the system.
3. You benefit from holistic support during the selection process from the perspective of a process consultant.

WMS introduction

The right building blocks for a successful launch

The selection process has been completed and the decision for a system provider has been made. A first major step has been taken. But now you need to introduce the new system efficiently in your company and successfully replace the old system. This involves configuring the system to your requirements, possibly developing sub-scopes or creating interfaces to existing systems. In addition, the introduction of the system usually requires an adaptation of the work organization and the design of new, lean processes.

To ensure that your employees can work successfully in the new system when it goes live, it is important to familiarize them with the newly created structures and system functions. The challenge is to manage the project efficiently despite its complexity and to take the specialists along with you and empower them for the upcoming change. At the same time, we want to work with you to build a sustainable organization with lean but effective workflows.

We are your partner for the successful and smooth introduction of the Warehouse Management System in your company. Our service not only includes the planning and management of the project. We also develop lean target processes with the new system and train the specialists as part of change management. We also support the system configuration and business integration from a process perspective.

Our service packages:

• Project and stakeholder management in order to meet defined project goals (e.g. time frame, costs, requirements)
• Develop target processes to design an optimal workflow with the new system
• Derive the need for changes (e.g. organizational adjustments)
• Managing and supporting change and transformation processes
• Business integration tests support processes
• Compare the success of the implementation with the defined requirements

Your benefit:

1. You introduce the Warehouse Management System efficiently.
2. You establish lean and optimized processes.
3. You implement the defined requirements.
4. You involve all stakeholders, key users and process owners in the project.

Organizational development

Exploit the potential of your employees

Is there a lot of untapped potential in your organization? Is there a lack of initiative for improvement and is further development stagnating? To build a successful and sustainable company, you need a clear vision, mission and strategy. Based on this, you need to create a breeding ground for stability, progress and development. This also means that you must constantly promote and balance the development of corporate structures, skills and culture.

A WMS transformation not only leads to structural changes, but also has an impact on the skills of employees and the corporate culture. This process presents a challenge, but at the same time offers the opportunity to initiate change in your organization. Work with us to lay the foundations for building a vibrant organization with intrinsically motivated employees.

Our service packages:

• Define vision and mission, derive corporate strategy
• Developing targets and key performance indicator systems
• Developing structural elements with your teams
• Develop a goal- and solution-oriented management culture
• Continuously support and empower stakeholders in change and development processes
• Implement agile ways of working and thinking in the organization

Your benefit:

1. With our support, you define your vision, mission and corporate strategy.
2. You motivate your employees intrinsically.
3. They promote goal- and solution-oriented managers and employees.

Process consulting

Lean, value-oriented end-to-end processes as part of the WMS introduction

Are your business processes not or only incompletely documented? Or is the existing documentation outdated and no longer up to date? Processes in companies are often only developed within individual departments, but are neither value-oriented from a customer perspective nor cross-departmental. Such processes are not suitable as a basis for the selection and introduction of a WMS. The introduction of a WMS system offers great potential for optimization. End-to-end processes are developed with the key users, which are geared towards customer value (e.g. short delivery times or order processing times). When selecting and introducing a WMS system, it is therefore crucial to choose a provider that matches your company’s target processes.

With our many years of experience, we support you in analysing your current processes, identifying optimization potential and creating value-oriented end-to-end target processes. Based on this, we define use cases for the selection of providers and identify standardized and individual solutions. During the introduction of the new system, we refine the end-to-end processes and adapt them to the specific requirements. In this way, we ensure that your employees can work with efficient, system-supported workflows at the time of implementation – and that they themselves were involved in the development of these new workflows.

Our service packages:

• Record and document actual processes with the key users
• Initial and pragmatic development of target processes together with key users
• Define use cases for the beauty contest and provider selection
• Further develop end-to-end target processes based on the functions in the new system

Your benefit:

1. You identify optimization potential along the process chain.
2. You develop sustainable and value-oriented target processes.
3. You select your provider on the basis of target process structures.
4. They ensure harmonious interaction between the WMS and target processes.

System landscape and configuration

Transparent inventory: identify risks and weak points, define target image

The rapid development of new IT solutions poses challenges for many specialist departments. Rapid implementation of new solutions is crucial for commercial success, but a holistic approach often falls by the wayside.

As a result, the IT landscape of many companies is a collection of isolated solutions. These make maintenance time-consuming and allow potential to be lost in the interfaces. This results in two central problems: New technologies are difficult to apply to the distributed systems and, if individual systems or versions are also phased out, there is often a lack of knowledge carriers for older systems A risk assessment of the IT landscape is therefore virtually impossible.

To ensure the successful implementation of a warehouse management system, we examine your entire system landscape. With extensive operational and process experience, we document and examine the key systems and processes of all departments. This creates a digital picture of your system landscape that also takes existing and missing interfaces into account.

In joint workshops with the various departments, we develop a digital target image for your system landscape. In doing so, we always keep an eye on the latest state-of-the-art solutions. Together with you, we decide which systems and processes should be continued independently and which should be covered by the WMS. Throughout the entire implementation process, we act as a link between the implementation provider and the specialist department to ensure a customized configuration in line with your requirements.

Our service packages:

• Create transparency
• Documenting the status quo
• Identify relevant systems
• Developing the ideal system landscape

Your benefit:

1. You receive a transparent overview of the status of your current system landscape.
2. You will be shown optimization potential.
3. You minimize risks for your system landscape.
4. You create a new system landscape for the optimized use of your data.

Change management

Mastering the WMS transformation with systematic change management

The introduction of a new warehouse management system brings major changes and challenges for all employees. Old habits have to be discarded while new work processes and structures are created. Ideally, these changes are supported by the specialists themselves in order to maintain their motivation during and after the introduction. Structured and customized change management is essential for this. It creates the basis for mastering the various phases of the project by using targeted measures for communication, training and empowerment.

We will be happy to work with you to develop a change management strategy with specific measures that are individually tailored to the needs of your employees in each project phase. In this way, you can ensure that the performance and motivation of your specialists do not decline during and after the introduction of the WMS system and that they play an active role in shaping the change process.

Our service packages:

• Develop a change management concept
• Derive concrete measures to support change
• Develop a communication strategy
• Derive concrete communication measures
• Develop training and qualification concepts with corresponding measures
• Track all measures introduced and evaluate their effectiveness

Your benefit:

1. You introduce the new system efficiently in your organization.
2. You communicate the changes clearly and comprehensibly.
3. Your employees have the necessary know-how to operate the new system efficiently.
4. You keep the motivation of your employees high during the WMS system introduction.

PMO

Leading the WMS project to success with structured project management

The introduction of a WMS is a complex and demanding project. It involves a large number of stakeholders before the comprehensive rollout takes place. Effective project management is therefore of central importance in order to involve all stakeholders and meet the diverse requirements. Clearly defined project goals and content as well as a functioning collaboration model with all stakeholders are essential to successfully implement the project. It is also important to communicate progress, challenges and risks transparently.

We are happy to support you and bring our many years of diverse experience in project management to bear to make your WMS transformation a success. We set up the project in a structured manner, define the project scope with clearly described goals and milestones and create transparent structures for collaboration. We continuously measure the progress of the project, assess the risks and derive countermeasures. We ensure that your WMS implementation project is given the right project management framework so that you can achieve your goals and project scope with the planned resources in the defined quality and time.

Our service packages:

• Define project goals and milestones
• Develop a detailed phase and milestone plan
• Derive specific tasks and responsibilities
• Define collaboration model
• Monitor project progress and carry out risk assessment in the event of schedule deviations (project controlling)
• If required: Set up an agile project management framework for planning and controlling project tasks (e.g. based on Scrum, Safe, etc.)

Your benefit:

1. You receive transparency on project progress and the risks in the project.
2. You benefit from experienced project management.
3. You will experience efficient and effective collaboration within the project team.
4. They ensure the stringent implementation of the project.