Key Warehouse Management System (WMS) features - Extenda Retail

Keep up with the latest WMS features in nyce.logic

To serve its customers even better, nyce.logic has seen many recent updates. Learn more about some of our new WMS features and what they have to offer you as a retailer.

In today’s ever-changing supply chain landscape, a Warehouse Management System (WMS) is essential for optimizing warehouse operations. WMS enhance efficiency, accuracy, and warehouse productivity, making them indispensable for modern businesses.

From real-time inventory visibility to labor optimization, WMS features streamline complex tasks and ensure seamless coordination across warehouse functions.

By leveraging the advanced capabilities of warehouse management systems, businesses can transform their operations, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Whether managing a single facility or multiple locations, a WMS provides effective and scalable warehouse management tools.

In this post, you will learn more about the following:

• What is a WMS?

• Common WMS key features

• Nyce.logic's WMS features:

  • Control (CTRL) Tower (centralized control and overview of all main warehouse processes, workforce, and system health)

  • Workforce management (plan, predict, and follow-up workload)

  • Automation API (middleware that enhances and streamlines the integrations with various automation and robotics solutions)

• Benefits of a WMS

What is a WMS?

A WMS is a software solution designed to optimize and streamline warehouse operations, workflows, and processes, ensuring that goods move efficiently through the supply chain.

A WMS provides tools for managing inventory, organizing storage, and controlling the flow of goods from when they arrive at the warehouse until they are shipped out. This powerful system is a cornerstone for businesses seeking to enhance warehouse productivity, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

Common key WMS features

Real-time inventory management

With real-time tracking, businesses can access real-time inventory visibility and gain accurate insights into their inventory data, including stock levels, storage locations, and replenishment needs.

This feature minimizes the risks of stockouts or overstocking, ensuring effective warehouse management and smoother supply chain operations.

Support for multiple warehouses

Warehouse management systems simplify inventory management across different warehouses by offering centralized control and visibility.

This functionality allows businesses to coordinate inventory movements efficiently, streamlining warehouse workflows and processes while enhancing supply chain efficiency.

Order fulfillment and picking optimization

A warehouse management system (WMS) directs staff to the most effective picking routes and methods to maximize efficiency in order processing.

This reduces errors, saves time, and ensures timely deliveries, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction.

Barcode and RFID integration

Integrating barcode scanning and RFID technology in a WMS enhances inventory tracking accuracy and efficiency throughout the warehouse. These tools provide better visibility, quicker scanning, and accurate data capture, ensuring seamless inventory management.

Additionally, RFID tags offer a significant advantage over barcodes by eliminating the need for manual scanning. This enables faster, more efficient inventory tracking while delivering detailed information about each item.

Receiving and putaway

A WMS streamlines receiving goods, ensuring proper inspection and documentation. It then designates optimal storage locations for items, promoting space utilization and quick retrieval during order picking. RFID (radio frequency identification) technology allows items to be automatically tracked and validated upon arrival, reconciling them in real-time against digital purchase orders and reducing errors.

Shipping

Warehouse management systems integrate with transportation and logistics software, enabling streamlined fulfillment processes. These systems can automatically generate bills of lading, packing lists, and shipment invoices and dispatch automated shipment notifications.

With real-time tracking capabilities, businesses can monitor packages to ensure timely delivery. Precision in these processes is crucial, as top-performing warehouse operations consistently achieve on-time shipment rates, ensuring efficiency and customer experience.

Integration with other systems

Modern WMS solutions connect seamlessly with other essential platforms, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Transportation Management Systems (TMS), and other supply chain tools.

This integration fosters comprehensive oversight, enabling smoother coordination and reducing manual errors.

Reporting and analytics

A WMS leverages analytics to provide actionable insights into key performance metrics, such as inventory trends, productivity, and operational bottlenecks. These insights empower businesses to make data-driven decisions to enhance efficiency and profitability.

Each feature works harmoniously to create an effective warehouse management system that boosts productivity, optimizes resource use, and keeps operations aligned with business goals.

Introducing Nyce.logic WMS unique features

The nyce.logic Warehouse Management System (WMS), part of Extenda Retail and a leader in the Nordics, is continuously upgraded and updated. Extenda Retail is determined to stay forward-thinking and provide retailers and their customers with the best possible experience, which includes frequently developing new WMS features.

Nyce.logic WMS supports businesses in customizing workflows and simplifying warehouse operations, driving greater productivity and efficiency.

With flexible WMS features that can scale to meet unique business needs, organizations can optimize processes, improve productivity, and enhance labor efficiency, ensuring seamless operations that grow with their demands.

In addition to the above-mentioned WMS key features, nyce.logic has developed three unique features to provide a holistic warehouse management solution:

CTRL Tower

The CTRL Tower module enables centralized control support and an overview of all warehouse processes, workforce, and system health. Define your panels and layouts to follow up processes and KPIs. You can define every parameter in the panel, such as client, warehouse, and timespan.

Five of the main benefits are:

• Overview and management of warehouse processes, system health, and workforce

• KPI follow-up (historical, present and future)

• Flexible and customizable setup

• Actionable updates

• A single information source for enhanced overview and control

  “CTRL Tower gives our customers full control and overview of their warehouse operations, creating optimal decision-making conditions. The module presents the most important data in an easy to understand way. All monitoring, overview, analysis and planning of warehouse operations is handled in the same interface”, says Filip Lindblad, product manager for Nyce.logic

Workforce Management

Workforce management can predict the upcoming workload and provide an overview of current operations and activities, making planning and scheduling more effective. It can also follow up on working hours, productivity, and costs for each operational area and user.

Workforce planning form

A form that is designed to allocate resources for each operational area, offering features such as:

• Users can select calculation methods upon login, enabling the system to predict workload for upcoming periods.

• Combined with calculated productivity, the Planning Form provides valuable insights into resource requirements for each operational area.

• It allows users to input values and simulate various scenarios virtually manually.

• Plans can be previewed directly within the system, exported in different formats, or viewed as detailed reports.

Workforce follow-up

The workforce planning module enables users to analyze the outcomes of past periods, providing valuable insights to keep various operational areas on track.

Results can be reviewed directly in the system, exported in various formats, or saved as detailed reports. Key features include:

• Tracking actual workload and calculating the hours required to complete tasks.

• Measuring productivity by analyzing tasks handled per working hour and calculating the average time needed to complete processes.

• Monitoring resource usage and associated costs.

• Setting specific productivity targets to compare actual performance against expected results.

Main features and functionality in the Workforce Management update:

• High-level or detailed time tracking for different operational areas (process, flow, and group level) in the warehouse with automatic change detection

• Detailed forecasting methods to predict workload and calculate productivity in operational areas, estimating the need for resources

• Scheduling features based on the user's skill and competence

• Automatic operational area assignment based on scheduling and resource needs

• Workforce overview of the current production day, keeping track of active users, produced and remaining workload, and estimated end time on a detailed operation area level

• Higher-level and detailed user time, productivity, and expense tracking

• Full client and warehouse filtering support

  “Planning and scheduling warehouse users based on intelligent AI-based forecasts can be critical in effectively allocating resources and delivering the highest service level possibled. It makes it possible to quickly reinforce areas where an increased resource need is predicted. This displays eventual bottlenecks in advance, ensuring a high service level to end customers”, says Filip Lindblad, product manager for Nyce.logic

Automation API

The Automation API module is a microservice with a standard API to nyce.logic WMS works as a middleware between nyce.logic and various external automation equipment. The module has been developed to meet the increasing need for warehouse automation and robotics.

A wide range of automation solutions on the market require quick, easy, and flexible integration possibilities. We aim to streamline integrations, eliminating customized, time-consuming setup processes.

The functionality includes:

• Standard automation API for connecting automation and robotics

• Quick to integrate and easy to maintain WCS (Warehouse Control System)

• Flexible and adaptable configuration

  “The increasingly complex warehouses of the future will require simple and flexible solutions. Warehouse automation and robotics will play an even more important role than we already see today. Multiple implementations and increased complexity will require world class integrations to the Warehouse Management System. The success factor lays in providing flexibility and simplicity in these integrations in order to orchestrate and connect the warehouse areas in the best possible way”, says Filip Lindblad, product manager for Nyce.logic

Benefits of a warehouse management system (WMS)

A good warehouse management system delivers transformative benefits for businesses, helping them achieve greater efficiency and manage inventory, accuracy, and scalability in their warehouse operations. Here are the key advantages:

1. Effective inventory management

A WMS provides real-time inventory data, ensuring accurate stock levels and reducing errors. It enables businesses to track products throughout the warehouse, minimizing overstocking or stockouts and improving inventory visibility across all warehouses.

2. Streamline warehouse processes

A warehouse management system automates critical tasks like picking, packing, and shipping with optimized workflows. This streamlines warehouse processes, reduces manual labor, and accelerates order fulfillment, leading to faster delivery times.

3. Enhanced warehouse productivity

A WMS boosts productivity by offering task prioritization tools and tracking labor. Employees can focus on high-value activities while the system handles repetitive and time-consuming tasks, improving operational efficiency.

4. Effective space utilization

Effective warehouse management systems maximize space utilization by organizing inventory placement strategically. This reduces wasted space and allows for better planning of storage and retrieval processes.

5. Seamless integration with the supply chain

A WMS integrates with other systems, such as ERP and transportation management systems, to create a cohesive and responsive supply chain. This improves communication, reduces delays, and enhances overall supply chain visibility.

6. Scalability for business growth

As businesses expand, a warehouse management system adapts to increasing demands and supports the management of multiple warehouses. This scalability ensures efficient warehouse operations as complexity grows.

7. Cost reduction

A WMS lowers operational expenses by minimizing errors, reducing labor costs, and optimizing inventory management. The result is a more cost-effective operation with higher profitability.

8. Enhanced customer satisfaction

Accurate orders, faster fulfillment, and reduced delivery errors improve customer experience. Well-implemented warehouse management systems ensure that businesses meet customer expectations consistently.

Leveraging warehouse management systems' advanced features allows businesses to transform their operations, streamline processes, and gain a competitive edge in today’s dynamic market.

Efficient warehouse management with Nyce.logic

A warehouse management system simplifies complex processes, enhances efficiency, and ensures seamless operations. With customizable and scalable features, nyce.logic WMS can adapt to your needs, from real-time inventory management to optimizing order fulfillment.

Discover how a flexible WMS like nyce.logic can streamline your workflows and meet all your warehouse management requirements. Speak with one of our experts today to learn more about our tailored solutions, or watch nyce.logic WMS live in action to see how it can transform your warehouse.

About Nyce.logic

The nyce.logic warehouse management system (WMS) is developed alongside new trends and technological innovations, as its team of experts works closely alongside automation partners and clients. The best-of-breed WMS is scalable, which means that it ‘grows' together with customers, either if they implement new systems such as robotics, or when their order volumes increase.

Nyce.logic has a hands-on, long-term approach when working together with customers. This unique setup allows customers to influence the product, and build long-term partnerships (nyce.logic proudly has had ongoing partnerships since 1998). The combination of a scalable solution, long-term partnerships and the customers' ability to influence the product roadmap, is where nyce.logic really excels.