Warehouse management systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Warehouse management systems - Essay Example The modern warehouse can ill-afford to ignore this important resource. The key focus of SCM is to get the right part to the right place at the right time. WMS facilitates this process by dramatically increasing the accuracy of inventory management, control, and distribution. For example, when parts are received at a warehouse facility, a good WMS can "check the bill of lading against the items actually received, [and] any discrepancies can be noted through the audit trail" thereby allowing management to track items that have been lost in transit (Gladston 40). It goes without saying that it is impossible to ship the right part from the warehouse facility if the item never actually made it to the warehouse. When the system generates an audit trail document, facility employees can quickly and easily identify the problem and resolve it. Thus, system accuracy is greatly enhanced through WMS. If, as in the case study, a facility that is holding more than 85,000 stock keeping units can obtain 99.9% accuracy, the impact of such a system is significant. Another reason why WMS is critical to operations is its ability to allocate storage locations of parts and supplies within the facility itself. Businesses that move a high volume of parts through their supply chain must focus on improving "the efficiency of warehouse management (especially space)" to avoid the logistical difficulties that would be present in a poorly-designed facility (Cortada 292). In the case of Toyota, the ability to allocate warehouse space according to the part's size and frequency of demand was a major contributor to the system's success. For a company like Wal-Mart, which uses centralized distribution centers to serve its many outlets, a WMS that streamlined facility space allocations by creating inventory zones would create a scale of supply chain efficiency that could save the company millions of dollars a year. In the same way that it is impossible to move the right part from the warehouse if it hasn't arrived, it is equally difficult to do so if managemen t knows that it has the part in the warehouse but isn't sure where it is. The organization of storage and product flow throughout a warehouse facility is so important that if a WMS did only that, it would be worth the investment. The advantages of a WMS, however, go beyond the ability to track and store inventory. As the systems become more sophisticated, they are able to increase supply chain efficiency in many other ways. As noted in the case study on Toyota, the WMS not only tracks position within the system, but also produces a tag label giving part details and locations. A dealer direct order capability, when combined with overall supply chain efficiency, leverages warehouse management to a much higher level. As one author notes, "WMS functionality will continue to broaden... with an increasing focus on dynamic optimization" to a point that will "enable the system to ship product without ever actually receiving it" (Hoctor and Thierauf 238). The ability to optimize a company's operations to the point that supply-chain subsystems are integrated across the entire platform is what makes a good WMS more than just a

Class Dialogue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Class Dialogue - Assignment Example Moreover, the book provides insights on how there have been faithful communities who have passionately followed the way of Christ despite the numerous challenges they face. b.) Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium Chapter II # 50-60; Chapter IV # 186; # 198 Accessed Online from http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html The source provides diverse issues and themes that relate to how human beings relate to one another and to the environment. Chapters II (50-60) elaborates on the challenges that humanity is facing in the modern world that range from idolatry of money, having financial systems that rules rather than serving, inequality that leads to violence to cultural challenges. Chapter IV (186-198)emphasizes on the inclusion of the poor in the society, communities and individuals as instruments of God to liberate and promote the poor, man’s union with God, the fidelity to the gospel and the special place of the poor in God’s people. In addition, the chapter discuses solidarity as a spontaneous reaction by people who recognize that the societal function of property and the general destination of goods are certainties that come before private material goods. It is a relevant source to the topic at hand because it provides information about the current issues (both social and religious ) that are taking place in the modern world. Bishop Kenneth urges people not to forget the poor and the needy and that we should always give them a priority in whatever we are doing. He urges people not to ignore them because of their status and also to help them indiscreetly. Moreover, Bishop Kenneth challenges people that everyone is capable of helping the needy (poor) irrespective of how little they have since what matters most is giving with a willing heart. This quote argues that the modern world has changed to be full of inequalities whereby it is only the strongest who can survive