Warehouse Execution Systems & Distribution Centers

Hi, I am Priyadarsini currently pursuing MBA at Amrita School of Business, Coimbatore. Here's my new blog post!!

 Warehouse Execution Systems

Warehouse execution system software (WES) developed out of the need for automated distribution centers to throttle order fulfillment by automation in such a way as to reach customer delivery deadlines while maintaining high and steady utilization.

 The first WES suppliers had a presence in Distribution Centers ( DCs) that implemented high-end, fixed automation like systems for sortation. That core purpose for WES remains today but the value proposition is expanding.

A key focus for WES has been the more dynamic or continuous handling of order release compared to static work. But WES is not a one-trick pony with automation for "wave less" order fulfillment. WES providers say that the software orchestrates the overall workflow across all resources, and increasingly employs artificial intelligence (AI ) and machine learning.

Optimizing the Resources

WES has its origins in using data science to "pull" the job by automating a DC in a way that reaches customer service standards while retaining high performance. That capacity remains, its only WES algorithms are now being applied to labour resources, robotics and positioning of inventories. WES logic considers several issues leveraging its knowledge of execution success, including where to select products from, what areas need replenishment and how the job will be sequenced for carrier pickups to hit packing outstations on time. "The opportunity is  to make smarter decisions when you have real-time, comprehensive information about inventory management and mechanization

Managing Bottlenecks

Avoiding bottlenecks in busy DCs with both manual and robotic processes is another role WES will play. As Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are increasingly used, another priority for WES is the ability to synchronize multiple AMR solutions with each other and with other processes such as conveyance. Although AMR vendors have their own unit control software, some DCs can use multiple AMR solutions. For example, if a facility carries out AMR-assisted cluster picking in one area and an AMR-based good-to-person workflow in another, with other fixed automation feeding into or out of those areas, WES maintains the overall flow balance. Many DCs use automation such as light-directed put-walls, where employees process orders. WES can help to prevent put-wall inefficiencies by smartly determining which orders and products should be handled using a put wall and which orders should be handled in a different way . Generally speaking, it is better to avoid sending single line item orders via a put-wall as this creates an extra handling step versus method like pick to cart

 It's about optimizing flow across all assets and resources, including robots and processes that rely on manual labour, rather than optimizing one major automation system in mind. WES sits between the Warehouse Control System (WCS) layer, software that controls automated machinery such as conveyors, sorters, or automated storage and retrieval systems (AS / RS), and warehouse management system (WMS) software that manages inventory, labour and warehouse fulfillment.