Good question, especially if you are trying to justify purchasing and integrating systems for your warehouse or distribution center

Any new technology should help you gain control over your inventory and the associated business processes. Knowing the status of inventory and orders “real-time” is a huge in managing the operation.

Warehouse control systems offer both hardware and software solutions which should readily connect to existing WMS/ERP/MES software.

Most inventory processes can be automated:

-Receiving
-Stocking
-Product Movement
-Picking
-Consolidation and Verification
-Packing and Shipping

I will briefly describe what technology is available that can be used for each process. A more detailed look at each process will be presented in future posts.

Receiving
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)
-Conveyor Control

Stocking
-Automated Storage Devices
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)
-Carton Flow Rack Put to Light
-Bulk Zone Put to Light

Product Movement
-Conveyor Control
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)

Picking
-Automated Retrieval Devices
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)
-Pick to Light

Consolidation and Verification
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)
-Conveyor Control

Packing and Shipping
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without bar code scanners)
-Portable Data Terminals (with or without voice)
-Conveyor Control