Real Time Processing provides up to the minute accuracy for stock availability and location. Barcode Tracking provides verification that the right item is being stored or picked. Inventory errors, such as mislocated stock or quantity discrepancies, are detected and resolved in real time.
On-line verification by the system detects data entry errors as they occur. In addition, the Warehouse eXpress Graphical User Interface helps to reduce errors by reducing the amount of data that must be entered. Most operations require only that the operator select from a menu of valid choices or options, further reducing the opportunity for error.
Increased productivity and accurate inventory records translate into increased inventory turns and lower required inventory levels to fill a given demand. In addition, the exceptional accuracy of on-hand balances reduces the amount of safety stock that is required.
First In, First Out (FIFO) processing and shelf life tracking assure that the oldest and earliest expiring inventory will always by picked, reducing occurrences of expired stock which typically arise when using conventional manual picking systems.
Warehouse eXpress location assignment algorithms provide for random storage of inventory and maximize the space utilization in the warehouse. Flexible consolidation functions allow multiple occurrences of the same item to be consolidated, using less physical storage space.
On-line processing of receipts eliminates the need for staging areas for receiving. Material can be immediately logged into the system, storage locations assigned, inventory tags generated, and putaway tasks dispatched, all in a matter of seconds. The stock is then available for immediate shipment.
Warehouse eXpress performs radio dispatching of tasks directly to each vehicle. Vehicle operators are given one assignment (pick, putaway, inventory verification, etc.) to perform at a time. When the operator completes the task, it is time-stamped, logged, and the inventory is adjusted accordingly. The next task is then assigned based upon rules designed to minimize travel time. This on-line capability increases the productivity of the entire workforce by simplifying each task, eliminating search time for missing stock or alternative locations, and by dynamically distributing the workload over the entire workforce based on actual rates of progress. If an error or exception arises (such as a stock out or blocked location), operators are provided with powerful query and exception handling capabilities, eliminating the need for unnecessary communication with a supervisor for routine tasks. In addition, because the warehouse operation is virtually paperless, overhead is further reduced.
When the shipping and receiving docks are in reasonable proximity to one another, picking and putaway tasks may be interleaved so that the operator is immediately assigned a pick task upon completion of a putaway. This minimizes empty travel time associated with repetitive assignments of the same type.
Increased operator productivity results in more picks or puts per hour, which in turn requires a smaller number of vehicles per shift to process a given workload. This saves significant expenditures on new equipment and its associated maintenance costs.
Warehouse eXpress is based on a paperless warehouse operations model. Printed, handwritten, and often inaccurate paper pick lists and putaway documents are completely eliminated. Generation of other documents, such as inventory tags and shipping labels, is completely automated. The result is increased accuracy and productivity.
With Warehouse eXpress, stock can be received immediately and putaway without staging. Once it is in the system assigned storage location, it is available immediately to fulfill orders.
Warehouse eXpress's on-line transaction processing capability allows inventory counting to be scheduled and prioritized in the same fashion as picking or other material handling functions. This allows cycle counting to take place continuously, during times when vehicle operators have no other higher priority tasks to perform. If immediate verification is needed within a given zone or aisle, all the supervisor needs to do is instruct the system to generate the appropriate cycle counting tasks and assign them the desired priority.
Based on the use of a perpetual inventory model, the need for a periodic shutdown of the facility for physical inventory verification, and its corresponding high cost, is completely eliminated.
The high level of inventory accuracy and reduced handling, coupled with on-line error and exception processing, results in a higher level of overall quality in the operation of the facility, measured in terms of the accuracy of both the type and quantity of material requested.
Warehouse eXpress provides immediate, at the dock verification of all orders before they are shipped, so that discrepancies can be found and corrected by warehouse personnel, not the customer.
With Warehouse eXpress, the right product is shipped to the right customer at the right time. The first time! This results in increased customer satisfaction, fewer returns, and increased sales.
Complete audit trails, timely and accurate management reports, and flexible scheduling options provide warehouse management with the tools required to optimize the flow of material through, and the worker productivity within, the facility. Warehouse supervisors have the tools needed to prioritize and balance each day's workload across available personnel.
Warehouse eXpress creates a full audit trail with records of all tasks performed by each vehicle and operator. This audit trail can be used to gauge productivity, refine routine operations, isolate and correct errors, and assist in workload planning.
On-line receipt of material, coupled with real-time generation and processing of orders for shipment, provides the foundation required to implement a Just In Time operations methodology.
Stock status reports identify items whose inventory levels have fallen below predetermined reorder points along with the appropriate reorder quantities. The timeliness of this information, combined with the underlying reliability and accuracy of the warehouse inventory, provide the basis for more accurate and economical purchasing decisions.
Warehouse eXpress also facilitates the accounts payable process. Orders for shipment can be confirmed electronically to the corporate host system immediately upon release from the shipping dock, avoiding the delays and potential errors associated with conventional manual systems. Accuracy is greatly improved due to the on-line nature of the system and its verification capabilities.
Modules can be added to the system to control Conveyors, Carousels, Mini-Load Storage Systems, AGV's, Stacker Cranes, and Automatic Storage and Retrieval Systems. Warehouse eXpress is designed such that these sophisticated controls can be seamlessly integrated into the system and into your workplace.
Warehouse eXpress is based on a Client-Server programming model and employs powerful, yet highly cost effective, UNIX workstations and servers. Additional users, processing power, workstations, RDT's, printers, and scanners can all be added without obsoleting any of the investment in the basic system. Product software is licensed on a "per seat" or simultaneous user basis, which provides for an extremely low entry cost coupled with a highly cost effective migration path for adding additional users as demand and usage increase. Unlike competing products with entry level pricing of $500,000 and above, it is indeed possible to configure and begin to gain the benefits of a Warehouse eXpress system with a "starter configuration" containing as few as one or two workstations and RDT's.
