TOP 20 - Modern Materials Handling

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modern EQUIPMENT BUYING GUIDE dimensions throughout a network of trading partners. For instance, it can take into consideration the inventory at multiple distribution centers as well as supplier warehouses. It can also consider inventory that’s already in-transit from a manufacturer or a distributor and product that’s about to be manufactured. Supply chain optimization and network design Another emerging application, these are planning tools that model and simulate complex supply chains. Using these programs, decision makers can decide the optimal way to source materials, locate manufacturing plants and distribution centers and set up transportation lanes. Once the network design is in place, the system can run a series of what-if scenarios to determine how the supply chain performs when changes are made. What happens if inventory is shifted from one DC to another? What happens if there is an increase in orders in Florida and a decrease in the Northeast? By simulating real world situations, the system can predict how the supply chain will perform and can look for potential opportunities to optimize the current network. SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTION Supply chain event management and visibility These systems monitor the supply chain for events that are out of tolerance for the plan, like a shortage of parts at a manufacturing location or the breakdown of a truck delivering an important order. When those occur, the system notifies a decision maker by e-mail, pager or fax who can then Labor management systems (LMS) work with a WMS to manage activities in a DC. While warehouse management systems have evolved over the last decade, at heart they are a software execution tool used to manage people, inventory, time, orders and equipment inside a distribution center. take an action to correct the problem. By building in work flow rules, the system can supply suggested responses that allow a manager to re-plan, like the best alternative in terms of cost and customer service requirements. Once stand-alone applications, event management and visibility solutions are increasingly integrated into other applications. Supply chain collaboration Supply chain collaboration systems go hand-in-hand with planning. In a global supply chain, where every participant has its own planning and execution systems, a collaboration platform enables the players outside of the enterprise to communicate, regardless of the systems they have, as if they were part of the enterprise. Once a plan has been created to fill an order, and the resources and parts required to execute that plan have been identified, the requirements are made available to all of the players across the supply chain through the collaboration platform. Each supplier will be asked to commit to whether they can provide all of the parts required in the time frame required. If a supplier can’t meet a deadline, that information can be fed back into a planning system to come up with an alternative. Once the plan begins to unfold, the collaboration system can monitor the progress using event management, which alerts a decision maker when something important hasn’t occurred. Finally, the system can serve as a repository of performance information from across the supply chain for historical analysis. Warehouse management Inside the four walls of a distribution center, a warehouse management system (WMS) is still the starting point for inventory management. While these systems have evolved over the last decade, at heart they are a software execution tool used to manage people, inventory, time, orders and equipment inside a distribution center. A basic WMS package supports the everyday functions that are central to warehousing: receiving, directed putaway, 28 A PRIL 2009 / MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING mmh.com
order fulfillment planning, picking and packing, and shipping the order. A more advanced WMS system may also support other important warehouse activities, like: • Replenishment: The WMS will constantly update inventory and call for the movement of material from reserved storage to the active pick area so order pickers are never out of inventory, or will notify when it’s time to place a re-order. • Cycle counting: Typically this is a process to systematically count inventory according to a plan, say once a year on fast-moving items. It is a support, or check, for the usual inventory accounting process. • Productivity: WMS systems communicate with workers through the use of hand-held radio frequency devices and voice recognition systems. The data from those communications also provides a way to monitor and report productivity. The most advanced systems will also support compliance labeling, and interface with other automatic handling equipment like automatic guided vehicles, automatic storage and retrieval systems, conveyors and carousels. Warehouse control A warehouse control system (WCS) is a layer of software that sits between a host system—an ERP or WMS —and automated materials handling equipment. While a WMS manages conventional activities performed by pickers and lift truck operators, a WCS synchronizes the activities of automated storage, picking and transportation solutions. A WCS not only determines the best way to route material through a facility’s automated systems, it also provides real-time control to re-optimize orders as business conditions change and communicates updates back to the host system to provide real-time visibility into warehouse activities. Labor management While a WMS directs the activities of operators on the floor, it doesn’t determine how many employees will be needed or where they should be deployed. That’s the role of a labor management system (LMS). These applications plan, manage, measure and report on the performance levels of warehouse personnel. They do that by comparing the work that has to be done in a warehouse against a set of engineered labor standards. That data is used to determine the number of employees needed for a shift. In addition, these systems monitor work throughout a shift and provide feedback in real-time to supervisors and associates. They also include business intelligence tools that provide upper management with the labor information it needs to proactively address problems before they become customer service issues and to accurately plan for the future. Supply chain management software providers Supplier Web site Telephone Aldata www.aldata-solution.com 404-355-3220 Applied Materials www.appliedmaterials.com 408-727-5555 CDC Software www.cdcsupplychain.com 770-351-9600 ClickCommerce www.clickcommerce.com 312-482-9006 Dematic www.dematic.us 877-725-7500 Epicor www.epicor.com 949-585-4000 HighJump www.highjumpsoftware.com 800-328-3271 IBS www.ibsus.com 800-886-3900 IFS www.ifsworld.com/us 888-437-4968 ILOG www.ilog.com 800-367-4564 Infor www.infor.com 800-260-2640 i2 Technologies www.i2.com 800-800-3288 JDA Software www.jda.com 800-438-5301 Manhattan Associates www.manh.com 770-955-7070 Microsoft www.microsoft.com 888-477-7989 Oracle www.oracle.com 800-633-0738 QAD www.qad.com 888-641-4141 RedPrairie www.redprairie.com 877-773-7724 SAP www.SAP.com 800-872-1727 Sterling Commerce www.sterlingcommerce.com 800-876-9772 Swisslog www.swisslog.com 757-820-3400 Slotting Slotting is the science behind determining where to store individual products in a facility to enable the most efficient picking. The general rule is that the fastest movers should be located closest to the shipping area and in the golden zone that is easiest to pick from within that picking locale. Slow movers, meanwhile, are located further away, in reserve storage. Slotting software tools, which are available in most WMS packages and as stand-alone applications, look at a map of the warehouse along with the velocity of orders and order mixes to calculate which items will be picked most frequently and should be in the most advantageous position in the warehouse. In addition, the tool makes recommendations like putting the heaviest items at chest height to avoid back injuries or to separate similar parts to avoid picking errors. Manufacturing execution A manufacturing execution system (MES) manages the process on a shop floor much like a WMS executes orders in the warehouse. At least three characteristics are unique to an MES system: mmh.com MODERN MATERIALS HANDLING / A PRIL 2009 29
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