As freight forwarding or logistics companies, managing your own or leased warehouse is a demanding task. Warehousing in this case is part of bundled services and therefore cannot be treated similar to an independent warehouse.
Using an independent warehouse management system (WMS) to manage your warehouse can severely limit your capabilities especially when you look at it from the perspective of your overall business. A logistics ERP with an integrated WMS is key to efficient management of your freight / logistics business.
A logistics ERP gives you the speed and agility needed to be competitive in today’s market. It allows you to make your business leaner. The system loops in the customer service team into the larger business flow enabling better customer touch points.
The main advantage of ERP software is the facilitation of flow of information between all functional areas. With similar capabilities as independent WMS software, the integrated WMS system eliminates the need to have other systems along with the ERP software. Using multiple software applications to manage your operations can be counterproductive for your business as they tend to decrease productivity and efficiency through duplication of work and the resultant errors.
The integrated WMS carries all the functionalities of an independent system while being an integral part of a larger one. This is possibly the biggest advantage it offers over independent WMS. The system works as one of several hubs of your business with seamless connectivity with other hubs like freight, transport and financial accounting. Such integrated solutions deliver a powerful, scalable and flexible real-time solution that helps you boost productivity and efficiency, reduce costs, shorten delivery cycles, increase customer satisfaction and deliver a rapid return on investment.
Logistics ERP with integrated WMS gives you advanced warehouse management capabilities without having to invest in an expensive integration, as in case of an independent system. At the same time the integrated system allows you to pursue strategies that lower the overall operational costs as a direct outcome of the all-inclusive visibility of your business which is a key competitive advantage. Additionally, with an integrated view, you will be able to improve your customer focus much more confidently.
With a logistics ERP, you will not only have real-time cost and inventory visibility into your warehouse but also have access to all of the data from across your organization to give you valuable intelligence for overall business strategy. An ERP with an integrated WMS can have far-reaching implications for your freight and logistics business as they can enable you to run your operations in a leaner, efficient and more reliable way.
