Does your company really need a brand-new, shiny warehouse management system? If you ask a WMS vendor, the answer is, “Of course.”

But it pays to take a little closer look at the proposition — and what needs you plan to satisfy — before dumping thousands of dollars down on the barrel head.

In fact, one experts recommends you take an entirely different approach: Look at your WMS as a platform for continuous improvement.

Instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, in other words, look for other ways to clean the baby.

Are there pieces or specific programs within your WMS that have become dated and are due to be replaced?

When you think about the expense and ramp-up time that comes with implementing a new system, it makes more sense to at least explore other solutions.

Take an inventory of your current WMS. Think beyond today’s needs into the future. Are you able to adapt and improve to keep up with the demands of your marketplace?

Even if you are looking at new warehouse management systems, probe vendors about the simplicity of adding or replacing modules down the road.

One supply chain expert cites a telling example: He set up a technical infrastructure for a major packaged goods company in 1991 — the WMS continues to be viable through additions and fine tuning.

Tags: warehouse, warehouse management system, WMS