LOGISTICS
Supporting sustainability with WMS T
here is nothing inherently green about a warehouse management system (WMS), but it can support a sustainability strategy because of the way it enables greater data accuracy and
operational efficiency. Footwear manufacturers and retailers are, like any other business, keen to benefit from these improvements. For those with an overtly green brand proposition the imperative may be even more compelling. One of the early justifications for WMS was to deliver the so-called paperless warehouse to increase data accuracy, improve productivity and maximise efficiency. Only more recently has the elimination of paper been seen as a good sustainability objective. Other advantages derive from the way in which the WMS enables or supports processes which themselves help to deliver sustainability. One aim of sustainability is to reduce the distance
covered by delivery vehicles as a way of cutting the carbon footprint of the business. In general terms, this
can be achieved by maximising the load, improving routing efficiency and by reducing the number of returns. Most decent WMS support sophisticated load assembly tasks that ensure maximum utilisation of space on the vehicle. Although this has been possible for some time, the latest applications are better at ensuring orders are picked and assembled in the correct sequence for optimum loading, routing and delivery. Interfacing with route planning and scheduling applications ensures much of this can be achieved automatically, while working to user defined parameters and priorities. Specialist
stockists and fashion retailers, where a relatively high number of smaller orders is often the norm, can achieve more efficiency gains with this than the larger retailers
delivering fewer orders on each vehicle to larger stores. Good WMS have always delivered higher stock accuracy to
By Alex Mills, Sales & Marketing Director, Chess Logistics Technology
30 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• AUGUST 2010
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