Slotting/Profiling/Layout Optimization

WarehouseVision is a powerful slotting and profiling software tool that, when used in conjunction with any WMS, can optimize product placement to not only maximize warehouse efficiency and utilization, but then maintain optimization as inventory levels and other influential factors change.

Some of the benefits of this powerful solution include but are not limited to the following:

• Increased picking productivity
• Capacity reporting tools
• Balanced workloads 
• Maximized storage capacity
• Open architecture allowing for user-defined business rules
• Increased employee safety
• Lower operational costs
• Improved customer service

WarehouseVision is an integrated set of warehouse management tools that can be interfaced with virtually any WMS system. While WMS systems can orchestrate the inbound and outbound operations, they have very limited capabilities in the planning or management of a facility's utilization. As any warehouse operations manager knows, there are many factors that affect the operations of the facility.

Changing inventories and inventory levels can have a dramatic impact on the operations of a facility.

One of the most important factors in the efficient operation of a warehouse is the placement of inventory within the facility. Improper placement of inventory often results in both wasted asset utilization and

inefficient operations. WVPlanner allows for a balance between facility size, inventory requirements, and operational efficiency to be made.

WVPlanner provides the ability to efficiently place inventory within a desired facility configuration and stocking strategy. During the planning process, analyses can be made to answer questions such as

“Should the inventory be grouped by like items?” or “Where are the high activity items?”

The maintenance of a warehouse and its stocking strategy is one of the most difficult tasks confronting a facility today. In addition to maintaining inventory placement compatible with the inbound and outbound processes, it is also important to constantly strive for maximized cube utilization within the facility.

Without proper warehouse management, a cycle of inefficiency is inevitable. Items become misplaced, wasting valuable warehouse cube space, and resulting in fewer or improper items in prime picking areas. This cycle, if left unchanged, will begin to have a direct impact on a facility's inbound and outbound efficiency.

WVAuditor is a tool that will assist in identifying areas for improvement in the warehousing of the inventory. WVAuditor has been designed to review the placement of the inventory for a number of

actions.

System Monitor is a real time interface that ensures the critical connection between your WMS/ERP system and WarehouseVision is up and running. While most WMS systems have a feature that accounts for slotting, many companies have found that WarehouseVision provides a more detailed and effective approach to developing and implementing warehouse slotting strategies that maximize productivity. In order for WarehouseVision to be successful, it must be able to integrate with existing and new ERP/WMS systems. 

System Monitor delivers an effective user interface and automated functionality that will allow for proper ERP/WMS Integration. 

WarehouseVision has the ability to slot new items that come into your building that do not already have a specific warehouse location. The application will look at these new items and compare them with available locations and space requirements in order to place those items in the best available location.

By reviewing expected receipts and current locations, updates to product placement can be made prior to the receipt of expected trailers freeing up internal resources.

i.e. An item has an existing location yet has zero product on hand. WarehouseVision sees an expected receipt and instantly evaluates it's current placement. If warranted, WarehouseVision will look to identify a more optimal location for the new stock to be placed. If found, the replenishment is received and directed to the new location without any manual effort.  WarehouseVision then dynamically updates the WMS and your re-slot was completed with zero interruption to normal operations.  

WarehouseVision maintains three independent views of your warehouse:

• Current layout and item placement
• Current layout and optimal item placement
• Optimal layout and item placement

Given these scenarios, WarehouseVision is able to identify when a warehouse project such as reconfiguring or adding racking or other various storage media are desirable. Once a project is accepted, WarehouseVision provides a systematic approach to manage the process of clearing out, reconfiguring and then filling the racks in the form of three detailed reports effectively guiding you step by step until the project is complete. Once your slotting strategy/strategies are initially determined in WarehouseVision, guesswork and manual processes are a thing of the past.

 Understanding the effects of various scenarios prior to their implementation is key to optimization. WarehouseVision enables you to consider endless combinations of slotting strategies and layouts to determine which configuration will deliver optimal facility utilization. Unique to WarehouseVision is the time in which it takes to generate a model. While other applications take hours, days, or even weeks, WarehouseVision can define and create a model in only minutes. This tremendous attribute frees up internal resources and drastically reduces time spent. This savings transfers directly to your bottom line. Benefits include yet are not limited to:

• 20% improvement in warehouse utilization, specifically in prime picking areas
• Reduced order cycle times
• Reduced manual processes
• Freeing up of internal resources
• Extension of valuable facility lifetime