Reference no: EM133183133

For this assignment you are to research the internet and search from warehouse management systems. Evaluation at least two and provide your opinion as to the one that would be ideal for you, if you decided to own your own warehouse/distribution center specializing in "only" refrigerated product distribution. Summarize your response in one page or less based on the following questions as food for thought. Also make sure to name your firm.

1. Find out what all stakeholders would like to achieve from installing a new WMS - those directly affected such as operatives; internal stakeholders such as finance and the sales team; and if appropriate customers and suppliers.
2. Use this to draw up a list of outcomes you want to achieve. You may have ideas about how you want to achieve those outcomes, but be prepared to listen to alternatives, as there may be a better way.
3. Look for a system that is intuitive, and which avoids counter-intuitive entries. (For example, one system offers a drop-down box including 'return', but if you want to process a return, you select the other option!).
4. Get buy-in from senior management at an early stage, and manage expectations in terms of cost, making sure there is a clear business case for investment. To be told at the end of the process to come up with an alternative solution at half the price is not what you want to happen.
5. Make sure the potential supplier has experts in warehousing who will understand your needs, and not just IT experts and a good sales team.
6. Try to avoid too much bespoke development work. This will cost money and add to project lead-time, and there is a risk that there will be genuine misunderstandings and differences in interpretation over the specification. Also, there may be teething problems with the newly developed parts of the system, and you may not want to be the guinea pig.