Warehouse Management Systems, as well as Supply Chain Management Extensions to Corporate ERP applications, such as Microsoft Dynamics GP, AX, SL, NAV or non Microsoft platforms, such as SAP Business One could be realized in two general scenarios.
First option is external Warehouse Management application with its own barcode scanning integration,
business logic and database. And secondly - WMS extension, which works directly in ERP application and creates WMS related documents and master records in ERP database in real time (or batch mode integration). In this publication we will be concentrating on the WMS extensions with elements of Supply Chain Management for Dynamics GP, formerly known as Great Plains Dynamics:
1. WMS logic. It typically contains three routines (if not mentioned here, we believe the rest should be considered under the Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Distribution or Consignment umbrellas). First one is Merchandise Receipt in your Warehouse. This option is naturally realized in Dynamics GP Purchase Receipt document (Shipment, or Shipment with Invoice). Purchase Receipt typically matches the lines with related Purchase Orders and this matching process is what you do in Barcode scanning. Second part is Order Fulfillment - here you deploy Dynamics GP Sales Order with separate allocation via barcoding (as Picking and Packing in your warehouse). And the third part is Inventory Cycle count, Inventory Adjustments and transfers from one warehouse to another
2. External WMS versus WMS extension to your ERP or MRP. Advantages of external WMS are in its large volume of installations, and the minus might be the fact that your would have to implement often custom integration between external WMS and your Dynamics GP (or whatever is Corporate ERP application). The pluses of the WMS as Extension to your ERP are the fact that it is already integrated and the second - you do not have to pay second time for WMS business logic (as it is already there in mid-market ERP system, such as Dynamics GP, what is lacking there is Barcoding exposure). We often hear the complains from existing customers, that their external Warehouse Management System or SCM integration implementation failed and now they are at the point of trying to find the options to save the investment or even start fro scratch
3. Supply Chain Management logic. In Dynamics GP you have multiple native modules, working on SCM territory: Purchase Configurator, for example. We often hear various small requirements from our customers, where inventory replenishment process requires formula oriented approach, or even merchandize on consignment truck route optimization. These or similar routines could be programmed in Great Plains Dexterity either to enable barcoding or incorporate formula into existing business logic
4. Manufacturing automation. In special product we address automatic batch posting and programmed automation, which could be applied in Dynamics GP Manufacturing Order, for example, assuming that you do not want to do it by hand and would like just to open ODBC data source to text file or Oracle, MySQL, MS Access or another DB platform, from where you would like to import Manufacturing Orders to be completed and posted in Dynamics GP automatically or with minimal GP user approval activity
5. Internationalization. We are open and well positioned to travel and implement WMS and SCM extensions internationally. Our consultants speak English, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, Russian, Filipino. And we have good exposure to international projects and even if Dynamics GP is not localized in your country, we should be able to help you out with WMS extension to SAP Business One (smaller facility) or AX (for large subsidiary). Sometimes international Corporate ERP clients with the needs in Barcoding complain that they are underserved in their countries, as major US based Barcode and Supply Chain Management systems ISV partners do not want to come out onsite and help with the implementation - this should not be the concern with Alba Spectrum
6. eCommerce integration with WMS on Dynamics GP Platform. This is one of our favorite demos, where you can see how Dynamics GP SOP Sales Order is originated in ecommerce shopping cart (Magento, etc.), then allocated via our Warehouse Management Barcode based extension to come to the point of Order shipping (where you track it online on UPS, FedEx or USPS websites)
7. How to get further information? Please, call us 1-866-528-0577, 1-630-961-5918 or email us help@albaspectrum.com Also if you had no chance to see our pavilion on Convergence 2010 in Atlanta, we invite you to visit us at Convergence 2011, which is preliminary scheduled in Atlanta in April 2011. We also encourage you to consider Alba Spectrum as your second opinion if your GP implementation failed and you need to do something to recover and move on. We are full service Microsoft Dynamics GP VAR, authorized to do Dexterity Source Code Programming, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, one of our consultants, Andrew Karasev is nominated MVP for 2005 through 2010 in Dynamics GP product line. We have dedicated Microsoft Dexterity Software Development Factory
