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Warehouse Management Solutions bring Operational Excellence to 3PLs

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Warehouse Management Solutions bring Operational Excellence to 3PLs

Third party logistics (3PL) providers are organizations that offer warehousing, fulfilment and distribution services to businesses in a variety of industries including retail, wholesale and manufacturing. These companies face very unique operational challenges. They need to work as an extension of their customers, whilst keeping full control of their internal systems and processes to ensure maximum efficiency and profitability. They must balance conflicting factors such as cost, flexibility and productivity to sustain the value they offer to their customers.

This article discusses some of the main operational obstacles 3PL businesses face and how a Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) can help with overcoming all of them:

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How to avoid integration problems in your WMS implementation

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How to avoid integration problems in your WMS implementation

To avoid integration problems, you need to do thorough due diligence when searching for the right provider. Many off-the-shelf solutions offer similar basic functionality, so which one should you choose? The answer is to look for flexibility!

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Optimisation – the future in Warehouse Management

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Optimisation – the future in Warehouse Management

Optimisation can be applied to a variety of operational steps like receiving, picking, packing, loading, shipping, replenishing, inventory management and back-office procedures. It generally refers to streamlining existing processes by increasing efficiency, speed, reliability and accuracy.

Industry trends like same-day delivery, customized goods, and omni-channel logistics are driving companies to invest in state-of-the-art supply chain and warehouse management technology. Companies are challenged with finding innovative solutions to effectively manage complex supply chains while simultaneously reducing operational expenses. These trends are briefly discussed below.

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HighJump-Powered warehouse transformation propels AdoreBeauty's international expansion

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HighJump-Powered warehouse transformation propels AdoreBeauty's international expansion

As recently posted, iWMS Australasia successfully implemented a HighJump WMS solution for Australian cosmetics e-commerce power house Adore Beauty, which supported the company in tripling its warehousing capacity.

Adore Beauty’s successful implementation really illustrates the impact a WMS can have in a business. By automating and optimizing all processes within your supply chain, it increases productivity, improves customer service and collaboration with partners, and leads up to much higher inventory accuracy. All of which are translated into higher profitability and growth.

HighJump Elevate 2019

HighJump Elevate 2019

At its annual user conference Elevate, HighJump announced its 2019 plans to propel companies across the globe further into the connected and automated supply chain of the future.

Read the full HighJump press release here.

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What’s the cost of NOT having the right technology in your warehouse?

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What’s the cost of NOT having the right technology in your warehouse?

A WMS will automate and optimize all processes within your supply chain, shrinking turnaround windows. Increased fill rates and decreased cycle times will enable you to avoid costly shipping delays and backorders that jeopardize valuable customer relationships.

Additionally, automation can help with planning and managing inventory, leading to up to 99+ percent inventory accuracy. Cycle counting and real-time information verification ensures warehouse staff are not wasting time looking for misplaced or missing items.

Warehouse Automation Helps Adore Beauty Cut Costs, Packaging And Improve Delivery Times

Warehouse Automation Helps Adore Beauty Cut Costs, Packaging And Improve Delivery Times

iWMS Australasia successfully implemented a complex WMS solution for Australian award-winning online retailer Adore Beauty. For the company’ s CEO Kate Morris, HighJump’s volumetric calculation was key in choosing the solution. Not only has this feature improved inventory accuracy and packing time, it also allowed the company to significantly reduce the amount of cardboard used, as the CEO posted on LinkedIn.

What’s more, Morris believes the automation has created more job opportunities and is expected to bolster the company’s growth for the next five years.

Read the full article here.

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The impacts of Machine Learning for warehouse management

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The impacts of Machine Learning for warehouse management

Machine Learning is set to revolutionize warehouse and logistics management by creating greater efficiency and inter-connectivity while reducing the risk of human error. This will allow for better allocation of resources, improving productivity and increasing profitability.

How Warehouse Automation is Revolutionizing Alcohol Distribution

How Warehouse Automation is Revolutionizing Alcohol Distribution

HighJump’s Chief Technology Officer: Sean Elliot is quoted in this industry article (and image) from daily.sevenfifty.com. A look at the technologies distributors like Breakthru Beverage Group and Martignetti are using to consolidate operations, streamline deliveries, and increase ROI.

Read the full article here.

What are Dynamic Waves?

What are Dynamic Waves?

Dynamic waves have been hitting the headlines of late. But, what is this new phenomenon and why should you care? Also known as ‘waveless processing’ or ‘waveless order fulfillment’, dynamic waves are an answer to the increasing strain on traditional operating models.

Indeed, traditional waving can no longer keep up with the pace of e-commerce, 24/7 orders and same-day processing.

Is a Push or Pull Strategy Better for your Supply Chain?

Is a Push or Pull Strategy Better for your Supply Chain?

Increasing customer demands combined with the challenges of omni-channel retail; means that every supply chain needs a clear strategy going forward. Smart operators also learn from their competitors. Generally, there are three ways you can improve your supply chain: people, processes and technology.

But none of this is possible without a strategy.

How to Fulfill Changing Customer Demands with Omnichannel Retail

How to Fulfill Changing Customer Demands with Omnichannel Retail

Despite what you might think, your customers don’t care about ‘digital’, ‘omni-channel’ or ‘e-commerce.’ They care about buying products how they want, where they want, and swift and competent customer service. In other words, these buzzwords are just a means to delivering on changing customer demands.

In order to fulfill on these changing demands, retailers need to assess their customers, competitors and changing technology. There are a few key questions that you can ask:

3 Reasons you should invest in in-store fulfillment software

3 Reasons you should invest in in-store fulfillment software

Today’s customers are more demanding than ever before. They want to order your merchandise online or in-store, and they want it delivered in lightening quick time… or the flexibility to pick it up themselves. As a result of these changing demands, retailers are being forced to change their approach to warehouse operations.

One such approach is in-store fulfillment: the process of fulfilling and shipping orders from a brick-and-mortar retail environment.

3 challenges of in-store fulfilment (and how to workaround it)

3 challenges of in-store fulfilment (and how to workaround it)

In-store order fulfillment presents a great opportunity for retailers. Implemented successfully, in-store fulfillment enables retailers to decrease shipping costs, boost gross margins, increase supply chain efficiencies and more.

However, retailers are not optimised for ‘warehouse-like’ efficiency. They are designed to provide an excellent customer experience for walk-in shoppers.

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What is In-Store Fulfillment?

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What is In-Store Fulfillment?

Today’s customers demand flexibility and excellent customer service across every channel, whether you are purely brick-and-mortar or e-commerce. But increasing customer demand means increased complexity. Complexity for retailers with unique omnichannel operational challenges.

However, many retailers still haven’t implemented the basics such as store pickup, cross channel inventory visibility, and store fulfillment. There is a disconnect between what consumers want and the omni-channel capabilities that retailers are willing to offer.

Jack’s of Fiji taps HighJump WMS to support growing distribution operations

Jack’s of Fiji taps HighJump WMS to support growing distribution operations

HighJump expands global customer base to the Pacific by enabling one of the region’s leading retailers.

MINNEAPOLIS – August 28, 2017 – HighJump, a global provider of supply chain solutions, announced today that Jack’s of Fiji (JOF), a leading retailer in the Fiji Islands, selected HighJump warehouse management system (WMS) for its rollout at several distribution centres in Fiji. JOF is the first HighJump customer to implement the WMS in Fiji.

Case Study:  Multilayer Trading

Case Study:  Multilayer Trading

Multilayer Trading achieves real-time visibility, increases productivity, improves efficiencies and adapts to customers' unique business processes with HighJump's adaptable warehouse management system. Multilayer Trading is an independently-owned third-party logistics (3PL) provider operating in South Africa. The group manages high-quality, modern warehousing space across its locations, providing storage, distribution and operational solutions to some of the largest retailers in the region.