AL Systems Concludes Successful Warehouse Control System vs. Warehouse Management System Webinar

March 17, 2011 - PRLog -- AL Systems, a leading provider of Warehouse Control System and Order Fulfillment Automation solutions, just concluded a successful webinar titled Warehouse Control System (WCS) vs. Warehouse Management System (WMS).  The webinar was attended by over 50 supply chain and distribution executives who were eager to learn more about the new features of WCS solutions and its impact on their distribution operations.

There are several misconceptions about the functionalities and capabilities of a WCS as compared to a WMS.  A WMS is a planning system designed to manage movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and distribution center.  Despite being an extremely valuable resource in warehousing and distribution operations, customizing a WMS to control warehouse automation and material handling subsystems can not only be very expensive and time consuming, but also jeopardize future WMS upgrades. To address this issue, many companies are now turning to WCS solutions.

A WCS, on the other hand, is an execution system designed to direct real-time activities within a warehouse and distribution center.  A WCS provides a single point of connection between a WMS, ERP and/or host system and the “shop floor”, ensuring all floor activities are running smoothly, maximizing the efficiency of operators as well as warehouse automation and material handling subsystems such as Pick to Light, Voice Picking, RF, Conveyor Systems, Sortation Systems, Automated Labeling Equipment etc.

The WCS landscape is changing rapidly, whereby the new breed of WCS is equipped to handle most of the WMS functions and more, but at a much lower cost.  The key takeaways from this event were 1) Assess your business issues to determine if adding a WCS will benefit you; 2) If the benefit is there, do not rush in - review your current operations and processes to understand where you can improve; 3) Find the right WCS that provides what your WMS does not - do not compromise; 4) Where overlapping functionality exists in both, select the component that best meets your process requirements at the best return on investment; 5) Design how the WMS and WCS will work together in terms of functionality, data, interfaces and reporting.

About AL Systems
For over 30 years, AL Systems has been helping companies optimize their distribution operations by providing solutions that maximize productivity, throughput, and order accuracy in the distribution center. AL Systems’ market leading Warehouse Control System and Order Fulfillment solutions, including modules for Order Management, Pick to Light, Pack and Put to Light, Voice and RF Picking, Conveyor and Sortation Systems Control, Print and Apply, and Shipping and Manifesting, require only a single interface to Warehouse Management and/or corporate ERP systems, and offer Real-time Reporting, Load Balancing, and Productivity Management.

AL Systems’ client successes include such prestigious companies as Armani Exchange, Gymboree, Simon & Schuster, REI, Talbot’s, The Men's Wearhouse, and Urban Outfitters, to name a few. For more information about AL Systems, please visit http://www.alsystems.com.