The 3 types of WMS editors

WMS publishing companies a priori offer relatively similar products.

So how is this market organized? Which publishers for which types of needs and for which development prospects?

To make things clearer, we have classified them into 3 main categories.

Expert editors

These are generally specialists primarily focused on specific sectors (process industries, pharmaceuticals,etc.) or on particular logistics functions (cold chain logistics, e-commerce, etc.). These WMS publishing specialists often offer complete "vertical" solutions (APS, ERP, TMS, OMS).

These software vendors are regularly consulted by large groups, often with international operations, who want to overhaul their warehouse logistics by implementing a WMS. The projects are therefore complex , involving numerous logistical configurations.

These large groups also want to take advantage of the installation of a WMS to standardizein a given sector of activity their logistics practices ; in fact, managing organizational change is a crucial point.

Features:

Here we find software publishers with offices and representatives in France and internationally, boasting teams of functional and technical consultants . These publishers also rely on integration partners to deploy their solutions globally. The methodologies employed are fairly traditional (known as the V-model), resulting times implementation in relatively lengthy. Managing the interfaces between logistics, quality, sales, and production teams then becomes a "project within a project."

Given their experience and seniority in the business, these large publishers have good sector practices (benchmark) which can help to "align" heterogeneous processes more quickly from one site to another at a new client.

The functional coverage of their solution is generally important for a given business. However, these coverages do not prevent significant costs from being incurred in adaptation, subject to relatively detailed (even heavy) specifications, in order to address all of the sites' practices. As a result, there can be numerous back and forths with the client's functional teams (project manager, key users, end users, etc.).

The advantages:

• Functional coverage of the WMS,
• Specializations by sector of activity (concept of verticalized solutions),
• Simultaneous implementation of several sites in France and internationally,
• Robust businesses.

Points of vigilance:

• Little agility – restrictive V-shaped methodology,
• Daily rates charged,
• Low responsiveness in the event of unanticipated modification requests,
• Cost of specific developments.

Publishers of “light” inventory management solutions

Recently, new players have positioned themselves in this WMS segment and we have little perspective on their sustainability in this market.

Some of them have even abandoned their positioning as WMS publishers along the way, to reposition themselves on less complex solutions such as TMS or OMS.

Features:

These software vendors offer relatively basic and inexpensive solutions, ideal for inventory management. Their solutions are less suitable, or even unsuitable, for managing logistics flows.

The specifications must therefore be particularly detailed to properly verify, before choosing them, the perfect adequacy of their solution with the needs expressed. If this is not the case, the specific developments, at best, will incur significant costs or development time, or at worst, will not be feasible due to a lack of sufficient technical or professional skills at this publisher.

Therefore, for this category, it is important to measure the "benefits/risks" ratio.

The advantages:

• Cost of acquiring the solution,
• Easy to implement for inventory management,
• Ergonomics – quick handling,
• Ideal for logistics flows and basic business rules.

Points of vigilance:

• Functional covers to manage technical flows and performances,
• Ability to evolve and support the growth of the warehouse over time,
• Low seniority or financial strength,
• Small publishers.

General publishers

These publishers position themselves at the meeting point between the big and small players.

It includes well-established publishing companies with numerous references. They are divided into generalists present in many sectors of activity.

Features: