Finding a Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) publisher that suits you is not easy.
So why are there WMS publishers? How is the market evolving? Which publishers are suitable for your company size and needs? Where can you find them? How to pre-select them for consultation?
We give you the keys to understand this market and how to help you make up your mind.
WHY WMS PUBLISHERS?
The arrival of the first WMS publishers on the market dates back to the end of the 80s. Warehouse inventory management was mainly the domain of enterprise resource planning software packages, more commonly known as ERP. Their functional coverage was relatively rudimentary, and linked to purchasing or sales management, or even production management for industrial companies.
But with the increasing complexity of internal company processes, the customization of customer requests, the multiplication of article packaging, delivery or shipping methods, and with the increased tension of flows to limit stocks in particular, ERPs had quickly reached their limits. The major ERP publishers first tried to integrate these new constraints into their modules, but they were quickly confronted with the requirements of real time and the need to have reliable information on the movement of goods in the warehouse.
This is when specialized software was progressively marketed to fit the “execution world”, such as MES (Manufacturing Execution System), TMS (Transport Management Systems)… and finally WMS (Warehouse Management Systems). For example, the WMS allowed to follow a stock of parts in real time and at a given location in the warehouse. This made it possible to organize the storage or picking of goods in a more efficient way.
Over time, WMS publishers have improved their solution by integrating more and more specific management rules to the warehouse world and by interconnecting their WMS with real-time data capture tools (handheld, scan, PDA, etc.), which a simple management software could not support. Some WMS publishers specialize in sectors such as the automotive, process industry, or health, while others specialize in very specific types of products such as extreme cold, perishable goods, medicines or hazardous materials.
HOW IS THIS MARKET EVOLVING?
This market is particularly dynamic, especially with the advent of online solutions. More and more WMS publishers are now offering solutions that can be accessed online or in Saas mode (Software As A Service). There is no need to invest in heavy and expensive IT infrastructures. The WMS solution is hosted on a remote server which provides both flexibility and security of operation. These solutions are popular with companies that want to limit their initial investment while benefiting from a high-performance WMS tool from the first few months of operation.
WHAT IS THE COMPOSITION OF THE WMS PUBLISHER MARKET?
There are several categories of WMS publishers:
WHO ARE THE WMS EDITORS IN FRANCE?
On the market, there is a panel of publishers in France of very good level who intervene in many sectors of excellence, specific to our economy like the food-processing industry, the pharmaceutical or cosmetic sectors or the logistic service.
Embedding mature IT connection technologies in their WMS, some of them have developed in recent years very innovative solutions that can be interfaced with applications proposed by young national start-ups that are making the reputation of French Tech and the French Warehouse 4.0!
However, let’s not forget that, more and more internationalized, these French WMS publishers intervene on several countries and present multi-lingual solutions with integrator partners in different countries.
HOW TO MAKE AN OPINION ON WMS PUBLISHERS?
It is not easy to form an opinion on WMS publishers, as the offer is so diverse.
Once you have identified the publishers who are capable of supporting you in your warehouse digitalization project, you need to find out how serious they are.
The first thing to do is to consult the reviews on platforms dedicated to B2B software referencing. There are about ten of them in France, which offer analyses, comparisons and customer testimonials. These platforms generally do a serious and objective job on the WMS publishers in the market.
However, we must not forget that it is often the publishers themselves who finance their presence on these platforms. Nevertheless, it remains a good source of decision support, allowing at least to eliminate the less serious WMS publishers.
We invite you to visit the websites of these publishers to refine your judgment. Thus, by surfing on the publishers’ websites, discriminating elements can allow you to select the publishers most adapted to your stakes and needs, for example by analyzing how the different teams intervening on the project and their functions are presented, or the number of customers present in your sector of activity, and finally the extent of the interfacing that these publishers have been able to carry out in the past with IT solutions (ERP, TMS…) or infra (for example, AGVs, or an end-of-line conveyor).
WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE US AS YOUR WMS PUBLISHER?
SITACI is a French company that publishes its own WMS solution, EGO Supply Chain Management. We have a long and solid experience, acquired since the creation of our company.
The 5 assets of the SITACI publisher :
The 5 assets of our WMS EGO solution:
In conclusion, working with a WMS publisher will allow you to modernize your warehouse, accelerate your development and professionalize your teams. It is therefore important to take the time to choose your partner by conducting a thorough analysis of their strengths and characteristics in order to match your needs and the challenges you want to face!
Find out more about the world of WMS publishing and about SITACI: