Strategic Options for Warehouse Management in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 - Part 1

Editor's Note: The following represents the first of a 3-part article, and is drawn from Dr. Hamilton's new book about Warehouse Management using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3.  The book covers the major approaches to warehouse management and their integration with the broader contexts of supply chain management, quality management  and transportation management. 

Warehouse management represents a critical part of supply chain management for firms involved in manufacturing and distribution.  With its latest release, Microsoft Dynamics AX offers users a range of options for warehouse management capabilities.  The options can be broadly grouped into a basic approach and an advanced approach, and the choice of an approach can be warehouse-specific.  For example, a company may use the advanced approach at some warehouses and the basic approach at other warehouses.  The two approaches share a high degree of common functionality, but the advanced approach has a much broader amount of functionality and supports out-of-the-box mobile device transactions.  Both approaches can optionally take advantage of new capabilities related to Inventory Status.  Given this background, it is critical to understand which approach makes sense in any given scenario.   

For some firms, the key question involves "which option is best for my operation"?  Several guidelines can be considered, and there are several ways to compare the two approaches.  A related and frequently asked question is "what are the strategic options for starting with basic capabilities ...