Select a best-of-breed warehouse management system (WMS) that amplifies Microsoft Dynamics GP

The effective management of your distribution operations is critical to the ongoing success of your business. But often, Microsoft Dynamics GP users find that they start to outgrow the capabilities of their solutions. The reasons for the increasing demand for sophisticated warehouse management capabilities are obvious, as today's competitive economy has placed huge pressure on mid-market firms to reinvent themselves to compete with the likes of Amazon.

For GP customers recognizing a need to gain a new level of capabilities, a best-of-breed warehouse management solution (WMS) is the best way to take your operations to the next level and achieve low total cost of ownership (TCO), a competitive advantage, and a route to superior customer satisfaction.

Understanding the real costs

When evaluating a new system's TCO, you must account for all costs associated with initial implementation including: any business process modifications; integration; the ease of configuring and customizing to meet ever-changing requirements; and the upgrade process. The ability to respond to changing business and customer requirements more effectively and more quickly than your competitors is critical. Therefore, the strategic importance of your WMS selection cannot be overstated.  

Start with your business strategy, which is typically translated into a series of key performance indicators (KPIs). If the WMS functionality is not adequate to effectively pick, pack, and ship a customer's complete order on time via the required shipping method to the correct destination, then how can KPIs associated with customer satisfaction be met? If excessive workarounds are required to make the functionality fit your business requirements, how can labor utilization KPIs be met? If the solution is weak in terms of inventory management and control, how can KPIs for inventory cost and turn-times be met?

When dealing with larger, ...