Operion Group
    NL

    Warehouse

    WMS implementation with BizBloqs: steps, planning and go-live

    Introducing a WMS is more than installing software. You change how people in the warehouse work. Here you read which steps we follow when we implement a WMS with BizBloqs, what the planning depends on and how the start on the floor goes.

    Explained

    What a WMS implementation involves

    A WMS is a program that keeps track of where each item is and which action follows in the warehouse. What a WMS does exactly, BizBloqs explains itself at what a warehouse management system does. We take care of the introduction: making the system fit your warehouse and getting your team to work in a new way.

    WMS implementation is one of our four warehouse services. We do it with BizBloqs as the standard WMS. We agree the scope and the price in advance.

    Starting point

    From the BizBloqs standard

    We start fit-to-standard: the standard process of BizBloqs is the starting point, and we make deviations explicit before we set up anything special. That keeps the introduction clear and the management afterwards simple. We do not build custom work; we set up proven software according to a fixed standard.

    The integration between BizBloqs and Uniconta is standard. Integrations with other administrations, your web shop or carriers we agree with you in advance. Read more at Uniconta and at our standard package for ERP and WMS.

    Method

    The steps of an implementation

    A WMS implementation runs through these steps:

    • 1. Discovery

      We look at how the warehouse works now: receiving, storage, order collection, packing and dispatch. Where needed we start with a warehouse scan.

    • 2. Set-up

      We set up the location structure, receiving, storage, the picking methods and packing and dispatch. That includes the scan steps on the floor and the rights per role.

    • 3. Moving data

      We move the basic data, such as items with their item number and the stock. Cleaning and conversion we fix in advance, see data migration.

    • 4. Testing

      Your key users work through test orders with real items, so that we find problems before they reach the floor.

    • 5. Training

      We train the team in a way that suits them, with the scanners and the situations they meet in their work.

    • 6. Go-live

      We choose a quiet moment and support your team on the floor during the start. See go-live.

    Planning

    What the planning depends on

    A planning is tailored to each warehouse, so we do not state a number of weeks here. Three things mainly determine how long an implementation takes: the number of locations and processes to be set up, the number of integrations and the availability of your key users.

    In the scoping phase we set these side by side and fix the planning with you. That way you know in advance when you have to contribute what.

    Layout

    Layout first, then the settings

    A WMS cannot repair a poor layout. If the zones are wrong, the route on the screen is just as long as the route on paper. That is why an implementation often includes a look at the warehouse layout. Read how we approach that at warehouse design.

    What a step-by-step plan for a WMS looks like according to BizBloqs, you find at WMS implementation step by step.

    Preparation

    What you can prepare yourself

    You can do a lot before the implementation starts. Make sure the item data is in order: an unambiguous item number, a description and, where needed, dimensions and weight. Decide who the key users are: the people who know the work best and are given room to test and to help colleagues.

    Also make an honest list of the exceptions in your work: the customer who always wants it differently, the item that has to be stored apart. For each exception we check whether the standard can handle it, or whether your way of working has to change.

    Watch out

    Where an implementation gets stuck

    Four things cause problems most often:

    • Data that is wrong

      A system is only as good as the data in it. Errors in items and locations come back on the floor as errors.

    • Too many exceptions

      Every exception makes the set-up more complex and the management more expensive. That is why we first ask whether the exception is really needed.

    • Too little testing

      Anyone who goes live too early finds the problems with real customers.

    • Training too late

      A team that sees the system for the first time on the day of the start makes mistakes that could have been avoided.

    Choosing

    When does a WMS fit?

    Not every warehouse needs a WMS. With a limited number of items and orders, well-organised stock in your ERP can be enough. A WMS pays off when the locations, the orders and the number of people grow to the point where lists and memory can no longer keep up. How to choose a system for stock, BizBloqs explains in choosing inventory management software.

    Do you doubt? Then start with the warehouse scan. It shows whether the gain lies in the system or in the way of working.

    Next

    After the start

    After go-live we stay available. In the first period we look along to see whether the data is right and whether the team uses the system as intended. Do you want to get more out of your system later? Then there is getting more out of your WMS, for existing BizBloqs users.

    More about our role with BizBloqs is on the page about ERP and WMS implementation.

    Read on

    More about warehouse optimisation

    Terms for this topic

    Go-liveData migrationItem numberWarehouse layout

    Explained at BizBloqs

    What a system does and how you manage stock, BizBloqs explains itself:

    Part of our warehouse services

    The WMS implementation is part of our warehouse services. We agree the scope and the price with you in advance.

    View the warehouse services

    Introduce a WMS with BizBloqs?

    Tell us how your warehouse works today. We will tell you what the implementation covers and what the fixed price is.