#celeroWMS

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Celero is a next-generation warehouse management solution with many innovative features inspired by our experience with various apparel and fashion customers.

[brianburell]

Future-Proof Your Warehouse with CloudCelero

Advancements in automation have helped gradually move the world towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Nicknamed “Industry 4.0,” these improvements in how the average supply chain functions have raised the bar for what customers expect from your E-commerce business.

It is more important now than ever to update your business for the future. One of the most important aspects that will get you there is a great combination of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Warehouse Management System (WMS) like CloudCelero offers.

CeleroERP

When it comes to starting your business on the path towards automation, there is nothing better than a good Enterprise Resource Planning software. Previously, it could be an absolute pain to have to search through a multitude of spreadsheets and files to get a single piece of data. However, with an ERP system, you can employ a consolidated database for all your business’s information, allowing everyone in your organization to access the data no matter their department. Originally, ERP’s were meant to streamline general functions for HR and accounting, but as time went on, most systems started to become far more multifaceted.

Today, a proper ERP setup is expected to properly integrate into your systems, automating your business’s operations, something that CeleroERP can do for you. Whether you are looking for digital commerce solutions or wish to scale your operations, CeleroERP presents a flexible, modular approach for organizing your business.

Sporting the expected features of an ERP like inventory management and organization and the ability to stage orders, Celero also provides various functions that will give you an edge over your competition. Offering real-time connectivity throughout the entire sales process in conjunction with Magento, CeleroERP allows you to manage your catalog, accept payment, or start a return just as easily. Additionally, it also supports accounting data integration to Quick Books and other accounting systems, even sporting Currency and U OM conversion.

CeleroWMS

While it is convenient to have an ERP setup in place, it would ultimately be nothing without a proper Warehouse Management System to back it up. Used as a catch-all term, WMS consists of coordinating shipping, building layout, and labor supervision, all of which ensures your business is operating as fast and as efficiently as possible. Not to be confused with inventory management, warehouse management involves the ordering, storing, and organizing of raw materials, but the two do go hand in hand.

To know more - https://katalysttech.com/blog/future-proof-your-warehouse-with-cloudcelero/

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How Innovative Tech Can Reshape Retail in the Future: NRF 2020 Insights

NRF 2020: Retail’s Big Show is the central theme of the world’s largest retail conference and expo currently happening in New York. The conference has become the powerhouse where we are witnessing the announcement of significant partnerships and the launch of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen connections between consumers and brands and empowering them to create an ever-lasting relationship with their customers. 

One such example of an impressive partnership at NRF was seen between Microsoft and SAP. They are all set to modernize and simplify the journeys of their retail customers as they move to the cloud while becoming an intelligent enterprise.

Let’s explore some innovation scenarios showcasing how the partnership between Microsoft and SAP will lay the foundation of groundbreaking retail concepts that will inspire retailers and delight consumers in 2020. 

Blockchain: This use case is about the usage of blockchain to infuse transparency and traceability in the production process of fair-trade chocolate bars as how the cocoa that comes from African farms gets converted into beans and then reaches to consumers in the form of chocolate. The case entails how blockchain ensures the accountability and integrity of the supply chain management to ensure that sustainable business practices are followed, including the prohibition of child labor and deforestation.

Implication for Retailers: Blockchain is a promising technology that rests on the principle of immutability. By storing every transaction on blocks that are interconnected and impossible to be altered, retailers can win modern customers who believe in sustainability. They can make their production process transparent while committing to reduce their carbon footprints. 

Machine Learning: The next case focuses on increasing the quality of ecommerce experience. By migrating to the cloud and implementing AI and machine learning, retailers can embrace smart warehouse management practices where inventory moves faster with lowered warehouse costs and increased transparency. 

Implication for Retailers: Automated warehouses will significantly help retailers to improve process efficiencies. Warehouse automation intends to cut down the costs and time invested in manual labor due to which inventory moves slowly. Moreover, with robots, it is possible to control value leakage by reducing the number of touchpoints between humans and goods in a warehouse.

Augmented Reality: The case suggests the implementation of augmented reality in retail to deliver a personalized experience to the consumers through an online showrooming model where customers can try on the furniture and visualize its look and feel with the help of AR technology. This invariably leads to a reduction in inventory levels and overhead costs. 

Implication for Retailers: AR is going to redefine the fashion industry, where e-retailers will rely on AR to deliver convenience to its customers. They will offer a customized experience for consumers with the help of augmented reality, where they can try on apparel or cosmetics on them before making an online purchase. 

Advanced analytics: This use case explains how retailers can use advanced analytics and machine learning to analyze and predict consumer behavior to use the data for improving the quality of future interactions. They can create personal profiles of each customer to deliver higher value while aiming to increase sales per customer. 

Implication for Retailers: Personalization will be a crucial phenomenon in the retail industry. Every retailer online and offline will endeavor to deliver personalized user experience based on their preferences and past behavior using advanced analytics. 

NRF 2020 is all about bringing a fresh perspective to the retail industry. The aim is to make retail intelligent so that consumer experience can be improved manifolds while reinventing the business model. So, retail is expected to be transformed in 2020, and enterprises need to adopt innovative tech into their business operations, especially those that are customer-facing. To meet these ends, you will need a tech partner who can offer a comprehensive stack of disruptive technologies.

Katalyst Technologies can be your partner in transforming your retail enterprise by integrating latest advancements in your technology frameworks. Being Microsoft and SAP silver partners, we endeavor to offer cutting-edge technologies that make retail enterprises intelligent.

 Connect with us!

 Source Link- https://katalysttech.blogspot.com/2020/01/innovative-tech-for-futuristic-retail-at-nrf-2020.html

[idesignibuy]

How Labor Management Systems (LMS) Improve Warehouse Productivity

With labor costs allocating between 30%-60% of a distribution facilities’ budget, it’s no wonder businesses look to Labor Management Systems (LMS) after implementing a Warehouse Manufacturing System (WMS). Fortunately, LMS and WMS work together to provide insightful data pertaining to the labor force.

  To better manage human resources within warehouse operations, one can examine LMS through the lens of the following 6 key areas:

 · Labor Standards per Operation:

Traditionally, labor standards have been provided by engineers and time studies – which is often costly and time-consuming. On the other hand, newer LM solutions calculate these standards by using historical data, eliminating the expense, and decreasing installation time.

· Employee Performance:

Transactional history helps the LM solution identify top performers and highlights employees who could benefit from additional training. From there, management can reward top employees for their achievements.

· Direct Labor:

Direct labor is the time normally tracked through transactional data which reveals data on employee productivity, or the complexity of a given operation.

· Indirect Time:

Indirect time is the time employees spend on tasks unrelated to production. For a warehouse employee, an example might be the amount of time spent charging a lift. A well-performing LM system will offer an alternative method to capture indirect time. One popular method is provided in the form of a user start/stop entry on a tablet or mobile device.

· Missing Time:

Missing time is the time that the employee is paid for vs. the time tracked in either direct or indirect labor (and this can get costly!). In fact, it is estimated that only 50%-80% of an employee’s time is direct labor. The remaining time is either indirect or missing. To ensure ROI is achieved, LM systems will typically address the missing time issue first. For companies that do not track missing time, you will probably see 1 hour per day per employee on average. This means that on an 8-hour shift, 12.5% of the time is left unaccounted for. If indirect time is not logged, you can see how this can quickly grow to a number like 30%-50%, making it extremely difficult to understand true costs.

· Cost to Serve:

Engineered Labor Standards focus on a specific standard for a process, whereas “Cost to Serve” takes a holistic approach to obtain your labor costs for customer, employee, process, and product.

 The most common method to calculate “Cost to Serve” is as follows:

 Cost per Standard Process * Average Transaction Volume= Cost to Serve

This calculation technique can be useful but is dependent upon the accuracy of the engineered standard and the ability of the employee to be consistent with that standard. A robust LMS can help elaborate on this calculation with much more precision. By allowing for multiple sources – such as Warehouse Management System, Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Materials Resource Planning (MRP), Time Clocks, and telematics – the system can create a cost and performance model to give you “Cost to Serve” results according to customer, employee, process, and product.

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Source Link - https://katalysttech.com/blog/how-labor-management-systems-lms-improve-warehouse-productivity/

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Everything You Should Know Before Choosing WMS System

With so many Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) available in today’s market, finding the right one for your organization may seem daunting. Whether you’re looking to implement your very first WMS or searching to upgrade due to limitations within your existing system, a WMS is a major investment capable of huge returns.

As with any investment, it will behoove you to take the time to do the homework. With a little upfront planning and forethought, you can be confident in knowing your requirements and how each one impacts the WMS selection process.

To determine which WMS is right for your business, ask yourself these 10 questions beforehand:

1. Does the WMS meet my general needs? Study your overall business goals and process demands. What are your current challenges and limitations? What areas are working well? From there, you can determine if the prospective WMS fits the overall footprint of your business and if it provides room for growth. For additional help, ask a WMS representative to explain, in detail, the benefits of using the system given your respective industry and requirements.

2. What are the system requirements for implementing the WMS? Not all WMS are created equal; there are a variety of sophisticated platforms and system requirements to be considered. For this reason, you’ll want to make sure your WMS representative is aware of your needs.

In the meantime, check in with your IT team to determine whether the WMS system can be supported and if any internal upgrades are essential after implementation. Other system requirements to consider are licensing options and related additional fees.

3. Does the WMS support the integrations I require? If your business requires specific interfaces, you’ll want to identify which ones integrate and support the WMS in question. From Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) to Transportation Management Systems (TMS) – and everything in between – your current systems will help determine which WMS best suits your framework. To confirm, ask a WMS representative to disclose which interfaces are part of the base package and which ones will require custom development.

4. Does the WMS accommodate the required Primary and Secondary processes? Study the overall requirements and process demands of your business. Does the WMS system support basic functions like Order Entry, Fulfillment, Shipping, and Receiving?

For additional consideration, research any special processes such as Value-Added Services (VAS), Kitting, Quality Audit, Serial Numbers, Lot Numbers, Expiry Dates, etc., or ask a WMS representative to fully explain functionality and cost.

5. Will the WMS support any forecasted growth and expansion? Consider your company’s long-term goals and look at your business from a high level. Do you foresee needing to build-up the system again within the next 5-10 years? Will additional traffic require more capabilities from a WMS? Ask your WMS representative to go over all applicable components, such as: adding on additional warehouses, adding user licenses, purging/archiving data, program upgrades, etc.

6. How adaptable is the WMS? How efficiently can modifications be implemented? To determine WMS adaptability, ask the WMS representative about custom requests. Are customized requests treated differently than program defects? Further, what is the average turn-around-time for program modifications? From there, what is the overall process and pricing? These are the types of questions that’ll provide insight into how efficiently changes can be made.

7. What are the available options for ongoing support? Does the product include a support package? If so, is there a 24.7 Help Desk available? Or further, will the company provide support through the entire project life cycle and beyond? Ask your representative to walk you through all the available advisory, service and support options.

8. What are the upgrade terms and generally expected schedule of new version releases? Take the time to unfold the particulars of your selected WMS, including the logistics of product upgrades. This can include the cost to upgrade and what is involved (downtime, resources, etc.), how often to expect a new version, and if free upgrades are available under a support contract.

9. Does the WMS fit the budget? When it comes to costs, keep in mind bundled features and perks. It’s important to get the details on each WMS Software to fairly compare since there may be certain hidden features rolled into the overall quoted price (not including the software itself). These features may include implementation resources, training, ongoing support contracts and/or a limited customization budget. Get down to the details to make an informed choice that isn’t solely based on the initial sticker price.

10. Will the new WMS bring enough long-term benefits to offset the short-term expense? Once you’ve been through the entire process of defining your needs and the list of WMS is narrowed down, it’s time to decide if the overall cost will be offset by some measurable benefit.

Will the WMS encourage efficiencies? Will it solve accuracy issues? Will it make us quicker, better, faster? Will it enable us to provide superior customer service? Is this WMS the best fit at the best price? These are the questions you must answer for yourself once you’ve done the research and defined your requirements.

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Source Link - https://katalysttech.com/blog/the-how-to-of-choosing-the-right-wms/

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How To Optimize Your Warehouse Put-Away Process

When it comes to developing a warehouse plan for your business, you’ll want to spend time strategizing a plan for a put-away process. This system is responsible for moving goods from the dock to the most optimal storage location in a warehouse facility.

From product segregation to handling requirements, the put-away process can involve a number of capabilities depending on your organization’s needs. But, no matter what your plan entails, it’s only as great as its implementation. In the end, a well-executed put-away strategy can increase operator efficiency, inventory accuracy, and even housekeeping.

But how can one ensure that the newly implemented process will deliver on its promise of increasing warehouse productivity? Like other business initiatives, the process must be successfully administered and employed to all parties involved. Failure to train and enforce resources will lead to undesirable business results. In fact, as the VP of Supply Chain Management at Katalyst, I’ve seen firsthand how a poorly-designed put-away process can negatively impact operational efficiencies.

A few years ago, I was approached by a manager who had recently installed a Warehouse Management Software for Manufacturing System into a four-room, 800,000 square feet facility. With a pick list in hand, the client expressed concern for the system’s pick pathing process. Although the machines were designed for system-direct put-away, the picker associate was constantly directed to faraway rooms – adding nearly 15 minutes to the picking process.

At that moment, I knew a solid put-away strategy would help the client garner better results. We first started by reviewing the history of the pallet. Here, we noticed that the pallet had been wrongly assigned for manual put-away instead of the configured rules. When used correctly, the system would’ve directed the picker associate to the correct room.

As we examined further, we discovered that a driver was manually locating pallets near loading doors rather than leveraging the system’s capabilities for quicker performance. To prevent misuse of resources, leadership must incorporate employee training and regularly enforce exact machine usage for improved results.

On another similar occasion, I helped a partner strategize the framework behind a large, 500,000 square feet facility. In this case, the user was experiencing difficulties separating its influx of new product containers. As a result, pallets were incorrectly being sent down the same aisle.

Parallel to the first story, staff members were not properly utilizing the machines as directed. In this case, the engineer responsible positioned all of the product to be loaded at the front of the facility. Because of this, forklift tasks were stalled during the put-away process – leading to aisle backup and shipping order delay.

To solve the problem, we designed horizontal put-away zones across aisles and set up the system to allow for only one forklift per aisle at a time. This effectively eliminated the client’s put-away and picking concerns.

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Source Link - https://katalysttech.com/blog/how-to-optimize-your-warehouse-put-away-process/

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Katalyst Technologies Launches New and Improved Celero 2.0

Katalyst Technologies Launches New and Improved Celero 2.0

EVANSTON, Ill., June 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Katalyst Technologies Inc. is proud to announce the launch of Celero 2.0 to assist your organization with its ERP needs. Celero has long been one of Katalyst's signature products, beloved by clients for its high level of customization and advanced data analytics capabilities. Now, Celero is better than ever before and is ready to meet the supply chain challenges of the modern warehouse, especially those in the apparel and fashion industry.

"Celero is a next-generation warehouse management solution with many innovative features inspired by our experience with various apparel and fashion customers," says Nixon Xavier, Vice President of Innovation at Katalyst Technologies. "The key differentiator for the Celero WMS is that it includes general warehouse functions for products with multiple dimensions," including style, color, and size that other warehouse solutions are unable to properly handle.

"We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our team has put into creating this newly improved version of one of our flagship products," says Rahul Shah, CEO and founder of Katalyst Technologies. "Celero has always been known for its innovative, user-friendly processes, and we feel confident that Celero 2.0 will exceed our customers' expectations."

Katalyst's Pick Path Optimization Algorithm

One of the top features of Celero 2.0 is the inclusion of Katalyst's patent-pending pick path optimization algorithm, co-designed by Senior Software Engineer Wayne Ma and Chief Systems Architect Dave Schuler. This innovative algorithm allows for faster, more efficient picking in warehouses by automating the process and creating the best possible path. "In running a warehouse, the largest expense item is payroll," says Schuler. "What that means in practical terms is that the more stuff an individual warehouse worker can pick in a unit of time, the more cost-effective the warehouse is to run."

Why Celero? With the recent rise in e-commerce sales due to COVID-19, it's more important than ever before to maximize your warehouse's potential. Celero is the perfect solution to boost ROI, reducing labor costs and implementing automation to eliminate errors.

"Celero comes with out-of-the-box integration for Shopify, Magento, Quickbooks, ShipStation, and many other leading industry products," says Xavier. "Its multi-tenant architecture helps deploy solutions for large corporations with multiple subsidiaries."

Would you like to see what Celero can do to help your business? Request a free demo and reach out to the experts at Katalyst for a consultation.

About Katalyst Technologies Inc.

Katalyst Technologies is a software technology services and solutions provider based in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Katalyst operates in a wide variety of fields, such as Publishing, Fashion & Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Life Sciences, Wholesale & Distribution, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain Management.

With over 1200 employees around the world, Katalyst has coined its name even in the fields of publishing and e-Commerce. Katalyst Technologies also offers a broad range of products and services in Enterprise Resource Planning, Engineering & Manufacturing, Supply Chain & Logistics, Professional Services, Content Management sectors.

SOURCE Katalyst Technologies

Source Link - https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/katalyst-technologies-launches-new-and-improved-celero-2-0--301079299.html

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Supply Chain Management and Additive Manufacturing: A Thriving Blend

Even the most influential supply chain has some weak joints. Perhaps yours is focused on the upstream, with small manufacturers dealing with quality control issues, or downstream, with retailers struggling to make products available to customers on time. In either case, you can strengthen these belts or forge alternatives using additive manufacturing.

Supply chain management prospects In the industrial world, additive manufacturing has an impact in several sectors, from logistics to healthcare, from space to consumer. This necessarily has consequences for the supply chains of brands that use AM. In fact, it can provide many quantifiable benefits for supply chain management and operation. All the advantages, from simplifying processes to reducing bottlenecks and reducing costs, are a separate feature. We are here to summarize how supply chain management and additive manufacturing can work hand-in-hand.

How Supply Chain Management Is Coping With Effective Additive Manufacturing? Lockheed Martin recently demonstrated additive manufacturing's ability to reduce the hardware input required to manufacture aerospace components significantly. By using parts made of high-quality materials, such as titanium alloys, the use of Lockheed AM has reduced the purchase rate for flying, the relationship between the material received and the final output of the parts.

The process of developing additive manufacturing at Rolls-Royce challenged many of the typical assumptions of supplier involvement in the development of new technologies. Unlike the standard buyer process that provides suppliers with a predefined design specification, additive manufacturing suppliers have taken the lead in component design due to their in-depth knowledge of technology.

Rolls-Royce expects additive production to produce 85% less waste compared to standard smelting and forging methods, with closed-loop processes capturing all waste for quick reuse. Thanks to additive manufacturing, Rolls-Royce is also able to produce closer to its largest customers, Boeing and Airbus, which reduces lead times and pipeline stocks. Local production reduces the company's exposure to supply chain risks, such as trade wars, political upheavals, and natural disasters that can prevent the flow of subcomponents. Rolls-Royce's investment in additive manufacturing has a transformative effect on the supply chain, bringing production closer to its customers and significantly reducing supply chain costs.

Ways Supply Chain Management Is Beneficial For The Manufacturing Process - Reduced material input for lean production - Simplified production processes and reduce costs - Less risk of developing an emergency plan - Improved process flexibility by responding to demand more quickly - Redesigned supply chain networks into decentralized and distributed production networks - Reduced the capital cost of entering new markets

The ground zero update, The slumping economic effects are beginning to be felt, and many economists predict a profound collapse for an untold duration. While some supply chains are incredibly complicated to chase, for supply chain planners, one pitfall to avoid to continue is the dynamic known as inventory bounce.

It is also time for the supply chain to strengthen and contribute. One company solved a lack of rescue ventilator parts in Italy using 3D printing and making it available during the day. This explains the role of additive manufacturing in the supply chain.

Fashion and accessories brands like Coty, LVMH, L'Oréal, and others have stepped up and reorganized the perfume and hair gel production facilities to produce a hand sanitizer.

Supply chains have unique capacity and adaptability, although the challenges are far from over. But the result could be fundamental changes, and a whole range of managers and supervisors would rethink global supply models and dependencies.

Katalyst Technologies is one of the pioneering supply chain consulting partner. Its solution offering includes CeleroERP and CeleroWMS that are best suited for any manufacturing operation and effective business planning.

Connect now!

Source Link - https://katalysttech.blogspot.com/2020/05/supply-chain-management-prospects.html

[brianburell]

Warehouse Management Solutions: Making Inventories Smart

Industry 4.0 steps in and forces companies to think about how they feel about their supply chain and warehousing. Various technologies have appeared that alter traditional working methods. In addition, megatrends and customer expectations change the game. In addition to the need to adapt, supply chains also can reach the next horizon of operational efficiency, take advantage of new business models with warehouse management solutions in the digital supply chain and transform the way we handle inventories. ​

How warehouse management solutions enables smart inventory management?

 ocusing on inventories handling,   Transparent process optimization   You can seamlessly optimize your business processes, taking advantage of the versatility of your smart inventory system. The versatility allows you to track bar codes easily, automate equipment, and smart scales. ​ This transparent optimization helps to establish key performance indicators, align operations with your objectives, collect information in real-time, and implement equipment automation.   Improve the relationship between suppliers and customers   With an efficient WMS software system, you can improve the relationship between customers and suppliers. You can monitor the buyer's behavior, accuracy, errors, fluctuations in demand and supply, and many other factors that reduce delivery time. These factors, as well as centralized locations, can also help you eliminate all types of friction with suppliers.   Thus, you can achieve 100% customer satisfaction and increase sales.   Stock balance   Efficient warehouse management software helps you take inventory on time. With this, you can guarantee quality and quantity, because all items are placed in the right places and the right quantity. Besides, a WMS solution also improves the batch size and other parameters to achieve better recording accuracy, which results in a balanced inventory.   Reduction in general operating costs Having a robust WMS solution with an asset tracking system is useful as it helps to distribute the workforce using all the available space, thus reducing any waste. ​ It also allows you to optimize the collection and packaging process, maintaining the security of all perishable items. With the proper execution, you can reduce your overall operating costs to a great extent in any year.   Reporting transparency   Warehouse management systems brings clarity in inventory for all processes, such as shipping, order fulfillment, and order tracking. ​ In addition to transparency, it also allows its users to access data in real-time and provide all its customers with accurate and accurate information.

Why there should be a warehouse management solution in place? ​

he way you maintain inventories in the warehouse defines how efficient your operation.   Below are some of the bottlenecks that majorly occur while managing inventories.   Inconsistency in the data entered This leads to missing, incorrect or duplicate data High cost of team training Team training, depending on the size of your inventory, can take approximately a few weeks to months.   The system is subject to human error Without any validation, these asset tracking methods can lead to errors and loss of revenue. Lack of a centralized customer database Inventory managers will find it challenging to obtain the latest inventory information due to the lack of a central database. Lack of security We all know the type of security data written on sheets of paper and spreadsheets. A person only needs a camera phone or USB stick to make copies. Delayed operation A person who enters data manually is much slower than an automated system that updates the database itself.   Hidden costs: The conventional method will make you lose money due to errors, typos, duplication, and slowness in the process.    Concluding the point, Finding a warehousing management system for your business will be an easy task. But now that you understand the necessary functionality, you need to check; you are better prepared than when you ignore this information. What you need now is to take your time and be very strategic in choosing your choice. A single irresponsible and miscalculated decision can cost you more damage than you ever imagined.   Katalyst Technologies is one of the leading supply chain solution providers. Its solution offering includes CeleroERP and CeleroWMS that are best suited for any warehouse operation and enterprise business planning.   Collaborate now!

Source Link - https://katalysttechnologies.weebly.com/blog/warehouse-management-solutions-making-inventories-smart