No true value (evolution) of WMS without standardization of processes
With the expansion of the topic EC business, the strategic value of the logistics center is increasing.In a Japanese environment where workers decrease, many companies have built a logistics center on the theme of "promotion of automation" and "DX (digital transmission)", and include WMS (warehouse management system).The work process is often overlooked in the design and construction of the system.In this article, the reasons for the Japanese WMS to introduce the historical background of WMS as a package and the differences in awareness of WMS in Europe, the United States and Japan, and mainly WMS in Japan.This is a explanation of the elements necessary for the "expansion WMS", which reaches a turning point, to show its true value.(Innovative Solutions, Masayuki Kinoshita)
WMS is a system that was originally a system derived from a system for managing the business that occurred in business and the money generated as a result.When some kind of product or product is purchased, it is a real "thing" at the same time as money, and as a result, "logistics" occurs.It was around 1990 that the management of these "things" had a limit to the system created for the purpose of buying and selling and processing money.In Europe and the United States, it began to penetrate by standardizing business and organizing system functions by roles, and selling and introducing it with a business process named "Best Practis".
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In 1990, I founded Manhattan Associates, which has been involved as an employee and a partner for a long time.At that time, packages were developed and provided under the name of PKMS (Picking Management System).As the name suggests, it is initially developed from a function that supports shipping work in the warehouse after receiving an order, and later the function of connecting from ordering to arrival has been expanded, and the comprehensive warehouse management system is now commonplace., So -called "WMS" was built.In 1998, SAP and Oracle were adopted in the ERP (core business system), starting with the establishment of a Japanese corporation, which was also described as the "Kurofune of the Logistics Industry".Following, WMS has been introduced mainly at major companies.
However, what was very different from the introduction in Europe and the United States was that the "best practices", which should have been paired with the introduction of the package system, have become a skeleton.In Japan, which has a strong ability to speak in the field compared to Europe and the United States, there are many phenomena that the ability to follow the familiar work has hindered the introduction of "best practices" and is more common.This phenomenon has not changed significantly since then, and is a factor that blocks modern DX.
Although it is a bit off, when I traveled to the United States at a sales conference in the 2000s, I still remember clearly in questions received from local sales members.
"Why in Japan only sells WMS licenses, and the license for performance managers (visualization systems such as work progress management) and sloting optimization (location optimization system) cannot be sold as a set."
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What this question asks is, "What is the purpose of introducing WMS?""If the introduction of WMS is to increase visibility on the site based on data, use the accumulated performance data to improve work, not only WMS.Shouldn't a system for visualization and a system that supports optimization should be introduced as a set as a WMS extension. "From that time, in Europe and the United States, the introduction of WMS was progressing with consciousness of management, such as improvement after the introduction, instead of just to support the work of the site.
At that time, the writer was in charge of WMS Prayers in Japan, but the theme of the meeting with customers was "How do you accept the introduction of WMS on site?"In other words, it can be said that we were to enlighten the introduction of WMS from the perspective of workers.With such an approach, discussions are concentrated only on the feeling of fit to the system functions used in the field, and the discussions for subsequent continuous improvements tend to be postponed.
Unfortunately, in Japan, WMS has not been treated as a system more than just a work support tool.However, some companies have noticed the value of digital data obtained from WMS and have begun various initiatives.For example, based on data that can be obtained from WMS, such as the amount of goods, the number of goods, and the number of work processing, etc., monthly, weekly, daily comparative verification, comparison between shipper and base, verification of location usage, etc.Is listed.Finally, the value of WMS has begun to be reviewed, and the existence of the extended system needed around the WMS has begun to look.
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If you build a DWH (data warehouse) based on WMS data and start various analysis with BI (data analysis tools), you will notice that there are important digital data that can not be obtained with WMS.It is "resource activity information" including workers.Although it depends on the functional characteristics of WMS, WMS, which has a high degree of perfection, has a detailed processed work track record, but the movement of workers up to that (such as moving between location), and inter -processes.The movement of the relevant Matehan is not in the wms management category.Without such "resource activity information", it is not possible to determine the work time, cost, and productivity of each business process.
In the United States, the introduction of LMS (Warehouse Labor Management System) has been promoted since the 2000s has been in the United States since the 2000s, and it is optimal based on this information.Initiatives such as worker arrangements and pay -paying salary systems are being promoted.
In recent years, the social situation of the decline in the working population has been boosted, and the movement of unmanned and saving people in the logistics field in Japan is also active.Innovative things have been developed in various Matehans, which have been used in logistics centers so far, and have been introducing robots that can be replaced by people.
In the system configuration in the logistics center so far, WCS (warehouse control system) mainly manages Matehans and passes various work instructions and achievements with WMS.In WMS, a timely manner of shipping instructions and work instructions for ASN (advance shipment information) are in a timely manner, and if the system that has jurisdiction over those tasks is outside the WMS, the instruction data is sent to these systems.WMS has managed all operations in the warehouse by efficiently executing work with a control system that has been instruction via WCS and sending performance data to WMS.
However, the system required for the logistics center in the future is different.As a wide variety of Matehan and IoT devices are used in logistics centers, we instantly judge "Which Matehan should be implemented now?"The mechanism of "resource integrated WMS" that judges with real -time, such as assignment is required.The focus of the conventional WMS is "people", and the WAVE function (batch retention processing) and task function have been developed from the perspective of how to move "people" efficiently, but now the warehouse is automated.The design of the assumed system is needed.
It is now necessary to control the integrated management of Matehan, robots, and workers after the time when the functions of the management are also needed as WMS extensions, starting with WMS as a work support tool.Expansion WMS ".Package WMS vendors have been working with WCS by external cooperation, but recently the processing status of operations can be grasped in real time and the work can be assigned.I'm stuck.
In the evolution process of expansion WMS is the near -future WMS, which combines information infrastructure and execution platform.An analysis of tools such as BIs realized by the management type WMS can show the trend, but does not lead to changes or instructions to the process that is currently happening."Which flights are likely to be delayed in the current shipment situation?" "How late is it?" "Which process is being delayed?"Forecasts the near future, such as "Nika", "Will it be resolved if the resources are interrupted and the resources are applied to picking," or "Is it not affected by the subsequent shipment schedule?"It can be said that the expansion WMS required in the DX era is to make an appropriate decision on the current situation and instantly execute it.
In the implementation of such a DX -compatible "extension WMS", it is necessary to incorporate elements of advanced technology such as AI, machine learning, cognitive engine, and hybrid modeling in advanced digital information infrastructure.However, this kind of effort is accompanied by a very large investment, and it is expected that the journey to the effect will take a long time.
So far, we have mentioned the historical evolution and background of the "extended WMS" as a broad -in -law WMS, and the near future, but what is the center of the event is a "process" that indicates the activity itself.And the indispensable activities for building a WMS of any level will be "standardization of processes" and "process modeling."
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Unless the flow of business processes showing the activities of logistics centers in the company is not standardized, the system cannot be standardized.If the system cannot be standardized, the data extracted from the system will be diversified, and the data will not be analyzed.The introduction of advanced Matehan in such an environment cannot be expected to have a major effect.As a result, it will not be worth more than WMS as a work support tool.The introduction of a package system that has been standardized with the standardization of business processes will lead to great pain rather than improving.
However, if the value of the process can be aware of the value of the process and the process and system are standardized, the data obtained from WMS can be used effectively, and various Matehan will be introduced in a rising whole throughput.It will be possible.Further, the PDCA/OODA loop can be turned by incorporating the state -of -the -art technology.By preparing a business environment, you will be able to build a distribution center suitable for the DX era.
■ Masayuki Kinoshita Director Innovative Solutions. After graduating from the Australian New Southwales (NSW) University, he joined All Nippon Airways (Australian local subsidiary) and was in charge of the cargo section. After that, after experiencing forwarding work at Kintetsu Express (Australia Local subsidiary), he returned to the IT industry in 2000 and joined EXE Technologies (now Infoa Japan). After that, he promoted the business as a total distributor of Manhattan Associates at the Japanese EC venture, and transferred to the company in 2004 with the establishment of a Japanese corporation, and proposed to the introduction as a director of the Professional Service Division. Participated in many projects including overseas. In 2009, he changed to a Japanese venture that was mainly in the Chinese offshore business at the time of the significant reduction due to the Lehman shock, and started a partner business of Manhattan Associates on a zero base. Before and after the company was sold to NTT data in 2011, he grew up as a major business and retired in 2012. After a period of a sole proprietor, he jointly founded Innovative Solutions in 2014. Author: "Details! All of the Strategic Logistics "(Hidewa System, 2011)
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