Page 10 - Logistics News - July August 2023

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Nail your WMS selection process

By Michael Badwi, Chief Business Officer
and Founder of Supply Chain Junction

Trying to decide on the right warehouse management system (WMS)? Here are
three steps from someone who did, having learned the hard way!

ood decisions, bad decisions and crazy decisions… Whether it’s overconfidence (“We’re masters of the universe!”),
people make odd decisions every day. For example, a groupthink (“Dissent has no place in this company!”) or reliance
G decision to go searching for a car based on the colour of on poor information (“Our in-house market research team
the seats. Ok, it’s a crazy example. The point is, if there’s a wrong confirms that…”), good people, in good companies, with good
way to do something, someone will have found it and done it. intentions, can make bad decisions.

“We’re all ok. We’ve a proven method I see this in the WMS selection process. When companies
guaranteeing good decisions in our business.” view a WMS through the wrong lens, their distorted view gives
Successful modern companies make good decisions. Always. an incomplete picture of how they’ll benefit. If this is realised in
There’s a proven method to guide them. Gather the data, analyse time, they can reset the lenses. The WMS selection process can
it, test the alternatives. Voila! A good decision. Right? Wrong! restart with the correct focus.

They still make the wrong decision, sometimes in “We went off looking in the wrong direction from
spectacular fashion. For example, Decca Records rejected the start.”
The Beatles (because “guitar bands were on the way out”). In a recent chat with a customer, they spoke about their company’s
Coca-Cola decided to change its legendary recipe (and had flawed initial process. Fortunately for them, they were able to
to change back fast). Kodak decided digital wasn’t for it (and correct their focus. They made an informed WMS selection. It was
missed out on leveraging its heritage). their precursor to a successful WMS implementation.

8 JULY/A U GU S T 2023 www .l o g ist i csn e w s .c o .z a