We already established that using a warehouse optimization tool makes life much easier. But these tools are so diverse. There a some that focus on resource planning – these benefit mainly planners. Then, there are reporting tools, that may only be interesting for warehouse managers. Often they are separate systems and what interests one party does not necessarily help the other. The right tool, however, has the ability to display data in a way that it supports employees at different levels. This will ultimately lead the whole warehouse to operational excellence.
The big picture
It’s all siloed. There’s an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) silo, a Warehouse Management System (WMS) silo, a Warehouse Control System (WCS) silo, Time & Attendance System (T&A) silo, etc. All these systems generate a huge amount of data, that planners and managers need to have in one place in order to make the right decisions. They need to see the big picture. Often, this results in very complex Excel spreadsheets that someone must tediously create and update. It is cumbersome to collaborate with different departments and hard to make informed and timely decisions.
Who benefits most from a warehouse optimization tool?
Warehouse operations move too fast to rely on manual analysis. So, redPILOT offers a solution that unifies that data silos, displays real time information and offers decision support at different levels. All parties involved – from management to employee benefit from the right warehouse optimization tool.
Managers: Actionable insights
Warehouse managers can check the real-time status of the system at every stage of fulfillment. Information is displayed in an easily understood visual format. Managers get real-time actionable insights that can help them ensure efficient operations. They can quickly mitigate operational issues like bottlenecks, backlogs and overcapacity, as they occur. But redPILOT does not only display such data, it really proposes action alternatives. This enables managers to operate efficiently at every hour of operation and continuously improve performance.
Planners: Easier, more flexible planning
Planners and shift leaders benefit in daily planning as they can generate optimized shift plans. Under- or over occupation can be recognized immediately with redPILOT. They do not have to sum up numbers but see at one glance how many units remain open for a certain day. Also, planners directly get information about bottlenecks and overcapacities, so they see immediately where something still needs to be adjusted. redPILOT recommends the best ways to respond when exceptions arise. For example, if they need to hire a temp worker for one day or get more agency workers.
Employees: Higher motivation
Employees get the shift plan displayed in a nice design. They can see quickly in which shifts, they will have to work or whether there any changes were made in the shift plan. They can even get shifts displayed on their personal smartphone via the teamAPP.
Union leaders: Better involvement
Union leaders may have to check the shift plans and can do that directly in the application.
redPILOT is a very easy-to-use tool for all involved parties. The solution provides actionable insights for warehouse optimization.
Check out the following video and learn how redPILOT supports one of our customers at different levels.
