It’s time to answer 10 of the most commonly asked Sage 200 warehouse management questions.
We’ve always touted ourselves as the “Good Sage Guys to Deal With”. A big part of this ethos is our passion for helping everyone understand all things, Sage. From the solution itself to the various topics surrounding it, we’re happy to help.
The “10 Questions On…” series is designed to answer all of your questions in an easy, accessible manner.
The premise is simple: we take 10 of the most commonly asked questions about the solutions we provide and various topics surrounding them and give you the answers in a simple and approachable way.
In this series instalment, we will look at Sage 200’s warehouse management solutions.
1. What is a warehouse management system?
A warehouse management system – often abbreviated to WMS – is a software system that can perform key processes involved in running a warehouse. Various add-ons allow WMS to be integrated into Sage 200, like Sicon Distribution.
2. What forms of warehouse management are available for Sage 200?
Warehouse Management Systems come under three distinct types. A standalone system is your basic option, with limited features. They might be a good starting point for those with smaller warehouses or not much stock.
An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) module is the next step up. Sage 200 itself is an example of this – working across your business, in accounting, HR and even your customer relationship platforms.
Meanwhile, a Supply Chain Module handles every operation that’s central to a warehouse, whether that’s transportation management, manual handling, or anything included in a standalone system. A good example of a supply chain module would be Sicon Barcoding and Warehousing.
3. What are some of the benefits of using a Warehouse Management System for Sage 200?
A warehouse management system can help you do much more with your current Sage 200 software.
- It’s easier than pen and paper – with a WMS, your company’s records will be easily accessible for anyone.
- It boosts productivity – as it can see and control all aspects of internal operations, you can streamline entire supply chains. This makes shipments faster and workers more productive. The benefits extend far beyond the warehouse: quicker deliveries mean better customer service, and a higher chance of those customers returning.
4. What industries is a Warehouse Management system best suited to?
Warehouse management systems make the most impact in businesses where there’s a lot of physical stock moving from one place to another. This includes a variety of industries, from the expected (e.g. distribution) to the unexpected (healthcare and hospitals, where there can be lots of drugs with strict storage needs and access permissions.)
5. What can I do with a warehouse management system for Sage 200?
Each warehouse management system is set up slightly differently. Taking Sicon Barcoding as an example, functions include:
- Sales order picking and despatching
- Adding and writing off stock
- Receiving sales order returns
- Storing barcode numbers against stock items and suppliers
- Label printing (linked to specific jobs or customers)
6. Do warehouse management systems for Sage 200 integrate with existing solutions?
As well as being installed and maintained within Sage 200, Sicon’s Barcoding & Warehousing also runs via an Android app, and all other Sicon modules.
7. Do I need any new devices in order to set up a Warehouse Management System?
If you already have an Android device, you won’t need any new hardware to run Sicon Barcoding and Warehousing.
8. Do these devices link directly to my Sage 200 software?
Yes – the handheld devices communicate directly with Sage 200 using Web API technology.
This means there are no external databases to set up and maintain, and no data to synchronise or go out of synchronisation.
9. How much will a warehouse management system cost?
Like a lot of Sage add-ons, the cost of a warehouse management system is changeable. The price is determined by many factors: how big your company is, number of transactions and users, and the complexity of what you’d be asking the warehouse management system to do.
10. What information will I need to know before I can implement a Warehouse Management System?
To be able to use a warehouse management system to its full potential, it’s vital that you have a good understanding of how material makes its way through your warehouse to begin with. Knowing this will make it easier for you to see where a warehouse management system could help the most, by stopping bottlenecks.
You also need to know how many transactions happen inside your warehouse on a day-to-day business. With the variety of WMS systems, knowing these numbers will help you decide whether you’ll be more suited to a standalone system, or something more in-depth.
That’s it for this post – stay tuned for the next in the series.
To enquire about how a Warehouse Management solution can help your business work smarter, call 01332 959008 or contact us using the enquiry form.
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