The 7 “Must-Haves”

of a Warehouse
Management
Platform TM

Is Your WMS a WMP?

 The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse
Management PlatformTM

The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse

Management Platform (WMP)TM
Is Your WMS a WMP?
The logistics world of today is perhaps the most complex and interconnected environment in the
history of modern commerce. The technological advances of the past decade alone now
connect every 3PL and warehouse to thousands of supply chain and logistics partners around
the world. Meaning that the days when warehouses and 3PLs could simply sit back and rely
upon their WMS alone to succeed are now long gone.

In this lightening fast, ultra-competitive and tightly connected environment, a warehouse’s very
survival now depends on its ability to build a strong, seamless network of partners, providers and
technologies – a term we have coined here at 3PL Central as a “Warehouse Management
PlatformTM.” Warehouses who fail to do so run the very real risk of being outflanked by
competitors who are smarter, faster – and better connected than they are.

Which brings us to the question: does your current WMS have what it takes to meet today’s
demands? Can it help you integrate with the multiple players, multiple partners – and your
customers’ partners? Is it capable of responding to your customers’ changing needs at a
moment’s notice? And can it serve as a central hub for your operations – from initial order input
to final recipient destination? In other words, is your WMS really working as a WMP?

Building a powerful Warehouse Management PlatformTM may be one of the most important
missions your warehouse ever undertakes. The purpose of this white paper is to explore the
next generation of the WMS, in which software, partners and providers come together to deliver
best-in-class service to your growing customer base.

The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse Management Platform

1. A World-Class WMS
The first – and most important – “must-have” of a successful Warehouse Management Platform
is a Warehouse Management System that is powerful, flexible scalable – and affordable. That
part of WMS hasn’t changed a bit.

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 The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse
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Serving as a central hub for all customers’ order, inventory, accounting and supply chain
management activity, such a WMS would be powerful enough to work with all of the latest
warehousing technologies – and yet be nimble enough to integrate seamlessly with vendors,
customers, partners and more.

Such a WMS would also be flexible enough to expand quickly to meet any surges in demand. It
would provide 24-7 access to both warehouses and their customers alike, in real time, from
anywhere in the world. It would also be chockfull of robust features – and available at an affordable
price.

In short, the ideal WMS would serve as a control panel for monitoring the flow of orders, inventory
and relationships throughout the entire warehousing network. In essence, the WMS is the core of
your Warehouse Management Platform.

2. A Bevy of Pre-Wired EDI Providers & Integration Partners From

Which To Choose
The warehousing world of today thrives on data. Data which must be real-time, 100% accurate –
and seamlessly integrated into everything from your internal software, to your customers’ systems,
to your external partners – and everything else your services touch in the world.

It is for this reason that your relationships with data and integration providers are so important.
Their ability to produce fast, reliable, turnkey solutions will have an enormous impact on everything
from your profitability, your relationships with your customers – to your ability to grow.

Having the right providers already chosen and “pre-wired” into your systems allows your
warehouse to ramp up with tremendous speed, efficiency and confidence. Your ability to provide
flawless, 24-7, real-time data to your customers is a basic expectation in today’s warehouse world.

And if they receive anything less from your business - they will quickly move on to someone else.
Partnering with an industry leader from this space is crucial. In fact, your business may even
depend upon it.

After working with thousands of users in the 3PL and warehousing community, we have heard
firsthand which providers are the best, the most knowledgeable and the most efficient. They are
not all the same. So choose wisely.

3. A Complete Portfolio of CRM and e-Commerce Shopping Carts

The ability of a warehouse to handle e-Commerce transactions smoothly is no longer just
important; it has become all but mandatory for their survival.

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 The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse
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Incredibly, e-Commerce continues to grow in both the B2C and B2B sectors of the economy
worldwide. In fact, last year a U.S. Forrester study predicted that e-Commerce would continue to
experience a 10% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the next five years. They forecast
that e-Commerce sales will rise to more than $370 billion by 2017, up from $230 billion in 2013.

And with this explosion in e-Commerce sales comes an explosion in e-Commerce management
platforms, shopping carts and providers. Meaning that warehouses must be ready to work with the
systems and software their customers want to use – not vice versa.

Warehouses and 3PLs should therefore have a pre-established relationships and familiarity with a
wide range of e-Commerce providers. The ability to provide a customer with seamless integration
with their platform of choice could be the difference between closing a deal – or losing it.

A successful Warehouse Management Platform must certainly include expertise with the largest
and most popular e-Commerce providers and shopping carts. Some of the big names like Amazon
and eBay come to mind, but there are many others – and they are all different. So make sure your
WMS has some experience with a wide variety of shopping carts and CRMs.

4. Assorted Small Parcel Shipping and Transportation Providers

Out of sight is certainly not out of mind. When a warehouse contracts with a customer, they are
considered to be responsible for every aspect of the shipping process – even after goods have left
your loading dock.

Which is why tightly knit electronic integrations with Small Parcel, over-the-road and international
carriers are hugely important. Large transportation providers such UPS, FedEx, DHL and YRC
made “tracking” a competitive advantage many years ago but that required you to use their
software. Today internet tracking is almost a forgone conclusion with most providers, however
tracking still requires logging on and off each website.

The best Warehouse Management Systems link directly to common carrier websites and
Transportation management systems allowing the warehouse user or shipper to simply click and
track any shipment anywhere in the world regardless of the provider.

When it comes to creating a strong Warehouse Management Platform, it is important to link to

wide range of top-tier partners and transportation providers. The more options you give your users
and customers to track and trace shipments the greater the chance the warehouse has of
separating itself from its competition.

5. Best-In-Class Technology Providers

In today’s business world, technology is the heart of the enterprise. And the warehousing world is

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 The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse
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no different. Which is why warehouses and 3PLs should create strong, lasting relationships with
the best software, server, bar-coding and inventory tracking providers on the market.

Relationships with such providers will ensure that the warehouse is constantly on the cutting edge
of technology. This can be a crucial part of impressing customers and closing deals.

Such relationships will also prove invaluable in the event of any trouble-shooting or support issues
which often arise long after a final sale has been made. This can be crucial – especially if it
involves an issue which might arise with one of the warehouses’ customers.

6. Don’t Forget The Accounting and ERP Integrations

In today’s world, a warehouse can be a stand alone business - or single node in a Customer’s or
Company’s supply chain. And often times they are both.

Whether you are a pure 3PL, a dedicated Distribution Center, or a combination of the two, the
need to connect seamlessly with accounting and ERP systems is a must. As with other types of
integrations, a solid Warehouse Management Platform must be able to push and pull purchase
order data, shipment and tracking detail, order status, product information, billing and costs data -
and much, much more.

Today’s warehouse is a critical hub in the success of its stakeholders. Manual data entry or even
cumbersome file import / export will slow the process down and weaken a firm’s competitive
advantage.

Accounting and ERP selections are often made without fully appreciating warehouse functionality
or the ever changing supply chain. If an entity is using a 3PL, it falls on the 3PL and its WMS to
effortlessly and seamlessly connect. Whether connecting to SAP, Oracle, NetSuite or even
QuickBooks, a solid Warehouse Management Platform will have the built-in integrations
necessary, or at least the technical architecture, to talk to any system at any time.

7. Industry Leading Hardware Resellers Who Understand The Core

WMS

When it comes to working with modern technology, working with the most advanced generations of
hardware is as important as using the latest breakthroughs in software.

For this reason, warehouses should also be cognizant of maintaining close relationships and
partnerships with the purveyors of all the high-tech hardware they use every day.

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Such relationships can ensure that warehouses always have access to the latest technology in
every field. Unlike software, hardware is visible – which means it can make a deep impression
on a prospective customer during a pre-close warehouse visit. Such impressions can often
lead to a closed sale.

In addition, having a close relationship can lead to better customer service responses, preferred
pricing – or insider knowledge of impending advances in a particular field. All of which can
save a warehouse tens of thousands of dollars over the course of time.

Working closely with specific hardware vendors also gives them the opportunity to become
familiar with your warehouse’s WMS, as well – a benefit that can prove to be quite helpful –
especially when you are pressed for time.

So make sure your WMS provider has some “go-to” contacts on the hardware side. It can save
enormous amounts of time and money in the long run.

Summary
In this fast-paced and tightly integrated world, 3PLs and warehouses are well-advised to ask
the question: is my WMS also a WMP? Does it provide – or seamlessly integrate – with the
following seven “must-haves” of a Warehouse Management PlatformTM?

1. A World-Class WMS

2. A Bevy of Pre-Wired EDI Providers & Integration Partners From Which To Choose

3. A Complete Portfolio of CRM and e-Commerce Shopping Carts

4. Assorted Small Parcel Shipping and Transportation Providers

5. Best-In-Class Technology Providers

6. Cutting-Edge Accounting and ERP Integrations

7. Industry Leading Hardware Resellers Who Understand The Core WMS

If not, then please check out 3PL Central’s 3PL Warehouse Manager today. Powerful, flexible,
scalable and affordable, it’s the perfect tool to help you run the type of Warehouse Management
Platform your business needs to succeed.

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 The 7 “Must-Haves” of a Warehouse
Management PlatformTM

Sponsored by 3PL Central

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3PL Central (www.3plcentral.com) provides Cloud-based warehouse management software for
3PLs, public warehouses and warehousing operations of all kinds. Robust, reliable, secure and
cost- effective, our 3PL Warehouse Manager WMS is the most-used – and most powerful – Cloud-
based Warehouse Management System available on the market today.

Already a proven success in the challenging third party logistics provider environment, the software
now serves as the ideal solution for everyone from small-to medium-sized 3PLs to private Fortune
500 distribution centers.

© 2014 – 3PL Central LLC

For More Information, Please Contact Us:

3PL Central LLC www.3PLcentral.com

820 Manhattan Avenue, Suite 102 info@3plcentral.com
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 1-310-341-3013

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