I was involved in a project not too long ago in which it became apparent that the client’s change management process was severely under-addressed. Historically, it seems that change management in the distribution industry has generally been one of those processes which happens in an ad-hoc, contemporaneous fashion rather than being a proactive tool or set of principles to systematically smooth over what can be a step-wise function in the adoption of technology.

For years, logistics consultants, material handling engineers, and supply chain execution providers have been slicing-and-dicing warehouse statistics in a quest to enhance employee performance for the ultimate purpose of bringing profitable dollars to the bottom line. While having tangible statistics and historical records of warehouse operation is important, I suggest that these benchmarks alone will not drive peak employee or warehouse performance.

Hercules Sealing Products is a distributor of hydraulic and pneumatic seals, seal kits and cylinders for all heavy equipment brands. Hercules recently went live with the Exacta Warehouse Management Software and Exacta Warehouse Control Software…

This is very exciting for BMH and ASAP! Prime Distribution Services, headquartered in Plainfield, IN, is featured on the cover of the February issue of Modern Material Handling Magazine. BMH handled the system integration and mezzanine for this facility, and ASAP Automation implemented the Warehouse Management System. To read the full article Click the title above.

Vendors of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) get it: What you want these days is a fast and cheap installation. In response, they’re pushing the concept of software that comes preconfigured to the needs of specific industries—like retail or automotive or pharmaceuticals. Buy one of these packages, vendors say, and you can skip right over some of the programming work during the installation phase. But is it always the best fit for every company?

Click here to read more about preconfigured WMS in this article by James A. Cooke from the June 2009 edition of DC Velocity, and Bill Bastian II’s thoughts on the matter.