Even when your warehouse operations appear to be running smoothly, change and disruption are constant battles that supply chains must fight. Black swan events, emerging technology, new regulations, and shifts in consumer demand have created an increased need for “always up-to-date” functionality. While steps can be taken to mitigate risk, when changes occur it’s still up to you and your team to adjust and ensure new warehouse capabilities are implemented quickly.

If your organization previously reviewed, dismissed, or put off moving your WMS to the cloud, it’s time to reevaluate. Decisions that seemed to make sense last year or even last quarter, likely look very different through today’s lens. With business models drastically changing and uncertainty lingering in every corner, what if you could offload critical IT responsibility to an organization you trust to manage it all for you?

Overcoming (old and new) challenges

Warehouses and distribution centers can face challenges that impact everything from inventory management to operational strategy to employee management and more. Some of these challenges are the result of technologies that place new pressures on organizations that aren’t yet equipped to handle them. Some of these pressures are a direct result of how authorities, people, and businesses were forced to adjust to 2020’s global pandemic. Yet, with every challenge also comes opportunity. Below are some of the major challenges that are facing organizations today—and how they can be turned into opportunities.

Pick optimization

Many organizations lack the level of item master data needed for optimal cartonization and ideal facility layout. Without the proper item and location slotting (based on concepts such as seasonality, promotional activities, and sales projections), poor inventory placement across the warehouse often results in increased costs and reduced productivity. Much of that lost time and effort, however, can be reclaimed when organizations implement smarter management of where inventory is kept in a warehouse or distribution center by improving their slotting processes. In addition, enhanced slotting can even enable the strategic selection of optimized picking processes, such as pick to pass, batch picking, pick to light, sorting, voice picking, and more to increase volume and throughput.

Chances are your brand already relies on an ERP solution to house foundational functions and master data. But can it withstand the rapid developmental, transactional, and digitized industry of the future? To meet the rigorous demands of supply, demand, financials, inventory management, and the needs of a collaborative network, the ERP solution employed by your company needs to have the flexibility to meet changing business models, encapsulate industry best practice processes, and integrate in real time with other key applications. Just as your people need to be connected in a collaborative network, so do your technology solutions.

Many wholesale distributors tend to view warehouse operations as a cost center due to labor, equipment, physical inventory, and real estate investments. However, with business models rapidly changing through e-commerce, omni-channel engagement, and innovative services, warehouse operations that are re-imagined through investments in technology can empower a company to gain a competitive advantage. Streamlining and automating processes across the warehouse improve customer and employee experiences and inspire customer loyalty.

A recent article featured in Forbes highlighted survey-based research on practice, priority, and expectation trends of warehouse executives. Respondents chose a warehouse management system (WMS) as their highest priority for technology investment with 96 percent of survey participants noting that the warehouse automation value proposition was expected to increase over the next 3 years. Survey findings indicated that operational changes like labor costs, labor shortages, and increased throughput requirements were all primary factors for companies looking to automation.

Fortunately, evaluations of the planning landscape reveal many organizations are adopting technologies that move towards a de-siloed, network-based approach to planning. For these companies, the primary goal centers around connecting planning capabilities to “a single version of the truth.” To optimize planning capabilities, it crucial to achieve this connection at the enterprise level as well as into the broader supply network.

But to do this involves using integrated business planning (IBP) or sales and operations planning (S&OP) to collaborate and analyze, perform demand planning to improve forecasting, optimize supply planning, and facilitate synchronization. Each of these areas are critical to a successful planning process and are more powerful when integrated and connected across a network.

Partnership To Provide A Complete Integrated Solution From Design Engineering To PLM And ERP Systems.

Leading Infor partner Independent Computer Consulting Group (“ICCG”) is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with QBuild Software. Their solutions enable the direct connection of CAD data to ERP, reducing engineering costs, streamlining internal ECN processes, and equipping sales teams with engineering expertise all working inside Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine) and Infor M3 and Infor LN ERP systems and Infor PLM solutions.

ICCG, a Gold Channel and Global Alliance Partner for Infor, is an enterprise software focused consulting firm with a global presence and a track record of more than 2,000 business and digital transformation project executions across ERP, Supply Chain Planning and Execution Systems, Warehouse Management Solutions and Product Life Cycle Management Solutions deployments.

"CADLink tightly connects engineering departments to their Infor Solution. We are excited to work with ICCG to bring digital transformation and make engineering processes more efficient in the industry. As a fellow Infor Partner, working with ICCG opens up opportunities to take bigger steps towards our mutual goals." Rey Bustamante, Sales Manager QBuild offers CADLink, enabling users the ability to integrate and synchronize their CAD data with Infor ERP and further allows engineers to create Infor Item Master and BOM records identical to engineering CAD data with the click of a button. All their solutions offer flexibility and targeted customization solutions for any specific need.

Read Infor Press Release

Infor, a global leader in business cloud software specialized by industry, today announced that Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) has been selected as a preferred partner to drive digital transformation for the Fashion, and the Food & Beverage industries in India. The alliance will strengthen the delivery of Infor solutions such as Infor Cloud Suite Fashion, Cloud Suite Food & Beverage (Infor M3) including Infor’s edge applications like Infor Fashion PLM and Infor Optiva PLM to accelerate the adoption of robust, purpose-built and industry-specific suite of offerings designed to meet the evolving demands of businesses.

Noida, India, February 07, 2019 --(PR.com)-- Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG), a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise and Infor Gold Channel Partner announced today that, they will be Diamond Level Joint Sponsors of the 4th Anniversary celebration of the CIO KLUB Coimbatore Chapter. This event will take place on Saturday, March 23, 2019 at The Residency Towers, Coimbatore and will be attended by the members of CIO KLUB Coimbatore chapter, representatives from other chapters across India, governing body members of CIO KLUB and other invitees from the IT fraternity in & around Coimbatore.

Resulted in streamlining and simplifying their knitwear design process, allowing their designers to be more productive and efficient.

Founded in 1997, DirecTEX, Inc. is a sweater knit apparel design and sales company that offers fashion-forward, high quality knitwear designs and products combined with outstanding customer service at exceptional prices. They provide the latest knitwear trend analysis and product development services and work closely with partner factories overseas to provide affordable, quality knitwear.  

The domestic and international design teams at DirecTEX create seasonal sweater collections, as well as designs specifically for their customers’ private labels. This includes yarn development, stitch and pattern creation along with silhouette design. DirecTex offers junior and missy collections under their own brands – “Ivy&ASH” and “Arpeggio Knitwear.” And also welcomes collaboration with their customers to turn their design ideas into reality. In addition, DirecTex works closely with its manufacturing partners in Asia to ensure the designs created and manufactured to the quality and standards expectations of its customers.