What is WMS (Warehouse Management System)?

Modula WMS (Warehouse Management System) is the warehouse management software created and developed by Modula to manage all vertical warehouse operations. In practice, it is the thinking brain of the warehouse, enabling it not to be a simple automatic shelf but to manage complex information on what happens in terms of access, picking movements, location management and stock.

With Modula WMS it is possible to trace everything that happens inside the warehouse.

We are talking about product traceability, but not only. You can check at all times where the various references are located, understand their frequency of movement and intelligently manage the related data such as batch, serial numbers, production dates, expiry and product maturity.

Using the Modula WMS software, it is possible to know which operator has had access to a particular drawer, manage the subdivision (slotting) of drawers into compartments, and monitor warehouse occupancy volumes and also the degree of saturation.

All this data is an invaluable source for any company’s supply chain; through its analysis, it is possible to better understand the logistical flow of the entire warehouse (of which Modula’s storage systems are only a part) in order to optimise its efficiency and thus reduce waste and management costs.

With its WMS management software, Modula ceases to be just a vertical automated warehouse storage system and becomes a true IoT ring, which is then able to transmit information to the company management system or interface with other technologies such as anthropomorphic robots, AMR autonomous driving systems, automatic conveyors and much more.

Modula WMS is designed not only as a perfect complement for the management of the entire range of Modula warehouses, but can also be used as a tool for the management of traditional warehouses or manual storage areas where data monitoring and greater control of flows are required.

Software

How does the management of a storage system with Modula WMS work?

The architecture of the Modula WMS warehouse management software provides for the installation on a dedicated machine (PC, Server, Virtual Machine) of the MAINMODULA WMS server application, which manages not only the automatic warehouses, but also the manual warehouses and the communication interfaces to the company management system. After configuration, the application automatically performs backups.

The system is configured via a simple PC interface (WMS client). As soon as it is finished, other PCs can be configured to allow the system to be used from other locations and thus by other users. Access to the system is protected by user and password

The last step consists of interfacing with management or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, which take care of the administrative part, or with any other software used in automated storage and handling systems within the warehouse.

The advantages of the Modula WMS system for your warehouse

  • Automates picking and depositing operations and updates stock and location information
  • Manages inventories and minimum stocks with the possibility of sending the list of understock products to be reordered to the ERP
  • Allows dynamic management of locations
  • Allows the best location to be defined for the allocation of articles, packages or pallets, taking into account the needs of the warehouse itself
  • Facilitates inventory operations, because it becomes the warehouse database, thus possessing clear and complete real-time data on what has been handled
  • Simplifies warehouse operations by reducing the need for paperwork
  • Makes available up-to-date statistics on warehouse operations and staff accesses
  • Allows the reading and identification of each incoming product by reading the bar code and checking dimensions and weight
  • Optimises the handling of goods and allows the tracking of batches by recording expiry dates, serial numbers and other information

 

Software

Advantages of using Modula WMS

Cheap and easy to use

Modula WMS is easy to use, even for non-specialised personnel, is straightforward to understand and guides operators easily. It comes from over 20 years of in-house experience and development to be a valuable ally in the supply chains of many companies. It is much cheaper than many other solutions on the market.

Saves time

With Modula WMS, goods are easy to find and safe. Orders are processed quickly thanks to real-time control, guided execution of loading and unloading movements and precise allocation of goods. It is possible to manage goods in FIFO logic, by expiry date and production date.

Saves space even inside the warehouse

In addition to the floor space that a vertical warehouse saves, the WMS can be useful in populating the drawers in the best possible way, indicating precisely which drawer is the best to use and where to allocate the goods. Every space can be rationalised and no centimetre wasted.

Easy to integrate

Modula WMS was created to optimise our warehouse tasks but has evolved over time to communicate with company systems such as ERP or management systems. It is designed to exchange information at all levels and to interface with other automations such as cobots, AMR, conveyors, etc.

Reduces errors and paper use

Like any digital tool, Modula WMS reduces the need for printouts such as pick lists with manual ticks or operator notes. Everything is managed by the software and made visible and available on the WMS client interface or Copilot console, a touch screen panel installed on board the machine that guides operators through operations, greatly reducing the margin for error.

Simplify your inventory

The WMS is an important ally in the inventory phase. The inventory can be done manually by drawers: they are called in bay and Modula WMS can indicate exactly their contents in quantities and locations. Another way is to launch the inventory from the management software (even remotely) of certain objects and automatically the Modula warehouse will propose in bay all the drawers containing the codes and references to be inventoried. Effortless and error-free.

Increases productivity

Operators become faster and their productivity increases. With Modula WMS both picking and depositing are guided virtually automatically. For example, when an order is placed, the Modula brings the correct drawer into the bay at an ergonomic height and the operator’s manual activity is reduced to mere picking. Every movement is read and transmitted in real time.