Going from a Paper-Based to a Digital Warehouse: Top 5 Benefits

When decision-makers in businesses who are using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central are considering how to optimize internal processes, the one thing that is often missing is a clear understanding of the targeted points of improvement. There are numerous benefits and perspectives that warehouse employees, business intelligence, and the financial department can look forward to. Here are the 5 most tangible and common benefits that apply to any business in every branch, and most certainly enhance both quality and efficiency.

1. Paperless Operations

This is probably the improvement that will be most visible because of its physical presence or lack thereof. Getting rid of paper in the warehouse processes, not only impacts the purchasing of internal materials but is also reflected in the budget spend for maintenance and administration, which is exponential to the use of paper in your warehouse. However, the greatest and most significant wins, when the paper is replaced by mobile scanning devices, are found in the daily tasks done by employees. The extensive hours that warehouse employees spend on writing, ticking, or making notations on paper and then rekeying into the ERP is as good as gone after digitalization of the processes.

Employees working outside of the warehouse will also benefit from a paper-free environment. The validity of the ERP data is significantly refined when the warehouse is automated. Also, the environmental impact your company contributes by decreasing the use of paper should not be ignored. This will have a very positive impact on every sector of your business, as well as the convenience and satisfaction of every employee involved in the warehouse processes.

2. Minimal Training, More Efficient Employees

Training and educating are important focuses for new employees regarding a digital warehouse solution. This will allow you to stop worrying about bringing in unexperienced workers during peak seasons and periods because, the userfriendly interface and intuitive logic is essential for new or temporary users to be efficient immediately.

3. Fewer (Costly) Mistakes

A typical challenge when having a paper-based warehouse is that everyone is taking notes, checking orders, or putting away items while writing on paper with differing levels of legibility. The results from that are unnecessary errors and extra cost to the business. This is why a solution designed to display data directly from the ERP under one platform utilizing only a mobile scanning device is a sure win for all businesses.

4. More Efficient Processes

As briefly mentioned before, the quality of data will also be enhanced and the ability to make use of this information within the business is paramount. This means that not only will your warehouse employees be more efficient, but everyone working with the data from the warehouse (Purchasing, Business intelligence, Sales etc.) will have smoother, faster and more valid dataflow.

It is challenging to hone in on the most important functionalities of a digital WMS solution that best optimizes warehouse efficiency, since it naturally depends on the work flow of the business. However, it is relevant to mention that everything from receiving purchase orders, to picking sales orders and cross-referencing related items in the ERP, is done more efficiently and fully automated when using mobile scanning devices with Mobile WMS software. The same applies for planned or unplanned moving and counting of items, and so much more. Plus, you should never underestimate the agility of a Mobile WMS system that is able to operate offline when moving throughout a large warehouse or any other instances where a Wi-Fi connection is a challenge. This is a common issue for growing businesses that can be handled easily with

the right Mobile WMS, effectively eliminating the risk of lost efficiency during downtime.

5. Short Term ROI

Implementation processes that are easily understood along with fixed costs enhance transparency and the ability to create a clear and tangible ROI inside a well defined timeline. Naturally, business owners and decision makers are aiming for solutions showing a positive return on investment inside an acceptable period of time. The use of mobile devices to optimize processes, in combination with improved data quality through the implementation of a Mobile WMS solution quickly brings about positive results in a very visible way. The improvements will show themselves not only through smoother work flows and processes, but also through savings and financial streamlining.

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