Warehouse and inventory management is the beating heart of any business with physical products, whether they do business here in the US or elsewhere across the world, but the last decade has seen some dramatic changes to the average warehouse environment.
Not only do customers demand faster, more accurate deliveries, but supply chain managers are challenged to meet these demands to improve customer service, maintain smooth operations, and keep costs low.
Enter Oracle’s JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Warehouse Management System.
Read on to learn more about the solution and some tips and tricks to ensure a successful implementation for your company.
What is JDE Warehouse Management?
Manufacturing and distribution processes are the “bread and butter” of the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne software system (E1), having a solution that helps manage inventory, controls warehouse processes, and integrates with other JDE applications (like JDE Shop Floor Management and JDE Inventory Management) is integral to the system’s success.
The JDE E1 Warehouse Management System (WMS) offers the flexible and automated support you need to optimize your supply chain. The solution can enhance the use of your warehouse space, improve employee productivity and labor efficiency, increase visibility and inventory management, and more.
It offers improved warehouse floor design capabilities, and its increased detail allows users to keep track of the exact quantity and location of products to ensure a continuous flow of goods between suppliers and customers.
Understanding the Need for Efficient Supply Chain Management
The solution also streamlines warehouse management processes by connecting warehouse records with those of other systems to maintain accurate financial records and monitor warehouse transactions.
With standardized warehouse operations and a more detailed approach to inventory management, a system like JDE WMS reduces the risk of inaccurate data and duplicate records and helps optimize warehouse management system performance.
While the key features of a modern warehouse solution like JD Edwards’ can solve many of your challenges, implementing it successfully can be a significant challenge on its own.
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Deployment
There are many moving parts and things you’ll need to consider to mitigate risk, failure, and costs. Here are our top tips and tricks you’ll need to ensure a successful implementation of JD Edwards Warehouse Management.
1) Plan Your Implementation Team and Timeline
No matter the software or the solution, a successful implementation starts with a strong team. The size of your team will vary depending on the scope of your company and project, but here are some critical roles you should consider:
- Project manager
- Warehouse manager
- Data administrator
- Engineer / IT team
- JD Edwards Warehouse Management expert
- Go-live team
As for the timeline, you need to think at least 3-5 years out when planning your project. For example, if your warehouse is currently fulfilling for retail but has plans to do eCommerce in the future, consider how that may impact your business and plan accordingly.
2) Budget Wisely
Budgeting can be the trickiest part of the project because no matter how much you plan, something always comes up during the process that you didn’t expect.
While you can’t plan for everything, some primary areas to keep in mind are maintenance costs, storage locations, training costs, and infrastructure upgrades.
To be safe, always give yourself a little extra room in the budget to grow.
3) Clean Up (and Back Up) Your Data
While it’s always vital to maintain data accuracy, it’s especially important when you’re implementing a new solution like JDE E1 Warehouse Management.
This is also an excellent opportunity to clean up your data and create new governance rules to ensure that the information in your JD Edwards solution is managed correctly.
And don’t forget to create a backup of your existing data—just in case the worst happens.
4) Consider Integrations
As we all know, no platform or solution is an island, so you’ll need to plan for how you want to connect Warehouse Management to other JDE modules and third-party solutions.
Luckily, Warehouse Management is already designed to integrate with other JD Edwards EnterpriseOne solutions to further optimize your supply chain, including:
- Manage Sales Orders
- Inventory Management
- Configurator
- RFID Processor
- Procurement and Subcontract Management
- Shop Floor Management
- Transportation Management
Note that these other systems cost extra, so keep that in mind when you’re budgeting.
5) Develop a Training Strategy
Plan for at least a week of training during the initial implementation of Warehouse Management, along with a need for continuing education during the product’s life. We also suggest identifying some “champions” on your team who are excited about the new solution.
These champion users typically learn the system faster and can assist other employees during and after your go-live, increasing the chances of each customer’s success.
6) Understand Your Physical Warehouse’s Setup
To correctly set up your warehouse and items in JDE Warehouse Management, you’ll need to consider your warehouse’s physical layout and characteristics, considering the dimensions and capacities of all storage areas, racks, and locations.
Once you define the warehouse and its contents in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Warehouse Management system, you can construct a model of the warehouse and all the items it contains, which will help optimize your supply chain. You can find more detailed implementation steps on how to do this in Oracle’s documentation.
How Can We Help?
Of course, our best advice on succeeding with JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Warehouse Management is to team up with experts!
Our senior-level JD Edwards consulting team has the experience you need to implement and integrate the JDE WMS within your supply chain. We can offer our expertise during the pre-planning stage through go-live (and even beyond).
Whether you need guidance on how to find low-cost solutions, additional support in understanding how inventory management and space utilization works, or help with any other JD Edwards system needs, our consultants have what it takes to handle all of it.
And, to help you know what to expect when partnering with Surety Systems, we’ve included a snapshot of one of our JD Edwards WMS consultants:
Surety Senior JDE Warehouse Management Consultant
- 20+ years of JD Edwards experience
- Expert within the JD Edwards WMS module; Completed countless WMS Implementations
- Strong understanding of how JDE WMS integrates with Distribution/Manufacturing modules
- Well-versed with JDE Advanced Warehousing
- Strong with DSI
Getting Started with Our Team
Interested in learning more about supply chain optimization with JD Edwards? Ready to get started with our team of expert JDE consultants? Contact us today!
