WarehouseXT ImplementationGetting Your Facility Ready

To successfully implement Warehouse XT wireless Radio Frequency (RF) based warehouse technology, a great deal of preparation must occur.  As a general rule, a complete start to finish Warehouse XT implementation usually takes anywhere from six months to as much as a year, although individual project phases can be implemented much sooner. (See information below about phasing in your Warehouse XT project.)

It is important to spend a lot of time preparing and thinking through the whole Warehouse XT implementation process.  Many companies will target a slower time of year do the Warehouse XT preparation.  Making this type of change in your business often provides a great opportunity for you to re-examine your entire business and operational flow to find more efficient ways of doing things.

Your facility preparation is one of the most time consuming yet necessary aspects of making the move to Warehouse XT wireless warehouse technology.  You’ll want to consider things like racking and aisle placement, bin ranking and numbering (for primary and secondary storage areas), and labeling the bins with barcode labels.  Warehouse XT will need to be aligned and properly interfaced with your primary business ERP software.

It is also important to think through and purchase the equipment needed to be successful, which includes RF scanners, portable as well as heavy duty printers, and the appropriate type of labels.  If you’re using Warehouse XT at a frigid loading dock in Minnesota in January, you may need a different type of label than if you’re in a humid warehouse in south Alabama in July, for example.

You’ll need to make sure that your warehouse is properly equipped with RF access points, antennas, and so forth, and that you have updated the product information in your ERP computer software to match what you are trying to achieve in the warehouse with Warehouse XT. Your Warehouse XT Sales Team can advise you about our recommended equipment and suggestions for a successful implementation.

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Advantages of Phasing In Warehouse XT

Warehouse XT provides one of the most immediate and quantifiable ways to cut costs in your operation.  Even with all its advantages, some companies are looking for ways to gain a quicker return on their investment in Warehouse XT technology. 

An approach which is gaining momentum is the use of a phased-in approach to Warehouse XT to begin taking advantage of the cost savings it offers, while avoiding the “all or none” options which have mostly been available until recently.   

Warehouse XT has worked with several of our customers to develop an approach which allows for phasing in warehouse management software tools to lessen the financial investment while providing an easier learning process for our customers.  A number of companies have recently implemented Warehouse XT using this phased-in approach with great success.  Since typical WMS implementations throughout an entire facility may take as much as six months to a year, this phased-in approach allows the distributor to target specific parts of the process (Receiving or Production or Shipping) and start seeing benefits right away.

By starting the process with full use of one phase of Warehouse XT  technology before implementing the next one, you can take advantage of the cost savings right away.  For one thing, the time it takes to implement just one phase, such as Receiving, is much shorter (sometimes just a few weeks) than rolling out an entire Warehouse XT system all at once. 

It is also likely that you will only have to invest in a few handheld scanners, label printers, and fewer antennas and wireless access devices by starting with a smaller-scaled phase-in approach to Warehouse XT.  You can incrementally spread your equipment and software investment over time, while mastering the first phase of the project.  Then you can step into the next phase, then the next, then the next, until over a period of time you are fully utilizing Warehouse XT throughout your entire operation.

Another advantage of this approach is that you can focus the training on one area at a time, thus helping to ensure that the staff in that area are fully prepared and equipped to begin successfully using the Warehouse XT to great advantage.  Then you can monitor and measure the success in that area before launching into the next phase.  It truly is the most productive and cost-effective approach to implementing Warehouse XT.

For business owners, a phased-in approach to implementing Warehouse XT may make it easier for them to pull the trigger on an investment of this nature.  Warehouse XT’s phased-in approach allows you to start at your own pace, at a lower investment, and still begin to see the benefits and return on investment that Warehouse XT can bring.