New warehouse workflow management system developed for food wholesalers

Melbourne-based provider of supply chain execution software solutions, Inecom, has released a new version of warehouse management system, AccellossOne,  in Australia. The Company says this solution system includes “unique workflow technology” making it easier for users to modify their warehouse management system.

Inecom has become a key partner for Accellos in the Asia-Pacific region, with the addition of its latest Warehouse Management System for SAP Business One, targeting Australia’s leading distributors to large retailers.

One-click updates

The key benefit for customers is its ‘no programming’ approach, alongside one-click software updates and e-Learning with full integration to SAP Business One. Inecom said the major retailers were seeking to drive costs down, and that clients that implemented SAP Business One with Accellos could look to increase efficiencies, which in turn provide cost savings that enable Australian distribution to remain class competitive.

The AccellosOne Warehouse Management System (WMS) version 6.5 is built on the Accellos unifying technology platform, the AccellossOne Platform version 3.0, and allows user to modify WMS functionality without source code modifications or proprietary scripting languages.

“Our customers are large wholesale distributors supply the likes of Coles, Bunnings and Woolworths,” said Simon Bishop, Inecom Managing Director. “Our objective is to help them reduce shipping errors using the AccellosOne WMS,” he said.

“Our clients get better Inventory accuracy leading to higher fill-rates, fewer back-orders and better customer service,” Mr Bishop said. “A reduction in pick errors of just 3 per cent can lead to  a massive improvement to the bottom line,” he said.

Inecome said the technology is a “no-compromise best-in-class ERP solution” based on SAP Business One with a “best-in-class” WMS solution-focused partner, Accellos. Inecom is the major partner for Accellos in the Asia-Pacific region.

Flexible platform

Accellos Chief Technology Officer, Ross Elliot, said that the vision for a “flexible and configurable unifying technology platform” had become a reality with the release of AccellosOne WMS 6.5 and AccellosOne Platform 3.0.

“Supply chain business processes require maximum flexibility and the ability for users to enhance processes as part of new distribution strategies or continuous improvement initiatives,” Mr Elliot said. “The new workflow capability available in the WMS brings this level of process flexibility to our customers,” he said.

“In addition to the new workflow capability, this release also brings one-click software updates and a robust eLearning framework,” Mr Elliot said.

New features

Some of the highlights of AccellosOne WMS 6.5 include:

• Advanced Workflow Engine: workflows enable the customer to customise the functionality of the WMS and the handheld without writing code or using proprietary scripting languages

• Advanced Event Engine: Leverages the system to generate emails and information on behalf of employees. Real time information like new orders, receipts, bills, or customers that meet user-defined criteria can generate emails, text messages, workflows, database updates or custom actions

• Subject Workcentres: New Workcentres designed to simplify research related to customer, vendor and products

• Functional Enhancements

• Extensible Performance Reporting: AccellosOne Report allows user-definable performance reports

• Dynamic Quality Inspection: Customisable with questionnaires, pass/fail criteria, and conditional activities to ensure quality inspection process is solid. The tablet app can be leveraged to execute inspections and record photos

• Integrated Document Imaging with OCR Support: Saves time by using form templates to scan key information from a printed page and associate it with information stored in the WMS

• Extensible Activity Billing: 3PLs can now bill on a space and services rendered basis

• Integrated ASN Manager: Full visibility, access and edit capability to ensure that the ASN payload that is sent out is accurate and compliant with the requirements of the trading partner

• Cloud eLearning: Cloud delivered tutorials and help videos incorporated into AccellossOne WMS 6.5

• Integrated Asset Discovery: Inecom said the public in general has become accustomed to downloading software updates and new content from the cloud with smart phone and “app store” models. The WMS 6.5 release brings that delivery simplicity to enterprise supply chain applications. Both software updates and content enhancements, such as new key performance indicators, reports and label designs are all made available through the cloud in a fashion familiar to any user of a smartphone or tablet

• Extensible UDF Framework: Allows the IT organization to seamlessly add new information to the underlying data structure

• Ruggedised Handheld Design Tools: Allows handheld users to have the same degree of configurability that the desktop user has

• Cloud–ready Label Print Manager: Provides a secure, high performance means of printing things like bar code compliance labels on premise while the services run in the cloud

There are also some new features added to the AccellosOne Platform 3.0:

• New Configuration Mechanism: Leverages Microsoft’s powerful Workflow Foundation to allow customers and partners to analyze and modify business processes or introduce new ones.

• Rich User Management: Thanks to deeper integration with Microsoft’s Active Directory.

• More Flexible Configurability of the User Experience: Additional options in the Workcenter layout tools.

• Improvements to the User Defined Field Framework: Calculated and data driven UDFs allow the IT organization to seamlessly add new information to the tables.

• Fully Embedded eLearning Experience: Easier access to video tutorials including historical tracking allows customers to analyse the capabilities of their employees individually or by group.

Source:  26 March 14 - AFN