A few weeks ago I was asked to present a paper at a logistics seminar about selecting warehouse management systems.  I told the audience that my car is red, it has four doors, it has an electric engine management system, and leather seats, and I asked them to guess which make my car is based upon the quite extensive information I had supplied.  I received the obvious replies of BMW or Mercedes, both of which were incorrect.  I then told them that it has a rotary engine.  Those of you who know about cars will immediately realise that this one fact completely gives the game away, as there is only one manufacturer who produces a vehicle with a rotary engine.  That is Mazda with the RX-8.

There is a perception amongst some that all warehouse management systems are the same.  That thought is as mistaken as assuming that all cars are the same.  Or that whatever illness you had you would only take one sort of medicine.  If we become unwell the doctor carries out a diagnosis to find out which is the most suitable medicine, in the same way the selection of a warehouse management system will depend upon the particular requirement of your warehouse.  That is not to say that one system is necessarily better than another, but there will be one that best suits you.  If my five sons were still young enough to all want to travel with me on a regular basis then my car would be totally impractical.  However, my needs have changed and my car suits me well, as for a large proportion of the time I travel in it alone. In selecting the correct system there are two important factors; the suitability of the warehouse management system to your needs and the business match between your company and your potential supplier.

Traditionally when companies were selecting IT system they produced a long list of specific items of software functionality they thought they would require, and then attempted to judge the various offerings against that list.

Howard Turvey MD Proteus Software

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For further information please call Howard on +44 (0) 121 717 7474 or email moreinfo@proteussoftware.com