Automating warehouse operations with Logiwa IO’s AI-driven WMS

Running manual warehouse operations is a recipe for operational inefficiencies, sky-high labor costs, and countless order management errors. Particularly if a fulfillment business is scaling, its operational demands can quickly surpass their manual processing capacity and stall warehouse activities. In such a case, automating warehouse operations is the solution.  

But it doesn’t mean fulfillment providers should wait until fulfillment operations overwhelm their warehouse capacity to automate. Far from it. 3PL managers should invest in warehouse automation technology from the onset to optimize operational efficiency early and set the standard for their fulfillment centers.

Watch the video to discover how Logiwa IO’s workflow automations will have you saying “goodbye” to time consuming tasks, and “hello” to efficiency.

Let’s discuss how warehouse managers can leverage Logiwa’s AI-powered warehouse management system (WMS) to automate warehouse operations. We’ll also explore warehouse management system benefits, cost implications, and factors to consider when rolling out automation.

The role of a WMS in warehouse automation

A warehouse management system (WMS) is a digital platform that manages and controls everyday warehouse operations such as inventory receiving, storing, and dispatch. A WMS is at the center of fulfillment operations and plays an overarching role in the daily management of fulfillment center activities, which is why automation starts with a WMS.

Integrating modern technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into WMS facilitates the automation of repetitive tasks such as order picking, shipping, and inventory tracking. Without automation, completing these recurrent tasks requires warehouse staff to repeatedly click buttons to authorize the WMS to process orders and print them out. Then, pickers collect the printed customer orders and walk around the warehouse picking and packing items.

But with an advanced WMS like Logiwa IO, a fulfillment management system (FMS), warehouse managers can automate recurrent order management processes such as picking. Logiwa IO integrates innovative warehouse technology such as ecommerce shipping software and techniques such as pick path optimization to automate the entire order fulfillment process.

Automating warehouse operations can enhance a company’s productivity by empowering staff to complete more tasks in less time. Better yet, automation promotes order accuracy improvement since a smart AI-driven WMS doesn’t make errors as long as it’s fed with accurate data.

Let’s explore Logiwa’s WMS further and explore how it transforms fulfillment operations.

How Logiwa IO’s AI-driven WMS is transforming fulfillment

Logiwa IO’s AI-driven WMS exemplifies the transformative impact of automation in warehouse operations. By integrating artificial intelligence, Logiwa IO enhances order fulfillment processes, increasing throughput and productivity. For instance, AI-driven job optimizations have boosted Logiwa users’ operational efficiency by up to 58% compared to manual operations.

Moreover, Logiwa IO’s system offers rapid deployment with smart automation and an intuitive user interface, ensuring a swift return on investment. The platform’s AI-powered automation improves warehouse efficiency by enabling better inventory management and more accurate order processing, allowing leaders to make real-time fulfillment decisions.

Key features of Logiwa IO’s platform

These Logiwa IO WMS features make it a stand-out fulfillment platform.

Headless architecture

Logiwa IO utilizes a headless, versionless, and serverless architecture that decouples front-end logic from the back end. This independence allows users to customize their user interface to match their evolving ecommerce needs. For instance, if fulfillment providers partner with a new vendor, managers can integrate their WMS with their pertinent business system without interfering with the back-end system.

Connected ecommerce

This powerful ecommerce management system helps operators streamline warehouse processes and attain fulfillment excellence by:

• Supporting seamless integration with ecommerce platforms such as WooCommerce and Shopify
• Supporting real-time inventory tracking across all ecommerce channels
• Facilitating automatic order routing to the closest fulfillment centers

Smart shipping

This smart shipping software relies on advanced algorithms to analyze crucial aspects of shipping logistics, such as packaging requirements, carrier options, and shipping rates. It then recommends the most affordable and eco-friendly shipping solutions.

Cloud infrastructure

Logiwa’s cloud-based fulfillment management system (FMS) utilizes Microsoft Azure to offer users extra data security at the application and network levels. It’s also mobile-friendly, meaning fulfillment providers can control warehouse operations and access data remotely using an internet-enabled device. Better yet, cloud infrastructure offers uninterrupted service 24/7, ensuring no downtime curtails operations.

Reporting and analytics

Logiwa IO packs a powerful and dynamic 3PL data analytics feature that helps fulfillment companies derive actionable and data-supported insights. It helps warehouse managers complete accurate demand forecasting and real-time inventory management, empowering them to leverage industry data to grow their business to a higher level.

How artificial intelligence enhances WMS capabilities

AI-driven advancements in order fulfillment have improved WMS capabilities. WMS can learn and improve from past and existing warehouse data thanks to AI’s machine learning and data analytics capacities. This means that the more fulfillment providers use a WMS and collect data, the more proficient it becomes and better at fulfillment operations.

Smart automation and intuitive user interface

Smart warehouse technology, such as radio frequency identification and automated picking tools, improve Logiwa IO. Some of the critical workflow automation warehouse managers can leverage include:

• Walking path optimization
• Receiving and shipping
• Order routing
• Job creation
• Inventory management

The more automation features a WMS has, the better it can complete transactions. Logiwa IO’s headless architecture also supports front-end editing of features such as the user interface.

Rapid deployment and quick ROI

Deploying Logiwa’s AI-driven WMS is fast, thanks to its modern headless architecture, which allows it to integrate with multiple systems. The faster warehouse managers can implement and maximize Logiwa’s WMS, the sooner they can enjoy investment returns, thanks to rapid productivity gains and minimum warehouse expenses.

Operational benefits of Logiwa IO’s WMS

The core purpose and advantage of automating warehouse operations is enhancing operational efficiency in the following ways:

Improved inventory management and order accuracy

Advanced AI warehouse technology is pushing the limits of what is possible. WMS allows managers to try out modern inventory management techniques such as Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory, Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model, batch tracking, distributed inventory management, and demand forecasting. This way, companies get a technique that maximizes operational efficiency and order accuracy and then optimize it to perfection.

Real-time data analytics for informed decision-making

An AI-powered WMS like Logiwa IO facilitates real-time inventory management and tracking by automatically analyzing crucial inventory data as it happens. With real-time access to inventory data, warehouse managers can make data-backed decisions that advance operational efficiency. For instance, they’ll know when to restock or move inventory from one fulfillment center to another to satisfy customers’ demands.

Scalability to adapt to evolving business needs

The need for scalable fulfillment operations is driven by rising . However, with a reliable WMS that scales as fulfillment operations expand, 3PLs can gather enough resources to manage new fulfillment needs successfully.

Cost implications and ROI

Possible actions include:

• Reducing warehouse labor costs: automation improves productivity and achieves more with the same or fewer workers.
• Savings from decreased error rates and returns: automation can improve order accuracy, which means fewer fulfillment errors and little to zero costs of processing order returns.
• Experiencing long-term financial benefits and profitability enhancement: With increased operational efficiency, warehouse managers make incremental cost savings overall, culminating in huge savings and better profit margins.

Implementation considerations

Using AI in order fulfillment and implementing an AI-driven WMS is an ongoing process. Organizations can’t transition without a proper strategy. These are some recommendations to transition from manual processes to an AI-driven WMS:

• Assess and earmark the current manual warehouse processes hindering operations most.
• Review and select the right automation tool for the processes designated for automation.
• Craft an automation schedule, and set objectives and KPIs.
• Start small and scale steadily.

Few, if any, fulfillment providers or 3PLs can thrive in today’s ecommerce space without automating part or all their warehouse operations. Partnering with a reliable and advanced FMS solution like Logiwa IO is a surefire strategy for automating warehouse operations successfully.

Schedule a Logiwa IO demo and let us help you craft a well-considered warehouse automating strategy that’s tailored to your business needs.

FAQs about automating warehouse operations