Alba Spectrum: Bar Coding, Data Capture and Warehouse Management for Microsoft Dynamics GP

CHICAGO, IL, February 04, 2011

Selecting the right Warehouse Management System (WMS) to extend a corporate ERP system can be a complex task. Warehouse Management Systems offer a variety of different solutions within the general area of data capture. Some focus on manufacturing, assembly and finished goods tracking. Others focus on distribution and supply chain management.

There are several standalone WMS applications available in the market today that have rich functionality. However research has shown that on average only twenty percent of the features included in most warehouse management system are implemented. Additionally, very few systems are designed to be fully integrated into Dynamics GP. Many companies with small to midsize distribution operations are better served with less complex WMS systems which are directly integrated to the company ERP system.

Alba360 WMS is a Warehouse Management system designed for Dynamics GP that allows users to control the movement and storage of inventory items in the warehouse, and to process receiving, put-away, picking and shipping operations. Direct integration with Dynamics GP allows all warehouse activity including receiving and order fulfillment and shipping operations to be available in real time within the Dynamics GP environment.

This article describes the technology behind Alba360 WMS and its main features.

WMS Architecture:

Alba360 WMS uses the industry standard Wavelink mobile computing platform to provide connectivity between mobile data capture units (i.e. Barcode Scanners) and Dynamics GP.
The System consists of two modules:
- Wavelink Server that receives data from the scanner via wireless (WiFi) network and communicates with Dynamics GP SQL Server.
- Wavelink Mobile Client that runs on the barcode scanner and provides data collection functions. Wavellink supports all the major barcode scanners including the Motorola MC9090 family.

WMS Functions:

Alba360 WMS for Dynamics GP enables extended versions of the Receiving, Inventory, Picking and Shipping transactions to be processed within the data capture system. It supports the following WMS functions.

*Receiving and Put-Away: allows users to receive inventory against purchase orders in Dynamics GP via wireless handheld scanners. The scanning interface identifies the item configuration in Dynamics GP and displays appropriate information and prompts. Lot tracked items and serialized items are also fully supported. Labels can be generated by the WMS systems during Receiving or within the Purchasing and Inventory modules in Dynamics GP. Before printing labels, the user has the option to modify the quantity of labels to be printed in the Receiving Labels Preview window.

*Bin Transfers: PO items are received into the default Receiving BIN configured in Dynamics GP. Alba360 WMS allows BIN transfers for items within unposted Purchase Receiving transactions as well as items in the inventory.

*Picking & Fulfillment: allows picking to be done in waves or on an order-by-order basis. Batches of orders can be processed based on pre-configured delivery rules. Alba360 WMS allows shipping to validate orders being fulfilled through the scanner, preventing errors and providing key information to the warehouse workers. Shipping labels containing customer information and order references are automatically generated during the fulfillment process. It also supports fulfillment workflow based on standard, lot tracked, and serialized item types.

*Site Transfers, Inventory Adjustments & Stock Counts: allows site-to-site transfer transactions, bin-to-bin inventory moves and adjustments via barcode scanner. Users can perform stock counts based on Stock Count Schedules defined in Dynamics GP.

RFID Functionality:
WMS transactions can be entered through RFID Tag Readers or regular barcode scanners. Alba360 WMS supports both technologies.

The first preference in implementing ERP systems is to use the original 'out of the box' functionality. However this is not always effective in some Distribution environments. Alba Spectrum's Distribution Consulting Group specializes in advising clients how to use and extend Distribution functionality within Dynamics GP. If you have specific questions or are looking for advice about implementing WMS or Distribution solutions for Dynamics GP feel free to contact us at Alba Spectrum Corporation (www.albaspectrum.com - 1-866-528-0577 - sales@albaspectrum.com).

About Alba Spectrum: Alba Spectrum Corporation (www.albaspectrum.com - 1-866-528-0577 - sales@albaspectrum.com) is a Chicago, Illinois based Gold-Certified Microsoft Dynamics Partner. We specialize in developing solutions and extensions for Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains Dynamics) in the areas of System Integration, Financial applications, E-Commerce and Warehouse Management (WMS). We also provide strategic consulting on the use and adaptation of Dynamics GP within variety of industries. We serve Microsoft Dynamics Clients and Partners worldwide including United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Asia & Australia. Local services are available in Chicago, Naperville, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego and Houston.

About the Author: Luis Leung is the VP of Product Development at Alba Spectrum Corporation. Luis is a Microsoft Dynamics Certified Professional with over 25 years of experience in software development, business applications, ERP systems implementations, business management consulting and accounting. He was a co-founder of several Microsoft partner organizations and his experience includes projects throughout North America, Latin America and Europe. You can contact Luis directly at lleung@albaspectrum.com or via LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/luisjamesleung.

About Alba Spectrum: Alba Spectrum Corporation (www.albaspectrum.com - 1-866-528-0577 - sales@albaspectrum.com) is a Chicago, Illinois based Gold-Certified Microsoft Dynamics Partner. We specialize in developing solutions and extensions for Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains Dynamics) in the areas of System Integration, Financial applications, E-Commerce and Warehouse Management (WMS). We also provide strategic consulting on the use and adaptation of Dynamics GP within variety of industries. We serve Microsoft Dynamics Clients and Partners worldwide including United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Asia & Australia. Local services are available in Chicago, Naperville, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego and Houston.