[3] WCS is the software that controls the conveyor, sortation and other automated material handling systems that move cases, cartons, totes or pallets.
[4] A WES has the ability to span across multiple areas of warehouse functionality that are traditionally managed by a variety of specialized software systems.
As a result, the WES can leverage its visibility of lower level warehouse data to quickly adapt functionality needs for current conditions.
The WES can utilize its WCS roots to access connections to advanced picking and sortation systems thus offering an agile approach to optimizing operations in near real-time.
Another benefit of leveraging the visibility of lower level data across a broad range of warehouse functionality is the ability to provide unprecedented automated business intelligence.
For example, if operation peaks occur at the end of every month, warehouses can use WES feedback to ramp up staffing and equipment needs more efficiently to reduce overall costs.
By collecting and analyzing data from various lower level warehouse points and taking proactive action, operation leads can use this functionality – which is unique to a WES – to make their facilities more efficient, safe and responsive to increasing customer service requirements.
"The new term being used by material handling software providers, integrators, and pretty much anyone associated with the warehousing industry is Warehouse Execution System (WES).
"[6] This is NOT a view held by all parties and many analysts in supply chain are touting the benefits of a stand alone WES for legacy systems and WMS software that is costly and time consuming to repurpose.
Without a WES layer this presents a terminology problem: The operation of all the equipment and process functions need to be coordinated and synchronized to provide the required facility objectives.
Waveless processing requires constantly taking customer orders from a host system and releasing the work to the warehouse floor efficiently.
Waveless processing also allows orders to be worked as received, ensuring a faster turnaround time, and takes advantage of the WES grasp of near real-time information.