Tag: wms

Route Accounting Solutions

What Makes eoStar a Top Warehouse Management System?

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eoStar provides a wide range of enterprise resource planning features, professional services, and guidance to those in the warehouse industry. One of our leading products is the WMS module, headlined by our warehouse handheld application: eoWarehouse. This software suite will grant you access to easily understandable metrics, optimize your space management, improve your inventory cycle/accuracy, and more.

These are some of the most essential elements you will need to optimize your warehouse enterprise. Read on to learn how eoStar fits into all those categories.

Easily Understandable Metrics and Dashboard

Having access to up-to-date information is crucial for managing an efficient warehouse enterprise. Managers and employees must be able to find the data they want in a short period of time, and then be able to understand that data without having to spend extra time trying to decipher what they are seeing. When users spend less time trying to find data, they will be able to spend that time elsewhere to improve workplace productivity. 

Another important tool in understanding data from your warehouse management software is being able to define metrics. For example, you can define a year as the metric you want to analyze so that you can look at long-term trends. Alternatively, you can customize looking at a daily metric if you want to see things like short-term trends, employee performance, and inventory tracking. 

When you spend time understanding trends and discovering weaknesses in your warehouse operations, you can improve customer satisfaction. The key element in retaining customers is on time, undamaged, and error-free delivery of their purchased products. Identifying why mistakes or failures happen will allow warehouse management to improve future productivity. 

eoStar’s WMS software suite that will grant you access to easily understandable metrics and data for your enterprise. eoStar also has a support team ready to stand by and help you. Upgrading or switching to an improved warehouse management system can come with bumps and hurdles; however, our team will be able to quickly assist you in order to reduce or completely avoid downtime in your system.

Space Management

Space management is another important element of managing an efficient warehouse. Some warehouses have to deal with empty space, disorganized space, or not enough space. As those challenges mount, whether it is due to business growth, human error, or changes in logistics, having an efficient warehouse management software system will help you overcome those hurdles. 

One of the keys in efficient space management is having accurate inventory location data. It is also important to have a clear plan when you are finding new usage for empty or new space. Additionally, an efficient warehouse management system will compute the most efficient path for employees to move inventory. When time is saved through using the most efficient routes, workplace productivity will increase.

In addition to eoStar’s WMS software its eoWarehouse software can help your business improve its space usage efficiency through its accurate inventory system. eoStar also recognizes that the manner in which your inventory cycle operates will greatly affect your space management. Therefore, eoWarehouse was designed with that in mind. eoWarehouse can also help you figure out where to place certain inventory as it relates to employee travel paths. Reducing the time spent retrieving items for shipment by taking the shortest or most efficient route is another space management optimization technique. 

Track Productivity

While it is clear that having easily understandable metrics is important, it is also important to be able to clearly track productivity and sales. When a warehouse manager is able to track trends in employee productivity, they will be able to identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. They can also identify the timeframes that it takes for inventory to enter and exit the warehouse.

If a warehouse has FIFO inventory, time is an important component in ensuring the products get out the door. Without optimized productivity, FIFO inventory may end up as dead inventory, which cuts into your profit margins. 

Customer retention is determined through a number of factors, one of which is lead times. Reducing lead times without increasing errors is a goal that many warehouses strive for. In order to retain customers, a warehouse should reduce its lead time by using warehouse management system software that will accurately track inventory locations and levels. This will allow the warehouse to adequately meet customer demands. 

WMS will allow you to accurately track product movement, picking metrics, and general work productivity. It will provide you with both micro and macro analyses of inventory cycling, code date tracking, and how efficiently your employees are working. Having an understanding of your work productivity will help your warehouse managers and staff understand their impact on your business.. 

SKU Proliferation

SKUs can be a double-edged sword in warehouse management systems. They can allow you to become more organized, identify nuanced products, and improve efficiency. However, too many SKUs that are left unchecked can complicate and slow down a supply chain, reduce workplace efficiency, and reduce profits. 

While it is important for warehouses to add new products to satisfy customer demands, it is also necessary to stay on top of organizing the SKUs. New and increased inventory has the potential to increase your revenue; however, that revenue could be reduced through increased operational costs if SKUs are mismanaged. 

eoWarehouse offers tools and modules that will allow you to efficiently organize SKUs, especially if an influx of SKUs arrives at your warehouse doors. eoStar recognizes how important it is to both grow your business and inventory stock while also staying organized. Using eoWarehouse will help you accomplish both of those goals. 

Contact eoStar

eoStar has been helping warehouses through providing professional services and optimization software for years. On top of our services, we will back up our products with a readily available IT team. We believe our WMS software and eoWarehouse is the top software suite for warehouse businesses to optimize their enterprises. If you would like a consultation about WMS, eoWarehouse, or any of our products, contact us today. 

Route Accounting Solutions

So, What Exactly is a Data Scientist?

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What is a data scientist?

During our 2020 virtual user conference, one of our sessions went through  eoStar Analytics. During the session our very own data scientist talked about the future of data, analytics, and how to use information to make more informed decisions for your business. But there was one question on a lot of people’s minds, what is a data scientist?

The job is to the fulfill the formula of Problems + Data => Models + Insights. They are able to map expert knowledge and context into real-life solutions. An unofficial definition of a data scientist has become: someone who knows more about math and statistics than a computer scientist and more about computer science than a mathematician or statistician.

“A Data Scientist is a professional who extensively works with Big Data in order to derive valuable business insights from it. Over the course of a day, the Data Scientist (DS) has to assume many roles: a mathematician, an analyst, a computer scientist, and a trend spotter.” – IntelliPaat[1]

Data Science is a rapidly changing field, so anyone that takes on the role of data science needs to be able to keep up with the latest research and techniques. Due to the cloudiness of what exactly a data scientist is and does, there is an increasing overlap between data science and machine learning. Machine learning includes things like computer vision, speech recognition, neural networks, etc. The person that implements the models and insights data scientists come up with is traditionally called a Machine Learning Engineer (MLE), but this can be interchangeable with “Data Scientist” at a lot of organizations.

A typical workflow for a data scientist or machine learning engineer is as follows:

  1. Scoping
    1. Working closely with the product team, the DS will gather the requirements around a particular business problem and determine if a solution is possible given the available data.
  2. Research
    1. This process involves gathering the necessary datasets, cleaning them, and experimentation on the data. This is the phase where the DS really gets to understand the relationships within the data as well as outside of the data. Research also goes into figuring out which approach will be best to solve the problem.
  3. Modeling
    1. Once a few approaches are selected to explore, the DS fits the various models to the data and benchmarks are calculated to determine which system will work best in a real-life scenario. The goal of this phase is to converge on a single approach to deploy.
  4. Deployment
    1. Finally, the model or system is deployed and put into production so that it can be integrated into the existing software ecosystem.

As the beverage industry continues to evolve with new SKU’s, expanded product offerings, and tightening inventory, data and analytics are becoming more essential than before. At eoStar we are fortunate to have a team focused on turning your data into insights and helping you turn those insights into action. To learn more about how our products are using data and analytics to improve your business, talk to one of our sales experts.

[1] https://intellipaat.com/blog/what-is-a-data-scientist/

Route Accounting Solutions

How to Increase Pick Accuracy with Technology

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Pick accuracy is a game-changer. Mistakes happen, of course, but when things run better, you notice the difference at every level. Pick accuracy keeps your business running smoothly, like a machine that you can always count on. So how can you make sure that you always have pick accuracy for your company? Is there anything you can do to take your accuracy to the next level? 

Technology can help, and it doesn’t have to break the bank, either. We’ve created a service called eoPick that can help you make the most of your picking process. 

What is eoPick? 

eoPick is a voice-picking technology that virtually removes the need for list-based picking and clipboards. Warehouse employees can use this picking software with a headset or Android device, so they have both hands free at all times to retrieve what they need. We created this technology after working extensively with our clients, asking them about their needs and committing to providing the products that work best for them.

Absolutely Straightforward 

eoPick removes many complications from the warehouse picking process, and that’s because it’s completely straightforward. You don’t have to be a tech wizard to figure out how to work with eoPick. Employees can learn how it works in a matter of minutes. 

The eoPick process is totally straightforward, too. The employee receives the name of the item via their headset or Android device, and then they can pull that item off the shelf. In addition to being streamlined, the process also saves time. 

Reduce Repetitions 

eoPick technology can also prevent repetitions and duplicates. It all comes down to getting rid of the clipboard. When an employee uses a clipboard for picking, it’s easy to read the same line twice. When that happens, you can send the wrong number of items to the client, or you may have to re-shelve items. Either way, these repetitions can cost your company time and money. eoPick, however, makes picking simpler and removes the possibility of reading the same line twice. 

Avoid Misreading Numbers 

Clipboards and paper can also make reading numbers difficult. After several hours in a warehouse, it’s easy to see why numbers can start to look the same, and of course, the employee has to make sure that they’re reading the correct line. Voice picking, however, means hearing numbers instead of reading them. The process can reduce number-based mistakes and improve your company’s overall accuracy. 

Try eoPick for Yourself 

Want to see the accuracy difference for yourself? Let eoStar help. Book your demo today, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like. We’d love to help you take your picking process up a notch. 

Route Accounting Solutions

5 Things You Need from Your Warehouse Management Software (WMS)

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Photo BENCE BOROS on Unsplash

eoWarehouse provides beverage distributors with an end-to-end accounting solution. Our warehouse management software (WMS) helps keep your operations running efficiently and effectively, saving you time and money in the long run. For almost 20 years, we have worked with distributors using SaaS-based business management solutions. We are very knowledgeable about the beverage industry and have created WMS to reflect the daily needs of distributors. In fact, we now serve over 11,000 users in the distribution industry with our software. Read on to learn about 5 things you need from your Warehouse Management Software and how our software helps to get those things done.

Automation

Doing day-to-day warehouse processes by hand is inefficient, costly, and can lead to errors. The eoWarehouse platform automates many of your warehouse processes and leads to a 50% reduction in time spent on administrative duties. Through the automation of our software, paperwork can be completely removed, and there will be an increase in delivery accuracy.

Our software provides distributors with real-time inventory levels and locations. In addition, it automatically tracks and manages tasks to make sure full efficiency is reached. The automation of the software will give your sales force real-time data while expediting the order fulfillment process. Since our system is cloud-based, your employees can access important information from computers, phones, and iPads. The software helps distributors in the warehouse through high-tech features like voice picking, auto depletes and replenishes, and palletization.

One area where mistakes can happen is with inventory management. When inventory is moved between locations, sometimes the numbers can be off and cause issues. eoWarehouse software standardizes procedures involving inventory movements and location, making inventory much more accurate.

Detailed Analytics

Detailed Analytics

Having reliable, automated analytics is essential so distributors can accurately forecast their needs. eoWarehouse software provides distributors with detailed data so that they can analyze and properly plan for consumer demand. It is critical for distributors to have the inventory they need when they need it. In fact, our WMS reports inventory levels and location up-to-the-minute, leaving no room for error.

The eoWarehouse software reports things like products and SKUs, demand variability, inventory balances, and also automatically buffers stocks requirements to avoid a certain product going out of stock. This type of data takes the guesswork out of purchasing inventory. Distributors can easily view stock levels to see what needs to be ordered. The software also tracks various warehouse/inventory-related metrics to configure tasks and maximize output and efficiency.

In addition, the software provides distributors with information about business demand, inventory investments, sales history, and probable product demand. All of these things help with planning purposes and budgeting and better managing your warehouse..

Streamlined Sales

A WMS should be designed to create a premier distribution experience while streamlining sales. Our software will give your sales and delivery team the ability to access real-time reporting from mobile devices. This is very helpful since they spend a lot of time out on the road. The sales side of the software also expedites order fulfillment from start to finish. It contains POS management as well as single-screen settlement.

It can also provide flexible rule-based pricing, promotions, and supplier rebates. In addition, the software provides the sales team with product performance surveys, so they know and understand what consumers like and dislike about products. In addition to streamlining sales, the software streamlines delivery, saving you time, money, and allowing you to get product to your customers faster. The software integrates scheduling and routing tools to ensure that your deliveries are as efficient as possible.

Customer Loyality

With eoWarehouse’s platform, not only can distributors decrease costs and increase revenues, but they can also build and improve relationships with customers. Due to the automation of the platform, manual errors are eliminated, meaning you aren’t making mistakes that affect your customers. By using this platform, you will become a trusted advisor to your retailers. They know that they can trust you to keep their shelves stocked with the correct inventory and that it will be replaced in a timely manner when it runs low. Your customers will also be pleased with the ease of the ordering system. No more time spent navigating cumbersome order forms. eoWarehouse’s platform makes ordering easy!

Additionally, the software allows you to serve as a consultant to your customers, providing them with business insight, recommendations, and current information on pricing, promotions, and market trends. Your customers will greatly appreciate how accurate your service is and the fact that you can provide them with evidence-based advice about inventory and sales.

Implementation and Technical Support

Every WMS system should provide distributors with implementation and technical support, and that is exactly what we do at eoWarehouse. Our goal is to provide distributors with ongoing support to ensure the software is being used to its highest potential. During the implementation phase, we work closely with your team to design the software to fit your custom needs and build customized standard operating procedures and reports.

Next, we test the system to ensure it is working exactly how it should and then we deploy it! Once deployed, we provide distributors with 24/7 support. Need help with your software any time of day or night? Give us a call and we will help walk you through any issues you may be experiencing. We also offer product training so that all your staff knows how to use the new software.

As a distributor, it is crucial to the success of your business that you have a strong warehouse management software (WMS) system that helps make processes more automated. The automation gained by a good software system helps distributors to save time and money while also reducing the chance of human error. Our software makes warehouse processes more efficient, streamlines sales, and provides users with detailed analytics to help with forecasting and budgeting. In addition, we are available to provide support 24/7 to answer any questions you have or to troubleshoot issues. For more information about our software and how it can help you, contact eoWarehouse today.