Systems & Automation
The software and warehouse automation that run modern fulfillment, from order and warehouse management systems to robots and sortation.
Advance Shipping NoticeASNAn electronic notice sent before a shipment arrives, listing its contents, packaging, and expected arrival. In retail EDI this is the 856 document.Application Programming InterfaceAPIA defined way for one software system to request data or actions from another, such as a storefront sending orders to a 3PL's system or pulling inventory levels back.Automated BaggingPacking orders with a machine that opens a poly or paper bag, accepts the items, seals it, and often prints and applies the shipping label in one step.Automated Storage and Retrieval SystemAS/RSComputer-controlled equipment that stores totes, bins, or pallets in dense racking and automatically retrieves them on demand.Automation Payback PeriodThe time it takes for the savings from a warehouse automation project, mainly reduced labor and errors, to equal its total upfront investment.Autonomous Mobile RobotAMRA robot that navigates a warehouse using sensors and maps, without fixed tracks, to move totes, carts, or shelves.Carrier Invoice AuditReviewing carrier invoices for errors such as duplicate charges, wrong surcharges, incorrect weights, and late deliveries eligible for refunds.CartonizationSoftware logic that picks the best box size for each order based on item dimensions, weight, and fragility.Collaborative RobotCobotA robot designed to work safely alongside people without full safety caging, such as a mobile cart that follows or meets pickers, or a robotic arm at a workstation.Conveyor SystemPowered or gravity-driven belts and rollers that move totes, cartons, or parcels between areas of a warehouse, such as from picking to packing to shipping.DimensionerA device that measures the length, width, and height of an item or parcel automatically, often combined with a scale and barcode scanner as a DWS (dimension, weight, scan) system.Electronic Data InterchangeEDIStandardized electronic documents exchanged between trading partners, such as purchase orders (850), invoices (810), and advance ship notices (856).Enterprise Resource PlanningERPBusiness software that manages core company records such as finance, purchasing, inventory valuation, and sales orders in one system, often acting as the system of record.Goods-to-PersonGTPA fulfillment model where automation brings inventory to a stationary picker at a workstation, instead of the picker walking to the inventory.Inventory SynchronizationKeeping available inventory quantities consistent across a warehouse system and every sales channel, so each storefront and marketplace shows what can actually be shipped.Labor Management SystemLMSSoftware that measures worker productivity against engineered or historical standards, forecasts labor needs, and supports staffing, incentives, and coaching in a warehouse.Multi-Carrier Shipping SoftwareSoftware that connects to several parcel carriers so a shipper can compare rates, buy labels, print documents, and track packages from one interface.Order Management SystemOMSSoftware that collects orders from all channels, applies routing rules, and sends each order to the right warehouse or store.Pick-to-LightPTLA system of lights mounted on storage locations that show pickers where to pick and how many units, confirmed by pressing a button.Print-and-ApplyEquipment that prints a shipping or compliance label and applies it to a carton or parcel automatically, usually as the package moves along a conveyor.Put-to-LightA system of lights on a wall or rack of cubbies, each assigned to an order, that shows a worker where to place each scanned item when sorting batch-picked units into orders.Radio Frequency IdentificationRFIDA technology that reads data from tags using radio waves, allowing many tagged items, cases, or pallets to be identified at once without a direct line of sight.Rate ShoppingAutomatically comparing carrier and service options for each shipment and selecting the cheapest that meets the delivery promise.RF ScannerA handheld or wearable barcode scanner with a wireless connection to the warehouse system, used to confirm receiving, putaway, picks, and counts in real time; also called an RF gun.Robotic Piece PickingUsing a robotic arm with vision software and a suction or finger gripper to pick individual items from bins or totes, usually at a goods-to-person station.Robots-as-a-ServiceRaaSA pricing model where a warehouse pays a recurring fee, often monthly or per unit handled, to use robots instead of buying them outright.Sortation SystemAutomated equipment that identifies items or parcels, usually by barcode scan, and diverts each one to the correct destination, such as an order, a packing station, or a carrier lane.Supply Chain Control TowerA software dashboard that combines data from suppliers, forwarders, carriers, warehouses, and sales channels to show inventory and shipments end to end and flag exceptions.ThroughputThe amount of work a warehouse, process, or machine completes in a period of time, such as orders shipped per day or units picked per hour.Transportation Management SystemTMSSoftware for planning, booking, tracking, and paying for freight shipments.Voice PickingA picking method where workers wear a headset that gives spoken instructions, such as location and quantity, and confirm each step by speaking, leaving hands and eyes free.Warehouse Control SystemWCSSoftware that directly controls automated equipment such as conveyors, sorters, and storage systems, telling each machine what to do and reporting its status.Warehouse Execution SystemWESSoftware that sits between a WMS and warehouse automation, releasing and balancing work in real time across people, robots, and equipment based on current capacity.Warehouse Management SystemWMSSoftware that directs and records warehouse activity: receiving, putaway, inventory locations, picking, packing, and shipping.WebhookAn automatic message one system sends to another web address when a specific event happens, such as an order being placed, shipped, or cancelled, so the receiver does not have to keep asking.Yard Management SystemYMSSoftware that tracks and directs trailers and containers in a warehouse yard, including check-in, parking spots, dock door assignments, and movement between yard and dock.