Application of bar code scanner in WMS system and WCs system

Application of barcode scanner in WMS system and WCs system

Storage plays a vital role in the whole supply chain of an enterprise. If the correct purchase, inventory control and shipment can not be guaranteed, it will lead to the increase of management expenses and the difficulty of ensuring the service quality, thus affecting the competitiveness of the enterprise. The traditional simple and static warehouse management can not ensure the efficient utilization of various resources. Today's warehouse operations and inventory control operations have been very complex and diversified. Relying only on manual memory and manual input is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also prone to errors, which brings huge losses to enterprises. The most convenient way to realize rapid data entry in the warehouse is to introduce barcode management. Collecting barcode data through barcode scanner is the most perfect solution today.

1、 What is WMS

WMS is a warehouse management system. The system collects barcodes through a barcode scanner for warehousing, outbound, transfer, and management, and integrates the comprehensive application of batch management, materials, inventory, quality inspection, real-time inventory management, so as to effectively control and track the whole process of logistics and cost management, so as to realize the comprehensive management of enterprise warehouse. The management system is implemented independently and combined with documents and vouchers of other systems to provide complete and comprehensive enterprise business processes and financial management information.

2、 What is WCS

WCS is a warehouse control system. WCS is a management control system between WMS system and PLC system. On the one hand, WCS system interacts with WMS system, receives WMS system instructions and sends them to PLC system, so as to drive the production line to produce corresponding operations. On the other hand, it will provide the real-time debugging data of the PLC system and the production line, and reflect the status of the PLC system. The best way to integrate PLC is to install a fixed barcode scanner to collect barcode data in real time.

3、 WMS generally has the following functions:

1. Basic information management: set the basic information of goods. Location management encodes the location and stores or generates barcodes, so that the system can effectively locate the goods. It is also convenient for operators to quickly scan the barcodes through the barcode scanner to locate the physical location.

2. Shelving Management: the system automatically calculates the best shelving location, supports manual intervention, gives the recommended shelving location according to the principle of saving storage space, and sorts it according to priority. The operator can directly confirm or adjust it by scanning the barcode.

3. Picking Management: the picking instruction includes location and optimal path. According to the location layout and picking order, the system automatically gives a guiding path according to the task in the barcode scanner equipment (such as counting machine), so as to avoid invalid search and improve the picking quantity in time.

4. Inventory management: the system supports automatic replenishment. Through the automatic replenishment algorithm, not only the inventory quantity is ensured, but also the utilization rate of storage space is improved and the honeycomb phenomenon of storage location is reduced. The system can logically subdivide and dynamically set the cargo location through the depth information, which effectively improves the space utilization and control accuracy without affecting the automatic replenishment algorithm.

4、 WCS generally has the following functional modules:

1. Real time monitoring

2. Support local amplification and dynamic implementation

3. Stop, operation, fault, disabled status, etc. are displayed in different colors or animation.

4. Provide parameter setting interface to read the current parameters of barcode equipment from PLC

7. Support parameter initialization and write modified equipment parameters to PLC.

8. It provides the functions of starting and stopping, sealing and releasing, resetting, clearing, initialization, etc. of the conveying line equipment

9. Collect barcode information from the fixed barcode scanner controlled by PLC, send barcode information and number to WMS, and receive the information returned by WMS

10. Send task instruction to PLC, read the return value of PLC task and determine whether it is completed

16. Retention of system, task, system failure and operation log for customer query

5、 Relationship between WMS system and WCs system:

E-commerce business needs to respond to a large number of orders in real time, which urges the traditional WMS system to be able to process the order cycle in days and the quantity in boxes.

The advantage of traditional WMS lies in planning and inventory management, while the disadvantage is to focus on routine, sequential and waterfall task allocation.

WCS has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is not a substitute for WMS, but a supplement. If handled properly, adding barcode picking or WCS can also reduce the damage caused by the upgrade of WMS in the future.

The changing speed of the software market is shocking. In any case, we should pay attention to speed and meet the needs of customers.

If the WCS system has the right to move inventory and reschedule order paths, make changes during batch processing. It even has the ability to get external orders. You may even have access to the workforce pool to reallocate accordingly.

Every time WCS assigns the next work task, such as replenishment, picking, or packaging, another operation must be performed. What is the operating state now? Packaging line down? Printer down? What about the status of workers? Who went to lunch and hasn't come back yet? In that case, (WCS) can make the best decision on what to do next and update WMS accordingly.

Suppliers emphasize that WCS is more than just a middleware for automation. Through the control of operation execution and the optimization of workflow, WCS is particularly professional in operation, or in the direction of automation and the synchronization of job and order.

Three basic levels of WCS.

The first layer of WCS began to overlap with the WMS system to provide more dynamic inventory control and management.

The second level enters order fulfillment. The use of automation is not necessary, but should coordinate the sorting and packaging functions.

The third layer WCS contains a more traditional material handling equipment interface.

Barcode picking is a new member in many picking solutions, and it is very popular in the operating software environment. The software foundation of WCS already exists. The WCS system can use the light picking technology as early as 20 years before the emergence of barcode picking technology. Many traditional WMS are not compatible with barcode picking, but the traditional WCS system module can. Because of this advantage, WCS software expands the system function and performance, and barcode picking technology can be applied in the warehouse. " In short, barcode scanning equipment will be everywhere in the future. Driving the controllability of all data through barcode technology will be an indispensable part of the future world.