Softeon Expands Software Support

Softeon, a global supply chain software provider, has continued expansion of its software support for automated distribution centers.

The interest in warehouse automation continues to increase, driven by the rapid growth of ecommerce and expensive fulfillment costs, rising labor rates, labor shortages in many markets and more.

Of course, there are a wide variety of material handling system alternatives, from high levels of automation to more targeted systems such as mobile robots and put wall systems.

Whatever the mix, initially or over time, Softeon provides advanced support in its Warehouse Management and Warehouse Execution Systems, alone or together, to maximize throughput and ROI for those MHE investments.

Important Softeon capabilities in this area include the following:

• Softeon’s unique WMS “pick routes” allows companies to easily define the types of order paths that are going to be used in a facility, including those that use automation. The WMS then dynamically sends each pick to the appropriate route based on a number of attributes for execution. As new automation is added, users simply need to configure additional pick routes, which dramatically reduces the time to implement.
• Powerful Warehouse Execution System that optimizes the flow and utilization of materials handling systems, considering capacities, bottlenecks and dependencies in the automated release of work.
• Differentiated approach to integration with a variety of picking sub-systems, including Voice, pick-to-light, smart carts, put walls, mobile robots and more. Softeon can directly manage and optimize these sub-systems, without the need for any additional software. This reduces costs and the number of needed integrations, allowing the full information to be available in the WMS to drive decision-making versus the siloed approach typically seen, and greatly improves exception handling.
• Advanced carton routing logic across mechanized pick zones, including congestion management.
• Plug-and-play support for devices such as print and apply labelers, weigh scales, carton dimensions and more.
• Wave-based or waveless order picking, or a combination of the two, such as using waveless for B2C and wave-based for B2B.
• Use of simulation to test integrations and response times between Softeon WMS and/or WES and materials handling equipment and more.

“The breadth and depth of Softeon’s support for automated DCs is a competitive advantage,” said Dan Gilmore, chief marketing officer at Softeon. “Whether a company is looking at modest or significant levels of automation, Softeon provides extensive support and innovation for enabling these capabilities with flexibility over time.”