QC Software is the leading provider of Tier 1 warehouse control systems to the warehousing and distribution industries. Since 1996, QC Software, utilizing state of the art technology combined with extensive research, development, and rigorous testing, has developed the QC Enterprise suite of products. Designed to be modular in nature, easily configurable, and platform independent, this highly scalable solution satisfies the needs of any size warehouse.

Manufacturing journalist TR Cutler, profiled QC Software in a recent issue of Industry 2.0. The full feature can be read at http://trcutlerinc.com/Cutler%20Speak%20-%20Nov06.pdf.

Experiencing exponential growth, Arbonne, a leading cosmetic distributor, needed to re-engineer its distribution operations. Arbonne achieved this by implementing a third picking line that was fully automated, enabling them to double their output. A major component of this new system was QC Enterprise, by Cincinnati-based QC Software, Inc. (www.qcsoftware.com). QC Enterprise is a warehouse control system, which communicates in real-time with the host WMS as well as the material handling hardware. It manages the entire conveyor routing process and the operational aspect of the picking and shipping (order fulfillment) functions within the distribution center.

The QC OMS (Order Management System) module allows Arbonne to pick orders directly into shipping cartons

Utilizing cartonization logic. This ensures that each carton is not over packed based on product dimensions and weight. When the orders are downloaded to QC Enterprise, the volume and weight of the items are calculated, with a ‘dunnage’ factor for packing materials, and suggests the proper size carton for the order. Also, if it is determined that the order is comprised of more than one carton, QC Enterprise will allocate SKUs in such a way to minimize the route cartons must travel and avoid multiple cartons being diverted into the same pick zones.

Other inefficiencies of the ‘pick and pass’ process were overcome by implementing zone skipping. Cartons traveling on an automated conveyor are now routed only to the required pick zones, decreasing the actual throughput time and drastically reducing the number of times a carton is touched throughout the picking process. “Imagine driving down the road and stopping at every exit, even though it’s not your exit, just because it’s there. That’s what zone skipping prevents,” according to Tom Verzi, vice-president of QC Software.

Modifications to the shipping process were also put into place. This included automatic printing of packing documents and the implementation of QC SMS (shipment management systems) powered by ConnectShip (a UPS product) providing a single server, multi-carrier shipping system. Further streamlining the process involved installing ‘print and apply’ technology which automated the printing of shipping labels and applying them directly to the shipping carton. This eliminated the need for manual shipping stations.

The solutions provided by QC Software (www.qcsoftware.com) enables companies to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry ensuring increased corporate profitability. With a commitment to total customer satisfaction QC Software is the obvious choice for warehouse control, order management, and inventory management needs.

The solutions provided by QC Software (www.qcsoftware.com) enables companies to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry ensuring increased corporate profitability. With a commitment to total customer satisfaction QC Software is the obvious choice for warehouse control, order management, and inventory management needs.

Manufacturing journalist Thomas R. Cutler discussed the configurability and quality at the distribution center in the recent issue of Quality Digest. Cutler profiled WCS leader QC Software.

According to Tom Verzi, vice-president of QC Software, a WCS firm based in Cincinnati, “Configurability allows users to make system changes quickly and easily to handle any physical changes in the warehouse. Many of our clients have expanded their warehouses. This could be adding conveyor, adding a sorter, or anything “physical”. A quality WCS must be configurable; no hard coding is needed to “react” to physical changes within the warehouse.” Configurability also allows for quick changes; how cartons are processed within the warehouse.

Emulation Tools Eliminate Bottlenecks in the Distribution Center

Emulation tools allow for minimal live testing and help to identify bottlenecks in the process. This quasi-TOC (theory of constraints) is a built-in functionality in some WCS systems that recognized that testing would be required to provide the functionality of the system.

If problems occur during an emulation process quality trace messaging and debugging tools allow distributors to quickly and easily find the problem and fix it.

QC Software is the leading provider of Tier 1 warehouse control systems to the warehousing and distribution industries. Since 1996, QC Software, utilizing state of the art technology combined with extensive research, development, and rigorous testing, has developed the QC Enterprise suite of products. Designed to be modular in nature, easily configurable, and platform independent, this highly scalable solution satisfies the needs of any size warehouse.

Related Warehouse Articles

Manufacturing Journalist Thomas R. Cutler profiled Warehouse Control Systems in Managing Automation. The article can be read in it’s entirety at http://www.managingautomation.com/maonline/exclusive/read/Commentary_Get_Ready_The_Next_Generation_Warehouse_Management_System_is_Coming_12419073.

There is a significant shift between (Warehouse Management Systems) WMS and WCS (Warehouse Control Systems) in the area of merging local data warehouses into enterprise data warehouses.

This convergence is being caused by:

Technology Advancements: The use of open software, relational databases and componentized applications architectures are enabling WMS vendors to provide real-time data management and interface responsibilities of the material handling system.

Functional Enhancements: The WMS has, over time, taken over more of the work handled by the ERP system, in areas such as inventory control, resource scheduling and order management.

New software tools are also enabling continuous monitoring and work flow functionality, thereby providing the means to efficiently and economically operate a warehouse or distribution center.

Consider the WCS a floor general or a traffic cop. Capturing real-time data such as pick rates and pick efficiencies are more geared toward this type of system than to a generic WMS focused on upper level management data.

QC Software is the leading provider of Tier 1 warehouse control systems to the warehousing and distribution industries. Since 1996, QC Software, utilizing state of the art technology combined with extensive research, development, and rigorous testing, has developed the QC Enterprise suite of products. Designed to be modular in nature, easily configurable, and platform independent, this highly scalable solution satisfies the needs of any size warehouse.

The solutions provided by QC Software (www.qcsoftware.com) enables companies to streamline their warehouse operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry ensuring increased corporate profitability. With a commitment to total customer satisfaction QC Software is the obvious choice for warehouse control, order management, and inventory management needs.