If you’re a small business using, or considering using, to help manage your purchase and sales orders, then you’ll want to check out the free WMS Express app from Insight Works.
WMS Express makes it simple to move from a paper-based system to integrating mobile devices (aka barcode scanners) into your business processes. This means you can save a lot of time, while increasing accuracy, by scanning barcodes to manage receiving and order fulfillment.
WMS Express is available in . The version you choose will depend on your specific business process and configuration of Dynamics 365 Business Central. In this article, we’re going to look at the “Standard” version of WMS Express. This version is perfect for organizations that use purchase and sales orders but don’t use warehouse documents like picks and put-aways.
Getting a Feel for How Easy WMS Express is to Use
In working directly from a handheld device and interfacing with Business Central, everything becomes super-simple using WMS Express. How simple? So much so that we’re going to compartmentalize the fundamentals of the purchase order receiving and sales order picking stages right now in this one blog.
In a purchase order receiving scenario, WMS Express will first show you all the purchase orders in the system that you can receive. To get started, simply select the purchase order you wish to receive and begin scanning the associated product(s). The system is so intuitive, it will find what you’re scanning in the list and then prompt you to enter the quantity, after which Business Central will be updated from the purchase order side.
Essentially, using WMS Express, all you need to do is scan a barcode and, if desired, enter a quantity – it really is as simple as that. WMS Express will capture lot and/or serial numbers in the event you need to track this information.
Maybe the product you’re receiving does not contain a barcode, WMS Express will generate barcodes which you can then easily print and affix to your products.
When you’re done with all the purchase order receiving activity, you can easily post a receipt in Business Central.
Let’s recap the basics of the WMS Express process regarding receiving:
- Select Purchase Order
- Scan a barcode
- Enter quantity (optional)
- Automatically post or manually post receipt
When it comes to sales order picking, the process is similar to the receiving process. From the handheld device, you select the sales order you want to fulfill. Once selected, you can begin scanning the items included on the sales order.
If you have bins enabled, you would first scan the bin and then the item, otherwise you would just scan the item. Quantities of the same item can be manually entered, or each item can be scanned individually. In the event lot or serial numbers are tracked, this information will be automatically captured.
Here’s how the sales order picking process breaks down when using WMS Express:
- Select a Sales Order
- Scan bin
- Scan item
- Enter quantity
Shipping works the same way; if you don’t have “Warehouse Picks” turned on and you’re using “Inventory Pick” or just picking to a sales order, you can employ the same process: Scan the bin, scan the item and enter the quantity. When you’re done, you go into the system, hit “Post,” and that will post that pick or shipment within Business Central.
WMS Express supports many makes and models of handheld devices, including mobile computers, tablets, smart-phones, wearables and more. This flexibility enables you to leverage existing infrastructure or to tailor the hardware selection to the specific needs of your environment. All major brands are supported including Datalogic, Zebra, and Honeywell.
For all there is to know about WMS Express from Insight Works, visit .
