Acumatica is an enterprise resource planning or ERP software that is both accessible as an on-premise software and on the cloud. It was first launched in 2008 and has since established itself as one of the top ERP offerings among its many competitors in the ever-growing industry. Early on, Acumatica developed a strong user base of small to medium-sized enterprise but more recently has proven itself as a great choice for large businesses as well.
When choosing an ERP solution, there isn’t a shortage of options out there. As mentioned previously, this as a growing, multi-billion dollar industry and despite the competition, Acumatica stands out from the rest in more than a few ways. A few well know reason why businesses choose Acumatica is for compatibility, its pricing model, unique and intelligent features and intuitive user experience, just to name a few. We will go into more detail about these features later on and more specifically, why these features make Acumatica an excellent choice for warehouse management, but first, let’s look at the basics of how ERPs are used in warehouse management.
As you may know, inventory or warehouse management can be an incredibly complex aspect of a business, especially when it involves large varieties of inventory and complex logistics with many different warehouses. When it comes to industries like retail, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and many others, scale often means success, and when the scale is big, things get complex. This is when a reliable ERP becomes massively important. As the name implies, it’s about resource planning, but if we look deeper, it’s more than just planning, it’s about management of every aspect of a complex network of assets.
To illustrate how an enterprise management solution is used in a warehouse management operation, we can imagine a typical scenario. It starts with the item being ordered from a production department internally or an external supplier. Next comes the use of a barcode or RFID sticker, which is integral to the use of ERPs. The barcodes or RFID are how an item’s movements are tracked and provides other details like the type of item, the age of the item, as well as other information that would be relevant to warehouse management and the business in general. This can be done individually or in batches depending on how a business operates. Of course, what are barcodes without barcode scanners? When an asset moves from a warehouse to a store, for example, it is scanned, and that information in updates on the ERP. Simply put, using barcode scanners, the items can be managed from warehouse to warehouse, warehouse to store, and finally, store to customer’s shopping bag, as well as a few other possible transfer scenarios like between stores and warehouses. Assets are scanned with every movement, so a business can know where each asset is at any given time, along with a whole host of information. A good ERP allows users to easily view and manage the movement of assets in all stages of an inventory lifespan. This is most effective when integrated with other systems like point-of-sale software, accounting software, and others.
Now you don’t just install an ERP software and expect it to work its magic on its own. There are other important factors to keep in mind when implementing an effective warehouse management system. Firstly, ensuring good training of the staff involved with the use of the ERP is crucial. This needs to span all the staff involved in all phases of the asset’s lifespan, from warehouse staff to delivery personnel as well as retail staff, not to mention the people in charge of managing the ERP system itself. Without proper use of the software, the potential can all go to waste. Another thing to consider, and as mentioned previously, is integration. It goes without saying that a company using different software, like point-of-sale, CRM, accounting software can benefit greatly from organization-wide software integration. This saves a lot of time and more importantly, allows companies to work inter-departmentally in a more efficient and effective manner.
One significant factor for business when choosing an ERP software is industry compatibility, as not all ERPs are created equal, also, some ERP’s work better than others for certain industries. That’s another topic on its own but if you are looking for a way to streamline your warehouse management activities, Acumatica is a great choice. Here’s how:
Acumatica offers a wide range of advanced inventory management features, giving users more control and insight into their inventory. They offer a solution heavy on multi warehouse integration, which provides for an accurate look at the big picture. Some great features available are tracking through lot and serial numbers, inventory bin and location control, reason codes, sales order discounts, and promotion management and an item class hierarchy feature. With intuitive and customizable dashboards on offer, users have excellent visibility to reporting data. Acumatica also allows users to access reports through multi valuation methods, from standard cost, moving average, first in and first out (FIFO), and other asset specific methods. Acumatica goes as far as looking at past sales data and providing suggestions based historical data. Finally, one of the best qualities of Acumatica is its ability to integrate with most CRM software in use, which isn’t always the case with other ERP solutions.
One thing you’ll notice right away is how Acumatica is heavy on innovation and constantly improving its features, especially with things like automation. Using the software, you can automate a wide range of business scenarios like notifications for orders ready for pickup and delivery, invoice due dates, incoming shipments, and other internal notifications related to sales and customer support related processes.
Acumatica is also known for its flexible pricing model, where the cost is based on resources required as opposed to the typical per-user pricing models you typically see with other ERPs. This means you can start out with a package of just 2 users and scale up to 20 users with no added cost, assuming you are using the same features or resources. It’s also worth noting that Acumatica is known for its flexibility when it comes to company fluctuations, whether it’s because of a slow season where resources need to be reduced or a busy season where more resources and features are needed. This is important as most ERP brands have pricing models that seem to strongly discourage downgrading. Other features allow you the option to automate processes like purchase orders based on stock level and even best vendor pricing, delivery times, and automated expiration management features
So, we’ve laid out why Acumatica is a good choice for an ERP for warehouse management and what makes them different among other players in the industry. Still, the main idea behind all enterprise resource planning software is having the information and capabilities to make smart decisions around the complex network of assets to increase a business’s bottom line. Acumatica has this in mind and empowers warehouse managers to do that with ease. When it comes to warehouse management, there’s a reason why distribution companies are one of the top industries using Acumatica – its software works with your warehouse managers for stellar operations.
