According to a White Paper published by HighJump Software, the era of manual warehouse operations is drawing to a close-with good reason. No matter how efficient your employees are, managing space and maintaining inventory with ad-hoc spreadsheets, paper-based operations, or legacy systems doesn't provide the accuracy, or visibility, into the supply chain that your managers need to succeed.

Today, as businesses of all sizes grow in sophistication, they are turning to best-of-breed warehouse management systems (WMS) in an effort to reduce costs and boost productivity in the face of increased globalization, regulation and competition. For too long, leading warehouse management systems have seemingly been within the reach of only large third-party distributors, or national and international manufacturers and retailers. No more. To stay competitive, mid-sized and small businesses increasingly are turning to best-of-breed warehouse management systems that effectively reduce costs and streamline daily operations, enabling even the smallest companies to adapt quickly to changing market demands.

Research firm ARC Advisory Group's recently published report, "Warehouse Management Systems Worldwide Outlook1," predicts that the worldwide market for WMS is expected to grow at a 4.8% annual rate, while their projection for adoption of these systems among Tier 3 companies is anticipated to grow at a much brisker rate of 8.2%. Yet, the reality is that many small businesses still believe warehouse management systems are too expensive for their budgets or won't provide the benefits they need to thrive. This may have been true as recently as a few years ago, but as this report will show, WMS for small distributors are now not only within reach and affordable, but they are also a competitive necessity.

The report concludes that the days when leading warehouse management systems were available only to large, top-tier retailers and distributors are over. Many small distributors are now turning to best-of-breed warehouse management systems to attain the cost reduction and streamlined operations required to respond to dynamic market demands and maintain a competitive advantage.
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