In Simon & Schuster's fast-paced distribution operations, the warehouse management system may call the shots. But it's the warehouse control system that makes sure things get done.
David Maloney has been a journalist for more than 35 years and is currently the group editorial director for DC Velocity and Supply Chain Quarterly magazines. In this role, he is responsible for the editorial content of both brands of Agile Business Media. Dave joined DC Velocity in April of 2004. Prior to that, he was a senior editor for Modern Materials Handling magazine. Dave also has extensive experience as a broadcast journalist. Before writing for supply chain publications, he was a journalist, television producer and director in Pittsburgh. Dave combines a background of reporting on logistics with his video production experience to bring new opportunities to DC Velocity readers, including web videos highlighting top distribution and logistics facilities, webcasts and other cross-media projects. He continues to live and work in the Pittsburgh area.
Fame can be fleeting in the book publishing industry. A book that's a best-seller one week may be relegated to the half-price rack the next. That means that for book distributors, the pressure's on to whisk hot titles out to stores before they become paper weights.
To keep books flowing smoothly through its DCs, Simon & Schuster, one of the nation's largest book publishing houses, relies on a relatively unknown but powerful technology: a warehouse control system (WCS). Several years back, the publisher installed warehouse control systems from AL Systems at its two U.S. distribution centers to coordinate order fulfillment activities. The warehouse control systems are layered as "middleware" between the facilities' warehouse management systems and their material handling subsystems—conveyors, sorters, and the like. Essentially, the WCS serves as a "go between" or interface between the two, collecting information from the host system and then allocating work and providing specific instructions to the various pieces of material handling equipment.
Simon & Schuster is not alone in turning to a WCS to help run its operations. More and more companies are taking this route these days— usually, but not always, in conjunction with a WMS. (In some facilities, the WCS works directly with order- or inventory-management software.)
The appeal of warehouse control systems is not hard to understand. To begin with, they're affordable—warehouse control systems tend to be significantly less expensive than warehouse management systems. They're also quite versatile—warehouse control systems provide functionality that may not be available in standard warehouse management systems, or at least not without costly modifications. They're also easy to customize.
Compared to a WMS, a WCS is easier and cheaper to modify to meet a facility's individual needs. Also, for facilities with older warehouse management systems in place, a WCS can offer an economical means of upgrading. Oftentimes, a WCS can offer capabilities that older WMS systems lack, filling gaps and controlling processes that would otherwise require the user to upgrade—or even replace—its WMS.
Down to the nitty-gritty
In Simon & Schuster's case, the decision to install warehouse control systems was driven by a desire to gain greater control over its processes, in particular those processes associated with its extensive conveyor systems. "We have a lot of need for speed to the market and have to get our products there quickly," says Dave Schaeffer, the company's vice president of distribution and fulfillment.
The publisher uses the warehouse control systems in conjunction with warehouse management systems from Manhattan Associates at its distribution centers in Bristol, Pa., and Riverside, N.J. The two facilities, located about 11 miles apart, each measure about 600,000 square feet and hold different SKUs. Together, the two buildings provide distribution for all of North America and parts of Europe.
The WCS and WMS work together as part of an integrated system, says Schaeffer. "The warehouse control system controls the movement of cartons through the systems and onto the shipping docks. It works with the warehouse management system. But while the movement within the WMS is more product level, the actual real-time, minute-to-minute handling is done by the warehouse control system."
And that is precisely where warehouse control systems shine. Although warehouse management systems certainly have the capability to direct a number of warehouse processes, they typically perform most of their work at a higher level—for example, collecting orders, tracking and allocating inventory, and generating invoices. In contrast, the WCS is designed expressly to take care of the nitty-gritty operational details, telling the material handling subsystems not just what to do, but also how to do it (for example, directing a conveyor to send a case down a specific chute).
Ability to multi-task
In Simon & Schuster's Riverside facility, the WCS controls the movement of products over five miles of Hytrol conveyors, as well as a sliding-shoe shipping sorter and other subsorters. It also directs cartons through the facility's pick zones. The warehouse management system relays pick information to the warehouse control system, and the WCS then directs the actual picking activities, which for new titles usually involves picking full cases of books.
"The WMS and the WCS really work in partnership," says Schaeffer. "In our case, it really made sense to put more functionality into the WCS because of how the conveyors and the picking are integrated so closely together."
Schaeffer reports that directly linking the picking to the conveyor makes the conveyor more responsive to the picking process. "If there is a short on a pick," he says, "the conveyor can simply direct the carton to another lane before moving it on to shipping."
In addition to overseeing the picking of full cases of new titles, the WCS directs the split-case picking of older or "back list" titles—relaying picking instructions to workers via the company's Voxware voice system. Although the warehouse management system also has a module capable of directing the voice picking activities, Simon & Schuster chose to have the WCS manage its voice operations. Again, the advantage is that the WCS ties more closely into the related picking and material handling systems.
"The WCS has all of the components needed to direct voice," says Schaeffer. "The WCS can be molded easily and is just a better fit for the functionality." He adds that if Simon & Schuster someday decided to convert to, say, a pick-to-light system, it would be a simple matter to modify the WCS to handle that task.
In addition to picking, the WCS oversees quality control activities, which include check weighing (a process in which cartons are automatically weighed and their weight compared to the expected weight for the contents) and the selection of cartons for random inspection. It also handles all of the manifesting of orders.
As for Simon & Schuster's Bristol facility, the WCS there plays much the same role as its counterpart at Riverside. That is, it controls the movement of products through picking on the conveyors, full-case sortation, split-case sortation with weight verification, and the manifest stations. It also directs voice picking activities.
Ease of revision
All in all, Simon & Schuster believes the WCS is a good fit for its operations. For one thing, the WCS ensures that the operations and the associated equipment are tightly integrated, which allows both products and information to move swiftly and efficiently throughout the facilities. And when it comes time to make a change in any of the processes, the WCS can easily adapt.
"By its nature, the WCS is easy to upgrade," notes Schaeffer. "It is less complicated and is a more economical solution than upgrading a WMS."
Warehouse automation vendor Locus Robotics marked the grand opening of its global headquarters facility in Wilmington, Mass., this week.
The state-of-the-art, 157,000 square-foot Locus Park facility “serves as the nexus for hundreds of Locus employees driving the company's mission to revolutionize global supply chains through advanced robotics solutions,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
The new headquarters boasts an expansive research and development, testing, and engineering space, and is home base to the firm’s nearly 200 New England area employees. The facility also handles all robotics manufacturing, shipping, and administration functions.
“Locus Park represents our commitment to innovation and our confidence in the future,” company CEO Rick Faulk said in the statement. “It's a launchpad for the next generation of robotics and AI solutions that will redefine warehouse efficiency and empower workforces worldwide. As we stand at the forefront of industrial automation, we're not just leading the industry but transforming it.”
Alongside the grand opening, Locus also celebrated surpassing four billion units picked across its customer deployments around the world.
Business leaders in the manufacturing and transportation sectors will increasingly turn to technology in 2025 to adapt to developments in a tricky economic environment, according to a report from Forrester.
That approach is needed because companies in asset-intensive industries like manufacturing and transportation quickly feel the pain when energy prices rise, raw materials are harder to access, or borrowing money for capital projects becomes more expensive, according to researcher Paul Miller, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.
And all of those conditions arose in 2024, forcing leaders to focus even more than usual on managing costs and improving efficiency. Forrester’s latest forecast doesn’t anticipate any dramatic improvement in the global macroeconomic situation in 2025, but it does anticipate several ways that companies will adapt.
For 2025, Forrester predicts that:
over 25% of big last-mile service and delivery fleets in Europe will be electric. Across the continent, parcel delivery firms, utility companies, and local governments operating large fleets of small vans over relatively short distances see electrification as an opportunity to manage costs while lowering carbon emissions.
less than 5% of the robots entering factories and warehouses will walk. While industry coverage often focuses on two-legged robots, Forrester says the compelling use cases for those legs are less common — or obvious — than supporters suggest. The report says that those robots have a wow factor, but they may not have the best form factor for addressing industry’s dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks.
carmakers will make significant cuts to their digital divisions, admitting defeat after the industry invested billions of dollars in recent years to build the capability to design the connected and digital features installed in modern vehicles. Instead, the future of mobility will be underpinned by ecosystems of various technology providers, not necessarily reliant on the same large automaker that made the car itself.
Regular online readers of DC Velocity and Supply Chain Xchange have probably noticed something new during the past few weeks. Our team has been working for months to produce shiny new websites that allow you to find the supply chain news and stories you need more easily.
It is always good for a media brand to undergo a refresh every once in a while. We certainly are not alone in retooling our websites; most of you likely go through that rather complex process every few years. But this was more than just your average refresh. We did it to take advantage of the most recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI).
Most of the AI work will take place behind the scenes. We will not, for instance, use AI to generate our stories. Those will still be written by our award-winning editorial team (I realize I’m biased, but I believe them to be the best in the business). Instead, we will be applying AI to things like graphics, search functions, and prioritizing relevant stories to make it easier for you to find the information you need along with related content.
We have also redesigned the websites’ layouts to make it quick and easy to find articles on specific topics. For example, content on DC Velocity’s new site is divided into five categories: material handling, robotics, transportation, technology, and supply chain services. We also offer a robust video section, including case histories, webcasts, and executive interviews, plus our weekly podcasts.
Over on the Supply Chain Xchange site, we have organized articles into categories that align with the traditional five phases of supply chain management: plan, procure, produce, move, and store. Plus, we added a “tech” category just to round it off. You can also find links to our videos, newsletters, podcasts, webcasts, blogs, and much more on the site.
Our mobile-app users will also notice some enhancements. An increasing number of you are receiving your daily supply chain news on your phones and tablets, so we have revamped our sites for optimal performance on those devices. For instance, you’ll find that related stories will appear right after the article you’re reading in case you want to delve further into the topic.
However you view us, you will find snappier headlines, more graphics and illustrations, and sites that are easier to navigate.
I would personally like to thank our management, IT department, and editors for their work in making this transition a reality. In our more than 20 years as a media company, this is our largest expansion into digital yet.
We hope you enjoy the experience.
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In this chart, the red and green bars represent Trucking Conditions Index for 2024. The blue line represents the Trucking Conditions Index for 2023. The index shows that while business conditions for trucking companies improved in August of 2024 versus July of 2024, they are still overall negative.
FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index improved in August to -1.39 from the reading of -5.59 in July. The Bloomington, Indiana-based firm forecasts that its TCI readings will remain mostly negative-to-neutral through the beginning of 2025.
“Trucking is en route to more favorable conditions next year, but the road remains bumpy as both freight volume and capacity utilization are still soft, keeping rates weak. Our forecasts continue to show the truck freight market starting to favor carriers modestly before the second quarter of next year,” Avery Vise, FTR’s vice president of trucking, said in a release.
The TCI tracks the changes representing five major conditions in the U.S. truck market: freight volumes, freight rates, fleet capacity, fuel prices, and financing costs. Combined into a single index, a positive score represents good, optimistic conditions, and a negative score shows the opposite.
A coalition of truckers is applauding the latest round of $30 million in federal funding to address what they call a “national truck parking crisis,” created when drivers face an imperative to pull over and stop when they cap out their hours of service, yet can seldom find a safe spot for their vehicle.
According to the White House, a total of 44 projects were selected in this round of funding, including projects that improve safety, mobility, and economic competitiveness, constructing major bridges, expanding port capacity, and redesigning interchanges. The money is the latest in a series of large infrastructure investments that have included nearly $12.8 billion in funding through the INFRA and Mega programs for 140 projects across 42 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The money funds: 35 bridge projects, 18 port projects, 20 rail projects, and 85 highway improvement projects.
In a statement, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said the federal funds would make a big difference in driver safety and transportation networks.
"Lack of safe truck parking has been a top concern of truckers for decades and as a truck driver, I can tell you firsthand that when truckers don’t have a safe place to park, we are put in a no-win situation. We must either continue to drive while fatigued or out of legal driving time, or park in an undesignated and unsafe location like the side of the road or abandoned lot,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a release. “It forces truck drivers to make a choice between safety and following federal Hours-of-Service rules. OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent thank Secretary Buttigieg and the Department for their increased focus on resolving an issue that has plagued our industry for decades.”