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This is the fifth and final installment in a five-part blog series focusing on the real-world benefits of Swisslog’s modular Warehouse Management (WMS), SynQ. The previous blog discussed Service-Oriented Architecture as the means used by SynQ to integrate and manage communications with external systems. This fifth blog will focus on how SynQ uses event-driven mechanisms to respond flexibly and efficiently to user input, in real time.
Everything that happens in an automated warehouse – from the simplest tasks to the very complex – can be classified as an “event” from the perspective of a WMS (warehouse management system) such as SynQ. For example, the confirmation of a quantity of goods in a box, or the deposit of a pallet in a shelf, would both be considered events of interest to external control and management systems, such as a WMS or ERP (enterprise resource planner).
Traditional WMS and ERP systems have typically used a request-driven software model, where the user sends a request through the software, and waits for a response before performing the next task. With event-driven software, the user generates an event and can immediately move to the next task. Event-driven management, supported by robust communication architecture, delivers results in as close to “real time” as one can achieve.
With Swisslog’s SynQ software, combining SOA (service-oriented architecture) with an event-driven mechanism, allows communication in real time, including all significant warehouse events, as they occur.
ERP systems can receive up-to-the-millisecond information on goods movement, malfunctions, human intervention in the warehouse, and a large range of other events.
Using an event-driven mechanism, provided by Swisslog’s SynQ software, can deliver a number of benefits to an automated warehouse. Here are five of the core benefits that can be achieved.
One of the characteristics of Industry 4.0 systems is the management, in the shortest time possible, of huge amounts of data being communicated between external systems.
In the logistics industry, the availability of equipment is critical. Software products can optimize equipment availability, produce the required information, and report it directly to the nearest ERP. With an event-driven mechanism, SynQ can do this dynamically and in a way that can be customized to suit different customer needs. This level of customization allows each of Swisslog’s customers to benefit from a familiar standard architecture, without losing the features that are distinctive to their unique operation.
As e-commerce advances exponentially, new challenges are faced by the logistics industry. The most pressing is often the speed of connection from order, to delivery, to the end customer.
Retailers large and small are often hindered by the obsolescence of the information systems in place at logistics hubs.
But with an event-driven mechanism in place through SynQ, information is available in real time, including vital data on warehouse stock and availability. This functionality actively supports the management and planning of orders and procurement, thereby reducing the time-to-market of goods to end customers, to the benefit of Swisslog's customers.
The definition of an event can be extended to any aspect of a logistics system. Aside from the core business of a logistics site, we can see how in an automated warehouse, even the smallest machine alarm or malfunction can be notified externally in the form of an event.
These notifications can benefit the customer’s organization, or the supplier dedicated to monitoring the health of the automation system itself. For all Swisslog machinery, SynQ integrates these event notifications and management mechanisms into a 3D visualization system that is directly integrated with the automation system.
By extending the event concept to the movement of goods in a warehouse, this style of management allows SynQ to record each individual movement of goods, both in terms of stock, and changes in quantity, and also in terms of physical movement within the warehouse itself.
This allows administrators to – at any time – reconstruct movements of goods from shelves to loading/unloading areas, as well as the history of the goods, including quantities moved for a customer order, inventory, or stock maintenance.
The recording of these events in the short and medium term enables warehouse administrators to extract statistics on the workload of an individual machine, or the entire system, to regulate the flow of goods to and from the warehouse, based on actual workload at any given time.
One of the greatest advantages provided by an event-driven system lies in its traceability. Every action and reaction of the system at every level is recorded in SynQ and, where necessary, in the relevant interconnected systems.
In the warehousing, supply chain, and logistics industries, flexibility, adaptability, and traceability are major advantages. SynQ WMS software uses an event driven mechanism to deliver these benefits and provide real-time responsiveness to everything happening in an automated warehouse.
We hope you have found this series on SynQ’s real-world benefits informative and useful. If you would like to read earlier blogs, you can find them below. And of course, please reach out with any questions you might have – the experienced team at Swisslog is here to help.
> Blog Post 1 - 5 Ways To Stay Ahead In Unprecedented Times: The benefits SynQ software provides to automated distribution centers
> Blog Post 2 - 5 benefits of Swisslog’s SynQ 3D Visualizer
> Blog Post 3 - Global collaboration is optimizing performance of WMS software
> Blog Post 4 - The Benefits of Using Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Speak to a Swisslog expert about how SynQ can help optimize your warehousing and logistics operations.
Leonardo Reale is Software Project Manager (SWPM) and Software Solution Architect (SWSA) at Swisslog.
