Retail warehouse modernisation
- A global fashion ERP provider published warehouse modernisation guidance, emphasising standardised flows and RFID item visibility. - The guidance recommends targeted automation and integrating WMS with layout design to optimise throughput. - It frames warehouses as supply‑chain hubs whose process improvements can speed fulfilment and reduce inventory errors. (x.com)
Jesta I.S., a retail and supply-chain software provider, says warehouses now need standard work, item-level tracking and selective automation before companies chase bigger technology bets. (jestais.com) In a recent Jesta guidance note, the company said warehouse management starts with receiving, storage, picking, packing, shipping and returns, and that weak execution at those steps amplifies delays, stockouts and cost overruns. It said a warehouse management system should sit at the center of those flows and exchange data with enterprise resource planning systems, transportation tools, e-commerce platforms and point-of-sale systems. (jestais.com) Jesta’s warehouse management product pitches real-time inventory data, direct putaway, mobile picking on smartphones and cycle counts that confirm inventory integrity. The company said the system also syncs inventory numbers throughout an enterprise resource planning system and directs workers to what it calls the optimal picking location. (jestais.com) The timing reflects a retail logistics market still under pressure from faster delivery promises and labor strain. Jesta said customers now expect next-day or same-day delivery, while MHI and Deloitte reported in March 2025 that 55% of supply-chain leaders were increasing technology and innovation spending. (jestais.com) (businesswire.com) The same MHI-Deloitte report said 88% of leaders see sensors and automatic identification technologies as a source of competitive advantage, and 83% said the same about robotics and automation. That lines up with Jesta’s argument for targeted automation rather than fully robotic sites built all at once. (businesswire.com) (jestais.com) On tracking, Jesta points to radio-frequency identification, or RFID, as a way to move beyond barcode scans and manual counts. GS1 US said RFID can be about 20 times faster than barcode counting, making more frequent counts practical in apparel and general merchandise. (jestais.com) (gs1us.org) Jesta’s case is that better visibility only works if the building is organized around it. The company said layout decisions such as slotting by product velocity, size or handling needs can cut travel time and reduce congestion, and that software and floor design should be planned together rather than separately. (jestais.com) Jesta has been pushing that broader integration strategy across its product line. In January 2025, it released Version 25 of its Vision Supply Chain and Vision Retail Management suites, saying the software was built for apparel, footwear and hard-goods brands and added stronger logistics tracking, analytics and inventory capabilities. (businesswire.com) The practical message is narrower than a robotics sales pitch: fix receiving, putaway, picking and data quality first, then automate the steps that still create bottlenecks. For retailers trying to ship faster without carrying more errors, that turns the warehouse from a storage room into the control point for the rest of the supply chain. (jestais.com)
