- What is a WMS?
- A WMS (warehouse management system; SGA in Spanish) is the software that directs and records everything that happens inside the warehouse: receiving, put-away, replenishment, order picking, stock counts and dispatch. It gives each operator their next task on the RF terminal or by voice, and keeps stock up to date by location, lot and expiry date. Caotic is Binari’s WMS.
- How is a WMS different from an ERP?
- The ERP runs the company: sales orders, purchasing, invoicing and book stock. The WMS runs the inside of the warehouse: which slot each pallet is in, with which lot and expiry date, who moves it and in what order orders are picked. They work together: Caotic receives orders from the ERP and sends back receipts, shipments and real stock.
- When does a company need a WMS?
- When paper no longer copes: picking errors, stock counts that don’t add up, expiry dates that slip through, a growing number of SKUs, customers asking for traceability or to see their stock, or a new legal requirement such as DeCA. Also when the warehouse depends on one particular person knowing where everything is.
- How much does a WMS like Caotic cost?
- It depends on the modules implemented and on the integrations with the ERP, carriers and online shop, so it is quoted once the operation is known. According to the product sheet, the investment pays back within a year: paper lists, manual labels and stop-everything counts disappear.
- Does Caotic work for a small warehouse?
- Yes. It is modular: a warehouse with two RF terminals starts with receiving, put-away and outbound, and adds modules as it needs them.
- Does it run on my server or in the cloud?
- Both. Caotic is installed on the warehouse server (.NET and SQL Server) or in the cloud. Tracker and the DeCA service are served from Binari’s cloud.
- Which terminals do I need?
- The usual Android or Windows RF terminals for warehouses, plus voice equipment if you want voice picking. We tell you which ones fit your operation.
- How long does implementation take?
- It depends on the modules and integrations. A distribution warehouse goes live in weeks; TcNET started its new warehouse in record time without affecting productivity.
- Does it integrate with my ERP?
- Yes, through EDI, web services or files. We work with Sage (Murano), Microsoft Dynamics NAV (Navision) and custom ERPs; integration is part of the implementation.
- I am a logistics operator: can my customers log in?
- Yes. Each customer logs in to Tracker with their own user and sees only their orders, their stock and the photos of their receipts.