Five top WMS for manufacturing companies

Manufacturing is a rough and tumble business, and your warehouse needs to keep up as you adjust production to meet forecasts, new products, and much more.

If you’re using a warehouse management system that can’t keep up or doesn’t deliver what you need or one that doesn’t know the unique sides of being a manufacturer, it could be time to look for another partner who understands your industry.

This guide looks at five of the many different WMS platforms available for manufacturers and should give you a starting point for your conversations and list of demands.

1. IQMS: Integration and real-time focus

IQMS is a brand that most manufacturers will already know because of its initial ERP tailored to their specific needs. The company offers a robust manufacturing-focused WMS that integrates with this ERP to help improve your control for handling costs and overall operational efficiency improvements.

Compare manufacturing WMS features using this free online warehouse tech comparison tool

Customers are happy with its cost focus and time management assistance as well as advanced product storage support. IQMS provides tools that are especially relevant for manufacturers such as real-time, dynamic scheduling of pickups, putaways, and order staging as well as shelf-life management for warehouses and distribution centers.

2. 3PL Central: Branding and visibility

Partners sometimes forget that manufacturers compete in the same ways as other businesses. 3PL Central has made it to this list because it addresses one of the areas manufacturer vendors often overlook: supporting the manufacturer’s branding.

Custom brand management is baked into the Red Rock Warehouse Manager platform offered by 3PL Central, and it is a smart addition to existing inventory, fulfillment, and order management tools. The system also benefits with multiple integrations and visibility tools as well as a portal that can adapt to multichannel and omnichannel orders.

While Red Rock focuses on warehouse management when you’re managing your own orders and fulfillment, 3PL Central also offers an enterprise-class WMS platform that can support multiple locations with a cloud deployment.

3. Apprise: ERP and supply chain needs

Apprise is a global enterprise resource planning and supply chain management software provider, and each of these platforms offer warehouse management capabilities. The platform is designed for manufacturers as well as consumer goods distributors and importers, so it can help if you manage your own distribution networks or serve a niche market.

Its expansion support is strong because it has local offices throughout North America, Europe, China, and Australia. The overall features do tend to be more supporting for consumer-facing goods, and most people who’ve reviewed the platform are in this space.

One thing these customers seem to love is its inventory, sales, and the support offering on Apprise’s mobile app.

4. HighJump: Small and mid-sized operators

Not too many manufacturer platforms are designed with smaller operations in mind, but HighJump is a notable exception. It currently more than 15,000 customers in that size range and provides manufacturing support as well as support throughout the supply chain.

Smaller operations tend to need more robust role-based support and the HighJump WMS targets that specifically. It also has tools designed to keep smaller operations optimized so that you can keep orders properly fulfilled and on time.

It’s a relatively agile platform and has room to grow and expand as smaller manufacturers grow their business.

5. IntelliTrack: Governmental knowledge and tech support

The IntelliTrack RF Standard WMS is designed to address multiple customer types, including both manufacturers and government operations. If your manufacturing operations target government contracts, it can be a significant boost to have a WMS that your government contacts have worked with in the past.

IntelliTrack offers a robust platform that supports the entire manufacturing and distribution process with some of the most robust training and support of any WMS on the market. Its integrations with small business software as well as larger platforms from SAP and others allows it to work with most partners.

Like the other WMS on our list, IntelliTrack can provide a significant ROI for manufacturers.