In the VDI 3601 “Warehouse Management Systems” guideline, the Association of German Engineers (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure, VDI) describes the requirements that a warehouse management system (WMS) should fulfill. The VDI provides standardized definitions for technical terms and abbreviations, describes tasks and performance requirements, and presents a system structure that can be used to meaningfully map the complex control of an intralogistics system. The VDI thus answers a question that has been around for years: When are the functionalities of a WMS sufficient to also consider it one? The main reasons for investing in a WMS, according to the Association of German Engineers, are the reduction of the error rate, the increase in productivity and increasing readiness to deliver.
Tasks and capabilities of warehouse management systems
The guideline defines the tasks and capabilities of an IT or software system as a warehouse management system. These include the following aspects:
- Definition of terms
- Definition of abbreviations
- Description of the administrative environment
- Description of the functional environment
- Classification of the WMS in the system landscape
- Methods and means for controlling system states
- Operating and optimization strategies
- Elementary functions of warehouse management, such as the control of conveyor systems
According to VDI 3601, the task of a warehouse management system is to manage and optimize internal warehouse operations.
For more information, see “Basics of modeling an information system“.
Perspectives considered in VDI 3601
Since October 2011, a total of approximately 90 people have been collaborating in a work group to continuously and purposefully develop the VDI 3601 “Warehouse Management Systems” guideline. This allowed for various perspectives to be considered. These include:
- Provider perspective with a focus on WMS or logistics suite
- Supplier perspective with a focus on automation
- Supplier perspective with a focus on SAP or Business Suite
- User perspective
- Consultant perspective
- Scientific perspective
The following experts from business and research, among others, have contributed:
- Dipl.-Ing. Günther Pfisterer (TUP GmbH & Co. KG, formerly DR. THOMAS + PARTNER)
- Dipl.-Phys. Michael Bodden-Streubühr (inconso AG)
- Dipl.-Logist. Tim Geißen (Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML)
- Dipl.-Log.-Kfm. Fin Geldmacher (prismat GmbH)
- Dipl.-Inform. Helmut Ludwigs (integral logistics GmbH & Co. KG)
- Dipl.-Ing. Detlef Spee (Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML)
Lecture on VDI 3601 at LogiMAT 2014
The following video shows a lecture by Dipl.-Ing. Günther Pfisterer at LogiMAT 2014.
As part of a series of lectures, he examined the WMS from a process and functional point of view. He also showed possibilities for using the 3601 guideline as a checklist when introducing a WMS.
References
The guideline VDI 3601 can be obtained from the VDI website.