Preface
I've already published some articles in the community about integration, so please review the available Boyum Community articles Produmex WMS – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com) if you're looking for a technical solution to any of the challenges involved in implementing this integration.
I'm not sure if I disappoint you if I confess that's not what you'll find behind these lines; the challenge in this article is entirely different. This lines stem from shared experiences with partners in integration implementations over the past 4 years and aims to define the spirit that a consultant should embody during those periods when navigating through this landscape full of changing colors, mindsets, and either blocked or half-built paths.
Just as in all coaching sessions, it's recommended to leave emotions hanging on the coat rack once you enter the place where you perform your job, I also permit myself to recommend the mindset you should wear almost as if it were a suit when providing solutions to the challenges that an integration project will surely bring.
I know this is a more ethereal argument and may seem entirely useless, just as it could be the most useful of all I've published. In fact, it might fit better in a magazine like Cosmopolitan than in a software community like this one. However, I've realized throughout these experiences that the mindset when approaching a project is a much more powerful weapon than the most extensive technical knowledge one can possess.
3 Facts
At this point, enough with the preamble; I hope to have piqued your interest and set the tone before delving into some facts:
- The Beas-WMS integration is not an end-to-end integration, meaning that it cannot be assumed that WMS functionalities will be available in the production environment, just as Beas functionalities will not necessarily be available in the logistics processes. Let me illustrate with an example: we cannot assume that the WMS Batch Attributes of the components in a Beas bill of materials will be available to use as constraints in picking a Beas production order. Similarly, we cannot assume that Beas variants will be available in logistics processes."
- In contrast to the previous point, bridges have been built between both solutions that make it possible to meet the requirements of complex projects under specific use cases.
Similarly, just as these bridges have proven useful, we must also consider, and it is particularly helpful to take a look back just a couple of years, that they are bridges in constant evolution. Examples of this constant evolution may include the ability to perform any picking for production type from a Beas work order or the integration of different locking levels in both solutions. - Due to their nature, production concepts are deeper in Beas, such as the concept of production resources (see the description of resources in the following article Beas-WMS: Select automatically WMS Production Line and WMS Output Bin Location fields at the Beas WO postion – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com) whereas logistical concepts like Bin Locations are much richer in WMS.
The five points described above, from my humble point of view, make the integration a unique product that shares roots with its components but behaves differently from them.
Five Keys to get the right mindset
Once the entire environment has been described and we are placed in context, let's get straight to what was promised: five tips that, if followed, can save us a lot of headaches when implementing combined licenses of both Beas and WMS products.
First Key: Embrace the scope
When implementing a project that integrates Beas and WMS, it is crucial to thoroughly review the scope of our integration product:
The whole truth about the integration (zendesk.com)
Beas - WMS integration - Introduction (beascloud.com)
This integration utilizes specific solutions in both products for certain processes, ensuring an efficient operation. By understanding the defined scope, you will gain the necessary information to avoid complex solutions that are difficult to implement. This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions, streamline the integration process, and ultimately achieve a more successful implementation with reduced errors and delays.
Key 2: Implement simultaneously
We strongly recommend implementing Beas and WMS together or, at the very least, defining your processes with both solutions in mind from the outset. While our integration product covers many key functionalities, not all possibilities within both products are included in the integration scope. By considering both systems concurrently, you can ensure comprehensive coverage of your operational needs, avoid potential gaps, and optimize the synergy between Beas and WMS. This approach will lead to a more cohesive and efficient workflow, reducing the likelihood of unforeseen issues and maximizing the benefits of both systems
Key 3: Prioritize displaying all your setup at one Unique Production Warehouse.
The WMS Zones concept allows you to set up the different facilities of a company, such as production halls, storage locations, or quality assurance labs, under different zones within the same warehouse facility. WMS serves as the connecting threat between these different zones and considers goods located in a different warehouse to be at a significant distance and disconnected from the company's daily life. Therefore, ensure that if any of these zones are defined under a different warehouse, there is a good reason for that configuration.
It is common on Beas or Sap Business One projects the configuration of different warehouses for other reasons than logistics ones. Logistics is a very physical driven activity that there is a very good physical reason to set up a different warehouse and not using the zones feature. That could be the case if we indeed have a storage location 100km away or if we want to create a separate quality warehouse to exclusively use Beas quality functionalities in it.
Conversely, we should never let reporting requirements erect walls within our warehouse, as that will decrease efficiency in daily warehouse operations. In other words, we cannot afford for the efficiency of processes to be compromised simply because we need any kind of measure from them. A typical example of this bad practice is building warehouses for the different prices of an article item even if it is stored on the same physical building. This will complicate the logistics processes and as there is no relation between the physical facilities and the virtual set up there is a high risk of human mistakes. There are much more efficient tools to manage this on the SBO standard without interfering with the logistics processes as: price rules, customers price lists...
As the integration environment is a dynamic space, new advancements will continually enhance the flexibility of communication, transactions between warehouses, and the integration of quality concepts between Beas and WMS. However, the original concept of grouping everything under the same physical warehouse will remain and will always be the most efficient way to manage this situation.
Key 4: Use Beas logic-functionalities for Production and WMS ones for inventory and logistics processes
The point seems to be obvious but once we dive into the whirlpool of implementation we may lose the focus.
Examples of misuse could include processing logistics movements with Beas allocations or utilizing the WMS Production flow.
If you wish to have a comprehensive overview of the functionalities that are and will be beyond the scope of the integration product between Beas and WMS, as well as functionalities conditioned by the use of both software, please refer to the following article:
The whole truth about the integration (zendesk.com)
Key 5: Pay close attention to the intersections between production and logistics processes.
Processes such as picking for production and receipt from production represent these intersections. These points are critical in an integration project. Despite being the strengths of the integration, it's essential to ensure that logistics provide the correct components to the production process at the right time and location, and that finished goods contain all the necessary logistics data for subsequent logistics management.
If you need additional help with these processes at the intersection of production and logistics, stay tuned to the articles that are regularly published in our Boyum community. Take a look of the last examples:
- Beas-WMS: Receive from production an item with WMS Batch Attributes – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com)
- Beas-WMS: Select automatically WMS Production Line and WMS Output Bin Location fields at the Beas WO postion – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com)
- Beas-WMS: How to print a production receipt label for Beas-WMS Integration – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com)
- Beas-WMS:How to filter stock on Beas Issue Screen on a BEAS-WMS Integrated warehouse – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com)
- Beas – WMS Integration – Database Check Tool – Boyum Helpcenter (boyum-it.com)
Stay tuned during the last semester of 2024, cause purchasing Beas and WMS licenses simultaneously may offer NEW benefits in both cost and implementation. Discover them by following Boyum IT official channels together with new E-learning content, onboarding programs for partners adopting our solutions, customization training for partners and game changing features in upcoming versions…
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