Warehouse Execution System
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Warehouse execution system to evolve your business
Lucas AI technology, flexible workflows, and modular IT architecture allow your operations to be more dynamic, adapting to each DC’s unique process and technology requirements. Our system can easily be scaled up as your products, customers, and business grow.
Optimize performance: Adaptive workflows, warehouse optimization and AI optimization help you maximize productivity and accuracy today while meeting your need for continuous improvement and optimization.
Make effective & efficient decisions quickly: Give managers real-time visibility and AI-assisted insights to manage labor, inventory, and other resources to optimal potential.
Add performance agility: Lucas software includes decades of process innovations that adapt to your DC.
Prepare the future of warehouse execution: Seamlessly integrate robots and other next-generation technology without replacing current systems—reducing the costs and risks associated with change.
Dynamically orchestrate and optimize your critical distribution center processes
Jennifer™, the brains and voice of the Lucas solution, orchestrates warehouse processes for people, robots, and machines. Lucas modules provide configurable workflows and reporting. Our standard interfaces communicate seamlessly with users, managers, and other systems.
End-to-end warehouse execution: Increase efficiency, throughput, and accuracy with workflows and mobile applications. This solution works for all major material handling processes, from receiving to picking and shipping, including audit, cycle count, and returns.
Real-time reporting and analytics: Give supervisors and managers up-to-the-minute information they need to allocate labor, manage work, and make better decisions.
Standards-based system interfaces: Lucas software is designed to integrate with virtually any on-premise, hosted, or cloud-based IT or automation system. This includes ERP, order management, and warehouse management packages such as SAP, Oracle, BlueYonder, Manhattan, Infor, and Microsoft. It can even integrate with custom-developed host systems, warehouse control systems, autonomous mobile robots, and other automation and IT systems used in distribution centers.
WES vs. WMS Comparison
| Warehouse Management System (WMS) |
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| Manage inventory, orders, replenishment, and warehouse processes | Optimise and orchestrate execution of work in real time | ||
| Inventory accuracy, order allocation, compliance, stock visibility |
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Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a Warehouse Execution System?
Answer: Warehouse execution systems optimize hands-on work and streamlines manual processes with software or mobile applications designed to make work easier, faster, and more accurate for workers. It directs and coordinates how associates perform tasks on the warehouse floor, including picking, replenishment, putaway, loading, and more. It communicates to the end user through voice, scanning, and other input modes. Unlike planning-level systems, Warehouse Execution Systems focus on real-time work assignment, worker guidance, and performance optimization at the point of activity.
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How does a Warehouse Execution System (WES) differ from a Warehouse Management System (WMS)?
Answer: A WMS is designed for inventory optimization and planning, things like managing stock levels, locations, and order allocation. It does not provide rich, configurable workflows that optimize how work is actually performed on the warehouse floor. Ay WMS that claims such is referring to expensive customized enhancements to mimic what a Warehouse Execution System naturally does. A WES fills that gap without all the expensive customization, sitting between the WMS and the worker to orchestrate execution: intelligently batching orders, optimizing pick paths, directing workers in real time, and tracking performance. The WES complements and extends existing WMS capabilities without requiring a WMS upgrade or replacement.
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What are the benefits of warehouse execution systems?
Answer: Key benefits include significant productivity gains (over 120% increase in lines per hour in some cases), reduced labor costs (up to 50% reduction in labor hours), improved order accuracy, faster worker onboarding, and real-time operational visibility for managers. Because Warehouse Execution Systems are software-driven rather than hardware-dependent, it's flexible and adaptable, meaning workflows can be reconfigured without physical changes. It also extends the useful life of existing WMS and ERP investments by adding execution intelligence on top.
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How does warehouse execution improve warehouse productivity?
Answer: Warehouse Execution Systems improve productivity by applying AI and optimization algorithms to how work is performed. This includes intelligent order batching (grouping picks to reduce trips), optimized travel paths (computing the shortest route through assigned locations), dynamic work prioritization (continuously releasing the most efficient assignments), and voice-directed guidance that keeps workers hands-free and eyes-up. Together, these capabilities reduce non-productive travel time, increase pick density per trip, and allow workers to complete significantly more work per hour.
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Can Warehouse Execution Systems integrate with existing WMS and ERP systems?
Answer: Yes. Warehouse Execution Systems are designed to interface with virtually any WMS, ERP, labor management, or order management system. Common integration methods include RESTful APIs (HTTP/JSON), file transfer (FTP), socket communications (TCP/IP), and web services, with more than one method supported within a single implementation. Lucas has successfully integrated with SAP, Oracle, Manhattan, Infor, Dematic, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Deposco, and numerous proprietary systems. The execution layer adds intelligence without requiring changes to the host system.
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What industries benefit most from a Warehouse Execution System?
Answer: A Warehouse Execution System delivers value across any industry with high-volume distribution operations. Industries that benefit most include grocery and food service, beverage distribution, wholesale distribution, retail and e-commerce, 3PL/logistics providers, healthcare and medical supply, and consumer goods. Any operation where manual picking, replenishment, or loading represents a significant portion of labor cost and where order accuracy, speed, and on-time delivery are critical, stands to gain from execution-level optimization.
