Next-Gen Upgrade for Legacy WMS

Our customer is a fashion giant with a robust presence in both traditional retail and e-commerce. With an extensive 80-year history, they operate 250+ stores across the UK and Europe, managing the entire cycle from manufacturing and design to distribution through offline and online channels.

The Client’s existing warehouse management system (WMS) was outdated and inefficient, unable to support the evolving demands of comprehensive warehouse operations.

Our goal was to replace the legacy, custom-built system with a state-of-the-art managed service solution provided by an external logistics software vendor.

This replacement required seamless integration between the in-house inventory management system and the external provider’s software, ensuring continuous and efficient Distribution Center operations.

The integration needed to facilitate the flow of orders, inventory transfers, physical allocation documents, and other critical processes.

Our team adopted a step-by-step approach to replace the legacy warehouse management system with a modern, scalable solution.

We began with a thorough assessment and planning phase, evaluating the existing system and identifying integration points with the logistics software vendor’s system.

The integration was performed by establishing seamless connectivity between the in-house inventory system, based on a custom JDA Open Database Merchandising System, and the external WMS. This ensured smooth data flow for orders, purchase orders, inventory transfers (ITs), and physical allocation documents (PADs). We facilitated ORDS communication with the AWS layer using JSON packets for various transactions, including purchase orders, receipts, returns, putaways, and data reconciliation.

Data handling capabilities were implemented by setting up data pipelines using AWS services such as S3, Lambda, and DynamoDB to export data to a Snowflake, enabling advanced analytics. Airflow was utilized for workflow management, while PL/SQL was employed for database interactions, including writing core packages, handling communication with external services, parsing, validating, and processing JSON data, and developing tools and utility packages.

To enhance warehouse operations, we developed services for critical functions like picking, packing, and returns. We also integrated with freight forwarders via custom APIs, streamlining logistics processes and reducing delivery times. Robust error reporting mechanisms were implemented to quickly identify and resolve issues, maintaining operational integrity.

Custom functionalities tailored to the client’s specific needs were delivered, such as order cancellation. These solutions utilized AWS SNS and SQS for reliable messaging and processing, providing greater flexibility and control over warehouse operations.

Our focus on continuous improvement involved employing continuous data analysis and feedback loops using Jenkins for CI/CD and Terraform for infrastructure as code (IaC).

Regular performance monitoring ensured the system remained adaptable and performed optimally.