CINCINNATI, OH — Matthews Automation’s Austin Santich, Director of Systems Engineering, was interviewed by Modern Materials Handling’s senior editor, Roberto Michel, for the magazine’s July article exploring how warehouse execution system (WES) software coordinates and optimizes warehouse automation.
Distribution and fulfillment centers are adding more automation like automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), robotics, and conveyor and sortation systems. As such, the need for warehouse execution systems (WES) has grown to integrate, coordinate and orchestrate these sub-systems for optimal performance.
Sitting between warehouse management systems (WMS) and warehouse control systems (WCS), the WES layer releases and manages batches and waves of orders to balance work and prevent bottlenecks.
“You can think of WES as the central hub of information for a warehouse. WES is constantly getting data flowing up from controls, coming in from the subsystems it interfaces to, as well as information coming down from WMS. We use that data and information to create a balance across the building and a continuous flow of product. The goal is to always have work in front of resources and operators, but never overrun an area with too much work.”
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