Gartner defines transportation management systems (TMSs) as software that supports multimodal planning and execution of the physical transport of goods across the supply chain. It allows a shipper to manage varying levels of transportation complexity across multiple transport modes and geographic regions. TMS solutions are utilized by shippers of differing sizes, operational complexity, industries and geographic locations.
Gartner defines the warehouse labor optimization and management (WLOM) systems market as specialized software applications that use both qualitative and quantitative approaches and data-driven (often engineered) standards to track and manage labor in warehouse operations. These systems also enable the optimization of short-, medium-, or long-term warehouse labor demand, both overall and broken down by task, skill set, process area, and other relevant factors. Warehouse labor optimization and management (WLOM) systems have evolved from traditional warehouse labor management systems (LMS), also known as warehouse workforce management (WFM). They help align workforce capacity with the fluctuating operational demands of distribution centers (DCs) and fulfillment centers. These solutions apply labor standards and offer analysis of qualitative and quantitative performance data. Through these and other features, they address critical business problems such as labor understaffing or overstaffing, throughput and process inefficiencies, excessive overtime expenses, and the inability to measure and reward individual and team performance.
Gartner defines a warehouse management system (WMS) as a software application that helps manage and intelligently execute the operations of a warehouse, distribution center (DC) or fulfillment center (FC). WMS operations natively exploit mobile devices along with bar codes and potentially RFID or other scanning/sensing technologies, to form the transactional foundation of warehouse management. This enables efficiencies of directed work activity (optimization) and the delivery of accurate information in near real time. Core WMS capabilities address, among others, the needs to receive, put away, store, count and pick, pack and ship goods. Gartner also includes additional integrated functionality offered by WMS providers beyond core WMS. These extended WMS capabilities can include more advanced capabilities, such as managing labor or optimizing the locating of inventory within a facility.