On Wednesday December 2nd, 2009 the CMHDS began presenting a new type of event – “Logistics For Breakfast”. Each event will feature breakfast and an introduction and presentation by an industry expert. After the presentation the floor will be opened to questions and discussions by attendees.
For our first event we welcomed Michael Docherty of i to i logistics (www.itoilogistics.com) as he presented “Warehouse Management Systems – The Key To Effective Supply Chain Management“. Whether you were looking to implement a new WMS, upgrade an old one or just want to increase your knowledge and meet with like minded professionals this meeting held something for everyone!
The Speaker
Michael Docherty was born in Glasgow, Scotland and educated at the University of Glasgow (B.Sc.). He is a past Executive Member of the Canadian Supply Chain & Logistics Association (SCL) and is a member of CMHDS and the Institute of Transport & Logistics (UK). After running warehouses and distribution centres in the U.K. for Exel Logistics and Watney’s Breweries, he moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1987 where he worked with Nissan Canada Inc. managing their part distribution facility before opening his own consulting business in 1990. In 1997 he joined H.A. Simons as Director of Logistics Planning. In 2000, he formed a partnership with St. Jude Resources to create a new consulting company: i to i logistics Inc (www.itoilogistics.com).
His list of consulting clients include: Sears Roebuck, Thrifty Foods, TransAlta, London Drugs, Canadian Airlines/Air Canada, Cominco, Andersen Windows, Government of Canada, BC Hydro, BC Gas, Wesco Distribution, Brewers Distributors Ltd., Molson Breweries, The Province of BC, Petro-Canada, Annacis Auto Terminals and the Liquor Distribution Branch of BC.
In 2004, i to i logistics opened a 3PL Order Fulfillment centre focused on Pick and Pack services using an in-house designed Warehouse Management System called IBIS which delivers 99.95% accurate reporting and fulfillment rates to client companies. The company has just opened its second facility in Markham Ontario.
Michael is a past Travelling Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and has been the guest speaker at seminars held by, amongst others; The Council of Logistics Management (USA), The University of British Columbia MBA Program, BCIT, the GIS Symposium and numerous SCL meetings and conferences.
The Topic
A Warehouse Management System, or WMS, is a key part of the supply chain and primarily aims to control the movement and storage of materials within a warehouse and process the associated transactions, including shipping, receiving, putaway and picking. The systems also direct and optimize stock putaway based on real-time information about the status of bin utilization.
Warehouse management systems often utilize Auto ID Data Capture (AIDC) technology, such as barcode scanners, mobile computers, wireless LANs and potentially Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to efficiently monitor the flow of products. Once data has been collected, there is either a batch synchronization with, or a real-time wireless transmission to a central database. The database can then provide useful reports about the status of goods in the warehouse.