“I think companies have been caught by having 50 disparate systems that don't talk to one another,” said Susan Rider, consultant of Rider & Associates. “I think you are seeing a reinvention of the WMS software company. They're no longer focusing on just WMS; they are becoming much broader, with visibility, shipping, track and trace, labor management tools, etc.”
Chris Barnes, partner of MercerBarnes Associates, a supply chain counseling firm, agreed that vendors are trying to become more of a one-stop shop, either through software development or through acquisitions. For example, some vendors are getting involved in voice technology, which has been a separate application in the past. He says that users are asking: What else am I going to get besides a WMS? Do they have a labor system, parcel shipping, in-line scales, etc.? “I see that as a big driver, especially if you are planning to replace your WMS,” said Barnes. As software companies develop these additional capabilities, he predicted “a lot of people will be buying those systems.”