Oracle upgrades warehouse management software for e-commerce users

Business software giant Oracle Corp. said today it has launched a series of improvements to its cloud-based warehouse management system (WMS) software to help e-commerce providers reduce their logistics costs, fine-tune inventory levels, and improve customer service.

Redwood Shores, Calif.-based Oracle says the enhancements to its Warehouse Management Cloud include heightened supply chain visibility through embedded yard management tools, a tighter integration with Oracle's inventory management suite, and a series of application programming interfaces (APIs) that will support connections with other software platforms.

Adding yard management capabilities to its WMS product will allow users to have clearer insight into the trailers in their yard, avoiding visibility gaps that can lead to fulfillment delays, according to Oracle. The feature could also let companies locate specific shipments in trailers in order to expedite unloading for high priority inventory, the company said.

"Today's e-commerce driven economy has changed customer expectations for fulfillment, and delays or inconsistencies can significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty," Diego Pantoja-Navajas, Oracle's vice president for WMS Product Development, said in a statement.

The announcement was Oracle's latest move to invest in the WMS software it acquired when the company bought LogFire Inc. in 2016 in an effort to expand its expertise in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software into a wider spectrum of logistics technology. Oracle also upgraded the WMS platform in 2017 with enhancements it said could help businesses handle challenging omnichannel fulfillment issues.

"Oracle is moving its WMS Cloud more and more in line with the rest of its SCM Cloud offering," Clint Reiser, an analyst with consultancy ARC Advisory Group, said in an email. "Regarding yard management, adding it to the solution is filling a pretty substantial functionality gap."