HighJump rolls out WCS as linchpin in the connected warehouse

Supply chain technology vendor HighJump Software Inc. has rolled out a warehouse control system (WCS) integrated with its warehouse management system (WMS) software to help users tap the capabilities of the connected and automated DC, the firm said Monday.

The new platform provides a single point of communication among material handling equipment (MHE), WCS, and WMS applications for users that need to deploy automation technologies—such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)—while gaining real-time visibility to enhance their complex workflows, HighJump says.

The WCS product will act as a "lunchbox application" mediating between new tools such as technology and robots and constraints like labor shortages, HighJump's vice president of professional services, Jackson Bilbrey, said in an interview at the CSCMP Edge conference in Nashville on Tuesday. By capturing internet of things (IoT) data, the system can produce insights that involve and improve warehouse operations, Bilbrey said.

In turn, that capability could help users handle pressing challenges like expanding e-commerce volumes, shorter delivery windows, and enhanced consumer expectations, the firm said.

The product leverages Minneapolis-based HighJump's relationship with its parent company Körber AG, the German logistics technology provider that acquired HighJump in 2017. Launching a standalone WCS is HighJump's latest step in extending its software to allow users to handle the rapid growth of warehouse automation. The firm had also launched a WMS software module for warehouse automation in March, saying that "Automation Aware WMS module" meshed the abilities of its WMS product family with aspects of the WCS platform from Inconso, another software vendor owned by Körber.

According to HighJump, the new WCS now complements other capabilities like HighJump's acquisition of Voiteq and Cirrus Logistics for voice-directed warehousing and advanced facility optimization. Together, those capabilities can help supply chain managers capture benefits of the automation-aware workflow, such as reduced cost and maximized throughput, HighJump CTO Sean Elliott said in a statement.