A study to evaluate the performance of WMS implemented by Al Madinah Logistics Company

Abstract

Al Madinah Logistics is one of the largest third-party logistics services providers in Oman and the gulf region. In a bid to improve efficiency and service delivery, the firm has invested in a state-of-the-art Warehouse Management System. Several years since procurement and operationalization of the system, no study has been undertaken to study its efficiency. The current study was thus executed to assess the efficiency of the system from an employee perspective. The study was undertaken through questionnaires that asked the employees to rate the warehouse management system employed by the company on eight different dimensions. The system was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest score on any given dimension.

The results did indicate an efficient system, by a majority of the dimensions assessed. This included the system providing an expansive storage system, power consumption, documentation, visibility, and forecasts. However, the WMS was found to be lacking in physical location tracking of the goods as well as expiry and stock outages controls and forecasts. The respondents were also of the view that the system needs updates and modifications and less support for a whole new system being acquired.

Consequently, the management of the firm needs to devote more resources to boosting the tools and capabilities of the WMS to address the identified weak areas. Employee twining may also be necessary to maximize the efficiency of these systems.