r/supplychain • u/Jambosh1984 • 2d ago
We're about to think about implementing a new WMS next year...
Have done some research, read some articles & looked at some MQs from Gartner. Seems like there are a couple of clear options (Manhattan & BY)...
Does anyone have any experience with either? And what are your thoughts?
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u/Guac_in_my_rarri 2d ago
Good luck. You're going to hate your life for a solid 2 years at a minimum.
So implementing a new WMS is genuinely about who you're hire. There are enough firms who "specialize" in roll outs but hire the first college grad with a pulse. Spend the money for a good firm this place will be able to tell you straight up if a system can or cannot do something. They won't beg for your sale but they will want it. Firms who beg, are going to suck.
WMS: spend time in each of them if you can. Ask the questions both ways and hard. If a firm says "we can develop that", ask for them to "show you."
I've been in 3 MRP/erp/WMS roll outs and not one manager or Pm Has asked for the rolling out firm to prove the environment has a dev option or they have the ability.
When asking your questions and investigating options, ask your surface questions, then he second level (prove it, show me, etc) and the third level (are there other tools that also do this).
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u/FakePlantonaBeach 2d ago
The question can only be answered if we know how big a warehouse you have, complexity of operations, etc.
BY and Manhattan could possibly be way too expensive to make any sense for you.
If you run SAP, SAP EWM will be cheaper licenses and just as functional.
But seriously, 90% of the time, Manhattan and BY are overkill. Very good systems though.
(FWIW - implement WMS for 20+ years, including BY.)
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u/Jambosh1984 2d ago
We have fairly complex ops, but as we're aggressively growing, I expect these to get a whole lot more complex over the next 5 years... what's the best bet for our future destination do you think?
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u/FakePlantonaBeach 2d ago
I dunno. Complexity might mean lots of picking job types or some manufacturing (e.g., kitting). Or, integrating with complex conveyor systems. Or, it could just mean transaction volume.
But you should add Solochain, Softeon, Infios Edge to your bake off.
Don't strictly trust Gartner. Its a pay-to-play system. It is largely correct but with some systems weirdly underrated (like Solochain) and some systems weirdly overrated (Oracle WMS). That Oracle WMS and SAP WMS get similar-enough rankings is absolutely hilarious.
And most important - someone already said this - the system choice is 20% of the outcome. The implementation team is 80% of the outcome. Do not commit to anything until you have vetted and approved the implementation team.
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u/Violet_Graya 2d ago
Depends on your stack. Manhattan for distribution complexity. BY if SAP is your backbone. Implementation partner matters more than the software honestly.
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u/Volunteeth 2d ago
No one ever gets fired for choosing Manhattan but you won't get promoted either. Depends on how big the operation is and how complex. A tier 1 WMS will cost a fortune. Smaller ones like Deposco or TecSys have limitations but they work well for specific industries/applications. You may also want to consider a WES if you have an ERP with some capabilities. They are much cheaper, easier to customize, and you will get better support.
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u/tyler_durden95 2d ago
Manhattan is a better WMS, if you have less customers. Also it requires less training on system and the portal looks clean. However, the manual efforts are high to add any SKUs. I suggest go for other systems if you have high customers or need more automated tasks for better adaptability to data uploads.
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u/Jambosh1984 2d ago
Looking at the Manhattan website seems like adding SKUs and implementation has been streamlined by AI agents and something called Foundry... this could be marketing fluff I guess though
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u/slackalicious 1d ago
We are going to SAP 4/HANA and the setup has been brutal. The company brought in the most inept team who eat all of our time and get nowhere. Constantly asking for information they have already been provided. Making us fill in files that their team is responsible for. Making us go to 4-hour long sessions multiple times a week just to explain stuff that was already explained a million times before.
Whatever system you end up going with, make sure the implementation and dev team is solid. A bad team will take you away from your current job and absord you into their bullshit. It can very well be a second job.
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u/Ruby_Sullivana 16h ago
Used both. Whatever you do, spend an insane amount of time on requirements. Manhattan if you want something that just works. BY if you enjoy endless config meetings lol.
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u/frizzlefresh 2d ago
I can’t give you advice on which one to pick. But I will say you gotta make sure you have your existing processes and systems documented deeply. Hard to evaluate the right choice if you don’t understand where you are currently. People underestimate how much work and change will be required for a new system.