<s>
Warehouse	B-Application
execution	I-Application
systems	I-Application
(	O
WES	O
)	O
are	O
computerized	O
systems	O
used	O
in	O
warehouses	O
and	O
distribution	O
centers	O
to	O
manage	O
and	O
orchestrate	O
the	O
physical	O
flow	O
of	O
products	O
from	O
receiving	O
through	O
shipping	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WES	O
is	O
an	O
intermediate	O
step	O
between	O
an	O
enterprise	O
resource	O
planning	O
(	O
ERP	O
)	O
system	O
or	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
system	I-Device
WMS	O
and	O
the	O
resources	O
necessary	O
to	O
perform	O
the	O
various	O
warehouse	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
resources	O
include	O
workers	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
process	O
control	O
systems	O
used	O
for	O
warehouse	O
automation	O
,	O
often	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
warehouse	B-Application
control	I-Application
systems	I-Application
or	O
WCS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WES	O
emerged	O
as	O
a	O
hybrid	O
system	O
that	O
combined	O
specific	O
WMS	O
functionality	O
for	O
picking	O
and	O
other	O
material	O
movement	O
processes	O
with	O
warehouse	B-Application
control	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
WCS	O
)	O
functionality	O
for	O
automated	O
warehouses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WES	O
can	O
be	O
deployed	O
to	O
encompass	O
warehouse	O
management	O
functionality	O
,	O
warehouse	B-Application
control	I-Application
system	I-Application
functionality	O
,	O
material	O
handling	O
equipment	O
(	O
MHE	O
)	O
control	O
,	O
business	B-General_Concept
intelligence	I-General_Concept
and	O
integration	O
with	O
host	O
ERP	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
benefit	O
of	O
leveraging	O
the	O
visibility	O
of	O
lower	O
level	O
data	O
across	O
a	O
broad	O
range	O
of	O
warehouse	O
functionality	O
is	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
provide	O
unprecedented	O
automated	O
business	B-General_Concept
intelligence	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
WES	O
 '	O
access	O
to	O
and	O
collection	O
of	O
data	O
from	O
various	O
warehouse	O
points	O
can	O
be	O
utilized	O
to	O
provide	O
not	O
only	O
advanced	O
reporting	O
and	O
live	O
dashboard	O
functionality	O
but	O
business	B-General_Concept
intelligence	I-General_Concept
tools	O
such	O
as	O
predictive	O
analysis	O
,	O
prescriptive	O
analysis	O
,	O
and	O
issue	O
detection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
WES	O
can	O
feed	O
data	O
into	O
its	O
business	B-General_Concept
intelligence	I-General_Concept
engine	O
to	O
be	O
mined	O
in	O
near	O
real-time	O
so	O
that	O
DC	O
operations	O
can	O
move	O
beyond	O
just	O
being	O
agile	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
changing	O
conditions	O
,	O
to	O
being	O
proactive	O
in	O
making	O
adjustments	O
before	O
conditions	O
change	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	O
new	O
term	O
being	O
used	O
by	O
material	O
handling	O
software	O
providers	O
,	O
integrators	O
,	O
and	O
pretty	O
much	O
anyone	O
associated	O
with	O
the	O
warehousing	O
industry	O
is	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Execution	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
WES	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
a	O
March	O
article	O
in	O
DC	O
Velocity	O
,	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Execution	I-Application
Systems	I-Application
can	O
replace	O
both	O
the	O
WMS	O
and	O
WCS	O
by	O
maintaining	O
warehouse	O
inventory	O
records	O
and	O
driving	O
the	O
mechanization	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
What	O
's	O
important	O
to	O
remember	O
when	O
exploring	O
options	O
for	O
a	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Execution	I-Application
System	I-Application
is	O
that	O
the	O
functionality	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
functionality	O
that	O
has	O
always	O
been	O
offered	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
control	O
of	O
these	O
complex	O
and	O
sometimes	O
intricate	O
functions	O
is	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
equipment	O
supplier	O
that	O
control	O
software	O
is	O
often	O
called	O
warehouse	B-Application
control	I-Application
system	I-Application
or	O
WCS	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
a	O
manufacturing	B-Application
execution	I-Application
system	I-Application
(	O
MES	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
line	O
between	O
higher	O
level	O
and	O
lower	O
level	O
control	O
is	O
blurred	O
and	O
not	O
well	O
defined	O
,	O
so	O
it	O
is	O
with	O
a	O
WES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
operations	O
this	O
functionality	O
is	O
provided	O
by	O
programmable	B-Architecture
logic	I-Architecture
controller	I-Architecture
often	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
PLC	O
logic	O
.	O
</s>
