<s>
A	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
system	I-Device
(	O
WMS	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
policies	O
and	O
processes	O
intended	O
to	O
organise	O
the	O
work	O
of	O
a	O
warehouse	O
or	O
distribution	O
centre	O
,	O
and	O
ensure	O
that	O
such	O
a	O
facility	O
can	O
operate	O
efficiently	O
and	O
meet	O
its	O
objectives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
core	O
function	O
of	O
a	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
system	I-Device
is	O
to	O
record	O
the	O
arrival	O
and	O
departure	O
of	O
inventory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
complex	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
systems	I-Device
tend	O
to	O
include	O
specialised	O
features	O
designed	O
for	O
specific	O
industries	O
or	O
types	O
of	O
facility	O
,	O
while	O
legacy	O
enterprise	O
software	O
vendors	O
aim	O
to	O
offer	O
as	O
many	O
of	O
these	O
features	O
as	O
possible	O
in	O
a	O
‘	O
one-size-fits-all	O
’	O
solution	O
,	O
which	O
may	O
be	O
available	O
as	O
modules	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
this	O
level	O
,	O
the	O
duties	O
of	O
the	O
WMS	O
may	O
begin	O
to	O
overlap	O
with	O
or	O
supersede	O
those	O
of	O
a	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Control	I-Application
System	I-Application
or	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Execution	I-Application
System	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
may	O
control	O
or	O
obtain	O
feedback	O
from	O
automation	B-Application
or	O
IoT	B-Device
devices	I-Device
,	O
in	O
facilities	O
that	O
have	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
many	O
types	O
of	O
enterprise	O
software	O
,	O
this	O
provision	O
model	O
is	O
gradually	O
being	O
replaced	O
by	O
hosted	B-Architecture
subscription	I-Architecture
services	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
systems	I-Device
,	O
its	O
foundational	O
feature	O
is	O
tracking	O
stock	O
levels	O
of	O
different	O
materials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
terms	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Control	I-Application
and	O
Warehouse	B-Application
Execution	I-Application
systems	I-Application
are	O
sometimes	O
used	O
interchangeably	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
with	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
systems	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
automation	B-Application
equipment	O
has	O
grown	O
more	O
sophisticated	O
,	O
it	O
has	O
been	O
employed	O
in	O
more	O
complex	O
facilities	O
,	O
giving	O
rise	O
to	O
WES	O
nomenclature	O
for	O
systems	O
that	O
integrate	O
advanced	O
controls	O
and	O
WMS	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
researchers	O
and	O
analysts	O
have	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
receiving	O
operations	O
,	O
which	O
account	O
for	O
about	O
17%	O
of	O
warehouse	O
operating	O
costs	O
,	O
are	O
a	O
particular	O
area	O
where	O
contemporary	O
warehouse	B-Device
management	I-Device
systems	I-Device
tend	O
to	O
fall	O
short	O
,	O
particularly	O
insofar	O
as	O
pre-scheduling	O
and	O
communications	O
with	O
external	O
carriers	O
,	O
customers	O
and	O
suppliers	O
represents	O
a	O
bottleneck	O
.	O
</s>
