A development of the warehouse management system selection framework as academic-industrial collaboration work with sustainability considerations

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to enhance and deepen the research work on the topic area of third-party logistics (3PL) and warehouse management system (WMS) selection framework. This work is the next step of evolution in the authors’ previous research in this topic area, using the conducted systematic literature review (SLR) results as a research method. The previous literature-based work is now widened in its scope by applying area experts’ evaluation into the literature-based findings with the award-winning Finnish 3PL operators’ experts. This research work utilizes the secondary data gathered from the SLR study, while the primary data is given as validation from the 3PL provider evaluation experience and its input view into the developed framework. Thus, a mixed approach with both qualitative and quantitative research methods was in use. This paper resulted in gaining profound understanding of the selection of WMS by 3PL for its customer. With new data and analysis, the framework has been developed to its newest form, including additions and changes from the 3PL experience and practicalities, novel findings of the research, possible practical knowledge gap about WMS and their sustainability-related aspects on the 3PL warehousing context. After discussions, workshops, model benchmarking and collaborative development efforts with the 3PL experts, the new enhanced framework includes 4 modules (customer’s warehouse characteristics for WMS, WMS categories, WMS technical criteria, WMS sensitive deployment issues). By giving this framework parameters for the practical importance validation for 3PL expert, the study has found out that that customer’s warehouse characteristics played the vital role for deciding upon WMS selection, while WMS business issues and technical issues has also gained lots of attention as well as the choice of WMS category. Additionally, as further research directions. it is suggested to continue the research further with more practitioners’ insights, expand the research scope towards different industries, more deeply evaluate WMS capabilities and functionalities. Plus, especially, it is suggested to focus on sustainability-related issues, as it seems neither the literature nor practitioners currently did not consider these within WMS context.