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Summary – Swiss companies with 50–200 employees seek real-time, multi-site inventory visibility and efficient supply management while maintaining data control, interoperability and LPD/GDPR compliance. The specifications must cover receiving, quality control, picking and shipping; rely on a granular data model (SKUs, locations, lots, FEFO/FIFO); include a secure API-first design; and incorporate forecasting and dashboard modules to anticipate demand, eliminate stockouts and reduce operational costs. Solution: adopt a custom open-source hybrid architecture governed by SLAs, a reversibility clause and an operations runbook to ensure flexibility, scalability and independence.
Implementing an ERP focused on inventory management and a Warehouse Management System requires a precise requirements specification that covers all logistics processes, provides real-time visibility, and efficiently controls replenishment. For Swiss companies with 50 to 200 employees or more, the challenge is to retain data sovereignty while ensuring interoperability and reversibility. A well-constructed specification blends proven open source building blocks with bespoke development to address multi-site operations, lot management, FEFO/FIFO or cross-docking. The objective is to improve turnover, service levels and operational costs without creating excessive dependence on a single vendor.
Defining the Functional Scope and Data Model
The specification must cover all key processes: goods receipt, quality control, picking and shipping. The data model must accurately reflect operational reality to guarantee traceability and flexibility.
Operational Scope and Priorities
The scope begins with goods receipt, including quality checks and automatic location movements. Put-away rules must account for zones, product characteristics (hazardous, temperature-sensitive) and defined priorities. The picking module should support waves, zoning and batch or serial-number management to optimize operator routes.
Internal replenishments, cycle counts and returns are natively integrated. Each process generates alerts or tasks in an RF operator interface to ensure reliability, reduce errors and accelerate operations. Packing and shipping include ASN generation and GS1/EAN-128 label printing compliant with logistics standards.
Integration with Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Master Production Scheduling (MPS) feeds net requirements to purchasing and suppliers, taking lead times, economic order quantities and the production master plan into account. This link optimizes days-of-coverage and safety stock levels.
Structuring the Data Model
Each SKU is defined with its variants (size, color, configuration) and storage and sales units. Locations are structured by warehouse, zone and rack, enabling granular positioning and precise reporting on occupancy and turnover.
Lot and serial-number management, including best-before/best-use dates, as well as FEFO/FIFO rules, are configurable to comply with regulatory or business requirements. Kits and bill of materials (BOM) are supported for assembly or packaged-order operations.
Substitution mechanisms and expiration-date postponement enrich the model. Unit conversions are handled automatically via validated mapping tables, minimizing errors and ensuring data consistency across ERP, WMS and reporting.
Case Study: Swiss Industrial Project
A technical components manufacturer deployed a detailed specification covering multi-site operations and serialized lots. By precisely defining storage zones and FEFO rules, critical stockouts of sensitive components dropped by 18%. This example demonstrates that a robust data model is the foundation for continuous flow optimization.
Interoperability, Security and Compliance of Data Flows
An API-first approach and industrial standards ensure architectural flexibility and reversibility. Compliance with the Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (nLPD 2023) and the GDPR, combined with auditable traceability, secures data handling.
API Connectivity and Field Equipment
The REST or GraphQL APIs, supported by webhooks, enable real-time exchange with financial systems, the PIM and B2B/B2C e-commerce platforms. Periodic exports in CSV, JSON or Parquet feed data warehouses and BI tools.
RF scanners connect via standard connectors, ensuring a response time under 300 ms for picking and receipt transactions. TMS integrations automate transport order creation and ASN uploads to carriers.
Utilizing GS1/EAN-128 and printing labels that comply with international directives guarantees traceability throughout the supply chain and facilitates collaboration with third-party partners.
Compliance and Auditable Traceability
The Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (nLPD 2023) and the GDPR mandate encryption in transit and at rest, as well as fine-grained role-based access control. Every inventory and flow action is timestamped and recorded in an immutable audit log.
Segregation of Dev, Test and Prod environments, paired with an automated non-regression test plan, ensures data integrity and continuous availability. Backup and restore procedures are documented in an operational runbook.
Access governance follows the principle of least privilege. Regular penetration tests and security reviews ensure adherence to best practices and prompt adaptation to emerging threats.
Case Study: Swiss Distributor
A technical equipment distributor integrated an open source WMS with an API-first architecture to its financial ERP. This approach reduced stock synchronization time from two hours to a few seconds while ensuring full traceability for regulatory audits.
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Demand Forecasting, Control and Performance
Demand planning and stock policy definition enable control of net requirements. Dedicated dashboards provide a real-time view of key performance indicators.
Demand Planning and Stock Policies
Forecasting algorithms consider seasonality, past promotions and market trends. They feed the MPS and MRP modules to calculate net requirements for components or finished goods.
Min/max stock thresholds and days-of-coverage settings are configurable by item family. Proactive alerts flag items at risk of stockout (OOS) or those tying up excess capital.
What-if scenario simulations aid decision-making before a promotional campaign or pricing policy change. Adjusted forecasts can be exported to the purchasing module to automatically launch RFQs with suppliers.
Dashboards and Business Alerts
Key metrics—such as turnover rate, days of stock, service level and carrying cost—are displayed on interactive dashboards. Logistics managers can instantly spot deviations and trends requiring action.
Webhooks trigger notifications in collaboration tools (messaging, Kanban boards) when thresholds are exceeded or critical anomalies occur. Periodic reports are automatically generated for steering committees.
Site- or zone-level granularity isolates bottlenecks and optimizes local resources. A comparison mode facilitates performance analysis between similar periods or peer sites.
Case Study: Swiss Omnichannel Retailer
An omnichannel retailer implemented a forecasting module integrated with its open source WMS. By refining min/max policies per customer segment, stockouts during peak seasons fell by 12% while dead stock decreased by 8%, optimizing overall TCO.
Technology Strategy, Reversibility and Change Management
A hybrid open source and custom architecture ensures flexibility, scalability and anti-vendor lock-in. Contracts must include reversibility clauses, SLAs and operational documentation.
Build vs Buy: Open Source and Custom Development
Open source components (WMS, planning, ETL) lower licensing costs and offer a supportive community. They suit standard processes and receive regular updates.
Custom development targets specific business rules: cross-dock workflows, prioritization algorithms or ergonomic operator interfaces. These enhancements complete the building blocks to meet each client’s unique needs.
This hybrid approach leverages proven solutions while preserving full freedom of evolution, free from dependence on a single vendor or imposed update cycles.
Ensuring Reversibility and Contractual Governance
Contracts must clearly define data and code ownership, include a no-cost export clause to standard formats (CSV, JSON, Parquet) and provide a detailed operational runbook.
SLAs set availability targets, mean time to recovery (MTTR) and potential penalties. Integration documentation covers APIs, webhooks and data recovery scenarios.
This contractual rigor ensures the company retains control over its system and can change providers or solutions if needed, without data loss or technical lock-in.
ERP Inventory & Warehouse Management System Specification: Toward Agile, Controlled Logistics
A comprehensive specification brings together a precise functional scope, a robust data model, API-first integrations, security and compliance guarantees, and a forecasting and control strategy. Combining open source components with custom adjustments meets the specific needs of each Swiss company without creating excessive vendor lock-in.
Contractual reversibility, performance indicators and a change management plan ensure rapid adoption and skill development. Open, modular architectures protect ROI and facilitate evolution alongside business needs.
Our experts are ready to co-develop a requirements specification tailored to your challenges, advise on the optimal build vs buy mix, and support your teams through migration and training.
