Your warehouse operations are suffering and you need a way to manage everything efficiently. But you can’t afford a brand new warehouse management system on top of the customizations you require. What do you do?

A WMS with open-source functionality may be the silver bullet you need. These (usually) free tools leave their code open and accessible so you can customize them as needed.

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Article Roadmap:

• Best WMS Open-Source Software
  • Odoo Inventory
  • Flectra
  • Dolibarr
  • myWMS
  • OpenBoxes
• Benefits
• Next Steps

This article will give you insight into the types of functionality open-source solutions offer.

Best WMS Open-Source Software

Here are some of the best open-source warehouse management software to enhance your warehousing operations.

Odoo Inventory

Odoo Inventory is an open-source module that offers seamless integration with third-party logistics and external applications such as scanners and RFIDs. Its stocking method helps businesses improve and control internal operations. Users can create product routes and automate product transfers between warehouses and delivery centers.

Boost your contact database using corporate data. Source

Top Benefits

• Strengthen Storage Management: Track inventory levels to manage storage capacity. Optimize storage utilization by placing the right product in the right warehouse. It helps control the storage management process by keeping maximum products within the warehouse.
• Increase Productivity: Procurement employees can access information on the go without waiting for data or permission. Users can edit and modify orders within the warehouse. It allows users to register inventory documents, records, interactions and other important information.
• Boost Customer Relationship: Stock shelves with products to meet customer demand. Know when to stock, where to get the stock and have multiple suppliers handy for each item. It also provides efficient delivery by guiding the shipping method and delivery process.
• Improve Forecast Accuracy: Provide real-time visualization of financial data and sales trends. Information such as the enterprise’s performance, financial position and current situation supports planning.

Key Features

• Inventory Adjustment: Adjust and change product quantity using filtering options such as product amount, on-hand quantity, and lot and serial number. This option allows users to manage inventory-related operations while making adjustments to the system.
• Drop Shipping: Create and manage products to sell directly to the customer without physically stocking them in the warehouse. It generates a request for quote (RFQ) upon customer confirmation.
• Barcode Scanning: Use barcodes to scan, add and track products. Search existing products using barcodes or internal repository references. Avoid human errors while managing large quantities of products by scanning through them.
• Lot and Serial Number Management: Create unique identification numbers for individual products using serial numbers. Group products using lot management support to transact bulk quantities. This process helps businesses track products and generate reports.
• Replenishment: Control and regulate inventory movement with strategies such as reordering rules and make-to-order (MTO) routes. Reordering rules maintain minimum stock levels while make-to-order creates a draft upon order confirmation.

Limitations

• Lacks centralized documentation.

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Flectra

Flectra’s cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software helps businesses manage finances, revenue and invoices, and generate reports. It facilitates procurement processes by integrating product availability and real-time supplier prices. Some of the key features include material, warehouse, project, order and inventory management.

Integrate, collaborate, edit and move documents in real time. Source

Top Benefits

• Minimize Costs: Its end-to-end ERP implementation reduces the need to use separate software for each department. It eliminates recurring license, update and training costs.
• Boost Security: Define user roles and permissions to ensure they only have access to the data and functionality that they need. This feature helps prevent unauthorized access and reduces the risk of data breaches. It supports data encryption and two-factor authentication as an additional layer of security.
• Improve User Interaction: Select modules and customize interfaces to access different features. The interface provides clear and simple labels. It supports multiple platforms to connect and access information from any device.
• Increase Visibility: Provide real-time inventory visibility and produce reports and information for every key functionality. Automate processes such as internal transfers, deliveries and PoS orders for seamless management.
• Try for Free: Use a 15-day free trial and demo session for web-browser users.

Primary Features

• Sales and Accounting Management: Automate routine tasks and manage data entry and money management activities. Create and generate draft invoices, incorporate payment terms and set up automated follow-ups. Forecasts expenses by automating regular supplier payments.
• Inventory Management: Track and manage inventory levels using order analytics. Manage inventories across multiple locations by supporting inventory transfers to different stores, outlets and warehouses for restocking.
• Order Management: Manage order cycles, from sales and order creation to the product delivery process. Track order statuses such as confirmed, invoiced and canceled.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Manage leads and track progress through the sales funnel. Create and assign leads, track their status, and analyze conversion rates. It manages sales opportunities, creating and tracking opportunities via the sales cycle.
• Multi-country Support: Support operations across different countries and regions. Manage business requirements such as compliance, operations and finances in different countries. Provide seamless transactions in different currencies and allow businesses to configure tax rules and rates, making it easy to comply with local tax regulations.

Limitations

• Doesn’t provide live customer support.
• Only a browser-based demo version is available.

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Dolibarr

Dolibarr is an all-in-one cloud-based system for small, mid-size and large businesses. Users can consult quotes, orders, invoices and delivery notes under a single platform. Some key features include finance and billing, stock and human relationship management (HRM).

Organize and manage stock across warehouses. Source

Top Benefits

• Reduce Costs: Eliminate the need for multiple systems to manage business and reduce overall software costs. Store and manage data from different departments and processes via a centralized data management system. Reduce unnecessary costs by providing real-time reporting to identify improvement opportunities and take measurable actions.
• Enhance Performance: Automatically send email notifications when a task is due or overdue to improve efficiency. Send email notifications for new leads, requests or issues.
• Boost Security: Protect sensitive data from unauthorized access via two-step authentication or one-time passwords (OTP). Regular software updates ensure that the system is up-to-date.
• Improve Operations: Manage logistics and location-based services via seamless integration with Google Maps. Import and export data from multiple sources to improve data accuracy.

Primary Features

• Warehouse and Stock Management: Manage and track stock movement, and stock transfers using product references, serial numbers and dates. Record stock movement details manually or automatically. Users can create and assign warehouses and stock limits.
• Shipping Management: Create shipment orders and define delivery dates for each one. Create picking sheets by calculating item weight and volume using predefined product data.
• Purchase and Supply Management: Manage purchase orders, including order processing, invoicing and payment processing. Supply stock warehouses based on optimal quantities to streamline procurement processes.
• CRM and Sales: Manage and track sales activities like lead generation, status, prospects and sales revenue. Automate marketing campaigns (email marketing, lead generation and customer segmentation) to attract and retain customers.

Limitations

• Doesn’t provide native mobile applications on iOS platforms.
• Can’t set up new documents in PDF formats.
• SQL structure is available in French and European. Translating to English is challenging.

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myWMS

myWMS is a cloud-based solution designed to manage warehouse operations, including inventory management, order fulfillment and shipping. It offers simple customization and an accessible user interface that supports barcode scanners. Supported technologies include JBoss, JEE6, SOAP, iReport, Netbeans RCP and Wildfly.

Dashboard view demonstrating unit loads and general functionalities. Source

Top Benefits

• Enhance Visibility: Scan pick and pack, receiving, shipping and put away via barcode scanners. Provide real-time inventory data for users to stay informed about production planning and delivery.
• Maximize Accuracy: Eliminate the need for manual data entry and reduce errors in label printing. ERP-integrated systems allow users to automate repetitive manual tasks.
• Minimize Costs: Reduce operating costs by optimizing warehouse space use, reducing labor costs and minimizing inventory waste. Barcode scanners generate labels to minimize costs associated with administrative tasks and resource allocation.

Primary Features

• Master Data Management: Store master data according to the functional areas, zones and location clusters. Master data includes key elements like item data, units, bills of materials, and European Article Number (EAN) or Universal Product Code (UPC).
• Inbound Process: Support multiple goods receipt processes and sub-processes like storing mobile, rough and detailed goods receipt and finishing of goods receipt.
• Outbound Process: Support goods picking, packing, shipping and tracking. It loads the data for the user to read it automatically using an integrated ERP system interface. Users can access data such as item name, lot, order positions, picking unit load status, client name, shipping position and more.
• Inventory Data Management: Provide inventory visibility and information that includes location assignment, unit loads, item amount and stock unit. Information such as packing type, label ID and client name help users define unit loads.

Limitations

• Doesn’t support mobile applications.
• Doesn’t support MAC OS for self-hosting.

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OpenBoxes

OpenBoxes offers flexible tools to manage inventory and warehouse operations. Its flexible implementation options, intuitive user interface and simple workflows allow users to control and track inventory movements. It follows the FEFO (first-expiry-first-out) strategy to ensure organizations use products before their expiry date.

Dashboard featuring the expiration report. Source

Top Benefits

• Increase Visibility: View stock visibility and track inventory levels in real time. Provide accurate stock counts to avoid stockouts and overstocking. Manage inventory from a centralized location to ensure all inventory data is up-to-date and accurate.
• Facilitate Deployment: Support cloud-based and on-premise deployment. It provides simultaneous user capabilities and doesn’t require a license. Users can manage multiple stock locations.
• Boost Tracking: Record and track goods movement between multiple locations. Integrate barcode scanners and RFID receivers to keep track of inventory. Automate tracking processes, such as receiving and shipping, to monitor inventory movements.
• Improve Forecast Accuracy: Track historical sales data and inventory to identify trends, patterns, shortages and excess stock levels. Predict accurate sales forecasts by analyzing relevant metrics.

Primary Features

• Electronic Stock Card: Each product gets an electronic stock card to track, store data, and share accurate and updated information when required. Track incoming and outgoing stock, and item details such as suppliers, manufacturers, expiration dates, lot numbers and more.
• Inventory Management and Tracking: Track and manage bin locations, lot and serial number, damage and loss. Use historical inventory data to export suggested cycle counts for each location.
• Stock Movement: Functionalities such as monthly replenishment and FEFO algorithms allow users to manage stock movement from supplier to depot and consumption location. Use workflows to view inventory and stock movement.
• Dashboard and Reporting: Visualize indicators like inventory, bin location and expiration stock summary, product tags and recent activities. Provide information for stakeholders to make informed business decisions.
• Stock List Management: Create and organize item lists according to category and description. Automate stock requests by assigning items to a stock list based on location.

Limitations

• Doesn’t provide cloud hosting under the free pricing plan.
• Doesn’t provide self-hosted hosting plans.
• Doesn’t offer monitoring, upgrades and auto-backup functionalities under the free pricing plan.

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Primary Benefits

An open-source WMS is flexible compared to other proprietary systems since they’re customizable and easy to implement.

They offer seamless integration with other open-source software like transportation management systems (TMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) to create a comprehensive solution.

Implementing open-source WMS software comes with several advantages, including:

• Reduce Costs: Eliminate additional IT services by providing in-house installation and maintenance support. Avoid additional costs associated with buying multiple proprietary software by integrating with multiple systems. It reduces the risk of vendor lock-in by providing complete control over the data and software.
• Improve Productivity: Increases efficiency by automating order fulfillment, inventory management and more. Use real-time insights like order status, inventory levels and tracking information to improve decision-making.
• Boost Operations: Streamline processes by providing multiple customization options as required. Easy integration with more than one application improves team collaboration within the warehouse. Mobile compatibility allows workers to access information on-the-go and perform tasks efficiently.
• Increase Transparency: Use real-time data to track inventory status. Since it’s open-source software, multiple developers or users can access, modify and update it to improve performance.

It provides an open application programming interface (API) to integrate and share information with other systems and increase overall supply chain visibility.

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Next Steps

Investing in a WMS with open-source support encourages third-party integration with ERPs, CRMs and other applications. These open-source WMSs provide full flexibility to customize processes as per your requirements.

Are you still looking to select the best open-source WMS? Take a look at our free comparison report for a headstart.

What problems are you looking to solve with an open-source WMS? Let us know in the comments.