Warehouse Management Ony Mode, or simply Warehouse Only Mode (WOM), is a feature from Microsoft that allows you to run the advanced WMS capabilities from Dynamics Supply Chain Management without having to upgrade or replace your existing ERP system.

What are the use cases for Warehouse Only Mode?

Warehouse only mode allows you to define a legal entity in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management that’s sole purpose is to provide warehouse management processes. There are several scenarios where this can add significant value:

• Integrate with a third-party ERP

You can leverage the core warehouse management functionality that D365 Supply Chain Management provides regardless of your underlying ERP or order management system. You can rapidly deploy WMS processes without having to configure or maintain the remaining areas of SCM that you don’t need.

• Phased Implementation

Whilst there is no doubt that ERP implementations bring a lot of benefit, it’s also a big undertaking with lots of change management issues that need to be addressed. With warehouse only mode you can now undertake a phased implementation when deploying D365 Finance and Supply Chain (often still called Finance & Operations).

Consider implementing Supply Chain Management in the warehouse first, with simple integration to your current systems. This allows you to rapidly benefit from automation and streamlined processes in the warehouse before rolling out to other functional areas such as finance, procurement, order management.

• Shared Warehousing Services

You can use warehouse only mode to set up a legal entity that can manage warehouse management processes for other legal entities in Supply Chain Management. This allows WMS processes to be consolidated into a separate legal entity that then handles requests from multiple sales subsidiaries.

The warehouse management processes use an owner inventory dimension to track the ownership of inventory for items that are shared across source systems. This scenario is also ideal for companies that multiple ERP systems but want to provide unified warehousing across them.

How does Warehouse Only Mode work?

To facilitate warehouse only mode, Microsoft has introduced two lightweight source documents that represent inbound and outbound shipments.

These documents are designed exclusively for warehouse management and, in this scenario, replace the typical documents such as sales order, purchase orders and inventory transfers.

With just two source documents, integration with third party systems is quick and simple.

What WMS capability is available?

The warehouse management capability in D365 Supply Chain Management provides full WMS capabilities for even the most complex warehouse environments.

Some of the features include load planning, cross docking, replenishment, catch weight picking, packing stations, carrier integration, and the Warehouse Management mobile app.

What’s next?

The team at Focus Dynamics has been recognised by Microsoft as the first partner in the world to deploy warehouse management only mode in a production environment. Our expert team can help you to evaluate the fit and the benefits of WOM for your business. Contact us today.