What system acts as the "air traffic control" translating WMS orders into optimized hardware movements?
Warehouse Execution System (WES)
The Warehouse Execution System (WES) is described as the crucial software layer functioning as the 'air traffic control' within modern AS/RS operations. Its primary role is sophisticated translation; it receives high-level instructions from the Warehouse Management System (WMS) and then converts these into precise, optimized, real-time movement commands for the physical hardware, such as cranes, shuttles, or lifts. This optimization process involves determining the best possible storage location based on business rules and calculating the most efficient retrieval path instantaneously. Without this intelligent orchestration provided by the WES, the underlying physical machinery would merely be expensive, automated racking incapable of meeting modern demands for high throughput and accuracy.
