What a TWMS is and how it can help you run your business

If you’re familiar with logistics and the world of transportation in business, you may have heard the terms ‘TMS’ and ‘WMS’ thrown around. If you haven’t heard these terms before, a TMS is a ‘Transportation Management Solution’, and a WMS is a ‘Warehouse Management Solution.’ What you likely haven’t heard of is a TWMS, or a ‘Transportation and Warehouse Management Solution’, and that’s probably because we invented it. Why? There are plenty of benefits to combining the functionalities of a TMS and a WMS in the same platform but perhaps the most notable pain point resolved is the issue of how a TMS and WMS communicate with each other.  

To get a better idea of the benefits of using an integrated solution, let’s break down what a TMS does, what a TMS does, and what combining them involves.

What a TMS does:

A TMS is focused on the transportation aspect of a business. There are plenty of companies out there that have their own TMS offering, all with varying capabilities. Some of the most basic functions included in a TMS are the ability to rate shop, or compare rates with different carriers in one place, and the ability to print shipping labels. The role of a TMS is to enable businesses to take charge of their transportation process, whether they’re shipping toothbrushes or tires. A good TMS will provide actionable data through visibility into carrier performance and rates and will also allow for custom business rules. A TMS is a must for any business shipping more than a few orders a day.

What a WMS does:

Let’s dive into what a WMS is now. WMS solutions are utilized to efficiently run a warehouse and are essential for mid-to-large-sized businesses that operate any sort of warehouse. Typical features of a WMS are the ability to view inventory levels for specific products in a given warehouse, as well as the ability to guide warehouse workers through the entire pick and pack process from when an order is received to when it is tendered to a carrier. A good WMS is an invaluable time saver for businesses and provides visibility into warehouse operations.

Why you should use an integrated software:

By this point, you may have guessed the logical connection between a TMS and a WMS: transportation management and warehouse management are inextricably linked for any business that ships products. However, building an integration between the different software platforms generally requires IT resources that many companies don’t have available. How do you resolve the pain point of connecting software with an integration? Enter ShipCaddie TWMS, a fully integrated transportation and warehouse management solution. While there is still some implementation required when using ShipCaddie, the amount of time saved is far superior to connecting a disparate TMS and WMS. Leave a comment or reach out to us if you have any questions regarding ShipCaddie’s capabilities, and check out the most recent episode of the ‘Tee Up: Logistics Insights’ podcast where Shaun Rothwell, CEO and Founder of iDrive Logistics and ShipCaddie, breaks down where we’ve been and where we’re going!