Technological aspects of the development of Russian WMS systems by the beginning of 2025

Technological trends

External factors for the industry influence the development of technologies in the interests of business efficiency.

Due to the fact that personnel problems were clearly manifested in 2024, technological trends are also emerging more clearly aimed at increasing labor productivity, increasing the efficiency of warehouse processes and operations, and organizing digital interaction in related parts of the supply chain.

According to Alexander Usov, General Director of ANT Technologies, the reengineering of current warehouse operations and the use of methods to increase labor productivity by improving the settings of the warehouse management program partly contributes to compensation for the lack of workers. A large number of requests are made for the implementation of the multipicking process, in which the selection is carried out in waves sorted into 18-36 orders. Such settings allow you to achieve performance on the assembly of the warehouse mezzanine order at the level of 280-300 lines per hour.

This is close to the speed of the conveyor, but multiply cheaper and does not require significant investments, the expert emphasized.

The use of multimedia capabilities when performing warehouse operations (for example, photofixing the facts of scrap, loading, unloading from the shipping documentation) eliminates the need to suspend the warehouse operation until the arrival of an authorized person, establish continuity of the process and increase the reliability, level of service and quality of interaction with customers, reduce the volume and cost of claim work.

Digital platforms for the interaction of the warehouse and transport links of the supply chain benefit both warehouse and transport. Modern systems for managing temporary slots for loading or unloading vehicles allow not only to balance the load on warehouse resources, to remove overhead and uneven load, but also to eliminate the concept of "live queues" and downtime, transport reducing transport costs and costs.

ANT Technologies specialists believe that in the future the development of machine vision and AI will be interesting. The range of warehouse tasks where these tools can be used is quite wide, starting with accounting and control of Fair Sign brands when packing products in a warehouse, and ending with control functions during loading operations or when controlling the movement of vehicles in the yard of the enterprise. The development of these technologies can reduce the investment threshold for their application.

In the context of a shortage of personnel in warehouses, business is increasingly looking towards robotization, choosing automated solutions that could take on fully or partially the functions previously performed by employees, said Dmitry Rybakov, CEO of Consid. He noted that an additional direction is to build its own technological ecosystem to speed up data exchange processes. This applies to both the internal environment and interaction with external partners and their systems.

Automated warehouse projects cost tens and hundreds of millions of rubles, so customers' priority remains automation and optimization of processes with fast payback, which they used to look at through their fingers, shared Konstantin Gladkov, General Director of Toplog. According to the expert, today there is an increase in requests for miscalculation of WMS integration with technologies such as shuttles, sorting solutions with AGV, and other automated devices are popular, including mobile robots. There is also interest in the topic of simulation modeling. The use of generative AI in analytical tools is being discussed, but this process is still at the level of discussion and is not a real business need.

On the contrary, Vladimir Lykov, commercial director of EME, believes that the use of AI has turned from a fashionable toy into a real competitive advantage. WMS systems have gained new forecasting capabilities for warehouse load and production with a relatively short planning horizon, which are not available in the previous process stack. In 2024, digital twins to estimate the effect of the proposed changes already allow the least costly hypothesis testing, and In-memory calculations multiply the speed.

Artem Dolgikh, Director of Business Development at AXELOT, pointed to the global trend towards the transition to microservices and composite architectures. In terms of logistics, this means switching to specialized software for subject areas (TMS, WMS, YMS, special software for solving optimization problems). In the context of automation of financial and economic activities of the enterprise, we are talking about the fact that ERPs from a heavy giant responsible for all areas of activity are gradually re-qualified into software intended for management accounting. In this case, the operational level is given to independent components. The expert expressed confidence that this trend does not just affect the decomposition of supply chain management and the development of a separate set of components.

The development of components should be carried out in compliance with platform principles: we all must live in a single conceptual space, equally evaluate the decomposition of business processes, prevent duplication and different interpretations of data, and continue to interact with each other online. Moreover, this is such a proactive online process, when a business process from one component can start the process in another component in push mode and vice versa, the expert shared his experience.

AXELOT specialists distinguish four main trends in world practice: the development of specialized solutions for each specific area, rich parameterization that corresponds to a particular world standard, advanced integration capabilities with different services and equipment that make it easy to integrate the product into any IT landscape, the complexity of the approach when the tools for managing the entire supply chain are in one multi-component integrated solution "out of the box."

The most promising areas that vendors take into account are modern technological stacks, artificial intelligence, automation of CI/CD processes, as well as the formation of a modern UI - a simple and friendly interface, - Anna Korchminskaya, managing partner, member of the Board of Directors of KORUS Consulting Group, commented on the development of advanced IT products of the WMS class.

Direction of robotization

The high demand for robotization is one of the most noticeable trends in warehouse logistics in 2024, dictated primarily by the shortage of personnel. When hiring new employees and maintaining a staff cost the company too much, there is a natural desire to cut costs by using loader robots instead of manpower. However, in practice, the business is faced with a large number of restraining factors, said Ilya Rubinchik, Deputy General Director of SOLVO for Automation WMS. According to the expert, robots usually successfully cope with the transportation and loading of light goods, for example, medicines or clothing, but the transportation of liquids in heavy containers is no longer within their power.

Long-on-the-market stacker robots operate very slowly and are used predominantly for bulky loads. Some robots can interact with only one type of cargo - for example, only with pallets, and there can be infinitely many such restrictions, the expert commented.

He believes that the possibility of using robots is influenced by the preparation of the warehouse: the quality of the floors and the evenness of the installation of racks, integration with other equipment for warehouse logistics and WMS for full-fledged work. In other words, robots are difficult to integrate into the existing business infrastructure. In this regard, the need for robotization gave rise to a separate direction in the development of the system integration and consulting market.

Konstantin Gladkov believes that the issues of technical and technological readiness for robotization are becoming more and more relevant. The number of elderly people in Russia will increase to 25% by 2030. Special support measures, primarily industrial robots, have been formed and are a priority for the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This will definitely affect logistics, the expert is sure.

Also actively, we see in exhibitions, robotic technologies developed or localized in China enter the Russian market, which makes the implementation of projects more accessible in terms of cost and timing of implementation, "he said.

Since 2019, Toplog has been working with high-density storage systems, automated sorting lines and semi-automatic shuttles. In the future, the company's specialists expect a wider use of AGV, Pick-to-light systems, automatic palletizers and other solutions.

The most successful signs of the future robotization of part of the operations in the warehouse can be called the use of drones to carry out inventory in the warehouse, Alexander Usov believes.

This is not easy, requires preparation from the warehouse, but gives a very good result, - said the expert.

The WMS system still remains the market leader in terms of managing the logic of goods handling in warehouses, unless we talk about fully closed robotic systems operating completely under the control of their own logic and which are still being tested for compliance with warehouse logistics requirements in separate tasks. This was pointed out by Dmitry Rybakov.

Many companies are puzzled by the consideration of technologies in two areas: the rapid movement of goods inside a warehouse facility and the movement of goods over significant distances if we are talking about objects with large areas, the expert said.

In the second case, he said, companies could be helped by conveyor lines and sorters. The issue of high-rise storage is acute, provided that you work with piece products and goods stored in packages.

{{quote 'In 2024, we expect an even greater interest in robotic systems and the development of automated solutions in logistics and warehouse technology, - Vladimir Lykov shared. }}

Interest in robotization in the WMS market is high, confirmed Andrey Ermolin, project manager at Yarus WMS. The specialist is confident that the direction will actively develop, and Yarus WMS plans to make its first project with robots in 2025.

Successful projects for the implementation of WMS systems in conjunction with RMS (Robotics Management Systems) systems, which allow the introduction of robotic logistics systems into warehouse processes, are already in place, "said Tatyana Kanaeva, head of business automation at IT company SimbirSoft.

According to the specialist, most WMS developers are now finalizing and introducing functions into their systems that allow you to configure the interaction of the system with robotic technology.

It was the robotization of processes that was in first place in 2024, she said. - You can see how large software suppliers focus on integration with robotic technology control systems when selling their products.

According to Tatyana Kanaeva, RMS systems being developed for "simple" integration with WMS are also in a state of active growth. Today, RMS allows you to cover a small part of warehouse operations, but over time there will be much more operations. It is possible that in the future warehouses, in principle, will not use human labor.

The trend for robotization is an excellent check of warehouse management systems vendors for the correctness of the architectures embedded in their products, says Artem Dolgikh. We are talking about the methods and principles of interaction with equipment. In addition, the trend "checks" the functionality of systems for readiness for both point and complex robotization - when the warehouse is managed by literally two or three employees.

The expert recalled that AXELOT has experience in integrating robotic technologies, which turned out to be in demand in a difficult situation of reorienting the market to supplies from the Asian region. The company has its own WCS boxed solution for controlling complex process equipment. At the same time, the offers of partners from China in most respects exceed the equipment and technologies of suppliers from Europe and the USA.

In the near future, we plan to share with our colleagues our experience in resuscitating a fully automatic warehouse, which has been disconnected from the ability to use software originally delivered with robots. Our engineers, programmers and architects are taking part in several projects for reverse engineering and the transfer of robotic platforms under the control of our software solutions, "he commented.

"Item to Person"

There is another technological trend related to robotization. The goods-to-person (GTP) concept, or "item to person," assumes that the goods in the warehouse are automatically delivered to the employee who is assembling the order, instead of the employee moving around the warehouse in search of the necessary items. This is achieved with autonomous robots or conveyor systems that move pallets, boxes or individual goods to workstations. This approach minimizes the time to move employees, increases the speed of processing orders and reduces the likelihood of errors. A well-known example of the practical implementation of this idea is the Amazon Robotics project, where robots move racks with goods to order collectors.

Recently, my colleagues and I went to China to exchange experience, and were on excursions in a completely new state warehouse, where this concept was implemented, "said Ilya Rubinchik. - The warehouse is designed taking into account the requirements for the room: concrete floors and passages are provided in which equipment can freely move, and the issue of laying networks and ensuring communication throughout the warehouse is resolved at the construction stage.

According to the expert, the transition to the "product to person" model is in demand in high-speed industries: in e-commerce, pharmaceuticals and retail, where a large number of orders require quick processing.

"Swarm Intelligence"

According to the press service of the Higher School of Economics, based on an analysis of more than 21 thousand English-speaking sources for 2020-2024. using the iFORA system, employees of the Institute for Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge (ISIEZ) of the Higher School of Economics managed to highlight the trend for "swarm intelligence." This is a special type of AI algorithms, which is also used in warehouses to control large fleets of autonomous robots that need to interact with each other in real time.

Robots working in the swarm system are able to collectively solve problems related to logistics and assembly, without the need for centralized management. Swarm intelligence increases failure resistance, as robots can quickly reconfigure in the event of a failure of one of them. The experience of Indian enterprises using Unbox Robotics swarm robots in warehouse operations and logistics has shown that the efficiency of the process of sorting goods can grow by 50-70%, thanks to the optimization of routes taking into account the movements of other robots.

Warehouse Logistics Equipment East Reversal

WMS offers integrations with various types of equipment that are used in warehouse processes: from printers to conveyor scales, shipping documentation and industrial scanners. Equipment development affects WMS development. To date, almost all experts note the key role of warehouse equipment manufacturers from China and South Korea.

It can be stated that the reorientation of the equipment market primarily to suppliers from China led to a general decrease in the cost of projects and, accordingly, reduced the threshold for entering the automation of the warehouse, "says Artem Dolgikh.

Konstantin Gladkov believes that there is an active expansion of Chinese equipment on the market. According to him, difficulties with replacing the departed brands were at the beginning of 2023, especially in the segments of wireless networks and equipment for auto ID. It was about replacing individual solutions, such as terminals for installation on loaders, which caused certain difficulties. According to the expert, today the market has stabilized: new suppliers have proposed alternative solutions that are often not inferior, and sometimes surpass their predecessors.

Alexander Usov believes that industrial equipment from manufacturers from China, South Korea as a whole can be used to automate certain operations in warehouses, but they need to be finalized, because earlier the market was focused on European devices. Although new solutions solve their main task, they nevertheless require more resources when starting and debugging.

New solutions that have come to the forced replacement of mature and proven ones are still facing growth problems, the expert shared. - Yes, in the end it all starts, but requires multiple more efforts from the integrator.

As Tatyana Kanaeva said, with the advent of integrations with new types of equipment, the need for functionality that this equipment is designed to implement is also growing. This mutual influence allows you to improve technologies in terms of processes and software that these processes satisfy.

The smooth transition to Russian and Asian counterparts has been carried out by companies since 2018, players from China and South Korea are widely represented in Russia. This opinion was expressed by Dmitry Rybakov.

In general, they pulled the entire market over themselves, and there is no shortage of equipment, the expert believes.

Some difficulties, he said, remain with Wi-Fi equipment, and there is a little less choice, but there are already decent players who can offer a reliable solution. In addition, so far no one has canceled parallel imports.

According to Vladimir Lykov, the "turn to the East" is consolidated every year, manufacturers from China have replaced European brands. In 2024, the requirements for the quality of equipment have become noticeably higher, and today warehouse equipment supplied from Russia and China not only meets world standards, but in many respects enters the leading positions.

Andrei Ermolin signaled an increase in prices for the entire range of equipment, that the assortment cannot be called 100% replaced. According to him, part of the products cannot be found, in particular, suppliers do not carry shipping documentation to work in freezers, and parallel imports do not give the same level of service.

Implementation difficulties

The introduction of warehouse management systems is always inextricably linked with the integration of a whole range of technological solutions within the framework of one project. This is the operating system, the database, and the stack on which the mobile application is built. It is also important how a Wi-Fi connection is organized, how to organize backups, and how to access the Internet. The method of data exchange is important, and the choice of the provider of the integration solution is a very important moment.

In the absence of domestic systems, many warehouse logistics service providers have deployed self-described warehouse metering systems in their warehouses. In some cases, such systems had shortcomings in the general processes of warehouse operations and did not even have regulations, Tatyana Kanaeva said.

According to her, before implementing software products, it is often necessary to study technological processes within companies, as well as make adjustments in accordance with generally accepted operations processes. The warehouse workers' lack of understanding of warehouse operations often leads to poor maintenance of data within the database, and bringing the original data into the correct form for their transfer to new WMSs becomes another task for integrators. The warehouse itself and warehouse equipment, but also warehouse personnel, must be prepared for work in the new WMS. Due to these difficulties, the cost of implementing such projects is also growing.

Dmitry Rybakov from difficulties called the need to switch to other platforms and DBMS, integration with robotic solutions, support for Western solutions.

Vladimir Lykov noted the lack of local and cloud server capacity, an increase in energy load. In 2024, companies are paying more attention to cybersecurity by introducing high-tech solutions to protect information and prevent cyber attacks, requirements for information security are growing, and the use of safer communication channels, especially wireless, is required.

When implementing complex projects, EME specialists are faced with a lack of a trained team from the customer, methodological and process errors, a lack of planning in the company, a lack of understanding of automation technology, and the lack of involvement of top management.

Andrei Ermolin, in addition to difficulties with equipment, cited the likelihood of further strengthening of sanctions as a reason that could lead to an increase in the cost of development when working with Open Source.

Artem Dolgikh pointed out the fact that at this stage the greatest difficulties are associated with the emergence of new types of robotic equipment, with which suppliers have new software interfaces and new software that provides management and control.

He also mentioned changes related to the revision of strategies in determining the level of insurance stocks. Overall supply uncertainty has risen and this has seen the vast majority of customers shift to a surplus inventory strategy to offset supply disruptions or currency spikes. Including this approach allows you to compensate for the local problems of banks through which payments pass. In turn, the increase in the size of insurance stocks leads to a complication of warehouse management both by a simple quantitative increase in the size of stocks and by an increase in the number of batches stored simultaneously at the facility.

In addition, the reorientation to an internal manufacturer led to a serious complication of the logistics of production enterprises. The requirements for WMS systems that automate processes, for example, in agricultural holdings or mechanical engineering, have become more complicated: more optimization algorithms are needed, the implementer must have certain industry experience, it is necessary to organize processes for new distribution channels.

Inhouse development of WMS

The practice of inhouse development of WMS solutions has existed for a long time, and is not something innovative. These are software warehouse solutions that initially grew together with the business, said Konstantin Gladkov. In his professional opinion, the high degree of customization inherent in such systems is not always a strategic advantage and requires significant resources.

We recommend that customers begin the development of WMS with prepared basic positions, as was the case with the implementation of TopLog WMS in the warehouses of responsible storage of Business Lines, the expert said.

Artem Dolgikh confirmed that the closure by companies of the need to manage a warehouse of IT products of their own design is not uncommon. There are such cases in almost every industry, and in general they do not even depend on the size of the business. Nevertheless, in the overwhelming majority of cases, this is a dead end branch of the development of the IT landscape, the expert said.

The key problem of inhouse systems is due to the fact that even the most modern solutions practically do not develop in the future. With all the desire, grocery retailers are not vendors specializing in automating supply chain management. And it is not uncommon for the composition of the departments responsible for product development to change.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, the history of in-house decisions ends with a situation where there is literally no one to support and develop the product, the expert summed up.

According to Andrei Yermolin, in-house development is always difficult and expensive. From grocery retail, the expert called the cases "VkusVill," "Magnit."

Dmitry Rybakov shared his observation: top market players use third-party solutions with their own competence center and develop, support them independently. As an example, the expert cited ETM, the leader in the electrical engineering market. In retail, examples of X5 companies, Leroy Merlin, which develop their own products, contain a large staff of IT specialists, are relevant. Smaller players use integrators to implement software and technical support.

Inhouse solutions in the field of WMS first look like economically justified in large holdings, and in practice more and more companies come to the use of professional solutions, Vladimir Lykov shared. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is the speed of achieving the desired result.

The analysis shows that the internal development of WMS solutions takes several times more time without guaranteeing the result, or the result does not meet the expectations of management, the expert summed up.

Working with customers

Working with the customer is an integral part of the process of developing circulation products, shared Artem Dolgikh. Product development roadmaps are formed both from the needs of project teams (which, having passed through project tasks, bring client cases to the development and development department) and directly through communication with logistics directors, warehouse managers, analysts and IT managers.

The classic cascade approach remains the most proven and debugged implementation technology, WMS which includes a detailed study of the terms of reference, system configuration, personnel training and step-by-step implementation, told. Konstantin Gladkov However, in some projects, especially when rapid changes are required, a Agile simplified documentation approach and more flexible interaction are possible.

Since the WMS system has a number of nuances, vendors have to communicate extremely closely with customers even on dedicated standard acceptance or shipment processes, not to mention inventory, robot management or delivery, Tatyana Kanaeva noted. In this regard, in most cases, customers resort to technical support from vendors, rather than creating technical support departments within the company.

As a result of close cooperation, everyone wins: customers receive systems that really solve their problems, and vendors - a competitive advantage due to products that are ideally adapted to the needs of specific enterprises and the market as a whole, - says Anna Korchminskaya.

According to her, modern WMS systems should be not just universal, but adaptive, capable of taking into account the peculiarities of logistics in different industries. And close interaction with customers today is becoming a key success factor for WMS vendors. The best IT products are created precisely in the process of working closely with customers, when developers not only offer standard solutions, but take into account the specifics of the business, real market needs and can anticipate user requests.

Some companies have revised strategies, risks and changed the approaches to interaction "supplier WMS - Customer," Dmitry Rybakov shared. Due to the lack of experienced developers, consultants and the need to adapt solutions to new challenges (technological, including those related to integration with robotic systems), vendors and customers have to interact more closely. If earlier the customer tried to solve problems on his own, today, due to the dynamics of processes (the deadlines for the implementation of projects are being compressed, and the speed of changes is growing), risks and current challenges, projects become possible only through joint efforts.

Technological features of customer systems

Konstantin Gladkov spoke about the technological features in customer systems that relate to the combination of traditional warehouse processes with elements of robotization, multi-level integration (WCS, ERP, etc.) and customization for unique processes.

For example, in the Russian Post fulfillment warehouses, integration with the WCS warehouse control system, the RPS order routing system is implemented. The system settings plan to move the goods from the conveyor lines (450 meters long) to different areas of the warehouse, depending on the weight and size characteristics of the products, storage conditions, commodity proximity and other factors.

At the distribution centers of the AKFA group of companies in Uzbekistan, it was necessary to combine the work of WMS with four different corporate systems.

Automation of the RC network of a large Russian food distributor included detailed configuration of data exchange and close work of WMS with ERP, TMS, YMS, voice selection system, weighing equipment, state marking systems.

According to the expert, warehouse processes are becoming more complicated, and WMS partially take over the functions of other systems. Customers are increasingly eager to integrate WMS with production processes. So, in the warehouse of a large distributor of exotic fruits, berries and vegetables, TopLog WMS manages commodity movement, taking into account the quality properties of the product: penetration, BRIX degree and others. Depending on the maturity of the product and the customer's wishes for quality, the system sends the goods to the ripening chamber or to the filling line.

Dmitry Rybakov believes that today most systems have similar functionality and differ only in details in processes, building a solution architecture, and performance. According to the expert, this is due to the fact that the main WMS players have known each other for a long time, and sometimes started a previously joint business, the warehouse logistics market is more or less formed, and it presents a large number of companies offering solutions for every taste.

Therefore, it cannot be said that now customers are offering some innovations in the construction of technological solutions, the expert summed up.

According to Vladimir Lykov, when implementing projects in different industries, the challenges are very different: production features, various inconsistencies in measurement systems (from pieces and pallets to linear meters and liters), shelf life, labeling and EGAIS. The number of ERP systems used is in the tens. Each case is very different, and requires a technological solution when implementing WMS.

Alexander Usov shared the nuances in the case of Kerama Marazzi. Despite the fact that the standard weight and overall characteristics (length, width, height and average weight of the product unit) were calculated for the entire nomenclature, in fact, at the output of the production line, the weight of the product could differ from the planned one with the same linear dimensions. This is possible due to the use of different batches of raw materials, which may have deviations in properties. At the exit of production, pallets are formed with goods of one item according to standard palletization types, but pallets of products of different batches of the same product can have different pallet weights. This caused overloads when loading products into railway cars, which threatened with penalties. To eliminate such risks, the company's management decided to weigh all products produced at its own production facilities. They decided to organize the process in parallel in two ways: "manual" and automatic weighing.

To implement the task of automatic weighing, production lines were converted: sections of driving rollers were partially equipped with built-in weighing equipment. Each production line had a in-line scanner. Sections of rollers with scales were mounted immediately behind the scanners, opposite the applicators, which print pallets passports.

The pallet on rollers moves to the exit from the production line. When the SSCC of the passing pallet is read and recognized, a weighing request is sent to the weighing equipment. As soon as the pallet has fully entered the roller section with the scales and the weight has stabilized, the controller sends a message to the WMS about the actual weight of the pallet.

Both options for measuring the weight of finished products are controlled by WMS LVS, therefore, if the pallet has already been weighed at the exit from the production line on a roller table, then during loading the system no longer sends the loader driver to the platform scales. If a pallet that has not been automatically weighed is shipped, the system issues a control task for weighing before shipment.

Alexey Statenin shared the case of the implementation of the WMS-system project for a large company with equipped storage facilities with an area of ​ ​ more than 2.5 thousand m ². The original system implemented by the client was self-written. Moreover, it implemented both warehouse accounting and the main accounting of the organization, which led to various problems in terms of accounting for products and its movement in the warehouse. The developers divided these two types of accounting and left the main types (management, accounting and operational accounting) in the same system, and transferred the warehouse to WMS - both systems based on "1C." At the same time, it was important to organize a seamless and high-quality translation of the entire organization.

This experience made it possible to determine various points of interaction between systems and build optimal integration, the expert summed up.

Highest Effort Application Areas

Ilya Rubinchik spoke about the landmark event for SOLVO - the release of its own line of tablets, which were developed taking into account many years of experience in operating a variety of equipment. Tablets can work both independently and integrate into technology. There is a mode of operation outdoors, in subzero temperatures, and integration with Solvo.WMS is available out of the box. In addition, in 2024, the company has made significant progress in developing a set of integration gateways - connectors to all common systems on the market, such as ERP or MES, and for most customers this set of APIs will be enough to include EMS in the IT landscape.

Dmitry Rybakov stressed that for Consid, 2024 was the year of business stabilization: the company successfully completed large-scale projects launched in 2022 and in 2024 was engaged in improving the processes of round-the-clock technical support for a large number of warehouses, which became an interesting challenge that specialists successfully cope with. In parallel, several projects are underway with leading companies in the dairy industry regarding the implementation of warehouse management systems and production management systems. As part of the transition to an import-substituted technology stack, the company has allocated a large amount of resources to translate Consid.WMS to Linux.

Шаблон:Quote 'This is a fairly ambitious project that will give us the opportunity to further develop and expand the client pool, the expert is sure.

Vladimir Lykov listed the most memorable events in 2024: the completion of the development of a new version of the fifth generation EME.WMS 6.0 with AI and ChatWMS, integration with Postgre, the opening of an EME representative office in the Far East. Among the iconic cases, EME specialists note their own international project - the automation of a number of supply depots of the largest energy holding carried out by the company. In addition to robots, drones, cyberdog and even RFID were first used here - a radio frequency identification technology that, it would seem, is not applicable in open warehouses to find the necessary equipment.

Andrey Ermolin mentioned the release of the next release of the Android mobile client with new functions (for example, a camera is now available in the swipe menu). Konstantin Gladkov said that TopLog specialists are focused on refining and improving key WMS/YMS/QC products, special attention is paid to functionality, taking into account market demands, speed and reliability, and solving current customer problems.

AXELOT, the leader of the TAdviser industry rating, has become the leader in the number of implementations of transport and cargo management systems for all time. According to Artem Dolgikh, the number of employees of the company has almost reached 400 people, and the AXELOT Academy boasts the success of initiatives related to the transformation of approaches to higher education. The company's software products are included in the educational process of more than 20 higher educational institutions (the total number of company partners is approaching fifty): every year more than 2,000 graduates of logistics specialties in the Russian Federation immediately after graduation have knowledge and skills in the most popular software products for automating logistics processes.

It seems to me that this is a significant signal for the industry - thanks to the AXELOT Academy, our customers can be sure that when choosing us as partners, they will not face a shortage of personnel, the expert said.