As a Supply Chain Manager, you are already familiar with or use a TMS or a WMS which are nowadays mandatory in all organisations to operate and optimise the Supply Chain of companies.
But do you know what PMS is? Or AMS?
AMS for Asset Management System or PMS forPallet Management System is equally important for managing your assets and reusable packaging. Excel is still too often used and finds its limits in collaborative mode while reusable Assets are used in all companies when we investigate carefuly.
Why do you need a Pallet Management Software?
A PMS is to pallets what ERP is to management. A PMS is a key component of any supply chain that handles reusable packaging such as pallets, boxes, reels, or any other Returnable Transport Packaging (RTP) …..
The use of a management system allows the tracking, tracing and management of assets used in logistics or production. In addition, their use facilitates visualization of the location of your packaging pool, which makes control simpler and more efficient.
- Digital simplifies the supply chain
Every industry, including the transport industry, needs warehousing (WMS), transport (TMS) and supply chain management systems to ensure that the supply chain can function smoothly and deliver the goods produced or stored to consumers on time and at minimum cost.
PMS meet the needs of companies to extend the digitalization of their logistics and supply process to the monitoring of their assets, including internal and external uses.
- Returnable Transport Packagings (RTP) or Asset Transport Packagings in strong development
Single-use packaging is losing ground because of its high cost in an environment where raw materials such as wood and plastic are on the rise. As a result, the use of reusable packaging is increasing sharply but needs to be controlled and managed in order not to lose any of them, especially as the deposit system cannot always be applied.
PMS will help to :
- optimise the rotation of packaging
- better plan stocks with production needs
- track all internal and external packaging movements.
- The Saas mode (Software as a service)
Thanks to the development of the internet, SaaS applications allow easy and simple access to manage packaging with monthly costs rather than investments.
PMS allow:
- either a single access to the owner of the packaging to simplify its follow-up
- or they can easily connect all the users of a company’s supply chain, whether they are internal or external.
For the supply chain, digitalisation is an essential step in helping logistics departments reach their highest potential.
Features and functions of a PMS
Depending on your needs and the type of packaging you own or want to manage, you will need to find the PMS that suits you best. Some can even interface with your ERP system.
There are several systems :
- Management system allowing only the exchange of Europe type pallets
- Management system for all types of packaging
- Packaging management and invoicing system allowing deposit or rental
PMS are built on the same principle as WMS or TMS. However, they are specialised in packaging management with the main functions:
- Reception, dispatch and delivery of packaging
- Exchange and feedback with stakeholders
- Customer/supplier/carrier stock management
- Follow-up and empowerment of users
- Management of Exchange Vouchers
- KPI’s, identification of losses
What is the impact of PMS on the efficiency of the Supply Chain?
As the use of a PMS allows better monitoring of packaging throughout the Supply Chain and empowerment of users that passive systems such as Excel do not allow, companies using PMS will find the return on investment by:
- Better use of Assets (Rotation): by knowing the stocks levels of each user, it is then easier to carry out actions to influence the rotation speed
- Easier monitoring (inventories, losses, etc.): as each stock is known, they are easier to inventory and manage, including losses
- Empowerment of the actors as each of them can be connected and become responsible for stocks and losses
- Low cost of use of TMS compared to the cost of developing own solutions
- More than a fad, a trend
Single-use packaging will be phased out in favour of reusable packaging where it exists or can be introduced. This is demonstrated by the new European packaging directive:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_7155
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-packaging-and-packaging-waste_en
“The latest amendment to the Directive contains updated measures to
- prevent the production of packaging waste, and
- promote the reuse, recycling and other forms of recovering of packaging waste, instead of its final disposal”
- The case of pallets
Pallets are a strategic part of the modern supply chain and pallet management software makes the supply chain more efficient and traceable.
If we look in detail at the pallets (universally used), many companies, transporters and users of pallets, do not have internal resources dedicated to the management and monitoring of pallet stocks. Companies have a static tracking and monitoring process. Operations are managed manually by employees who often perform multiple tasks to track stocks.
For manufacturers, the plug and play mode offered by PMS allows for the quick and easy implementation of this type of solution depending on the urgency of the implementation and the objective to adopt a pallet management system.
PMS is the missing link in supply chain execution software that goes beyond simple pallet accounting.
So it is up to you to choose your solution or to get help in your choice and in the implementation of your solution. Contact us
The different PMS solutions listed:
- Simple pallet exchange:
https://www.pallet4me.com/ Simple and efficient Saas software; cost: 399€/year
https://www.interpal.de/en Simple Saas software, quite complete; cost: from 270 to 800€/y
https://www.load-x.de/ German application for Epal pallet exchange cost per transaction
https://opalean.fr/ Saas pool asset management software cost per transaction
https://www.rtiblockchain.com/ Pool assets management software costs from 600 to 15000€/y
- Exchange or sales software:
https://magicpallet.com/ software for exchange or sale of pallets without management, cost/pallet
- Full SaaS software:
https://trackonline.com/ complete software for asset holders; costs from 2400 to 16000€/y
https://logsoft-software.com/packplan/ complete software for asset holders
- Blockchain solution:
https://ownest.io/ Software for sharing responsibilities cost not specified
- ERP extensions:
https://appsource.microsoft.com/ For Microsoft Dynamics
https://www.sapstore.com/solutions/59473/SAP-Returnable-Packaging-Management ForSAP
https://www.novacura.com/logistics/ ERP solution
- Other uses:
https://logsoft-software.com/logistics-service-providers/ Software for pallet recycler
https://logsoft-software.com/packcount/ Inventory and pallet counter application
https://flowlity.comstock control and supply management software
https://rtintel.com/ RFID tracking solution
- Other solutions out of Europe:
https://www.palletech.co/ (USA)
https://palletconnect.com/ Software for pallet recycling companies (Canada)
http://www.tds-group.co.jp/en/system/palet.html Pallet management with RFID tracking in Japan
https://corp.trackabout.com/ management traceability
https://precisepallets.com.au/pallet-management-software/ (only used in Australia)
