Software
The Kiva warehouse automation solution is built upon a flexible
and configurable software foundation that exposes a standard set of
interfaces for integrating with enterprise systems. The software
functions as both a warehouse control system (WCS) to operate and
direct the Kiva gear and as an inventory and order processing
system for work inside the Kiva zone. By placing all the
intelligence of the solution into software, Kiva adjusts
dynamically to your ever-changing environment - both on a daily
operational basis and as your business and distribution strategies
transform over time. Because Kiva uses software as the central
repository for the logic of the system, the solution can adapt in
ways not available anywhere else in the material handling
industry.
Embed flexible business policy logic
In order for a distribution center to function efficiently,
business policies such as management of order exceptions, decisions
on when to expedite an order, special product handling, or even
management of value-add activities need to be disseminated and
followed throughout your processes. However, business policies tend
to change, and hard-coding policies in hardware solutions or
operational best practices documentation does not deliver the
flexibility required in today's dynamic work environment. With
Kiva, these business policies are embedded directly into the
software solution, so a modification of a business policy is a
simple change to an attribute, and the policy is automatically
implemented throughout your distribution center.
Adapt to changing daily environment
In a perfect world, plans made at 8AM will be executed
throughout the day without intervention. But, in reality, trucks
are late, inventory is missing, and some resources are unavailable.
Kiva software uses sophisticated decision algorithms to process
transactions on a just-in-time basis whenever possible. This means
the traditional approach of batching and waving work tasks is
virtually eliminated. Changes on-the-fly are not a problem for
Kiva. The solution adapts to changing operations environments and
automatically re-routes the orders for the late truck, delays
working on the orders with missing inventory, and allocates work
dynamically as resources become available while maintaining an
efficiently running distribution center. Kiva management
applications alert supervisors to exception conditions and allow
them to take appropriate actions such as shorting an order or
intervening to move up the priority of a sudden rush order if
necessary.
Dynamically refashion your distribution center to changing
business needs
Distribution centers, by definition, have to adapt to increases
and decreases in sales or modifications to inventory caused by
changing business needs. Kiva is designed with that flexibility
built into the software. Kiva provides on-going automatic inventory
re-slotting, allows for simple expansion to your distribution
center, manages both fast and slow moving products with ease,
supplies the ability to simply add in new products, and even
enables moving your entire distribution center with minimal
disruption.
Integrate with enterprise systems
Kiva is a total fulfillment solution that incorporates hardware
and software elements to perform replenishment, picking, and
shipping sortation within distribution centers. During
implementation, the Kiva software is integrated with the client's
enterprise systems, including: warehouse management systems (WMS),
order management systems (OMS), and enterprise resource planning
systems (ERP). Kiva has integrated with both commercial off-
the-shelf packages and several homegrown systems. Using a well
defined standard XML interface, Kiva can integrate with your
existing enterprise quickly and efficiently.