Focus on YMS
Bob Trebilcock -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/11/2004
Yard management systems (YMS) are the third leg of a three-legged stool of supply chain execution software systems.These systems track and manage the movement of trailers in the yard just like a warehouse management system (WMS) manages inventory and workers in a facility. In fact, with a YMS, a trailer becomes a warehouse on wheels. YMS systems also share some of the attributes of a transportation management system (TMS). They manage the flow of shipments into and out of a facility, scheduling appointments at the gate and the dock, much like a TMS scheduling the pickup and delivery of shipments.
For that reason, Adrian Gonzalez, director, logistics executive council, ARC Advisory Group, sees YMS as a bridge application that links together WMS and TMS systems that traditionally have acted independently of one another.
Until recently, YMS has been an add-on component used by a relatively small number of users with trailer pools. But now, the focus is on YMS because of changes in Hours of Service regulations, which went into effect in January limiting the number of hours a trucker can be on the road.
The reason, says Gonzalez, is that the new regulations are going to force shippers, carriers, and receivers to work much closer together to minimize the amount of time a trucker spends dropping off or picking up a load.
One strategy Gonzalez expects to expand will be the use of trailer pools, "where a driver can drop a loaded trailer and quickly find an empty one" to expedite turnaround times. But in order to make this work, Gonzalez says, "companies must have robust yard management systems and well-defined processes to efficiently manage a trailer pool."
Likewise, Gonzalez sees an opportunity for appointment scheduling around the receiving and shipping dock, typically a manual process today. "For companies that are looking for tighter integration between their TMS and WMS operations, appointment scheduling is the sweet spot," says Gonzalez. "It's the technology that ties them together because you don't want two trucks showing up for one dock at one time, and you don't want trailers to show up before the order has been picked by the WMS and is ready to be loaded and shipped."
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