xTrack YMS – The YMS system created by Axes Software

The supply chain has several main components such as warehousing, transport and, in the broadest sense of the term, production. The digital management of the logistics infrastructure on which the smooth functioning of this ‘economic food chain’ is based requires an increasingly precise specialization of applications for each set of operations specific to each component. Logistics is undergoing continuous development and transformation, and initially less explored “spaces” have become starting points for the creation of new software solutions.  As a result, the intermediate space between transport and warehousing has finally been given the attention it deserves, and the management of yard activities is now the subject of a software solution known as YMS (Yard Management System).

Axes Software (that’s us) develops and provides software solutions for the management of supply chain logistics activities and, as it was only natural, has planned on and succeeded in creating its own YMS application as part of the project “Innovative platform for artificial intelligence management of work processes in factories and warehouses“ (code 129490), co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Competitiveness Operational Programme 2014-2020.

What is YMS (Yard Management System)?

The warehouse yard is the buffer zone between the street (transport) and the actual warehouse space (storage) and vice versa, and the role of coordinating logistical activities here is not something to be neglected.

Warehouse yard activities come before or, as the case may be, after warehouse logistics activities and, although at first sight they do not appear to play a major role in the grand scheme of the logistics universe, they have an immediate and obvious effect on the efficiency of warehousing and transport. That is why managing them and optimizing work processes through a YMS (Yard Management System) is more than necessary.

Yard management is the process of directing and monitoring vehicles entering, stopping at loading (or unloading) docks and leaving a warehouse yard. Efficient yard management is the sequencing of activities and the balancing of incoming and outgoing goods in the yard so that there are no gaps in the unloading and loading processes that could have a negative impact on the whole logistics chain.

YMS (Yard Management System) is a software solution that automates traffic control, schedules transport vehicles at docks and coordinates loading and unloading activities in the yard.

What logistics activities are covered by the YMS system created by Axes Software

The digitization of data flows related to logistics activities in the yard of distribution centers or larger warehouses helps to eliminate bottlenecks that cause delays in receiving and delivery processes, which can be avoided from the start.

During the development of the xTrack YMS software solution, the Axes Software team identified automatable logistics activities, ultimately creating a complex and flexible software product designed to manage workflows in areas adjacent to warehouses.

YMS system for scheduling

Scheduling in xTrack YMS refers to the scheduling of transport vehicles at docks for unloading or loading. This is done automatically, based on a few main parameters:

• the work schedule of the warehouse staff,
• the technical characteristics of the transport vehicle used (dimensions, tonnage, etc.),
• the characteristics of the goods to be loaded or unloaded (refrigerated or not, dangerous substances, etc.),
• the availability and type of docks at the warehouse, and
• average time required to complete loading or unloading.

The resulting schedules avoid the “overlapping” of unloading or loading activities for two or more vehicles at the same dock at the same time.

If the same vehicle delivers some goods and leaves with others, scheduling is done first for unloading, then for loading. In addition, unforeseen situations (a vehicle arrives either late at the warehouse, or before the scheduled time, or arrives at the last minute or not at all) can be quickly processed and resolved by automatically adjusting the schedule according to the new conditions.

Traffic management in the warehouse yard

In addition to setting or recalibrating the schedule when unplanned events occur that cause the initial unloading or loading times to be missed or delayed, the xTrack YMS application can also be used to direct the movement of trucks from the entrance to the exit of the yard.

Vehicle access to the yard and then to the docks is conditional upon scheduling and requires an in-app check by registration number. This prevents unauthorized vehicles or vehicles whose arrival has not been announced in advance from being checked in.  If, after entering the yard, it is necessary to temporarily park trucks in specially designated parking spaces, drivers are also informed via xTrack YMS where they should stop while waiting for a dock to be released. Check-out is also recorded in the application, as each driver “declares” it on exit. Depending on external events that may occur (e.g. cancellation of a trip), the waiting vehicles can be rescheduled according to the loading or unloading priority.

This ensures that traffic flows smoothly without unnecessary congestion in the confined perimeter around warehouses or distribution centers, and that those managing yard activities know at all times where each truck is: outside the yard, at the entrance, at the dock, in the car park or at the exit.

Furthermore, the route followed by each vehicle, with all related data (registration number, name of transport company and driver, time of entry and departure from the yard, name of the supplier/consignee company, operations performed (loading, unloading, parking) and information about the load), is recorded in the application for possible future checks.

YMS system interfaces

A YMS system can be used independently, but this requires manual input of all variables and therefore more effort than if it is integrated with other applications used in the warehouse.

Therefore, for optimal planning of activities at the docks, the xTrack YMS application can quickly retrieve the necessary data from a WMS system for scheduling unloading or loading, and even from a TMS system for loading. An additional integration with a POD (Proof of Delivery) application allows warehouse managers to step-by-step track the delivery of goods to their final destination.

Benefits of implementing xTrack YMS

The digitalization of activities through the YMS system created by Axes Software mainly ensures:

• activity planning, scheduling trucks at docks,
• correlation of unloading with receiving and loading with the preparation of goods for delivery on established routes in a network of warehouses,
• directing and monitoring of traffic and checking of vehicles at the access point to the warehouse yard.

The benefits of implementing such a YMS system are obvious:

• traffic fluidity, avoidance of traffic jams or accidents in the yard,
• reduced number of human errors, effort and time spent managing activities,
• shorter times spent in the yard for each vehicle or load,
• immediate access to data,
• real-time visibility of vehicle location and their operational status,
• rapid reaction to changes (automatic rescheduling),
• improved communication with drivers by replacing verbal communication with ‘digital’ communication.

The use of a high-performance YMS system significantly improves response times at the warehouse logistics command and control center and the work productivity of all involved.

If the YMS system created by our team has caught your attention, you can send us a message by filling out the form below and you will receive a reply as soon as possible.