WMS Pioneers Episode 10: Life After SAP WM: Choosing the Right WMS Path Forward
by Mike Catalino
In this episode of The WMS Pioneers, Softeon leaders Jim Hoefflin (CEO) and Mark Fralick (CTO) weigh in on what the end of life for SAP WM means for customers and why this transition presents a major opportunity for organizations to rethink their warehouse management strategy.
SAP Has Announced End of Life for SAP WM. So, Now What?
The end of life of enterprise software provides a business challenge and a change management moment. As markets evolve and technology accelerates, organizations are increasingly forced to rethink their systems, processes, and vendor relationships. Few examples are as significant as SAP WM reaching end of life, which has created one of the most pressing transitions in warehouse management today.
Jim Hoefflin, CEO, Softeon, kicks off the conversation by highlighting the uncertainty ahead for SAP users:
“There’s going to be thousands of companies popping their heads up wondering, now what do I do? Is there something better to do than what was done in the past? I think that we offer something better.”
Mark Fralick, CTO, emphasizes Softeon’s ability to support organizations of all sizes with one platform:
“We support people from a small, 35 user site all the way to a highly automated facility on one platform.”
Mark Fralick, CTO, Softeon
Unlike SAP WM, which was built as an ERP module, Softeon’s warehouse management system (WMS) is a standalone WMS that scales seamlessly from small sites to highly complex operations. The system is designed to integrate smoothly with ERP platforms while eliminating the data transfer challenges that have historically created roadblocks.
According to Hoefflin, the choice many SAP customers now face, migrating to eWM or seeking a better alternative, comes with significant implications.
“Maybe I should migrate to eWM, which is a massive undertaking. Now it becomes look at the market. I think that we provide some really compelling arguments for scaling up and down, easy integrations, ability to deal with any automation, sub systems, this is our focus we are 100% focused on WMS, it’s not just a module.”
Jim Hoefflin, CEO, Softeon
Both Hoefflin and Fralick encourage current SAP WM users to start evaluating alternatives now. With SAP shifting its legacy customers, organizations risk falling behind if they delay the decision.
Fralick explains the opportunity ahead:
“If you choose the right vendor, you can make the transformation now and get set up for the future. Treat it like two steps. Let’s solve the tactical problem of getting on a good platform to move forward and then plot out the next steps more pragmatically.”
Hoefflin closes the conversation by reflecting on where the WMS market is heading:
“The major vendors have created a discontinuity in their customer bases. We’re in a transition to a new world where these solutions are all put together. I personally think Softeon, because of heritage and how we’re built (cloud based), I think we are just further down that road than anyone else.
I look at this as an opportunity to demonstrate our value, whether it’s being more adaptable, being more productive, scaling your processes over multiple clients, there are all these different dimensions and I think we can demonstrate the ability to do that better than anybody at this point.”
Jim Hoefflin, CEO, Softeon
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