Warehouse Logistics

A Systematic Approach to Finding the Right Logistics IT

With Fraunhofer IML’s “Logistics IT Online Selection”, you can compare over 100 validated systems in the areas of WMS, TMS, RPS, and MES in a structured, requirements-based, and provider-neutral manner. This enables you to identify the solutions that are best suited to your company.

Why a Systematic Approach Is Crucial

Selecting a logistics IT system is a strategic decision with long-term implications for costs, efficiency, and acceptance within the company. Problems in IT projects often arise when there are no clear criteria for the request for proposals and system selection. The “Logistics IT Online Selection” tool provides exactly this foundation: It translates your requirements into weighted criteria and makes it possible to compare systems objectively.

Four system groups, four questionnaires

A separate set of questions was developed for each system group to cover the relevant technical aspects:

• WMS (Warehouse Management Systems): Control, monitoring, and optimization of warehouse and distribution systems
• TMS (Transport Management Systems): Planning, execution, and optimization of transport processes in external logistics
• RPS (Resource Planning Systems): Demand-driven planning of personnel deployment within the company
• MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems): Real-time control, monitoring, and optimization of manufacturing processes

Up to 3,900 individual factors are taken into account for each system. The team behind “warehouse logistics” continuously reviews all supplier information as part of a validation process certified to DIN EN ISO 9001.

Three Steps to a Result

1. Define knockout criteria: You determine which requirements a system must absolutely meet. Systems that do not meet these requirements are excluded.
2. Weight the requirements: Categories, questions, and aspects are evaluated based on their priority.
3. Evaluate the results: You receive a functional ranking of all systems in the selected system group, aligned with your individual requirements profile.

Key Benefits

The evaluation is criteria-based and conducted without influence from providers. This shortens your selection process, reduces investment risks, and at the same time provides clarity on the requirements your project actually needs. This approach is backed by Fraunhofer IML’s more than 25 years of experience in the selection and implementation of logistics IT systems.

Get started with no obligation using the free Basic Access to get an initial overview of the market. Premium Access is available for detailed product comparisons.

Reliable Data as the Foundation for Your System Decision

The market for logistics IT systems is diverse, dynamic, and often lacks transparency. At the same time, the choice of system determines investments that will shape a company for years to come. There are only a few neutral sources that provide a consolidated overview of system functionalities and provider characteristics. As a result, many companies lack the basis for comparison needed to make an informed decision.

With the “Logistics IT Database”, Fraunhofer IML closes this gap. For over 25 years, the long-term project “warehouse logistics” has been aggregating information on logistics IT systems and their providers, thereby providing a robust knowledge base accessible to users, providers, and consultants alike. This expertise is anchored in the Intralogistics and IT Planning department at Fraunhofer IML.

Collected Annually, Validated in Person, and Continuously Refined

To ensure the data remains up-to-date and reliable, the team behind “warehouse logistics” updates it annually and continuously refines the underlying questionnaires:

• Data Collection: System and provider information is collected in a structured manner using standardized questionnaires.
• Validation: The information is verified and supplemented through face-to-face discussions and semi-structured interviews with the providers.
• Further Development: The evaluation criteria are continuously adapted to current market requirements and research findings.

The entire validation process is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001. This ensures consistently high data quality and guarantees that systems are evaluated objectively and in a provider-neutral manner.

Up to 3,900 Individual Aspects per System

At the heart of the database are the questionnaires, which were developed specifically for each system group. They capture company-related criteria such as project experience, industry knowledge, and certifications, as well as the technical foundation and functional characteristics of the systems, ranging from administrative functions to the mapped business processes and additional features. With up to 3,900 individual aspects, this creates an exceptionally detailed and comparable basis for evaluation.

Only after successful validation does a system receive the validation seal and become comparable for you as a user.

Your Partner for Logistics IT Projects

System landscapes that have evolved over time, unclear processes, or the question of which software best fits your company’s workflows: Logistics IT projects confront companies with complex decisions. With modular service components, the “warehouse logistics” team at Fraunhofer IML supports you at every stage from strategy and process analysis to system selection, implementation, and further development. You choose exactly the services your project requires.

Services for Logistics IT Users

• IT Process Potential Analysis: Analysis of current processes, identification of bottlenecks, and specific recommendations for more efficient workflows.
• Logistics IT Strategy: Development of an IT roadmap that aligns the system landscape and logistics processes with your long-term business goals.
• Logistics IT Selection: Provider-neutral support throughout the entire selection process for WMS, TMS, RPS, or MES.
• Comparison of systems and providers: A systematic, independent comparison based on your requirements, providing a fact-based foundation for decision-making.
• Creating or reviewing requirements specifications: Structured documentation of all functional and technical requirements, or a technical review of your existing requirements specifications.
• Tender process support: Management of the entire process, from documentation and communication with bidders to provider selection.
• Implementation support: Acting as a neutral point of contact between the business unit, IT, and the software provider until successful go-live.

Services for Logistics IT Providers

• UI/UX Evaluation: Analysis of the ergonomics and usability of your solution in an operational context, with concrete optimization recommendations.
• Technology and Market Analysis: Data-driven evaluation of functionalities and market trends from the user’s perspective, serving as the foundation for your product strategy.
• Sparring and Discussion Partner: Neutral review of concepts, features, and strategic approaches based on many years of methodological expertise.
• Specialized presentations, training sessions, and workshops: Practical knowledge transfer on AI, logistics IT, warehouse technology, robotics, and other topics as needed.

Why the Fraunhofer IML

As a research institution, we are not tied to any software provider. Our recommendations are based solely on your requirements. We also bring over 25 years of experience in logistics IT, ranging from mid-sized warehouses to global distribution networks, and a consistently results-oriented approach with clear milestones and concrete decision-making documents.

Click here to learn more about all the service modules. The tab “Four Phases to Finding the Right System” shows how a specific selection project works.

Comprehensive Logistics IT Planning Using a Systematic Approach

Implementing a new logistics IT system is a project with long-term implications: The decision will shape your processes for years to come. To ensure it is robust, the “warehouse logistics” team at Fraunhofer IML follows a proven 4-phase model. Each phase builds on the previous one, delivers a tangible result, and provides a clear basis for decision-making. You decide together with us whether to go through the entire process or to implement specific phases as needed.

Phase 1: Analysis

Current state analysis and requirements gathering: The first step is to gain an understanding of your current system landscape and processes. Through on-site workshops with business units, process mapping, data flow analyses, and stakeholder interviews, we assess how your logistics operations run in practice. This process reveals weaknesses and opportunities for optimization that will ultimately determine the project’s success.

The result: a structured requirements specification with clearly defined functional and non-functional requirements, aligned with best practices from comparable projects.

Phase 2: Concept

Solution concept and long list: Based on your requirements, we develop an IT roadmap for your logistics operations. We prioritize the requirements according to business criticality, define knockout criteria, and develop an evaluation matrix. Using the “Logistics IT Database”, which contains more than 100 validated systems, we then identify the providers that are truly suitable. Scenario analyses reveal which solution approaches align with your strategy.

The result: a coordinated target concept and a well-founded long list of suitable systems.

Phase 3: Request for Proposals

Request for proposals and provider evaluation: We prepare professional request documents (RFI/RFP) and manage a transparent procurement process. We evaluate provider responses using a utility analysis with weighted criteria, supplemented by provider presentations, system demos, and an assessment of the total cost of ownership. This ensures that proposals are truly comparable, even across different pricing models.

The result: a well-reasoned shortlist of the three to five strongest candidates.

Phase 4: Implementation

Decision-making and implementation support: We summarize the evaluation in a decision matrix with clear recommendations and support you through the contract negotiations. Upon request, we remain by your side until go-live, providing project planning, monitoring, escalation management, and acceptance testing. As a neutral party between the business unit, IT, and the provider, we ensure that agreed-upon requirements are actually implemented.

Your result: a robust decision-making framework for management and a system implemented in a controlled manner.

Why This Approach Is Convincing

The methodology has evolved through numerous projects and combines structured requirements analysis with one of the world’s most comprehensive databases for logistics IT. As a research institution, we are not tied to any specific provider: Our recommendations are based solely on your requirements. Each phase concludes with a documented interim report, ensuring that you retain control over the scope, pace, and investment at all times.

Please contact us if you'd like to build a solid foundation for your selection project.

Become part of “warehouse logistics”

Present your logistics IT system on one of the leading platforms for functional system comparisons and reach companies that are actively searching for a suitable software solution.

More Than Just a Platform: The “warehouse logistics” Community

Launched in 2000, the long-term study on warehouse management systems has, over the years, grown into a community comprising more than 80 participating logistics IT providers and the “warehouse logistics” team at Fraunhofer IML. Since 2020, in addition to WMS providers, providers of TMS, RPS, and MES have also been able to list their systems and become part of this network.

Your Benefits as a Provider

A strong presence: Your products will be presented professionally on warehouse-logistics.com and shared via the portal and the bi-weekly newsletter. Upon successful validation, you will receive a validation seal and a certificate of participation for your own marketing purposes.

A strong network: You benefit from exclusive market information, joint public press work, and direct interaction within the community. Market trends and benchmarking provide valuable insights for the further development of your product.

Direct contact with users: By being included in the “Logistics IT Database”, you automatically participate in every “Logistics IT Online Selection”. This allows you to reach new customer groups from various industries and of different company sizes without any additional effort.

The Annual Participants Meeting

Once a year, the community gathers at the Fraunhofer IML facilities. Presentations on research and practice, opportunities for personal dialogue with other providers and industry representatives, and insights into the institute’s current research projects make this meeting a must-attend event in the industry.

Here's How to Participate

1. Registration: You contact us with no obligation. After an initial consultation, you will receive all the necessary documents and will be guided through the registration process.
2. Validation: We will go through the entire questionnaire together. All information regarding your system will be verified against concrete evidence and documented.
3. Activation: Your system will be added to the database and activated for the “Logistics IT Online Selection”. You will receive a validation seal and a certificate of participation.
4. Network visibility: Your system will be visible on warehouse-logistics.com and automatically included in relevant selection processes, giving you access to all the benefits of our network.

Participation is possible at any time and is structured as an annual membership. It includes all the benefits listed, as well as annual validation by the “warehouse logistics” team.

Please contact us if you would like to list your system on the “warehouse logistics” platform.