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Innovation in PROLAG World: WMS compatible with all commonly used browsers
26.06.2023
PROLAG World’s user interface can be used in all commonly used web browsers. This allows simpler access to the software since it is easier to integrate it into existing IT landscapes.
German software manufacturer CIM is stirring up the WMS market with a new user interface for PROLAG World, combining appealing visuals and intuitive design to create an optimum user experience. And at the core of the development is a seemingly unspectacular but key innovation: with the launch of the new user interface, CIM’s WMS suite is now browser-independent and offers full compatibility with all modern desktop browsers. The software offers a high level of usability, flexibility and also helps save time and costs.
User interface design has become a key aspect of the IT user experience in recent years. One of the reasons for this is that software systems now exist in large numbers within a highly competitive market. There are generally plenty of alternatives available, all offering similar functions. This means that users who get frustrated by a system with poor software ergonomics and an outdated design are likely to switch to a different application.
Complexity of warehouse management as a challenge for UI design
The user interface has not always been considered as pivotal to the success of the software in the WMS segment. This is due partly to the fact that conventional warehouse management functionality does not lend itself to innovative design and artistic presentation. Warehouse management software is undoubtedly one of the most complex products on the software market. And the complexity increases the bigger the warehouse, the higher the number of stock movements per day, the greater the level of automation and the more diverse the article master. To adequately represent this degree of complexity, to implement commands, instructions and logic and reliably integrate them into a warehouse control system is a challenge in itself. And incorporating all the required functions into a user interface which is functional as well as aesthetically pleasing is nothing short of a mammoth task.
A new UI – intuitive, user-friendly and responsive
CIM decided to take on this mammoth task despite the prospect of having to invest endless overtime hours. The warehouse management system PROLAG World was taken apart by their logistics software experts and painstakingly put back together piece by piece to create a new user interface. The result is an interface on the cutting edge of intuitive UI design and user experience. The responsive design enables problem-free display on a variety of different end devices, from terminals to handhelds, and is compatible with any conventional operating system. The new visual design is not the only major achievement by the development team at CIM. The software is browser-based and is not dependent on a specific manufacturer.
PROLAG World – browser-enabled for the last 20 years
A user interface presented in a web browser has numerous benefits for users even if it is browser-dependent. It simplifies administration, streamlines the network infrastructure, and allows the software to be accessed easily over the internet – from anywhere in the world. CIM already offered this innovation in its software with the development of PROLAG World in the early 2000s, considerably simplifying cloud usage and the system’s multiple site capability. This was a unique selling point back then and continues to set the WMS software apart from numerous competitors. Designing this type of system is difficult retroactively and requires a high level of expertise on the part of the development team. For this reason, logistics software applications run in a browser are still rare. With regard to PROLAG World, there was previously only one web browser compatible with the interface.
Economical and efficient: browser capability across the spectrum
With the launch of the new-look user interface, CIM has set new standards in the WMS sector. The UI is optimised for high usability and offers intuitive access to all the functions of the software suite – from hazardous goods management to production planning and shipping. The most far-reaching innovation is the enhanced browser capability: PROLAG World’s user interface can now be used in all commonly used web browsers. This allows simpler access to the software since it is easier to integrate it into existing IT landscapes. Particularly for service providers who work across multiple locations, this can significantly reduce administrative effort, susceptibility to errors and costs. Varying user habits are not an obstacle since PROLAG World can adapt to current behaviour. In combination with the numerous functionalities provided by the warehouse management suite, the full browser capability can be considered as a unique selling point in the WMS market. PROLAG World is capable of mapping logistics centres around the globe, handling production planning and production logistics, managing hazardous goods and materials in compliance with EU regulations, and operating automated warehouses in the cloud or on-premises. All of this functionality is intuitive to use thanks to the browser-independent user interface.
Benefits for wearables and handhelds
Given the increasing use of handhelds and wearables in the logistics sector, PROLAG World’s compatibility with all commonly used web browsers also brings a number of benefits. The responsive interface design means that it does not take a specially programmed app to use the software, just a web browser – by any provider. This prerequisite is met for almost every common wearable. If browsers are not supported for security reasons, CIM also offers a WMS app for Android devices. The app can map almost all stock movements and is optimised for use on small operator panels.
Time savings and cost efficiency through technological independence
The innovativeness of the new user interface is not limited to what can be seen on the surface, but also extends to the unseen core of the system. Usability is guaranteed on the one hand by the intuitive design and optimised user experience provided by the PROLAG World interface. At the same time, PROLAG World achieves a high degree of technological independence through its browser-based and provider-independent interface. The benefits are obvious: The software can be easily implemented on all end devices from wearables to terminals. This accelerates deployment, reduces training effort and improves usability. The ability to use a variety of different browsers with PROLAG World is also attractive in terms of the global usability of the software: the multiple site capability does not require complex interventions in the IT setup at the respective locations. Instead, the interface can be accessed in the existing browser. Users can access all the functionalities of the software suite in their own browser. Whether global logistics centre management, fully transparent material flows or production planning – all features are intuitive and easy to use. For CIM’s customers, the new interface creates real added value: PROLAG World users reduce administrative effort and susceptibility to errors, save time – and, above all, reduce costs.