The Missing Link in Your Supply Chain? It’s the Warehouse.

Bill Wohl: Let’s talk about visibility. That word keeps coming up in every conversation we’ve had over the last few years. Why is visibility more critical than ever today?

John DiPalo: The pace of business has increased across all industries. Visibility is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a requirement. We talk a lot about the Amazon effect. Customers are used to tracking their orders in real time. They expect that same transparency throughout the supply chain.

When you go deeper into the supply chain, you need to maintain that level of visibility — not just for customer satisfaction, but to keep operations efficient and responsive. It’s now a baseline expectation.

Bill Wohl: E-commerce has driven a lot of this. With the rise of small, seasonal, or pop-up warehouses, what happens to visibility in those environments?

John DiPalo: Great question. Gartner classifies warehouses from Level 1 to Level 5, with Level 5 being highly automated — think Amazon. Level 1 is where we see most of the challenges. These are low-tech sites: temporary, manual, often trailers used for overflow.

Many companies operate a mix of these warehouse levels across their network. The problem is that the Level 1 and Level 2 sites typically don’t have the same level of automation or system integration as central distribution centers. That’s where visibility breaks down.

Bill Wohl: And the customer doesn’t care which warehouse fulfilled their order. They just want it complete and on time.

John DiPalo: Exactly. Smaller warehouses need the same visibility as the larger ones. There are solutions available now that make that possible. You don’t need a full WMS to get visibility. You just need the right tools — handheld scanners, lightweight RFID, edge data capture — to bring that visibility back into your ERP.

Bill Wohl: But some might say, “I just spent months and a lot of money implementing a WMS at our main DC. I can’t do that for every temporary site.” What’s the answer?

John DiPalo: You don’t have to. That’s the key. We can deploy lighter versions of those systems — tools that collect reliable data at the edge, transform it, and make it look like it came from your central WMS. It might be mobile scanning, simple RFID readers, or even just integrating spreadsheet data.

Bill Wohl: Gartner even said something to that effect — that if you plug an Excel sheet into your network, you can still get useful visibility.

John DiPalo: True, but with a caveat. The data has to be reliable. The source data has to be trustworthy. So it’s not just about getting data into the system, it’s about how you collect it — ideally without rekeying anything. That’s why things like handheld scanning or lightweight RFID are so valuable.

Bill Wohl: And the goal is real-time visibility across all warehouse levels.

John DiPalo: Yes. Because once you start distributing inventory across a wider footprint — closer to your customers — real-time visibility becomes essential. You can’t wait for batch updates anymore. Otherwise, you run into order issues, stockouts, or missed promises.

Bill Wohl: Let’s talk serialization. That adds even more complexity, right?

John DiPalo: It does. And most warehouses aren’t ready for it. In pharma, for example, companies have spent years getting ready for DSCSA. But in practice, many sites still struggle to manage serialized inventory. It’s a big advantage if you can do it well — not just for compliance, but for operational accuracy.

Bill Wohl: It’s not just pharma, though. CPG is facing this too — especially with initiatives like Walmart’s RFID mandates.

John DiPalo: Right. RFID introduces serialization into the CPG space. You might only record data at the batch or SKU level in your ERP, but if you can track individual items operationally, you gain a new level of control. Your Perfect Order Index improves. Your customers get what they expect, when they expect it.

Bill Wohl: So serialization isn’t just a regulatory checkbox. It’s a competitive edge.

John DiPalo: Correct. It’s also about efficiency. If you can use serialization to track a pallet — for example, by using aggregation — you can scan one code and validate an entire shipment.

Bill Wohl: Let’s talk about the warehouse as a sensor. That’s the theme I’m hearing.

John DiPalo: Yes. For decades, we’ve used barcode scanning in warehouses. But now we have multimodal tools: RFID, Bluetooth sensors, environmental monitors. You don’t have to use all of them at once. But you should think about how they work together — picking with barcode, validating with RFID, etc.

Bill Wohl: And beyond your own four walls — what about partners?

John DiPalo: Partners matter. Co-packers, 3PLs, suppliers — they all need to be part of your visibility strategy. More companies want flexible networks where they can onboard or offboard partners easily. Cloud-based systems help with that. Standards help too — GS1, AIM Global, those are key.

Bill Wohl: What about returnable assets? Crates, pallets, totes — how does this visibility issue affect those?

John DiPalo: Returnables often get overlooked, but they’re critical. If you’re using steel containers or reusable totes and you lose track of them, you’re wasting money. These assets need to be tracked just like product. They’re part of the supply chain.

Bill Wohl: Which means those low-tech warehouses need to scan returnables too.

John DiPalo: Exactly. They need simple tools to track those movements. You can treat the container as a proxy for what’s inside, and then close the loop. That improves accuracy, lowers costs, and avoids shrinkage.

Bill Wohl: Let’s talk platforms. You’ve got different levels of warehouse sophistication. What’s the right tech stack?

John DiPalo: Start with ERP. That’s the backbone. But then push data capture out to all locations, using the right tool for the site. Barcode at the simplest sites. RFID where it adds value. The key is that the data is timely and reliable — not necessarily how it’s captured.

Bill Wohl: So you don’t need a WMS at every site. But you do need visibility at every site.

John DiPalo: Exactly. And whatever system you use, it needs to be easy to train people on. Especially at seasonal sites, where turnover is high. Systems should be intuitive and quick to deploy.

Bill Wohl: That’s a strong message: manage visibility across all sites, no matter the tech level. John, as always, thanks for joining us.

John DiPalo: Thanks, Bill. Happy holidays to you and to everyone listening.

Bill Wohl: Thanks to our audience. If you want to watch more episodes, they’re available on the ACSIS website. If you want to reach out to John or the Antares Vision Group team, LinkedIn is the best place. We’ll see you next time. Happy holidays and good day.