The benefits of using warehouse management systems in reverse logistics chains in Brazil

Abstract

The marked growth and use of direct sales by companies, through e-commerce, has driven an increase in sales, leading to increasing volumes of warehoused products in the aim of creating agility in the delivery to final customers. However, there are problems in managing these items on a wide scale, which requires the use of specific management systems that are not yet easily found. In this article, we discuss the implementation and use of reverse supply-chain management systems to meet the growing demand for products, including reverse logistics. A descriptive bibliographical study was carried out, based on collected theoretical references, such as books, articles, and specific manuals. Through a hypothetical-deductive analysis, the objective was to identify possibilities, importance, and scope of the topic in order to contribute to the improvement of the area of logistics. It was observed that the adaptation of traditional warehouse storage systems to WMS, used in direct logistics, has also been adopted for reverse logistics. This system made it possible to increase the productivity and the recycling of waste in the logistics chain, as well as to reduce the direct and indirect costs of this process.