Demo
Use case · WMS go-live

WMS implementation: your new warehouse management system, live by Monday.

A new WMS changes handhelds, scan order and location rules all at once, for pickers, forklift drivers and temps who have never sat in a training room. The date doesn’t move; neither do the trucks.

Book a demoFollow the cutover
K-Studio
Exercise 2 of 8Score 100%
Simulation
LocationItemQty
A-12-03Still water 6 × 1.5 L6
A-12-04Sparkling water 6 × 1 L6
B-03-11Orange juice 1 L12
C-07-02Ground coffee 250 g4
Pick · line 2Confirm
LocationA-12-04 ✓Quantity6 of 6CarrierPallet P-0091Next taskB-03-11 · 12 cases
iYour turnPick 6 packs for line 2, location A-12-04.!AlmostA-12-03 scanned: the expected location is A-12-04.✓Well doneRight location. Now confirm the quantity picked.
35 000mobile Intermarché users prepared for their new applications
2 200K-STUDIO modules produced for Intermarché’s LOREA programme
3 000SNCF Voyageurs technicians trained on PC and tablet for their new CMMS
The short answer

How do you get a WMS go-live right?

By preparing teams on the device they will actually hold, at three points in time.

Before cutover · K-STUDIO

Rehearse tasks on a replica

Receiving, picking, cycle counts: every task replayed without touching real stock.

At go-live · K-NOW

Guide on screen, at the moment of the scan

The rule appears when the picker hesitates, not in a binder in the office.

After go-live · K-VALUE

Measure the ramp-up

Screens where people get stuck, abandoned tasks, teams falling behind.

The problem

The project tests the flows. Nobody tests the tasks.

A WMS go-live is prepared through testing, stock migration and location setup. Operators, meanwhile, often see the new handheld for the first time on go-live day, between two trucks, alongside temps who arrived the day before.

×Go-live endured
  • A classroom demo for a few team leaders, never for the temps.
  • A handheld seen for the first time on go-live day, with a new scan order and new messages.
  • Stock discrepancies created from the first wave, because nobody knows how to report an empty location.
  • Overstretched super users, called from aisle to aisle for weeks.
✓Go-live prepared
  • Exercises on a replica, playable on mobile: Intermarché reached 35,000 mobile users.
  • Content produced in-house: 13 authors trained at Intermarché for 2,200 modules.
  • In-app guidance after cutover: 395 walkthroughs planned in the LOREA programme.
  • Replayable training for every new starter, with no trainer needed.
What the numbers say

A warehouse trains continuously, not once before go-live.

4 %of US transportation and warehousing employees leave their job each month, on average over 2025.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS, table 20
31 %of warehousing companies surveyed had to turn down business in 2021 for lack of staff.Instawork, State of Warehouse Labor, 2022
2027End of mainstream maintenance for SAP EWM 9.5 and ECC on 31 December. LE-WM is no longer supported in S/4HANA since January 2026.SAP, SAP Extended Warehouse Management FAQ
On the move

Intermarché prepares 54,000 users before cutover, then guides them.

The LOREA programme rolls out Gold Shop, Gold Shop Mobile and Uniref at head office, in stores and in the field. K-STUDIO prepares teams before cutover; K-NOW then supports them in the applications, down to checking a delivery.

35,000 mobile users

Three quarters of users work far from a desk and from any training room.

395 walkthroughs

Planned in the applications to take over from training.

OrderskSTEP 1 / 3Open the order to check.ReceivingStockCountsDiscrepancies
Receipt · order 30418Approve
ShipperDistribution centreExpected cases24Quantities receivedkSTEP 2 / 3Adjust the quantities received.kSTEP 3 / 3Confirm the receipt here.Discrepancy found2 casesDepartmentFresh
IntermarchéLOREA54 000users, including 35,000 mobile

Prepare before cutover, guide after

2,200 K-STUDIO modules, 13 in-house authors, 395 K-NOW walkthroughs.

Read the success story → SNCF VoyageursGMAT3 000depot technicians trained

Field teams, on PC and tablet

Eight modules for a major upgrade, replayable at each person’s pace.

Read the success story → Yves RocherCegid Retail Y2700stores, 5,000 advisers

A network-wide switchover on a fixed date

Everyone practises on a replica of the till before ringing up real sales.

Read the success story →

See also:our definition of go-live (in French)

The WMS go-live timeline

Three moments, three teams, three ways to break stock accuracy.

Before cutover, the whole warehouse has to rehearse on the handheld. On go-live night, a few people check the migrated stock. On the first morning, pickers and forklift drivers have to keep pace on brand-new screens. Each moment needs its own support.

The method

Four steps to prepare a WMS go-live.

Map the tasks

Receiving, putaway, picking, shipping, counts: who does what, on which device.

Rehearse before cutover

K-STUDIO exercises on a replica of the handheld: see go-live training.

Guide the first waves

K-NOW shows the rule on screen, at the moment of the scan.

Measure the ramp-up

K-VALUE shows where people get stuck, task by task and team by team.

By software

Your WMS is already covered.

The method doesn’t depend on the vendor. See what changes for each solution.

SAPSAP EWMExtended warehouse management, from receiving to shipping.SAP EWM adoption → SAPSAP S/4HANAThe ERP running stock, purchasing and logistics around the warehouse.SAP adoption → MicrosoftDynamics 365Warehouse management built into supply chain and finance.Dynamics 365 adoption → InforInfor LNManufacturing ERP with its warehouse and production flows.Infor LN adoption →
The solutions

Before, during and after go-live.

K
K-STUDIOApplication simulator

Rehearse tasks before cutover.

A replica of the WMS to replay receiving, picking and counts, without touching real stock.

Explore K-STUDIO→
  • Cloned screens, anonymised data
  • PC, tablet and mobile
  • Replayable by every new starter
  • Assessment for each module
K
K-NOWDigital adoption platform

Guide at the moment of the scan.

Walkthroughs and messages shown in the application, with no change to the WMS.

Explore K-NOW→
  • Contextual step-by-step walkthroughs
  • Location and discrepancy rules
  • Targeting by team and site
  • Updates without a release
K
K-VALUEDigital adoption analytics

Know when the warehouse is back up to speed.

Indicators by team and by task to steer the post-go-live period.

Explore K-VALUE→
  • Usage screen by screen
  • Abandoned tasks
  • Task duration
  • Site comparison
FAQ

WMS go-live: your questions.

Why is a WMS go-live so exposed?
Because it happens on a fixed date, often over a weekend, and the warehouse has to ship from the first morning. Handhelds, scan order, location rules and messages change at the same time for every team.
How do you train pickers and temps on a new WMS?
On a replica of the handheld that can be replayed at any time, rather than in a classroom. Intermarché prepared 54,000 users, 35,000 of them mobile, with 2,200 K-STUDIO modules before cutover.
Do you need a training environment for WMS training?
Not to learn the tasks. A simulation replays receiving, picking and counts without writing to real stock. It is also what lets you train every new starter after go-live.
How do you avoid stock discrepancies in the first weeks?
By guiding operators at the moment of the task: scan order, empty location, different quantity. K-NOW shows the rule on the relevant screen, with no change to the WMS.
Who produces and updates the content?
The project teams themselves. At Intermarché, 13 in-house authors were trained to produce and update the content of the LOREA programme.
Why are so many warehouses moving to SAP EWM?
Because mainstream maintenance for SAP EWM 9.5 and ECC ends at the end of 2027, and LE-WM is no longer supported in S/4HANA since January 2026. Many sites therefore have to switch on a tight schedule.
How do you measure go-live success for operators?
Through usage rather than support calls: screens where people get stuck, abandoned tasks, task duration by team. K-VALUE shows it screen by screen.
What should a WMS implementation plan include for the workforce?
Three milestones next to the technical cutover: rehearsal on a replica of the handheld for every operator, including temps; in-app guidance for the first waves; and usage tracking by team until throughput is back to plan.
Your WMS go-live

Show us a task, we’ll show you how to rehearse it.

A receipt, a pick, a count: we start from a real screen in your future WMS to show you its simulation and its guidance.

Book a demo