What is Yard Management System?

The logistics industry is one of the largest. Yard Management System are a big part of it.

Logistics Supply Chain’s digitalization held US$ 11,794, 24 million in 2019 in value. And it is expected that by the year 2023, it will cross US$ 23,600. 00 million mark.

Despite Logistics 4.0, logistics companies are losing a lot of money. 80% of transportation delays happen when trailers and containers are at warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants. This costs businesses millions of dollars in inefficient operations, and excessive accessorial charges and transportation contracts.

While all of these problems can be solved with effective yard management software, only 8% of companies use them today. This is one of the big reasons behind the loss of business.

As per reports, Companies can improve productivity by 25%, 20% more space usage, and 30% increase in stock use efficiency with yard management.

In fact, as per reports of more than 375 supply chain professionals at Fortune 500 companies, FourKites found that 92% of respondents believe a yard management system and an automated appointment management system could add value to their organization.

With the increasing demand for YMS systems, the dock and YMS market in the U.S. which was estimated at US$973.1 million in the year 2020 and US$1.2 Billion in the year 2021., is expected to grow much more.

So, what is the concept behind the Yard management system and why should you develop one? Well, if these are the questions you are asking, this blog is for you.

Here, we shall be going through everything related to a yard management system, the concept behind it, its types, working process, cost, features, and so on.

Therefore, with this being said, let’s get right into it, starting with:

What is a Yard Management System?

First, you need to understand what yard management, to understand yard management systems are. So, let’s discuss this before you hire dedicated developers to create your own software.

Here, the term yard refers to the conventional yard area, as it concerns the management of inbound and outbound goods in warehouses.

Therefore, yard management refers to the process of effectively managing, supplies that are coming in, cargo material, goods, as well as outbound goods supplied to the clients.

As such, it deals with everything from employees, cargo, trucks, dispatching, work assigned, and so on. In that way, creating a perfect balance is the main goal of this operation.

Now, let’s look at the concept behind YMS or yard management software.

Concept Behind Yard Management System

YMS Yard management System is software created with the goal of movement tracking of vehicles in the yard, distribution hub workflow management, and so on.

In other words, this software works as a bridge between the Warehouse and the fleet. As the supply chain goes from Fleet to Yard to Warehouse. This is the reason why it has such a big impact on the productivity of the whole business.

Warehouse yard management is a critical component of any supply chain operation. It involves the planning, tracking, and optimization of the movement of goods and vehicles within a warehouse yard.

Now, there are various reasons behind the popularity and demand for yard Management systems. You see, everything that goes into the warehouse and goes out of the warehouse goes through the yard. So, it has a lot of power over everything.  This a big reason why everyone wants to build their own YMS via custom software development.

Nevertheless, we shall be discussing the working of the platform in detail below:

How Does Yard Management System Work?

Yard Management System is multifunctional. In other words, it has multiple operations and covers a wide area of things. As such, it allows the yard manager to have supervision over yard operations, related equipment, fleet management, resource management, and so on.

it can also be integrated into fleet management and Warehouse management. This works quite well.

Coming to the working part, let’s look at the different functionalities and Yard Management Features. These are, as mentioned below:

• Gate Management

Yard management, as we know it, controls everything that comes in and out of the warehouse. Therefore, gate management is one of the basic functionalities of the platform.

Some of the top features of this part of the software are, as mentioned below:

• Driver ID verification
• Self-Entry & Registration for Drivers
• Remotely Open & Close Gate
• Approve/Decline Entry
• Assign Parking Spot
• Automate Gate opening
• Shipment Notice Alert
• Details of the Incoming Cargo

These are some of the top features of gate management. Let’s look at, other functionalities of the platform.

• Dock Control

A big part of effective yard management is dock control.

To make dock productivity better, there should be clear communication between the driver and the dock team. When there is no time wastage, the dock productivity improves and so do the overall yard operations.

That is why the YMS software should include the right features to enable

• Alert System

Well, when a place is dealing with a large fleet that can have hundreds of trucks and other vehicles, there are high chances of accidents.

Apart from this, the alert system also helps the management team get notifications on the arrival and departure of the concerned goods.

Alert system integrated into YSM provides the management team with improved visibility and thus helps them manage the yard better. This is something included in the Best IT Software Solutions for YMS.

• Analytical Tools

Large Online marketplaces like Amazon have a warehouse that deals with hundreds of trucks and other inbound vehicles.

There is a lot of data and information being collected via a YMS system. And via the analytical tools, the team can get an effective insight into the same.

What this does is that it allows the team to get key highlights of where things are going well, in which area changes are required, where they are losing money, and so on.

This is how a basic yard management system works and its features & functionalities. Moving on, we shall be going through the two major types of Yard Management Services

Types of YMS Software

Yard management systems can be of different types based on their applications as well as the requirements of the company.

In this section of the blog, we shall be discussing exactly this. They are, as mentioned below:

• Full-Fledged Yard Management Software

The first one is standalone yard management software. It has full functionality and provides absolute control as well as supervision to the management team over the yard operations.

Now, it can be divided into two parts:

• Dock Appointment
• Yard Operation Control

It comes with mobile app development solution, thus, the software can be accessed through mobile phones which makes it that much easier to access.

Now, depending on the field of the company the software can be a little different. Nevertheless, it can cater to businesses from manufacturing, chemical supplying, food supplying, third-party logistics, etc.

The development company also provides regular updates as well as 24/7 customer support. Some of the advantages of this type of YSM are, as mentioned below:

• Custom-made for business needs
• Personalized Analytical Tools
• One time investment
• Full feature stack
• Integration with third-party plugins

Moving on, let’s look at the second type of YMS solution below.

• YMS Functionality Integration

Now, the logistics industry is in its 4^th revolution and technology is no new thing to them. The majority of the companies already own some sort of management system, YMS or not.

As such, there are companies who aren’t looking to invest in custom software, but rather integrate YMS into Fleet management solutions.

This form of YMS has limited functionality and doesn’t provide benefits as we discussed in the previous own. But it has its own advantages. Some of these are, as mentioned below:

• Low Development Cost
• Fit for smaller companies dealing with limited logistics
• Basic feature accessibility

These are two major types of YMS systems. Moving on, let’s look at some of the reasons to invest in one.

Reasons to Use A Yard Management System

Even creating basic software isn’t cheap, let alone a complex one like Yard Management System. So, why should you invest in YMS software development services?

Now, we have already discussed a few different advantages of YMS. Now, we shall be looking at some other ways how these platforms improve logistics operations.

So, some reasons to invest in YMS are, as mentioned below:

• Save Millions of Potential Lose

Did you know that every year, logistics companies lose millions of dollars due to ineffective yard operations? Bad yard management causes transportation delays which are something that incurs fines and charges since the logistics industry is strictly time-bound.

Therefore, with effective yard management software deployed throughout your supply chain, the yard management software can effectively save businesses from major losses.

This is a big reason why companies are so eager to get a YMS.

• Improved Overall Productivity

One of the big benefits and reasons why every logistics development is aimed at YMS development is that it improves productivity.

In fact, any business from any industry would invest in a solution that improves productivity. This is one of the big reasons to choose YMS.

For those wondering how does it, well, it enables better visibility of ads, provides better control of the traffic, and effective communication between drivers and dock workers, among other things.

All in all, it stops gaps between operations to make them more effective.

• Insight on Yard Jockey Performance

Well, stakeholder trust is built upon the transparency of the company.

While businesses don’t intentionally hide things from their stakeholders, usually there is no system in place to provide them insight.

This can be changed with effective YMS software which keeps track of yard jockeys’ actions. This also makes sure operations are done as per compliance and thus securely.

• Better Synchronization across Supply Chain

The supply chain is managed by a lot of smaller companies or contractors to who the parent company outsources the work.

Due to a lack of communication between these entities, a lot of issues can occur like operations breaches since they have no dynamic update system or digital support.

With the effective software that we are discussing in this blog, the parent company can overcome operation breaches. This is a big advantage.

• Improved Cargo Tracking

Well, since we are talking about logistics, it goes without saying that there is a lot of cargo involved.

Moreover, large amounts of moving and untracked operations can amount to lost cargo which means losses.

YMS systems provide effective cargo tracking as it gives the management team insight into the cargo that is coming and moving out of the facility.

These are some of the reasons to develop software for yard management. Now, let’s see how you build one.

How to Make A Yard Management Software?

So, now, it’s time to develop a yard management system custom-made for your business. How do you do it?

The process through which yard management software or any other custom software is created is, as mentioned below:

1) Ideation, Validation, & Research

During the first phase, ideation happens.

When you have a concept that you can work with, it’s time to validate it or cross-check it. If the idea passes this step, the same will be researched.

The information collected during research is invaluable and creates the base for the development process.

2) Planning, Choose Tech Stack & Hire Developers

With all said and done, it’s time to create a plan for further process.

But before we can start the development process, a tech stack has to be finalized. Tech stack refers to the technologies that are used to create one. For web development, MEAN Stack is a popular solution.

Let’s hire software developers.

There are various ways you can do it. Some of these are, as mentioned below:

• Hire freelancers
• Outsource to an App development company
• Assemble in House team
• Consult local development agency
• Hire part-time developers

These are some of the methods you can go with. Now, let’s get to the development part.

3) Prototyping, Development, & Testing

The development process is where the on-demand developers create prototypes, write all the codes, and do all the heavy lifting.

Now, once the prototype is approved by the client, it goes into development. And once the final version is developed, it is sent for testing.

The software is tested for bugs and other issues before it is sent for deployed.

4) Deployment & Maintenance

The app is deployed to the logistics company, but the work is not done there.

The development company also provides maintenance and support services in case there are any issues with the software.

With this, the development process for YMS software has ended. Now, let’s look at the cost.

Yard Management System Cost

So, how much does it cost to hire software developers and develop a YMS system?

Well, the development cost, depends on a lot of different factors. Some of these are, as mentioned below:

These are the various factors that affect the total Yard Management System Cost. Now, it is not possible to predict accurate costs without learning about project specifications. Nevertheless, the average cost to build software is anywhere between $75,000 and $300,000.

For More details on the same, you can contact a SaaS development company that will be able to give insight the same.

Moving on, let’s look at some of the most popular YMS software in the market.

Popular Examples Of Yard Management System Software

If you want to build your yard management system, it is a good idea to go through the current best yard management systems.

Therefore, some of these are, as mentioned below:

Conclusion

This is all you need to know about yard management software and its examples.

Now, if you are someone who wants to develop their own YMS or discuss the same, it is a good idea to consult a software development company that can help you with the same.

Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.