Warehouse Strategy · Manhattan Active WM
Manhattan Active WM Implementation & Recovery
Move from WMOS or SCALE to Manhattan Active Warehouse Management without losing a peak. SIS recovered a twice-postponed MAWM program and turned it into a deployment engine that brought 13 fulfillment centers live.
- WMOS-to-MAWM migration
- Multi-site rollout model
- Exception-driven testing
Manhattan Active is a different operating model, not just a new version.
Manhattan Active Warehouse Management (MAWM) is cloud-native and continuously updated. That is a real advantage, but it changes how you configure, extend, test, and release. Teams migrating from Manhattan WMOS or SCALE often discover that years of customizations, custom reports, and site-specific workarounds do not carry over cleanly, and that their old testing approach cannot keep up with a quarterly release cadence.
SIS works alongside your team and Manhattan to close that gap. We map how each site actually operates, decide which legacy customizations to retire, configure MAWM to match the real process, and build test coverage around the exceptions that cause go-live failures. Then we package what worked into a repeatable model for the rest of the network.
If your program is already underway and slipping, we start with an honest readiness assessment and a recovery plan that business and IT can both stand behind.
Where MAWM programs get stuck.
Go-live has been postponed
Dates have moved more than once and stakeholders no longer believe the next one.
Operations and IT are misaligned
The configuration reflects the design documents, not how the building runs, and the floor knows it.
Testing only covers the green path
Exceptions such as short picks, damaged goods, and substitutions are discovered in production.
Legacy customizations are blocking progress
Years of WMOS or SCALE extensions need a decision: rebuild, replace with standard functionality, or retire.
Every site feels like the first site
There is no repeatable deployment playbook, so each rollout costs as much as the pilot.
Still on Manhattan WMi on IBM i
Your WMS is Manhattan WMi (formerly PkMS) on an AS400, and the move to Active also means rethinking IBM i integrations.
Automation integration is late
Robotics, sortation, or conveyor integrations are behind the core WMS and threaten the cutover.
What SIS brings to a Manhattan Active program.
Readiness and recovery assessment
An independent view of configuration, testing, data, training, and cutover readiness, with a credible path to go-live.
Configuration aligned to operations
Process design and MAWM configuration revised to reflect how each site actually receives, stores, picks, and ships.
Customization rationalization
A site-by-site decision on legacy WMOS or SCALE extensions, favoring standard MAWM capability wherever it fits.
Exception-heavy test scripts
Thousands of tailored scripts focused on non-green-path scenarios, run before every site deployment.
Execution pods for parallel rollout
Small teams of configuration and QA specialists that deploy sites in parallel on a repeatable cycle.
Operational change management
Floor-level training materials and hands-on support so productivity recovers quickly after cutover.
From stalled program to repeatable rollout.
- 01
Diagnose
Assess readiness across configuration, data, testing, integrations, and people. Agree on what has to be true to go live.
- 02
Realign
Bring operations and IT onto one plan. Revise configuration and retire customizations that no longer earn their keep.
- 03
Prove
Execute exception-driven testing, rehearse cutover, and take the first site live with on-floor hypercare.
- 04
Scale
Turn the pilot into a playbook and run sites in parallel with dedicated execution pods.
MAWM implementation recovery, 13 fulfillment centers delivered
$36B medical supplier. Recovering a stalled Manhattan Active Warehouse Management rollout and turning it into a scalable, multi-site deployment engine.
Four execution pods ran sites in parallel. At peak, configure-test-deploy cycles landed in as little as 30 days per site, and the automation strategy earned a Modern Materials Handling Productivity Achievement Award.
Read the case study- Fulfillment centers
- 13Fulfillment centers
- Peak site cycle
- 30dPeak site cycle
- From WMOS
- MAWMFrom WMOS
Why operators bring SIS into Manhattan programs.
We have done the recovery
Our MAWM work started with a program that had been postponed twice. We know what it takes to restore confidence and hit the date.
Testing discipline
Exception-focused testing is how go-lives stay boring. We build it into every site, not just the pilot.
Automation experience
We have integrated Locus AMRs with Manhattan WMS and can keep material handling work from becoming the critical path.
Headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio metro and working on-site with clients across the United States. Where we work
Manhattan Active WM questions
What is Manhattan Active Warehouse Management?
Manhattan Active Warehouse Management (MAWM) is Manhattan Associates' cloud-native, continuously updated warehouse management system. It replaces Manhattan's earlier on-premise platforms such as WMOS and SCALE for many customers.
How do you migrate from Manhattan WMOS to MAWM?
Treat it as a re-implementation rather than an upgrade. Document how each site really operates, decide which legacy customizations to retire or rebuild, configure MAWM around standard capability, convert data, and test exceptions thoroughly before a phased cutover.
We run Manhattan WMi on IBM i. Can you help us move to Manhattan Active?
Yes. Moving from Manhattan WMi (formerly PkMS) on IBM i to Manhattan Active WM is both a WMS re-implementation and an integration project. Our warehouse and IBM i practices work together on process design, configuration, and the interfaces between Manhattan Active and IBM i based ERP or merchandising systems.
Is SIS a Manhattan Associates partner?
SIS is an independent consultancy. We work alongside Manhattan and your internal team on implementation, testing, and recovery. Our MAWM case study covers 13 fulfillment centers brought live for a $36B medical supplier.
Our MAWM go-live keeps slipping. Can you help?
Yes. We start with a readiness and recovery assessment, realign operations and IT, revise configuration that fights the floor, and rebuild testing around exceptions so the next date holds.
How fast can sites roll out once the first one is live?
With a repeatable playbook and dedicated execution pods, site cycles shorten significantly. In our case study, configure-test-deploy cycles reached as little as 30 days per site at peak.
Get your Manhattan program back on track.
Tell us where your MAWM migration or rollout stands. A senior SIS consultant will follow up within one business day with an honest read on risk and next steps.