Administration
€0 per month
0 hours per month
Digital processes, interfaces and a partner portal can reduce manual tasks and queries.
Free WMS potential calculator
Warehouse cost check: What do search times, picking errors and Excel lists cost your warehouse?
Five short questions, then your efficiency score and your biggest cost drivers right away.
- 2 minutes
- Free of charge
- Result without sign-up
4.6/5 · Best WMS 2025/2026
Your result
This is where your warehouse loses time and money
0out of 100 points
Action needed
Estimated cost
approx. €0 per month
approx. €0 per yearEstimates based on your input and stated assumptions, not a savings forecast.
Expert check
- About 30 minutes, free and without obligation
- Put your figures into context together with us
- Including an individual payback calculation
With system-supported warehouse management:
Search and clarification time
€0 per month
0 hours per month
Storage location and stock information is available directly in the process and can reduce walking routes and queries.
Errors & returns
€0 per month
0 affected shipments per month
Barcode checks and system-guided process steps can help detect discrepancies early during picking.
How it works
Your assessment in three steps
The COGLAS warehouse cost check is a free model calculation.
- 01
Answer five questions
Administration, team, search times, shipping volume and error frequency.
- 02
See your result immediately
Efficiency score from 0 to 100, estimated effort per month and year and your biggest cost drivers.
- 03
Report or conversation: your choice
You receive the detailed report by email or put your figures into context together with us in the free expert check.
After the check, you can request a personal report. It is available online immediately, can be saved as a PDF and contains:
- Your cost drivers, prioritised by euro amount
- A detailed analysis of administration, search and clarification time as well as errors and returns
- Up to three quick wins you can implement without a new system
Your report can only be accessed via your personal link.
Start the check and get your reportCost levers
Where costs arise unnoticed in the warehouse
Three areas tie up time every day in almost every warehouse.
Search and clarification time
Looking for goods, clarifying stock, asking colleagues: every minute occurs daily and multiplies with every employee in the warehouse.
Example calculation
52.5 hours / month
5 employees × 30 min × 21 days
Example value using the calculator's standard assumptions. Your result depends on your input.
Errors & returns
Wrong item, wrong quantity: every mispick leads to rework, returns and reshipping and costs customer trust.
Example calculation
20 errors / month
2,000 shipments × 1%, each with approx. €45 follow-up cost
Example value using the calculator's standard assumptions. Your result depends on your input.
Manual administration
Maintaining Excel lists, transferring data between systems, answering stock enquiries: recurring and often underestimated.
Example calculation
5.25 hours / month
15 min list maintenance × 21 working days
Example value using the calculator's standard assumptions. Your result depends on your input.
Free expert check
Put your result into context together
In about 30 minutes, we discuss your figures with a view to your processes, interfaces and priorities. And we clarify which potential can actually be tapped economically in your warehouse.
- Free and without obligation
- Choose your appointment directly online
- Based on your figures from the warehouse cost check
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about the warehouse cost check
How accurate are the results?
The warehouse cost check is a model calculation and gives you a first orientation. It combines your input with openly stated assumptions, for example for labour cost or follow-up cost per error. The calculated costs show where effort arises. They are not a promise that a WMS will save this amount in full.
How does the warehouse cost check calculate?
The warehouse cost check is a model calculation. It shows the effort that arises in your warehouse according to the calculation, not how much of it a WMS saves in full. Real values depend on warehouse structure, product range, data quality and interfaces. Amounts in the result are rounded to the nearest €10.
| Assumption | Value in the calculator |
|---|---|
| Working days per month | 21 |
| Labour cost | €30/h excluding non-wage labour costs, adjustable in the calculator (€15 to €80) |
| Excel & paper | 15 min per working day, 1 person |
| Stock enquiries from customers | 1 enquiry of 15 min per working day |
| Manual imports and exports | 10 min per working day |
| Search and clarification time | Your input × employees × 21 days |
| Share of shipments with errors | rarely 0.5% · occasionally 1% · regularly 2% · frequently 3% |
| Follow-up cost per error | €45, guide value |
Show formulas and sources
- Excel & paper
(labour cost ÷ 60) × 15 min × 21 working daysSource: parsli.co, statistics on manual data entry - Customers without stock visibility
(labour cost ÷ 60) × 15 min × 1 enquiry × 21 working daysSource: nervus.io, cost of context switching - Manual imports and exports
(labour cost ÷ 60) × 10 min × 21 working daysSource: parsli.co, statistics on manual data entry - Search and clarification time
employees × (labour cost ÷ 60) × minutes per day × 21 working daysSource: your input - Errors & returns
shipments per month × share of shipments with errors × €45Source: NetSuite, article on preventing picking errors. Depending on industry, product value and cost accounting, the source cites 30 to over 100 US dollars per error; the value used is at the lower end of this range.
Do I have to enter my email address?
No. You see your result immediately and without signing up. We only need your email address if you request the detailed report. The report then opens immediately, and we also send you the personal link by email.
What information do I need?
How your administration works, the number of warehouse employees, your labour cost per hour, typical search and clarification times, your monthly shipping volume and an estimate of how often picking errors occur. Estimates are enough, you do not need controlling data.
What does the detailed report contain?
Your cost drivers by priority, a detailed analysis for each area, up to three quick wins without a new system and possible starting points for a WMS. It also includes the full calculation with all assumptions and sources, available online and as a PDF.
What happens in the free expert check?
In a conversation of about 30 minutes, you put your figures into context together with us. We look at your processes, interfaces and priorities. The aim is a realistic assessment of which potential can be tapped economically and what an implementation could look like.
Who is the warehouse cost check for?
For logistics managers, operations managers and managing directors in retail, e-commerce, manufacturing and logistics services. It is particularly meaningful for warehouses that currently work with Excel, paper or an ERP without a dedicated WMS.
Is a WMS worthwhile for smaller warehouses too?
What matters is less the size of the warehouse than the effort that arises today from manual work, search times and errors. Small teams can therefore benefit from a WMS as well. Cloud models make it possible to start without your own IT infrastructure.
How much effort is the switch from Excel to a WMS?
That depends on your processes, data and interfaces. With a web-based WMS such as COGLAS, there is no need to build your own IT infrastructure. Standardised interfaces to ERP, shop and shipping as well as a structured implementation concept keep the impact on day-to-day business low.
Still open questions? Talk to our team →
Not calculated yet? Two minutes are enough.
Find out where the biggest cost levers in your warehouse are, free of charge and without signing up.