The Warehousing Education and Research Council has developed the WERC Warehouse Certification Program. The voluntary effort certifies the ability of a facility to perform core warehousing functions. It lays out an industry-standard grading methodology, which includes a facility inspection and process assessment by an independent third-party auditor. Certification is based on audits using the WERC Warehousing & Fulfillment Process Benchmark & Best Practices Guide. The publication outlines five levels of process competency, ranging from "poor" to "best practice." WERC certification is complementary to any quality-assessment system, such as the ISO 9000 series. The standards allow for variations in industry, customers, restrictions and product characteristics. Facilities are awarded a certificate and plaque as a "WERC Certified Facility," the organization said.
