The concept of the barcode — an alphabet made up of thick and thin bars — came into being in the 1950s. Today, it’s hard to imagine a world without it.

Resurge, a new provider of warehousing and order-fulfillment services, needed a WMS that would allow it to grow quickly — but it couldn’t have anticipated how fast growth would come with the arrival of the pandemic.

One year after the pandemic hit, warehouses are still dealing with labor shortages, safety precautions and other disruptions associated with a disaster that can throw a wrench in normal operations.