The Hidden Cost of Fragmented Warehouse Data, with Dwight Klappich
January 21, 2026
In this episode of The Performance-Driven Warehouse, host Dan Keto speaks with Dwight Klappich former Gartner Fellow and Principal at DK Advascent, about why warehouses rich in data still struggle to improve performance. They unpack why performance visibility requires more than WMS reporting, how unified data models turn fragmented systems into actionable insight, and the costly mistakes organizations make when attempting to consolidate data across facilities. Through real-world examples, the conversation offers practical guidance for leaders seeking consistent, network-wide operational accountability.
In this episode of The Performance-Driven Warehouse, host Dan Keto sits down with Dwight Klappich, Principal Dwight Klappich Advascent, to examine a persistent challenge in modern warehouse operations: an abundance of data with very little operational clarity. Despite significant investments in WMS, labor systems, and analytics tools, most organizations still struggle to explain performance, compare facilities fairly, or tie operational behavior to financial outcomes.
The discussion explores why warehouse performance management is fundamentally different from traditional system reporting, the role unified data models play in aligning operations, finance, and IT, and why technology-first data consolidation efforts often fail. Drawing on real-world examples, Dwight and Dan outline what leaders should prioritize before investing in platforms, BI tools, or AI initiatives, and how disciplined data structure enables scalable, network-wide performance management.
What You’ll Learn:
- How WMS, execution systems, and performance management serve different purposes
- Why fragmented data architectures undermine operational and financial accountability
- Why the business case must be defined before investing in data consolidation or analytics technology
- Why cloud data platforms alone do not solve warehouse performance visibility
- Why discipline in data structure and governance matters more than tools
- Why organizational alignment is often the limiting factor in performance improvement
Dwight Klappich, retired Research Vice President and Fellow, was a 25-year veteran of Gartner Inc. Mr. Klappich is a leading authority on supply chain technology most notably in logistics and fulfillment. With decades of insight into emerging technologies and logistics innovation, Dwight has played a pivotal role in shaping industry discourse and guiding enterprises through digital transformation in logistics, warehousing and fulfillment operations.
His thought leadership continues to influence automation strategies across global supply chains. Dwight also launched Gartner’s intralogistics smart robot research coverage and continues to be a leading authority on how logistics operations can exploit smart robots to support business transformation.