License plating on a handheld barcode scanning device is not available with WMS Express. Building, moving, or scanning license plates directly on the mobile device requires Warehouse Insight. A company can still use License Plates functionality separately within Business Central, but that capability does not extend to the WMS Express mobile application.
What license plating means on the mobile device
License plating groups multiple items, quantities, or lot and serial numbers together under a single reference, most commonly used to represent a pallet or a package moving through the warehouse. On a handheld device, this typically means a warehouse associate can build a license plate while receiving or picking, scan that single license plate barcode later to move or ship the entire group at once, rather than scanning every individual item inside it every time it is handled.
This mobile license plating capability, including building license plates from scratch, reopening and adding to existing ones, and scanning a license plate to process everything it contains in one step, is part of Warehouse Insight and is not included in WMS Express.
Why the distinction exists
WMS Express is designed to cover the core functions most warehouses rely on every day, specifically receiving, picking, inventory counts, and bin movements. It is intentionally a more focused tool, and license plating is one of the more advanced capabilities that sits outside that core scope. Warehouse Insight includes that same core functionality plus additional modules like license plating, along with broader customization options through its application designer and add on catalog.
A comparison page on the Insight Works website outlines the differences between WMS Express and Warehouse Insight in more detail, including this specific limitation around license plating.
What this means for a company already using License Plates in Business Central
If a company already has the License Plates functionality set up in Business Central for use outside the mobile device, that setup is not affected by which mobile scanning tool is chosen. License Plates can continue to be used in that context regardless. The limitation is specific to the WMS Express mobile application itself. If license plating on the handheld device is not a requirement, for example if pallets are only tracked through desktop processes or not tracked as license plates at all, WMS Express remains a complete option for barcode scanning in the warehouse. If mobile license plating is needed, whether for building pallets during receiving or scanning a pallet as a single unit during shipping, Warehouse Insight is the appropriate solution.
Relevant Tools
Warehouse Insight includes full mobile license plating support, allowing pallets or packages to be built, scanned, and processed as a single unit from the handheld device. WMS Express covers the core warehouse scanning functions of receiving, picking, counting, and bin movements without mobile license plating support.
The distinction comes down to what happens on the device itself. Desktop use of License Plates in Business Central is unaffected either way, but mobile license plating specifically requires Warehouse Insight.