Case Study · Manufacturing 10 weeks Perth, WA

Warehouse Management for Building Materials

WMS with barcode scanning, pick/pack workflows, real-time stock levels and delivery scheduling. Replaced paper-based warehouse operations and reduced picking errors.

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Client Context

Building materials wholesaler and distributor

A WA building materials company distributing 4,000+ SKUs (timber, hardware, plumbing, electrical and finishing products) to builders, contractors and retail customers. They operated a 5,000sqm warehouse with 18 staff.

Warehouse operations ran on paper. Pick lists were printed from the ERP, walked around the warehouse, marked up by hand and returned to the office for data entry. Stock levels were updated at end of day. Returns and adjustments were processed in batches weekly.

The Challenge

What needed to change

Picking errors were expensive. Paper pick lists led to wrong-item and wrong-quantity errors at a rate of 8%. Each error created a return cycle: customer call, return logistics, credit note, restock, re-pick and re-deliver. The company estimated $15,000/month in error-related costs.

Stock levels were never accurate. End-of-day updates meant the system was always behind. Sales reps quoted stock availability that did not match what was actually in the warehouse. Builders who needed materials that day drove across town to find the item was out of stock.

Delivery scheduling was manual. Orders were allocated to delivery runs by the dispatch supervisor using a paper schedule. Route planning was based on experience, not optimisation. Trucks sometimes left half-empty or made unnecessary backtracking.

The Solution

What we built

A warehouse management system with barcode scanning, guided picking, putaway logic, real-time stock visibility, and delivery scheduling, integrated with the existing ERP.

Guided Picking

Barcode scanner-guided picking with optimised walk paths. Pick list sequenced by warehouse location. Each pick confirmed by scanning the item barcode. Wrong item rejected immediately.

Receiving & Putaway

Inbound goods scanned at receiving. System directs putaway to the optimal location based on product category, pick frequency and available space. Stock levels update in real time.

Stock Management

Real-time stock levels across all 4,000+ SKUs. Cycle counting replaces annual stocktakes. Automatic reorder triggers based on min/max levels and sales velocity.

Delivery Scheduling

Orders grouped into delivery runs based on location and vehicle capacity. Route optimisation minimises distance and backtracking. Driver app with delivery sequence and proof of delivery.

Built with:
ReactTypeScriptNode.jsPostgreSQLZebra Scanner SDKGoogle Maps APIAWS
In Practice

How it works

1

Order received from ERP

Customer order flows from the ERP into the WMS. System checks stock availability and creates a pick task assigned to the next available picker.

2

Picker follows guided path

Picker's handheld device shows the optimised pick sequence. Scanner guides to each location. Item barcode scanned to confirm correct product and quantity.

3

Order packed and staged

Picked items brought to packing station. Order checked against pick list. Packed and labelled for delivery or customer collection.

4

Delivery run planned

Dispatch allocates orders to delivery runs. Route optimised by location. Driver receives the run sheet on the mobile app with navigation.

5

Delivered with proof

Driver follows the optimised route. Customer signs on the device for proof of delivery. Delivery status updates in real time for the dispatch team.

Results

Measurable outcomes

95%+ Pick accuracy (was 92%)
30% Faster order fulfilment
4,000+ SKUs managed in real time
$15K/month Saved in error-related costs
20% Reduction in delivery route distance
< 1 day Stock level currency (was end-of-day)

Picking errors cost us $15,000 a month. Since going live with barcode scanning and guided picking, we have virtually eliminated wrong items and wrong quantities. The builders trust that what we promise is actually in stock.

Warehouse Manager Building Materials Supplier
Delivery

How we delivered it

1

Warehouse Analysis

2 weeks

Mapped the warehouse layout, product locations, pick paths and delivery routes. Analysed pick error data for root causes. Observed receiving, putaway, picking and dispatch workflows across a full week.

2

WMS Build

5 weeks

Built the WMS with guided picking, barcode scanning, putaway logic, stock management and cycle counting. Integrated with the existing ERP for order flow and stock sync.

3

Delivery & Mobile

2 weeks

Built the delivery scheduling module with route optimisation. Developed the driver mobile app with run sheets, navigation and proof of delivery capture.

4

Rollout

1 week

Deployed hardware: handheld scanners, label printers and mobile devices. Trained warehouse staff on guided picking and receiving workflows. Ran parallel with paper for 1 week to validate.

Meet the person

The person behind the work

Your project, handled by the founder from start to end.

HELLO PEOPLE designs, builds and looks after AI, software, app and data solutions for Australian businesses, with senior expertise on every project and a scope agreed before work starts. That means a partner who understands the business as well as the technology.

Since 2007, HELLO PEOPLE has delivered more than 100 projects from Perth for small and medium businesses across Australia: custom software and apps, system integrations, data migrations, reporting and dashboards, and AI that works inside the systems a business already runs.

I lead every engagement myself. I trained in accounting before moving into IT, hold accounting and IT professional qualifications and an MBA, and bring more than 20 years of experience across sales, service delivery, inventory and compliance. I am also a PhD candidate in AI at Curtin University, researching retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), so the technology is always judged by what it does for the business.

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