Cross-platform Mobile App for Enhanced Warehouse Navigation

Customer

The customer is a Germany-based retail company focused on consumer electronics. The company independently manages its inventory, order fulfillment, and distribution processes in warehouses located across various regions, catering to both online and offline sales channels.

Need

The customer already has a development team that handles the process of building and updating a custom warehouse management system (WMS). However, the company needed additional specialists who could create a separate module to provide advanced warehouse navigation.

Solution

Operating as a separate software development team, HQSoftware’s specialists developed a cross-platform mobile app that creates optimized picking routes based on warehouse configuration, goods location, and proximity to pickers’ current positions. The app uses real-time data from the WMS, including inventory information and location, order details, and warehouse layout. 

The app features mathematical algorithms that, based on given parameters, create the shortest and most optimal paths for order picking. The app displays the route as a plain line on the warehouse map and offers voice and visual guidance. 

Before starting a route, the app provides a picker with a list of items to be collected and automatically crosses them off as they are picked. All data is synchronized with the WMS in real time.

Process

While the customer already had their development team, our specialists worked as an independent group with the project manager on our side. During the development process, we communicated extensively with the customer’s specialists to integrate the new app with the custom WMS and ensure smooth data exchange and synchronization.

Initially, the request was to create a new module for the existing WMS, but our experts suggested developing a separate mobile app. After reviewing the estimates for both options provided by our team, the customer chose to proceed with the development of a cross-platform mobile application.

We worked in two-week sprints, providing APK files after each sprint. With our proven team management practices, we consistently met all deadlines and even completed the agreed scope of work ahead of schedule. We used the remaining time to make some minor improvements to the solution that were not part of the original scope of work. 

Team

• 1 project manager
• 1 mobile app developer
• 1 QA engineer
• 1 UI/UX designer (part-time)

Outcome

Collaborating with HQSoftware, the customer received a cross-platform mobile app with advanced warehouse navigation capabilities. By exchanging data with the custom WMS, the app creates optimized picking routes in warehouses of any configuration and provides visual and voice guidance to speed up order picking.

With the new app, the customer reduced order picking time by 25% and achieved order picking accuracy of up to 99%. So, the successful implementation of the mobile app empowered the customer to optimize their warehouse navigation, streamline operations, and deliver better service to their clients.

Learn more about our custom WMS development services here.