Desktop-on-VM did not fit warehouse work
Pick lists were printed and carried between aisles. Workers walked back to a workstation to confirm picks, log receipts, or update transfers.
Executive Summary
A desktop install replaced by a mobile WMS and partner-ready API platform
The client is a US-headquartered apparel ERP. It serves fashion brands across order management, production, inventory, warehouse operations, and retail integrations.
Their warehouse module ran as a desktop application on per-customer VMs. That model limited mobility on the warehouse floor and pushed staff back to a workstation whenever they needed to update a pick, receipt, or stock count.
We rebuilt the warehouse module as a mobile-friendly React web application with barcode and QR scanning. In parallel, we built the customer-facing REST API over the existing internal OData layer.
The new WMS consumes that API. Integration partners build on it. The platform moved from a desktop-installed product to a web product with a governed, partner-ready API foundation.
IndustryApparel & Fashion ERP / Warehouse Operations
Engagement TypeWeb platform rebuild and API platform engineering
Initial Build15-month phased delivery in sprint cadence
StatusLive in production, with ongoing platform evolution
The Problems We Set Out to Solve
The product worked, but every action was anchored to a workstation
The existing product architecture did not match how warehouse work actually happens. It was desktop-bound, infrastructure-heavy, slow on the floor, and hard for partners to integrate with.
Customer onboarding was gated by VM provisioning
Every new customer required infrastructure setup before going live, creating friction that did not match SaaS-speed onboarding expectations.
The integration ecosystem could not scale on the internal data layer
The OData layer was useful as an internal data interface, but it was not a stable partner contract. Every new connector became a one-off engineering project.
Worker productivity was capped by paper-to-workstation roundtrips
Picks happen in aisles. Receipts happen at the dock. Cycle counts happen on shelves. The existing tooling forced all of them back to a desktop.
What We Built
A mobile warehouse product and a governed API platform, shipped as one program
We rebuilt the warehouse module as a React-based web WMS and paired it with a governed REST API platform. The web application gave warehouse teams mobility; the API gave the ERP a durable integration contract.
The architecture was designed around warehouse reality: unreliable WiFi, shared devices, scan-first operations, multi-tenant security, and one product surface across owned warehouses and 3PL partner sites.
React-based warehouse application
A mobile-first responsive interface for tablets and handheld devices on the warehouse floor. It covers receiving, putaway, picking (wave and batch), packing, shipping, transfers, and cycle counts. The same application runs across owned warehouses and 3PL partner sites.
ReactResponsive UIReceivingPutawayWave pickingBatch pickingPackingShippingTransfersCycle counts
Barcode and QR workflows throughout
Every operation that can start with a scan does: SKU, location, carton, pick ticket. Printed pick lists were replaced with on-device assignments that update in real time. Cycle counting moved from periodic shutdowns to a continuous workflow.
Barcode scanningQR scanningSKULocationCartonPick ticketContinuous counts
Customer-facing REST API over OData
We built the customer-facing REST API over the legacy OData layer. The same API powers the React WMS, client mobile and integration apps, and third-party connectors.
REST APILegacy OData abstractionVersioned endpointsStructured errors
Partner-ready API contract
OAuth 2.0 authentication (user and service-to-service flows), multi-region base URLs, multi-tenant design, structured error contracts, and a published 90-day deprecation policy were all designed up front.
OAuth 2.0S2S authMulti-region URLs90-day deprecation policy
Integration partner foundation
The platform now supports accounting, project and workflow management, retail e-commerce, and 3PL warehouse systems. Connectors run through governed APIs and signed webhook payloads.
AccountingProject workflowsRetail e-commerce3PL systemsSigned webhooks
API Platform
The REST API was not a wrapper. It became the platform contract
The web WMS and API platform reinforced each other. The same governed API that powered warehouse screens became the contract partners could build against.
Worker starts with a scan
SKU, location, carton, or pick ticket scans open the right workflow immediately instead of sending the worker through desktop-style navigation.
Operations continue through weak connectivity
Warehouse actions queue locally through dead zones and sync when the device reconnects.
The WMS consumes the public-grade API
The React WMS uses the same customer-facing REST API contract exposed to partners, keeping internal and external integration behavior aligned.
Partners build without custom engineering
Versioned endpoints, OAuth 2.0, structured errors, signed webhooks, and a deprecation policy let partner connectors scale without one-off projects.
WiFi is inconsistent in warehouse aisles
Metal shelving and concrete walls create dead zones. Operations queue locally when the connection drops and sync when it returns, with no data loss and no need for the worker to retry.
- Offline-tolerant operation queueing
- Automatic sync when connectivity returns
- No worker retry required after short disconnections
Workers move fast, often one-handed and gloved
Tap targets are large. Scanning replaces typing wherever physically possible. Common operations are reachable in a single thumb action.
- Large touch targets
- Scan-first operation starts
- High-frequency actions optimized for thumb reach
Devices are shared across shifts and sometimes dropped
Login is fast and resumable. Sessions survive device handoffs. State persists across short disconnections.
- Fast resumable login
- Session handoff support
- Persistent operation state
Owned warehouses and 3PL partners run the same way
The platform serves both models with the same flows, using permission-based scoping rather than separate codepaths.
- Single product surface
- Permission-based scoping
- No separate 3PL codepath
Key Design Decisions
Choices that made the product useful on the warehouse floor and stable for partners
React for warehouse web delivery
We chose React for component reuse across desktop, mobile, and tablet form factors, and for long-term hiring availability.
REST API as a deliberate OData abstraction
Partners build against a stable governed contract rather than the platform internal data model.
API governance designed up front
Versioned endpoints, structured error contracts, multi-region base URLs, and a 90-day deprecation policy were core architectural decisions, not retrofits.
Scan-first workflows over desktop forms
Scanning replaces typing wherever physically possible because warehouse work happens in motion.
Offline-tolerant operation queueing
The application preserves work through dead zones and short disconnections without requiring workers to retry.
Permission-scoped multi-tenant operation
Owned warehouses and 3PL partners run the same product surface with access scoped by permissions rather than separate codepaths.
Frequently asked questions
The evaluation team wanted hard questions answered before they trusted the demo
The answers below cover what changed after the WMS and API platform rollout, using the measured outcomes.
Print-and-walk picking was replaced with scan-first mobile assignments that update in real time.
Warehouse workers moved faster with fewer errors. Scan-first mobile flows replaced print-and-walk picking, removing the largest source of delay and error. Picking throughput improved about 25–30%, pick-error rates dropped, and cycle counting moved from disruptive periodic events to a continuous workflow.
Client quote
“
For the first time, our warehouse customers could run our system on a tablet in the aisle — not at a workstation in the office.
VO
VP Operations
VP Operations, Fashion ERP Platform
Tech Stack
A warehouse-floor frontend, versioned partner API, and multi-region delivery foundation
Frontend
React for the warehouse web applicationDesktop, mobile, and tablet form factorsResponsive interface optimized for warehouse-floor useComponent reuse across desktop and mobile
Scanning & Device Integration
Barcode scanning through device camerasQR scanningExternal handheld scannersOffline-tolerant operation queueing
API Platform
Customer-facing REST API designed and built by usLayered over the legacy OData layerOAuth 2.0 (user and service-to-service flows)Multi-region base URLsMulti-tenant by designVersioned endpointsStructured error contracts90-day deprecation policy
Stack rationale
React chosen for component reuse across desktop and mobile form factorsReact chosen for long-term hiring availabilityREST API deliberately abstracts legacy ODataPartners build against a stable governed contract, not the internal data model
Integrations
Accounting connectorsProject and workflow managementRetail e-commerceWebhook subscriptions3PL warehouse systemsSigned webhook payloads
Security & Compliance
OAuth 2.0 token rotationRole-based API permissionsEncryption at rest and in transitTenant isolation at data and application layers
Infrastructure
Multi-region cloud deploymentLatency optimisationPartner-ready API hosting
Engagement ModelWeb platform rebuild and API platform engineering
Initial Build15-month phased delivery in sprint cadence
Team Size12-person cross-functional team
StatusLive in production, with ongoing platform evolution