Custom app for commercial vehicle bodybuilding orders
Appfront builds apps for bodybuilders, superstructure manufacturers and fitters of commercial vehicles. For each order, the app covers the specification of the superstructure on the chassis, the drawing approved by the customer or dealer, the arrival of the chassis from the manufacturer, the components and scheduling in the workshop, and the inspection and handover afterwards. This ensures an order does not stall because the chassis has arrived but the drawing has not, and lets the dealer see at any time how far their customer's vehicle has progressed.
What is an app for commercial vehicle superstructure orders?
A commercial vehicle is often built in two stages: the manufacturer supplies the chassis with cab, and the bodybuilder fits a loading body, refrigerated unit, tipper, enclosed body or interior fit-out. An app for superstructure orders tracks, for each order, what is being built, on which chassis, to which approved drawing, and when the vehicle enters and leaves the workshop.
Without such an app, the specification sits in a quote, the drawing in an email to the dealer, the expected chassis date in a spreadsheet and the schedule on a board. If the chassis arrives before the approved drawing, the vehicle sits outside. If it arrives later, a workstation stands empty. An option the customer changes at the last minute never reaches the parts list, and the dealer phones three times a week to ask how their customer's vehicle is getting on.
We build custom solutions because the app must fit your superstructure work: which types of body you make, how you draw and obtain approval, which dealers and manufacturers you work with, which ERP system holds your parts and invoicing, and how inspection and registration are handled. A generic production package knows about an order and a bill of materials; it does not know about the externally supplied chassis or the dealer who wants to follow progress.
Specification per chassis
For each order, the chassis with make, model and chassis number, the superstructure with options and dimensions, and the agreements with customer and dealer, recorded in one place.
Drawing and approval
The superstructure drawing for approval by the customer or dealer, with versions and sign-off within the app. The order only enters the workshop once approval has been given.
Chassis, scheduling and inspection
Expected and received chassis alongside the planning per workstation, the progress per order, and the preparation for inspection and handover.
How we build your app for commercial vehicle body orders
We start with the orders you have running now: how many, on which chassis, and how often a chassis waited for a drawing or a workstation.
Your body types and options, how you draw up and approve designs, your dealers and manufacturers, your workstations and the ERP.
Recording orders with chassis, body and options, drawings with versions, and approval by the customer or dealer.
Expected and received chassis, the bill of materials and parts, the planning per workstation, and the progress per order on the shop floor.
Preparing for inspection and registration, handover with documentation, the dealer portal, and then management and expansion.
What a commercial vehicle body order app actually does
The components below come up in almost every bodybuilder. Which ones you need depends on your bodies and on how you work with dealers.
Order specification
For each order, the chassis, body, options, dimensions and agreements, with a check on combinations that do not fit this chassis.
Drawings and approval
Drawings per order with versions, sent for approval to the customer or dealer, and an approval recorded in the app.
Chassis registration
Expected delivery date and receipt of the chassis with its chassis number, linked to the order, with an alert if anything deviates.
Workshop planning
Orders per workstation and per week, taking into account chassis, approval and parts, with progress per step.
Inspection and handover
The data and documents for inspection and registration, the final check, and the handover with manuals and certificates.
Dealer portal
Dealers and customers see the status of their orders, approve drawings and receive a message when the planning changes.
Who we build a commercial vehicle body order app for
The app is meant for bodybuilders whose orders, chassis, drawings and planning currently sit in separate systems.
Coachbuilders
Loading platforms, tippers and closed bodies on heavy chassis. The specification per chassis and the planning are at the core.
Refrigerated and freezer body builders
Bodies with refrigeration units and insulation requirements. The drawing, the parts and the documentation at handover matter most.
Van fitters
Many orders with fixed packages and quick turnaround. The order specification and the dealer portal are what you need.
Dealers with their own bodybuilding partners
Orders for customers who work with several bodybuilders. The overview per chassis and the status are at the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about building commercial vehicle bodies. For managing vehicles after delivery, see our page on fleet management software. For workshops handling heavy machinery, see our page on workshop software for heavy machinery. For a similar step from approved design to work order, see our page on an app for production orders. You can read about how we work on building software.
Why Appfront for your commercial vehicle body order app?
A body build is always waiting on something: a chassis, a drawing or a part. We build around that: everything an order needs in one place, so it is visible what it is waiting for.
No more chassis standing idle
The planning knows the chassis date and the approval. A chassis only comes in once the workstation and the drawing are ready for it.
Build what has been approved
The workshop builds to the approved version of the drawing. Any late change goes back to the customer first.
The dealer checks for themselves
In the portal, the dealer can see the status of their orders. The phone rings less often, and the customer knows when their vehicle will arrive.
Security and privacy in an app for commercial vehicle body orders
The app holds orders, drawings, prices, customer details and vehicle details. Access is set up by role: sales and production planning edit orders, the workshop sees the schedule, and dealers see only their own orders. Every change to an approved order is logged with name and time.
The app runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily backups. The dealer portal and the ERP integration use their own keys, which can be revoked.
Frequently asked questions about an app for commercial vehicle body orders
Questions body builders ask before they get started.
For each order, it records the chassis and the body with options, has the drawing approved by the customer or dealer, tracks the arrival of the chassis, schedules the order per workstation with the parts, prepares inspection and handover, and lets dealers see the status in a portal.
Yes, for the rules you define, such as wheelbase, permissible gross weight, or combinations of options that are not compatible. The app warns you at the specification stage; the technical calculations remain with your production planning.
The drawing is attached to the order as a version and sent to the customer or dealer for approval, who either approves it in the portal or leaves comments. Only once it is approved is the order released to the workshop.
Depending on the body and the approval of the base vehicle, an inspection or registration with the RDW may be required after the build. The app gathers the data and documents needed for this and adds the step to the schedule.
Yes. In the dealer portal, dealers see per order the chassis, the drawing status, the schedule and the expected handover date, and they receive a notification when something changes.
Yes, for bills of materials, parts, stock and invoicing. The app adds the order, chassis, drawing and schedule; the ERP continues to handle the administration.
Check this first. An ERP handles orders, bills of materials and scheduling, which is enough if you mainly build standard bodies. Custom development makes sense when every chassis is different, when drawings need dealer approval, or when the supply of chassis from manufacturers drives your schedule.
No more chassis waiting for a drawing?
Tell us which bodies you build, how you work with dealers and manufacturers, and how you plan today. We will show you what the order, approval and schedule could look like.