Service · Software development

Automating logistics processes.

From order processing to picking, from route planning to track and trace, we build custom software that carries your logistics chain end to end. No loose spreadsheets, no manual re-keying, no missing link between ERP, WMS, carrier and customer. One system that does what your operation needs. Want to read more? See also replacing legacy software.

Arrange an introductory call See our work

⇆

Logistics automation starts with the processes, not the system.

Most logistics organisations already have an ERP, often a WMS or TMS as well, and yet spreadsheets, email trails and standalone access databases still run in parallel to fill the gaps. Those gaps are exactly where errors creep in: wrong picks, forgotten returns, customers without track and trace, carriers receiving the wrong packing slip too late, warehouse staff working a picking round from yesterday's printed list.

We build custom software to close those gaps. Sometimes that is an entirely new custom order management system, sometimes a mobile picker app alongside your existing WMS, and sometimes a dispatcher dashboard that finally gives your planners real-time insight into available vehicles and offered routes. We start by looking at your process; only then do we decide what needs building, and what would be better integrated or replaced.

The common thread is always the same: the pain isn't that you have no software, but that existing software doesn't support your organisation's own logic. A standard WMS forces you to bend your order flow to fit its model. Custom development does the reverse: it adapts to your flow. That isn't a luxury; it's what makes the difference between software that speeds up your operation and software that slows it down.

Our approach in four points.

Process-driven

We model your flow first, and only then the software

Deep integration

Integrations with ERP, carriers and marketplaces

Mobile-ready

Picker apps on Zebra, Honeywell or standard Android devices

Ownership

Code, infrastructure and knowledge stay with your team

Which processes we automate.

Logistics automation is broad. Below are the three clusters we are asked about most often; nearly every project is a combination of two or more.

Cluster 01

Order-to-cash & inventory

Inbound order to invoice

This is the chain where most manual steps sit: capturing orders from your webshop, EDI or marketplace, confirming them automatically, generating pick lists, reserving stock, printing shipping labels, preparing the invoice and sending the customer a status update. Real-time stock, automatic reorder points and multi-warehouse logic belong here too. For organisations with several sales channels drawing on the same stock, the orchestration layer between those channels is often the biggest gain.

In practice, we might build an order-processing flow in which every incoming order passes through a ruleset that determines which warehouse it is picked from, which carrier suits the weight and destination, and whether a supplier needs to be contacted in parallel for a dropship portion. All of this runs in the background, with manual intervention only where it is genuinely needed.

Order processingInventory managementReorder pointsMulti-warehouseEDI ordersDropship flows

Cluster 02

Picking, packing & warehouse flows

Digitising the warehouse floor

Mobile scanner flows for pickers, batch or zone picking, weight checks at the packing station, and location suggestions based on pick frequency. We build this as a web app or a native Android app for handheld devices such as the Zebra TC series or Honeywell. It connects to your existing WMS, or sits as a standalone layer on top of it.

The difference from a standard picking app lies in the details: a user-friendly screen that works with gloves on, an offline mode for parts of the warehouse where Wi-Fi is unreliable, and an exception flow for cases where stock doesn't match or an item is damaged. We build those details in with you, because they determine whether software gets used or gets worked around.

Picker appBatch pickingWeight checkLocation suggestionsBarcode scanningOffline mode

Cluster 03

Dispatching, route planning & track-and-trace

Plan, drive, communicate

A planner dashboard for assigning orders to routes and drivers, a driver app for the road (route list, hand-off, photo proof of delivery), and a customer portal for live track-and-trace and ETA. Includes integrations with carriers for multi-carrier shipping. Works well alongside a fleet management app and a field service app for assembly or installation.

The three layers work together: the planner has a real-time view of where each vehicle is and which routes are still open, the driver has a simple screen showing what needs to happen at each stop, and the end customer sees a proactive ETA instead of an after-the-fact phone call. That reduces operational pressure and raises customer satisfaction.

Dispatcher dashboardDriver appTrack & traceETA engineMulti-carrierProof-of-delivery photos

What you have at the end.

A working system in production, plus everything around it so you can manage and develop it yourselves.

Production + staging

Two environments, hosted in your own cloud or with us — your choice.

Codebase + documentation

Full source code, build instructions and architecture overview.

Integration documentation

Which API integration with ERP, carrier or marketplace does what.

Training for key users

Sessions for planners and warehouse managers, video for pickers.

Managed service (optional)

Monitoring, backups, security patches and ongoing development.

When logistics automation pays off.

Four patterns where custom software is worth it — and where off-the-shelf packages usually fall short.

Volume

Order volume grows faster than the team

What can be handled manually with a few dozen orders a day breaks down once you reach hundreds or thousands. Every manual step then becomes a bottleneck or a source of errors. At that point, automation is no longer an optimisation but a prerequisite for growing without hiring people in proportion.

Complexity

Multiple channels, one stock pool

Your own webshop, B2B portal, marketplace and wholesale branches all selling from the same stock. Without central orchestration, you get overselling, returns chaos and no reliable figures. A platform that serves all channels at once, with per-channel stock allocations and real-time synchronisation, solves this structurally.

Integration

Your ERP doesn't do everything it should

Many ERP systems have a logistics module that covers 60%. The remaining 40% — often your most distinctive processes — calls for custom software running alongside the ERP. We build that layer on top, rather than forcing your ERP vendor into costly customisations.

Customer expectations

Customers expect live visibility

A track-and-trace link, an ETA, a notification when there's a delay. Businesses that don't offer this fall behind the modern e-commerce standard. A customer portal — white-label, in your brand identity — addresses this and reduces the number of customer service enquiries.

The less visible processes where much of the gain lies.

Four workstreams that often surface in audits as missed optimisations — alongside the obvious order and picking processes.

Returns

Reverse logistics flows

Returns are typically the most neglected process: manual email, paper forms, stock that never makes it back into the system. A customer-facing returns portal linked to an inbound flow for the warehouse makes this structured and measurable.

Documents

Consignment notes, CMR & customs

For international logistics or cross-border e-commerce, the documentation flow is a risk of bottlenecks. Automated generation of CMR consignment notes, customs declarations and pro forma invoices based on order data reduces errors and operational time in planning.

EDI & B2B

Order integrations with major customers

Many large retailers and industrial customers place orders via EDI (EDIFACT, ANSI X12) or through portals. Converting incoming EDI messages into structured orders in your own system — and sending back the acknowledgement, dispatch notice and invoice via EDI — is a typical custom piece of work.

Reporting

Operational dashboard for management

Which carrier had the most delays this week? What percentage of rush orders shipped the same day? Which items cause the most returns? A dashboard that shows this in real time — fed from the same data as the operational systems — is often the first thing the board wants to see.

How an engagement works.

01Introduction→ 02Process analysis→ 03Build in sprints→ 04Rollout & support

Step 01

Introduction

What runs today, where the pain is, which systems are in place. A no-obligation conversation with your operations team.

Step 02

Process analysis

We model your order flow, picking flow and integrations. Workshop with warehouse, planning and IT. End result: a scope document.

Step 03

Building in sprints

Working modules in two-week sprints. The warehouse tests from sprint 2, planners from sprint 3. Direct feedback, immediate adjustments.

Step 04

Rollout & support

Phased go-live to production: first one warehouse or one region, then scale up. Ongoing support and further development.

What we integrate with and build.

For each project we choose what fits your existing landscape. No dogma about a single framework, but deep experience with the systems Dutch logistics companies work with. For sector-specific context, see also our approach to transport & logistics and our role as a transport software partner.

ERP / WMS / TMS

Exact OnlineAFASSAP Business OneDynamics 365OdooBoltrics

Carriers & marketplaces

PostNLDHLUPSDPDGLSBolAmazonShopify

Stack & hardware

Next.jsNode.jsPythonPostgreSQLZebra TC-seriesHoneywellGCP/AWS

Frequently asked questions.

Do you build a complete WMS, or add-ons to an existing system?

Both. If your ERP or WMS covers the basics well, we build the missing layer around it, for example a picker app, a dispatcher dashboard or a customer portal that connects to your existing systems. If the foundation no longer fits, we rebuild the entire platform. We advise openly on which route delivers the most in your situation. Sometimes carrying on with an existing WMS plus a custom layer is more pragmatic than a full replacement; sometimes it is the other way round, because the old licence and the customisations together cost more than a new platform.

Do you integrate with DHL, PostNL, UPS and other carriers?

Yes, with all the common Dutch and European carriers. We usually connect to PostNL and DHL directly via their shipping APIs. For multi-carrier scenarios we often use Sendcloud or MyParcel as an aggregator, so you have one integration to dozens of carriers. For specific combinations (for example your own transport plus DPD for overflow, or a own contract with UPS that takes priority over the standard rate) we build the routing logic to measure into the order flow itself.

Does your picker software run on Zebra or Honeywell handhelds?

Yes. We usually build web-app based, so the same screen runs on Zebra TC-series, Honeywell CT-series and standard Android devices. That saves licence costs and gives you hardware freedom. Where native behaviour is needed (fast scanner trigger, offline picking for warehouses with weak Wi-Fi, hardware buttons), we deliver a hybrid or native Android build. iOS is rarely sensible for warehouse flows; iPhones and iPads lack industrial scanning hardware and are more fragile in a warehouse environment.

Can marketplaces such as Bol or Amazon connect to the system?

Yes, through their official APIs. Orders come in, stock is synced back, and shipping information is reported back automatically. We often build a channel layer that runs multiple marketplaces in parallel, with separate stock quotas per channel, so that overselling is prevented when the same stock is also sold through your own webshop. Price management per channel and automatic listing updates are also a typical extension.

What determines the cost of such a project?

Scope (how many processes we automate), depth of integration (how many external systems are involved), number of external users and the complexity of your stock and order logic. A simple picker app alongside an existing WMS is a different project from an end-to-end platform that integrates ERP, marketplaces, carriers and a customer portal. After the scope document we give you an honest estimate. We don't publish a price list upfront, because without your context any figure is a guess.

How long before we can go live?

A self-contained module, such as just a picker app or just a customer portal, can go live within a few sprints. A broader project involving multiple integrations and multiple roles takes several sprints. We always work in phases: first one sub-process goes live, then we scale up. Only once that first sub-process runs stably and your team is working with it do we roll out the next part.

What about returns and reverse logistics?

Returns are often the most neglected process. We build returns portals where the customer requests the label themselves, records a return reason and tracks the status. On the warehouse side: inbound return scanning, inspection, restocking or rejection, and automatic credit notes sent to the ERP. Including customs and CMR documents where needed, with reporting on return reasons so that product management can spot structural causes.

How does maintenance work after handover?

Optionally, we take over management (monitoring, backups, security patches, further development for minor requests). If you would rather handle this yourselves, we hand over everything: the codebase, infrastructure-as-code, incident runbooks and a few handover sessions with your IT team. We build it so that takeover is possible, even if you initially choose our managed service layer.

Do you work with our internal IT department or ERP supplier?

Almost always. Logistics automation almost certainly touches existing systems: ERP, accounting, carriers, and sometimes a legacy WMS. We keep your IT team informed throughout and, where necessary, your ERP vendor too. Clear API contracts, documented integrations and a runbook for incidents are standard.

Talk to us about your logistics processes.

A no-obligation introductory call of half an hour. We listen to your workflow, ask questions about the pain points and point you in a useful direction, even if it turns out that custom development is not the right route.

Schedule an introductory call Email fabian.vandijk@appfront.nl