Operator to Warehouse Fulfillment Workflow

This success story shows how ThickDot helps manufacturing & distribution brands by improving operations and user experience with faster processing.

Case Details

Clients: Manufacturing & Distribution

Tags: Enterprise Web Application

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Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2M 3H1

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The Problem

Our client had a problem that didn’t show up in ERP reports: operators constantly leaving their machines to hunt down parts.

Damage during production. Scrap exceeding estimates. Unexpected shortages. When operators needed replacement materials, they walked to the warehouse, explained the situation, waited for someone to find parts, then manually logged transfers, if anyone remembered to log them at all.

The real cost:

Machines sitting idle while operators sourced parts

Manual transfer processes prone to errors

Zero audit trail for inventory movements

Recurring issues never identified or addressed

Warehouse staff constantly interrupted, unable to prioritize

Production hours were bleeding away, one unplanned trip at a time.

Why Manual Transfers Fail at Scale

Manual processes work when volume is low and tribal knowledge compensates for lack of systems. But as production scales, memory fails and informal processes collapse.

The team had no visibility into why parts were needed so frequently. Was it operator error? Supplier quality issues? Design problems? Without data, they couldn’t fix root causes.

And manual inventory transfers meant the ERP’s inventory counts drifted from reality, creating a planning errors downstream.

The Solution: Internal Ordering System Web App

We built an internal ordering system that mirrored how teams already thought about the problem, but removed all the friction and added traceability.

How It Works

Operators request parts digitally from their workstation (tablet or terminal)

Requests include job number, reason code, and quantity

Warehouse staff receive notifications in priority order

Staff pick, scan, and transfer parts with mobile devices

System automatically updates ERP inventory in real-time

Full audit trail captures who, what, when, and why

Operators stay at their machines. Warehouse staff work from a prioritized queue instead of responding to whoever yells loudest. And every transaction writes back to the ERP instantly, keeping inventory accurate.

Technology Approach

Analytics layer tracking request patterns and reasons

Tablet-optimized request interface for shop floor environments

Real-time ERP sync for inventory transactions and job costing

The Measurable Impact

Reduced machine downtime. Operators no longer abandon their stations. Parts flow faster and more predictably.

Traceable transfers. Every inventory movement has a digital record: who requested it, who fulfilled it, which job consumed it, and when. Finance and operations finally trust inventory data.

Process insights. The system revealed patterns invisible before: certain part numbers failed frequently, specific suppliers had quality issues, and some jobs consistently underestimated material needs. Leadership could now fix root causes instead of firefighting symptoms.

Faster fulfillment. Warehouse staff prioritized based on urgency and workload, not whoever showed up at the window. Efficiency improved for everyone.

Operators focus on running machines correctly. Warehouse staff manage inventory strategically. And the business gains visibility into operational patterns that drive continuous improvement.

Small friction points, when multiplied across hundreds of daily transactions, destroy productivity. This fixed one of them.