WareFlow — Warehouse Automation System
An intelligent warehouse management system with barcode/RFID integration, automated pick-pack-ship workflows, and real-time inventory visibility across locations.
Project Overview
WareFlow is a warehouse management system built for a 3PL provider operating 4 fulfillment centers totaling 800,000 square feet. The platform manages inbound receiving, inventory slotting, pick-pack-ship workflows, and outbound shipping with carrier rate shopping. MQTT handles real-time communication with barcode scanners and RFID readers on the floor, while Redis powers the task queue that distributes work to pickers. The system processes over 2.4 million orders per month with a 99.8% picking accuracy rate.
Timeline
16 Weeks
Team Size
7 Engineers
Platform
React + Node
Industry
Logistics
Key Results
2.4M
Monthly Orders
99.8%
Pick Accuracy
52%
Faster Fulfillment
4
Warehouses Live
The 3PL provider ran on a legacy WMS from 2012 that could not scale beyond 500K monthly orders. Picking errors averaged 3.2%, costing over $400K annually in returns and reshipping.
Legacy WMS limited to 500K orders/month — the business was outgrowing it
Picking error rate of 3.2% causing $400K+ in annual return and reship costs
No real-time inventory visibility — stock counts updated in nightly batches
Manual carrier selection costing 15-20% more than optimal shipping rates
We designed a real-time event-driven architecture using MQTT for device communication and Redis for task orchestration. The system uses zone-based wave picking and intelligent slotting to minimize picker travel distance.
Built an MQTT-based device layer for real-time barcode scanner and RFID communication
Implemented zone-based wave picking with AI-optimized walk paths reducing travel by 38%
Created dynamic inventory slotting that moves high-velocity SKUs closer to pack stations
Integrated rate shopping across 8 carriers with automated label generation
WareFlow scaled the operation from 500K to 2.4M monthly orders without adding warehouse staff. Picking accuracy improved from 96.8% to 99.8%, and average fulfillment time dropped from 4.2 hours to 2 hours.
Scaled from 500K to 2.4M monthly orders with the same workforce
Picking accuracy improved from 96.8% to 99.8%, saving $380K annually
Average order fulfillment time reduced from 4.2 hours to 2 hours
Shipping costs decreased 18% through automated carrier rate shopping
Technologies Used
“WareFlow let us 5x our order volume without hiring a single additional picker. The accuracy improvement alone saved us nearly $400K in the first year. Our 3PL clients now get same-day fulfillment as standard.”
Lisa Chen
COO, PrimeFulfill Logistics
