The Problem
A regional distributor fulfilled 200+ orders daily from a single warehouse. Pickers used printed lists from Excel exports. Wrong items, missed lines, and re-picks slowed the loading dock.
Supervisors re-printed lists when inventory changed intraday. There was no live view of order status for customer service.
The Solution
I built a split Access database linked to their existing product table. Handheld-ready pick forms filtered by route and priority. Barcode fields reduced SKU entry errors.
Status flags updated in real time so customer service could see Shipped, Picking, or Hold without calling the warehouse.
The Outcome
Average pick time per order dropped 40%. Re-picks fell from 8% of lines to under 2%. Customer service call volume about order status dropped noticeably in the first month.
“Pickers stopped chasing paper. We see status live and the dock clears faster every afternoon.”